Disclaimer: Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply MCA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.
AFSC. Results of the echo integration-trawl survey of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) on the U.S. and Russian Bering Sea shelf in June and July 2007
NOAA. MSA 2007 Implementation Tracking (1/9/2009)
NOAA Fisheries Extends Public Comment Period on Salmon Bycatch Document (1/12)
NOAA Reports Northern Fur Seal Pup Estimate Decline (1/15)
Northern fur seal population hits another low (1/18)
NOAA Issues Final Guidance on Annual Catch Limits to End Overfishing (1/15)
AMSEA training prepares commercial fishermen from Kodiak for upcoming tanner crab fishery (1/9)
MCA Comments on Proposed Groundfish Specifications for 2009-2010 (1/9)
White House Arctic Region Policy (1/12)
ADN. Our view: Arctic fishing? (1/15)
Opinion. What Can Fish and Game Be Thinking? (1/15)
Commercial and Charter concerns play out at IPHC (KFSK Audio) (1/14)
Coast Guard will no longer monitor 121.5/243MHz emergency beacons (1/14)
Coast Guard presents Meritorious Public Service Award to crew of Alaska Warrior (1/16)
NPFMC. Chinook Outreach PowerPoint (pdf format)
Oceans Policy Scores Victory with Passage of S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (1/15)
STATE
Business of Fish 2009. UATV - January 20 - April 28
FISHING: Kenmore native makes profitable living on Alaskan seas (1/11)
Sea Ice in the Bering Sea causes problems for crab fishermen (KUCB Audio) (1/13).
ADFG. Fishery Management Plan for the Commercial Tanner Crab Fishery in the Kodiak District of Registration Area J, 2009
ADFG. Fishery Management Plan for Commercial Black Rockfish Fisheries in the Kodiak, Chignik, and South Alaska Peninsula Areas, 2009
ADFG. Report to the Board of Fisheries, Status of the Allocation of Enhanced Fish, Southeast Region 2008
ADFG. Annual Management Report for the 2008 Southeast Alaska/Yakutat Salmon Troll Fisheries
ADFG. Annual Management Report of the 2008 Yakutat Area Commercial Salmon Fisheries
ADFG. 2009 Report to the Alaska Board of Fisheries: Southeast Alaska—Yakutat Herring Fisheries
ADFG. 2009 Report to the Alaska Board of Fisheries, Groundfish Fisheries, Region 1: Southeast Alaska—Yakutat
ADFG/BOF. Department reports for January 21-27, 2009 Southeast and Yakutat Shellfish Meeting
ADFG/BOF. Department reports for February 17-26, 2009 Southeast and Yakutat Finfish Meeting
Kodiak Trade show a go in new venue (1/13)
Homer News SeaWatch. Fishermen facing big increase in permit fees (1/14)
Alaska Sea Grant Fishlines (Jan 2009)
Economic impact of sportfishing on Southcentral Alaska is tallied (1/16)
NSEDC evens up with IRS, state to the tune of $12.4 million (1/15)
NSEDC 2007 financials still have not seen light of day (1/15)
Nome seafood plant manager resigns (1/15)
MARKETING
Demand for Alaska seafood increases in world’s food aid programs (1/9)
Holland America Line Serves Up Authentic Alaska Cruise Souvenir (1/13)
ASMI Winter Retail E-Newsletter (1/15)
Pollock/Surimi. A second season of quota cuts hit pollock, surimi-seafood industry (1/12)
NOAA Fisheries Extends Public Comment Period on Salmon Bycatch Document (1/12). NOAA Fisheries is extending the comment period on a draft environmental impact statement that proposes methods of reducing the number of Chinook salmon accidentally caught by Bering Sea pollock fishermen.
“Based on numerous fishing industry requests, we are extending the comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Bering Sea Chinook Salmon Bycatch Management through February 23, 2009,” said Acting Alaska Regional Administrator Doug Mecum. “We want to give the public additional time for comment without delaying the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s plan to take final action at its April 2009 meeting.”
The draft EIS was released December 5, with a comment period that was to end February 3, 2009. In the draft EIS, managers describe ways to limit the accidental salmon 'bycatch' in order to conserve Chinook salmon, maintain a healthy ecosystem, and provide maximum benefit to fishermen and communities that depend on Chinook salmon and pollock. More http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2009/bycatcheis011209.htm
NOAA Reports Northern Fur Seal Pup Estimate Decline (1/15). Researchers at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center have marked another decline in northern fur seal pup births in the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, where most of the world’s population of northern fur seals gather in the summer to rest and breed.
“We started seeing an over-all decline in the abundance of fur seals on the Pribilof Islands around 1998, but we have not been able to identify the factors responsible,” said Dr. Doug DeMaster, center director. “While the population trends were up in specific areas and certain sectors of the population, the Pribilof Island pup count is a major marker, and it was down by 4.9 percent since the 2006 count.”
Analysis of 2008 data produced an estimate of 121,000 northern fur seal pups born in 2008. The total number of adult males counted on the Pribilof Island increased by 4.6 percent to 10,600. More http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090115_sealpup.html
Northern fur seal population hits another low (1/18). The 10-year-long decline of the northern fur seal population hit a new low last year with the fewest number of fur seal pups born in the Pribilof Islands in 92 years. "The Pribilof Island pup count is a major marker, and it was down by 4.9 percent since the 2006 count," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologist Doug DeMaster.
The 2008 survey found an estimated 121,000 northern fur seal pups at rookeries on St. Paul and St. George islands, compared to 253,000 pups there in 1992. More http://www.adn.com/seals/story/659380.html
NOAA Issues Final Guidance on Annual Catch Limits to End Overfishing (1/15). NOAA’s Fisheries Service today issued final guidance on annual catch limits designed to help restore federally managed marine fish stocks and end overfishing.
Annual catch limits are amounts of fish allowed to be caught in a year. The 2007 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act required fishery management plans to establish mechanisms for specifying annual catch limits at such levels that overfishing does not occur. Additionally, the act calls for measures to ensure accountability with these limits, and that the limits do not exceed the scientific recommendations made by the regional fishery management councils’ scientific committees.
“The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that we end overfishing by 2010,” said Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “The commercial seafood industry and recreational saltwater fishing provide our nation food, jobs and other incredible benefits that we want to continue for future generations when we end overfishing. “
NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the eight regional fishery management councils, and fishing communities themselves have taken significant steps toward ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks in recent years. In 2007, seven fish stocks were removed from the overfishing list. Approximately 40 stocks are still experiencing overfishing, however, NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the fishery management councils are in the process of ending overfishing for these stocks.
AMSEA training prepares commercial fishermen from Kodiak for upcoming tanner crab fishery (1/9). KODIAK, Alaska - Commercial fishermen preparing to head out for the upcoming tanner crab fishery in Kodiak, Alaska, successfully completed the Alaska Marine Safety Education Training today to better prepare themselves for the hazards of fishing in Alaskan waters.
The two day course, which began on Thursday, focused on all the necessary steps to prepare for and survive an accident at sea.
Mariners were afforded valuable face-to-face interaction with Coast Guard rescue swimmers in the safety of the Kodiak Coast Guard base pool, rather than in the midst of a brutal Alaskan winter storm. Swimmers explained the operation of pumps and other common equipment delivered by the Coast Guard to vessels in distress. They also explained how mariners can assist in their own rescue by cooperating with the Coast Guard's rescue procedures. More http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/780/247940/
White House Arctic Region Policy (1/12). The White House released a National Security Presidential Directive and Homeland Security Presidential Directive on Arctic region policy. Among other things, the combined directive states that it is the policy of the United States to protect the Arctic environment and conserve its biological resources. The United States is prepared to protect its national security and homeland security interests in the Arctic. The United States exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the Arctic. It is the position of the United States that the Northwest Passage is a strait used for international navigation and that the Northern Sea Route includes straits used for international navigation. The United States intends to develop greater capabilities and capacities to protect its Arctic borders and to increase its maritime domain awareness in the Arctic. The United States encourages the peaceful resolution of disputes in the Arctic region. The Administration will continue to seek the approval of the US Senate to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and supports that Convention’s procedure for international recognition and legal certainty regarding the extended continental shelf. The United States supports international scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The United States supports safe, secure, and reliable transportation in the Arctic, while protecting maritime commerce and the environment. The United States supports sustainable development in the Arctic region, while addressing climate change. The United States will work with other nations to address increased pollutants and other environmental challenges in the Arctic region. NSPD-66/HSPD-25 (1/12/09).
**** The US Coast Guard issued a press release advising that Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, stated that the President’s new Arctic policy reaffirms America’s obligation to protect the Arctic domain, its environment, and those who work and live in it. The directive will guide Coast Guard operational activities in the region and the allocation of USCG resources to meet mission demands. (1/12/09).
ADN. Our view: Arctic fishing? (1/15). As ice disappears from Alaska's arctic waters, North Pacific fishing fleets may be tempted to push into the newly opening area, seeking whatever fish they might find. But nobody knows very much about the region's marine environment, how the arctic warming trend is changing it, and what damage, if any, commercial fishing might inflict.
Which is why the federal agency that manages Alaska's arctic waters wants to put a hold on any industrial fishing in the U.S. portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
Monday, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council took a big step in that direction when it released a draft plan to close off fishing in Alaska's arctic waters. The council's official decision to close the area is expected next month.
Opinion. What Can Fish and Game Be Thinking? (1/15). On Nov. 6, the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a request for public comments in the Federal Registry regarding listing Southeast Alaska pacific herring stocks as threatened or endangered. Shortly thereafter, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced plans for yet another record herring harvest in Sitka Sound. Out of the seven largest stocks, this herring biomass just happens to be the last remaining major herring stock left in Southeast Alaska. At least five were over-exploited under ADF&G management.
Has ADF&G considered the ramifications of this action and the potential disastrous impact this may bring about to all of the communities of Southeast Alaska? Just for starters, how about the tens of millions of dollars it could cost each community for upgrades to municipal wastewater discharges? What about the cruise ship industry, and further restrictions on all forms of shipping and marine transportation? No more logging? No more mining? No more bait or subsistence herring roe gathering? What new restrictions would be placed on charter and commercial fishing boats? What about new prohibitively costly groundwater run-off standards for commercial and residential construction, and tighter restrictions on placing fill or putting in docks? The list is endless.
This administration took a strong stand against the listing of polar bears as threatened or endangered for this very reason. Why are they allowing this act of total irresponsibility to take place on their watch? Get ready folks, we may soon be heading back into the Dark Ages. Andy Rauwolf, Ketchikan Link http://juneauempire.com/stories/011509/let_377689360.shtml
Commercial and Charter concerns play out at IPHC (KFSK Audio) (1/14). PETERSBURG-AK (2009-01-14) The commercial and charter fishing fleets are taking their concerns over halibut catch limits to the International Pacific Halibut Commission this week. The IPHC has its annual meeting in Vancouver BC and for the third year in a row, commission staff is proposing a deep cut to the Southeast Alaska harvest. http://kfsk.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=centerBlock&ID=299
Coast Guard will no longer monitor 121.5/243MHz emergency beacons (1/14).ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Beginning Feb. 1 the Coast Guard and other search-and-rescue personnel will only monitor and receive distress alert broadcasts using digital 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB).
In anticipation of this change, the digital 406 MHz model became the only model approved for use in both commercial and recreational watercraft worldwide Jan. 1, 2007. Satellite processing from all 121.5 or 243 MHz EPIRB will be terminated.
"A 406 MHz EPIRB is your best chance if you are in distress," said Lt. LuAnn Kehlenbach, command center chief at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. "In Alaska, communications are very challenging due to topography and distance. 406 MHz EPRIBs are our most reliable option. Only one 121.5 MHz alert out of 50 is a genuine distress situation. Given the vastness of the Alaska region this has a significant effect on the availability of search and rescue personnel and platforms."
EPIRB owners are required by law to provide emergency contact information and a vessel description by registering their beacon with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. This allows search and rescue personnel to quickly confirm if a distress signal is real, and identify what type of boat or aircraft to look for. It also means accidental activation of an EPIRB may be resolved quickly with a phone call to the owner. More http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/780/248571/
Coast Guard presents Meritorious Public Service Award to crew of Alaska Warrior (1/16). ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Capt. Scott Krey and members of the crew of the fishing vessel Alaska Warrior were honored by the Coast Guard at City Hall in Unalaska Thursday for their part in the heroic rescue of the crew of the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger on March 23, 2008.
The Mayor of Unalaska Shirley Marquardt and Lt. Jose Rosario, supervisor Marine Safety Detachment Unalaska, presented Krey and his crew with a Meritorious Public Service Award from the Coast Guard for their immediate response to the Alaska Ranger's tragic sinking. The Alaska Warrior's rapid response and successful execution of the difficult rescue resulted in 22 lives saved.
The rescue was affected by the Alaska Warrior and Coast Guard aviators in blizzard conditions and high seas over several hours.
"The entire rescue should be categorized as a miracle, because in spite of the horrendous weather and a chaotic sea state, 42 men and women went home to their families because of the efforts of the Coast Guard crews and the Alaska Warrior," said Marquardt.
Krey and his crew kept their focus on the job at hand, working as quickly as possible to pull the cold, exhausted survivors from the water. They proceeded to treat them for hypothermia on board the Warrior and eventually returned them safely to Unalaska.
"We are reminded again and again just how unpredictable and deadly the Bering Sea truly is, and how valuable the right equipment and regular training is for a positive outcome if the situation allows," added Marquardt. "Prayers for the safe return for those who fish the Bering Sea, and those who protect them are given every season, and we do not forget those who have been lost." More http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/780/249189/
UNALASKA, Alaska -- Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt and the crew of Marine Safety Detachment Unalaska, lead by Lt. Jose Rosario, present a public service award from the Coast Guard to Capt. Scott Krey, captain of the fishing vessel Alaska Warrior, for his and the Warrior's crew's efforts to rescue the crew of the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger from the waters of the Bering Sea on Easter Sunday 2008. The presentation was done at the fishermen's memorial in Unalaska. (Coast Guard photo/courtesy Marine Safety Detachment Unalaska)
Oceans Policy Scores Victory with Passage of S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (1/15). WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ocean conservation and research scored a major victory today with the passage of S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The act includes five bills, originally introduced in the 110th Congress under the leadership of Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), that increase our knowledge of oceans and coastal areas, provide policymakers with important data, and protect our oceans from the effects of climate change.
“The oceans cover over two-thirds of our planet, yet we know little about what lies beneath or how the changing climate is affecting marine resources. And of course, there is no state that is more dependent on the long term health of the world’s oceans than my own state of Hawaii,” said outgoing Chairman Inouye. “Tens of thousands of citizens of Hawaii depend directly or indirectly on a healthy and bountiful Pacific Ocean. The five bills we passed today will help to provide the resources to increase understanding about ocean and coastal areas, which in turn will enable us to make the best possible decisions about how to manage, preserve, and protect them.” The following bills were included in S. 22 which passed the Senate today: More http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.
Detail&PressRelease_id=fd59a30b-a5b5-4ef1-a825-041303589e7f&Month=1&Year=2009
STATE
Business of Fish 2009. UATV - January 20 - April 28. FishBiz Spring 2009 Workshop Series is a no-cost, non-credited University distance delivery business management course for the Alaska seafood sector. FishBiz covers a number of subjects related to commercial fishing and shellfish farming operations. See below for workshop description and materials.
FISHING: Kenmore native makes profitable living on Alaskan seas (1/11). When people in the Tonawandas are complaining about winter weather, Charles Wilkins is braving minus 40 degree weather and 40 mile per hour winds on the Bering Sea.
Wilkins left Kenmore last year, looking for an adventurous and lucrative job. He found just that on board the Arctic Star, a fishing ship that trolls the chilly waters near the Arctic Circle.
Wilkins’ father, Dan, said his son inquired about the career after seeing the TV show “Deadliest Catch,” which features the exploits of similar fishing boats doing the dangerous work.
Sea Ice in the Bering Sea causes problems for crab fishermen (KUCB Audio) (1/13). An abnormally high level of sea ice is covering the Bering Sea this winter. It’s moving south faster than it has in more than 30 years and it’s causing problems for the snow crab fishermen. http://aprn.org/2009/01/13/sea-ice-in-the-bering-sea
-causes-problems-for-crab-fishermen/
Kodiak Trade show a go in new venue (1/13). ComFish, Alaska’s largest fisheries industry trade show, approaches its 29th year in Kodiak at a new venue and new time: April 23 through the 25 in the downtown Kodiak Harbor Convention Center.
After Monday afternoon’s ComFish planning committee meeting, Debora King, executive director of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, said that the final details of Kodiak’s event are still being worked out. However, she said this year’s change away from a March spring break date would be advantageous because it would not conflict with participants’ spring travel times with families — a prime reason some didn’t come in the past, she said.
She also said having the venue downtown instead of at the high school could help the local businesses with the added foot traffic.
“People will be milling around. We’re hoping they take advantage of the restaurants in the area.”
The theme for ComFish 2009 is Alaska’s 50 years of fishing as a state. Planners for this year’s trade show also hope to add a new element. More http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=7146
Homer News SeaWatch. Fishermen facing big increase in permit fees (1/14). Some commercial fishermen renewing their state permit cards have been in for a surprise with some recently implemented fee hikes after the Legislature adopted a 10-fold increase in the cap on permit fees.
The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission uses a specific mathematical formula to determine the fees, according to CFEC's Susan Haymes. For limited entry permits, such as salmon, the permit fee is approximately four-tenths of 1 percent of the estimated permit value. However, the Legislature had the fees capped at $300 up until 2005, when they changed that cap to $3,000. That new cap went into effect in 2006, but was not fully implemented until now. "We kind of staggered the $3,000 cap," Haymes said. "We held some hearings when we were first doing this, and at those hearings it was suggested that we implement it over time." More http://www.homernews.com/stories/011409/seawatch_bu_008.shtml
Economic impact of sportfishing on Southcentral Alaska is tallied (1/16). WASILLA -- An economic-impact study of sportfishing in Alaska this week reveals $1.4 billion was spent by resident and non-Alaska anglers on fishing-related expenses in 2007, with $733 million of that paid out in Cook Inlet. More than 15,800 jobs in Alaska depend on sportfishing, about 8,000 of which are in the Cook Inlet region, the study shows.
Department of Fish and Game paid $450,000 for the study, which was based on 2,970 in-depth surveys of resident and out-of-state fishermen. It examined how much anglers spent on fishing trips in 2007 and where that money went.
Department of Fish and Game sportfishing director Charlie Swanton presented the survey at the Wasilla Legislative Information Office on Thursday night. Fish and Game employees hope to update the survey each year and track sportfishing trends.
But Mat-Su anglers want more than trends. They want to use the numbers to show that sportfishing is more economically vital to Cook Inlet than commercial fishing.
"We can say this is a huge portion of the state's economy. Let's start managing it as if it is," said Steve Runyan, a member of the Matanuska Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee. More http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/story/657504.html
NSEDC evens up with IRS, state to the tune of $12.4 million (1/15). Dan Harrelson, president and chairman of Norton Sound Economic Development Corp., announced payment of the company's federal and state tax obligations in the following -mail message Jan. 8.
"During our discussions yesterday at the Nome Nugget Newspaper, I gave you an estimate off the top of my head on an amount of our tax payments," Harrelson wrote. "I've checked with staff and after following the guidance from our legal advisors, for 2005-2008 NSEDC has paid federal taxes, penalties and interest of approximately $10.2 million and state taxes, penalties and interest of approximately $2.2 million. We are pleased that this issue has been resolved and we have taken the necessary steps, as laid out by our legal advisors, to ensure we are in compliance. This guidance included the formation of our wholly owned for-profit subsidiary — Siu Alaska Corporation." More http://www.nomenugget.net/20090115/page06.pdf
Demand for Alaska seafood increases in world’s food aid programs (1/9). An increasing hunger for nutritional foods in domestic and international food aid programs bodes well for Alaska’s fishing industry. Annual canned salmon sales are roughly $6 million to $7 million, and canned herring has recently been introduced.
“Everyone is looking for higher nutrition,” said Bruce Schactler, a Kodiak salmon and herring fisherman, who is also the food aid coordinator for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute in Juneau. “It’s not how much you feed them, but what you feed them.”
More people are looking for higher nutrition, and canned salmon is the only animal protein on the grocery shelves in food aid programs associated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he said.
In 2008, distribution of Alaska seafood into food aid programs was about equally divided between domestic and foreign aid programs, he said.
To boost overall sales, Schactler and Kevin Adams, another commercial fisherman who serves on the ASMI board, will give a demonstration in April at an international food aid conference hosted by the Foreign Agriculture Service, within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/010909/fis_21002.shtml
Holland America Line Serves Up Authentic Alaska Cruise Souvenir (1/13). SEATTLE, Jan. 13 - Guests who cruise in Alaska can relive the culinary experience of the Great Land with Fresh Ketch, an Alaskan seafood feast delivered at home for friends and family to enjoy. The innovative ‘home excursion’ brings a taste of Alaska home through a partnership with seafood specialists, Alaska Fresh Ketch.
Ketchikan-based Alaska Fresh Ketch serves up the ultimate in Alaskan souvenirs—wild Alaskan king salmon, halibut, smoked salmon and king crab. With two variations, the feast for six to eight people comes wrapped in a keepsake box decorated with local artwork and filled with menus, recipes, cooking tips, special cooking tools, place cards for your table and secret sauces. A souvenir memory book includes descriptions about the seafood, the local Alaskan fishing fleet and other facts about Alaska.
Available for purchase on ships in Alaska this year, it is also available online year-round at a website developed especially for Holland America Line: http://holland.alaskafreshketch.com/.
On each cruise, guests may attend a complimentary cooking demonstration in the ship’s Culinary Arts Center—professional show kitchens installed for guests’ culinary entertainment and enrichment. The ship’s own chef will open a box of wild seafood from Fresh Ketch and take guests step-by-step through the process of preparing a true Alaskan feast. More http://www.hospitality-industry.com/index.php/news/comments/7021/
Pollock/Surimi. A second season of quota cuts hit pollock, surimi-seafood industry (1/12). Pollock, that ubiquitous whitefish used in fast-food fish sandwiches and as the base for surimi-seafood products, is going to be a bit more scarce as Alaska quota levels drop for the second straight year.
Based on recommendations from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council last month set the 2009 total allowable catch at 815,000 metric tons, a 18.5 percent decrease from 2008. The total allowable catch was set at 1 million metric tons last year, which was down 28 percent from 2007 [see Newsline, p.8].
Pat Shanahan, program director for the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, a nonprofit trade group of 14 companies that promotes domestic Alaska pollock, says the reduction in the quota was not unexpected. “We as an industry subscribe to these scientific findings,” she says. “This was all expected and planned for in advance.”
The good news, says Shanahan, is that the same studies that were used to set the lower catch numbers are also showing a surge in stock levels for 2010. “The science indicates an upswing in fish in the ocean due to a strong year class of pollock that will mature in 2009,” she adds. More http://www.seafoodbusiness.com/index.asp?ItemID=3972&rcid
=185&pcid=184&cid=185%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A
Seafood Business. Treading Water (1/12). The ongoing global economic and financial crises have created the most challenging business climate many seafood companies have ever faced. As the world has confronted unprecedented turmoil, the global seafood industry has not been spared during what is shaping up to be — in the United States, at least — the worst recession in years.
Over the course of 2008, consumers reduced restaurant patronage and spent less on luxury items, which typically encompass many seafood items. Demand is down and overall U.S. seafood consumption could follow; a report by Packaged Facts released last month said per-capita seafood consumption could fall to 15.8 pounds in 2009, down about half a pound from the mark set in 2007.
Also hampering the industry’s progress and profits was the collapse of key financial institutions that had traditionally served the biggest seafood suppliers. And as risk increased, the cost of credit insurance soared. While some seafood businesses were forced to alter ownership or operating plans, others shuttered their doors.
Shortly after the subprime mortgage calamity forced U.S. lending firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into federal conservatorship, Iceland placed Glitnir and two other major commercial banks — Kaupthing Bank and Landisbanki Islands — under government control to stave off a wholesale economic meltdown. Glitnir discontinued its international seafood team to focus on its domestic industry and in February will become known as Islandsbanki, its former name. The bank’s clientele included large seafood importers and exporters that rely on lines of credit to buy raw materials and to finance their receivables. When the toppling dominoes reached Iceland in October, the splash was heard around the seafood world. More http://www.seafoodbusiness.com/index.asp?ItemID=3973&rcid
=180&pcid=178&cid=180%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A
