Lee Van Der Voo

A struggle over shrinking supplies of Bering Sea halibut is threatening the iconic centerpiece fish in favor of cheaper exports, fast-food fillets and fish sticks.

At more than $1 billion a year, there is no bigger fishery for human consumption on the planet, but pollock was also meant to be a savior, part of a Washington-backed anti-poverty plan aimed at residents here on Alaska's mostly undeveloped west coast.