February 11, 2009 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.
An industry backer in charge? Commerce nominee may give fishing industry a lift (2/8)
Illegal salmon pays the bills in Kamchatka (1/30)
Return to Ikatan (Feb 2009)
International Pacific Halibut Commission Solicits Applications for IPHC Merit Scholarship (2/6)
FEDERAL
Seattle Times Editorial. Diverse interests agree on no harvest in U.S. Arctic (2/6). MELTING Arctic ice is an ecological dilemma that will be forcing scientists and diplomats along with the fishing and energy industries to rethink how they do business in U.S. waters off Alaska's north coast.
A dramatic first step came in Seattle Thursday as the North Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously recommended closure of 196,000 square miles of Arctic waters to all commercial fishing.
The decision, broadly supported by environmental and fishing interests, is a complete ban on harvest, and would only be subject to reversal based on a scientific conclusion that a specific fishery and the ecosystem in general could tolerate commercial fishing. The recommendation must be approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
U.S. commercial fishing is happily occupied in the resource-rich Bering Strait. The sweep of closure from north of the strait, across the Chukchi and Beaufort seas — from Russia to the Canadian border — has less immediate commercial, if not environmental urgency.
Management of the vast region — keeping foreign vessels out — becomes more problematic in the absence of a full closure of the area to fishing by all parties. As the ice melts and more water is open for longer periods of time, the international tensions about what belongs to whom are mounting. More
Arctic Sea Partially Closed To Fishing (NPR Audio) (2/6). Day to Day. The Arctic ice pack is breaking up. Bad news for the global climate, but good news for commercial fishing fleets looking for untapped sources of wild seafood. Not so fast — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted this week to close the Arctic waters off northern Alaska to fishing. This is in effect until scientists know more about the health and sustainability of the fish living under the now-retreating ice pack
Unusually high bycatch concerns for fisheries (2/6). The pollock and cod seasons are both starting out with unusually high levels of bycatch, which could cause problems for the fleet further on in the season. Cod boats are mostly concerned about halibut bycatch; they can only get a certain amount per year before the National Marine Fisheries Service closes down the fishery. Two weeks in to the season cod boats have already caught 180 metric tons of total limit of 525 MT of halibut. That's one third of the total yearly limit and four times higher than the bycatch rate from last year.
"The only way to try to avoid high halibut rates is to try to avoid the halibut themselves but at the same time try to find cod, so it's kind of a balancing act," said NMFS in-season manager Josh Keaton. "There's just a lot of halibut out there, from what I understand. We have a large recruitment class of halibut in the area where they're fishing." More
Opinion. Fishing as the heart of the community (2/6). I feel the need to respond to Lee Woodard’s letter published on Tuesday, Feb. 3. I, too, am a fisherman; I have lived and fished here for 40 years, my father fished here for 50 years and his father fished here also. I agree that fishing is the heart of this community.
While I don’t really get the point of Mr. Woodard’s letter, it touched on a sore subject for me. I believe that the divisiveness and prejudice that Mr. Woodard refers to is due to the inequality among the access to our fishery resources and as long as there is inequality there will be divisiveness.
I have no problem sharing my opinion here that the biggest argument in this community of fishermen is among the trawl versus non-trawl fishermen. I am concerned about the huge inequality between a trawler who goes out and catches in three days the same amount that would take a long-liner or pot fisherman a month. More
Unisea Pollock fleet on strike (2/6). The Unisea pollock fleet is on strike. The strike began over two weeks ago when the season opened on January 20. Captains from multiple boats, who prefer not to be named, say they began the strike because they are holding out for higher pay. The other major processors are offering a 36.5 percent cut of profits, but Unisea is only offering 36 percent. The captains say they just want to be treated fairly and be offered the same price as everyone else. One captain said it was fortunate that the fishing is starting so slowly this season because the striking boats aren't being hurt as badly, but if they weren't striking he would be out there looking for pollock right now. Boats from other plants have started fishing again. Though the fleet has gone on strike before, it has never been for this long. The Unisea Co-op is negotiating with the Unisea management in Seattle. Unisea president Terry Shaff could not be reached for comment. Link
News-Miner Editorial. Fishing Ban Prudent (2/9). The ban on industrial fishing in the Arctic, as recommended by federal advisers Thursday, is a prudent measure for the moment, but no one should expect that it will be easy to lift sometime in the future, even if the evidence supports such action.
The ban is billed as temporary. Supporters praising the action last week said the ban should last until studies explain the environmental mysteries that lie deep in the newly ice-free waters.
The danger is that such a standard is so broadly interpreted that it forms an obstacle more daunting than a yawning lead in the Beaufort Sea ice pack.
Even in areas where the ocean environment has been studied for decades, many conservation organizations argue that government managers fail to understand it. These organizations are happy to sue to make the point.
In one sense, they’re right. We don’t understand many aspects of the ocean environment. Who has the hard evidence to explain why Steller sea lion numbers have crashed and failed to rebound in the western Aleutians? Why do salmon returns to rivers fluctuate so wildly and unpredictably? Why are crab populations so resistant to recovery in some areas off Alaska’s coast? More
Debate persists about long-term effects of Exxon Valdez oil spill (2/6). An already fragile population of killer whales that hunts Prince William Sound never recovered from the Exxon Valdez oil spill and is doomed to die off, biologists said this week.
Marine mammal biologist Craig Matkin of Homer has tracked the animals since the mid-1980s and said he never thought he'd see an entire population of whales -- even a small one -- disappear.
"To blame it all on the spill would not be fair, but that's the final death blow," Matkin said.
The plight of this group of killer whales contrasts with the full or slow, partial recovery of many other animal populations, including another group of whales, since the 1989 oil disaster.
Twenty years after the massive spill, as much as 16,000 gallons of oil linger in Prince William Sound. Arguments linger over whether Exxon should pay more for cleanup work. And federal scientists and other researchers at an environmental conference in Anchorage this week say they're still learning what the massive spill meant for local wildlife. More
NPAFC January 2009 Newsletter. No. 25 (January 2009) - download PDF (1.0 KB Inside this Issue
- New Year's Message from the President - download (244 KB)
- NPAFC 16th Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
- CSRS Summary - download (277 KB)
- ENFO Summary - download (207 KB)
- 2008 BASIS Symposium - download (295 KB)
- Ad Hoc Working Group on Stock Identification - download (419 KB)
- Profile of NPAFC Representative and News from the Secretariat - download (318 KB)
13. Begich Amendment Fully Funds Magnuson-Stevens Act (2/6). Sen. Mark Begich has introduced an amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would fully fund needed scientific research to rebuild the nation’s fisheries, create fishing jobs and boost coastal economies. The amendment authorizes the $39.8 million for full implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act that became law in December 2006.
“This amendment would provide an effective stimulus to our nation’s fishing industry and boost the economy of coastal communities from Maine to Alaska,” Sen. Begich said. “We need to fund the Magnuson-Stevens Act the way it was intended so our fisheries can be rebuilt and continue to be a source of sustainable, healthy seafood for our nation.” More
14. Innovation at the Regional Fishery Management Councils: A Compilation of Practices (2009)Cover letter Report
17. John Moller of Unalaska named rural adviser to Palin (2/6). Governor Sarah Palin has named John Moller to be her rural adviser. Moller, who is Aleut, is a former crab fisherman from Unalaska who brings a long career in fisheries management to the post, including experience with the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association CDQ.
Moller said that he was hired three weeks ago - before the state hiring freeze began - and started the job last Friday. The news that the post had been filled came as a surprise to many because the governor's office did not issue a press release or announcement that position had finally been filled.
It's a job that has been the subject of controversy since previous rural adviser Rhonda McBride stepped down during the presidential campaign. At that time, McBride, who is not an Alaska Native, sent an e-mail to several Native leaders saying that there needed to be more Native voices in Palin's administration. More
18. ADFG. Alaska Board of Fisheries to Meet in Sitka, February 17-26 (2/9). (JUNEAU) - The Alaska Board of Fisheries will meet February 17-26, 2009, at the Harrigan Centennial Hall in Sitka, to consider proposals concerning regulatory changes to the Southeast Alaska and Yakutat Area sport, commercial, and personal use fisheries for salmon, herring, groundfish and other finfish.
Proposals have been submitted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, local fish and game advisory committees, fishing organizations, and the general public seeking adjustments to the fishing regulations and management plans for Southeastern Alaska and the Yakutat Area.
The board will take oral public testimony at the meeting. Anyone wishing to testify before the board must sign up at the meeting site in Sitka before 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 18. Public testimony will continue until everyone who has signed up has been given the opportunity to be heard. Members of the public will be given three minutes each for personal testimony before the board.
Written comments on specific proposals will be accepted and distributed to members during the meeting up until they begin deliberation on the proposal. Written comments can be submitted at the meeting; mailed to: Alaska Board of Fisheries, Boards Support Section, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811-5526; or faxed to (907) 465-6094 .
Deliberations on the proposals will begin following public testimony and continue through the remainder of the meeting. Copies of the proposals, agenda, “roadmap”, and staff comments can be viewed online at: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/fcal.phpLink
19. Tanner Extension (KMXT Audio) (2/6). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Kodiak is extending Tanner crab periods in the one remaining fishing area still open. Nick Sagalkin, the area management biologist, said the management plan allows extensions of daily fishing periods when effort declines and a substantial amount of guideline harvest levels remain.
He said interest in the offshore Chiniak section has diminished, however, especially after the local state water cod season opened on Tuesday.
Daily fishing periods will be extended to 15 hours. Pots may be operated to take Tanner from 7 a.m. to 9:59 p.m., and may soak the rest of the time. The extension goes into affect Friday morning, and lasts until the end of March. Contact Fish and Game at 486-1845 for specifics.
20. SWAMC Gets Earful on Fisheries (KMXT Audio) (2/6). The Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference held its Annual Economic Summit and Membership Meeting on January 29th and 30th at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage.
Kodiak City councilman Terry Haines was in attendance at the meeting's fish forum. KMXT's Erik Wander has more.
Haines said Doctor John Lynham of the University of Hawaii, Doctor Seth Macinko (Muh-SINK-oh) of the University of Rhode Island and Arne Fluglvog (Flugle-vog), Senator Lisa Murkowski's fisheries advisor, offered their perspectives and the federal government's position on rationalization programs at the meeting
21.Austerman Initiates 'Fish Caucus' Meetings (KMKT Audio) (2/11). Kodiak Representative Alan Austerman continues to settle back into life as an Alaska legislator, and reports that he's started holding what he calls "Fish Caucus" meetings.
He described the Fish Caucus as a way to bring legislators from other parts of the state up to speed on fisheries issues.
Austerman has co-sponsored a bill that would require the Alaska Board of Fisheries to hold its meetings in the communities that are affected by their decisions. You can hear him speak about that issue on this week's Alaska Fisheries Report.
MARKETING
22. Safeway Debuts Private Label Seafood, “Waterfront Bistro” (2/10). Safeway has introduced the newest addition to its growing suite of private label brands, Waterfront Bistro. The line of frozen seafood includes items such as shrimp, tilapia, halibut, salmon, and pollock.
Safeway’s existing array of private label brands include O Organics, Basic Red, Signature Café, Eating Right, and more.
23. An industry backer in charge? Commerce nominee may give fishing industry a lift (2/8). New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg stands to be only the fourth New Englander to serve as the nation's Commerce secretary, the first in more than 30 years — and the appointment could prove to be a boon to the region's troubled fishing industry.
The Commerce secretary not only oversees business development for the country, but also the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, in turn, regulates fishing in the United States.
Just last fall, Gregg signed a letter with other New England senators urging then-Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez to declare a fishery resource disaster in the northeast. It was to be the first step in obtaining financial relief that could help the groundfishing fleet survive until stocks rebound.
Gutierrez denied the request, prompting Gregg and the others to find an alternate funding method — an end-around that would be unlikely were Gregg to be confirmed for the post.
"Anybody from a coastal state or New England certainly would have a better understanding of our industry than, say, somebody from New Mexico," said Maine fishing boat owner James Odlin. President Barack Obama nominated Gregg, a Republican, for Commerce after his original choice, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, withdrew from contention. More
24. Illegal salmon pays the bills in Kamchatka (1/30). Moscow, Russia- Villagers in the Kamchatka peninsula are reliant on poching salmon as almost their sole source of income, according to a new report launched today by WWF-Russia and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.
The report assesses the level of poaching in Kamchatka (so-called illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) catch) of five species of salmon - pink, chum, sockeye, Coho and Chinook - and analyses the importation of these species by countries in the region. “Salmon is an integral part of Kamchatka’s economy, but stocks are threatened by unsustainable illegal off-take,” says Natalia Dronova, WWF-TRAFFIC co-ordinator and an author of the report.
She adds: “The future security of this vital economic resource depends on how we treat it today.” Salmon are mainly poached for their roe (eggs), which are sold as a cheaper alternative to caviar. More
25.Return to Ikatan (Feb 2009). By Charlie Ess. A family trip to an Aleutian island evokes memories of earlier, simpler days
We’re trimmed up, with the altimeter reading just more than 100 feet, and flying over the vast waters of Izembek Lagoon when our pilot, Eric Johnston, eases the Piper Cherokee into a gentle bank. He wants to show us the first brown bear of the trip. It stands waist deep in an estuary, awaiting a fresh chum salmon, and pauses for a complacent stare as we pass overhead. While the sight of the bear and the summer-green hills of the Alaska Peninsula isn’t a first for our kids, their memories of the area have to be murky, at best.
For my wife, Cheryl, and I, the 20-minute flight from Cold Bay to the remote fishing village of False Pass is the second leg of a journey that will mark our re-entry into country that has gripped our souls. Our plan, weather permitting, is to catch a ride in a skiff out of False Pass and land seven miles away on a beach at the abandoned village of Ikatan.
For 15 summers we lived there as commercial salmon gillnetters, accepting our bounty from the wind and tides and making our home in a white canvas wall tent on the beach. We had neighbors—other fishermen—during the peak of the summer fishing seasons but, for the most part, we lived with bears, whales, eagles, foxes and wolves. More
26. International Pacific Halibut Commission Solicits Applications for IPHC Merit Scholarship (2/6). The International Pacific Halibut Commission funds several Merit Scholarships to support University and Technical College education. The scholarship fund has been established to assist the further education of Canadian and U.S. students connected to the halibut fishery and its industry. Generally, a single scholarship valued at $2,000 (US) per year, will be awarded. The scholarships are renewable annually for the normal four-year period of undergraduate education, subject to maintenance of satisfactory academic performance. More
Marine Conservation Alliance
431 N Franklin St Ste 305
Juneau, AK 99801-1186
