As Western Alaska communities face a shocking decline in the salmon runs they depend on, fishing operations called factory trawlers are drawing more scrutiny than ever before — the vessels are not going after salmon, but they can still scoop some up in their nets.

With support from the Pulitzer Center, the Daily News recently published a two-part series diving into factory trawling in the Bering Sea, the industry’s impact on Alaska’s salmon runs, and Community Development Quota groups, which have become powerful players in fishery politics.

In this episode, host Elizabeth Harball talks to longtime fisheries reporter Hal Bernton, who went out on a factory trawler this August to report the first story in the series.

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This episode of ADN Politics is sponsored by SteamDot Coffee.