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.
Bering Sea, Aleutian fisheries slow to avoid bycatch worries (2/20)
Fishing boat crew airlifted to safety (2/25)
Oil will be pumped from grounded vessel (2/27)
Crew rescued after boat runs aground off Alaska (2/25)
Chinook bycatch may lead to pollock closures (2/27)
Coast Guard Cutter Munro rescues fisherman off Dutch Harbor (2/28)
NOAA. Proposed rule to amend regulations to change the time at which the amount of retained groundfish must be calculated to comply with the maximum retainable amounts of selected groundfish species caught by trawl catcher/processors that are not eligible under the American Fisheries Act to participate in directed fishing for pollock. Comment period through March 16, 2009
NOAA. Final rule to update regulations in 50 CFR part 679 and remove regulations that have lapsed. Effective February 27, 2009.
NOAA. Notice of Pacific halibut guideline harvest levels for the guided sport charter vessel fishery in the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) regulatory areas 2C and 3A. Effective February 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009
Seattle PI Editorial Board. Washington Century: The safest catch (3/1)
Experts Worried About Depleted Herring Stocks. Scientists Say Past Overfishing, Present Predation To Blame (2/12)
STATE
Legislature Audio. Fish Caucus: Value Challenges in the Bristol Bay Salmon Fishery: Partnerships and New Ideas; and Dept. of Fish and Game Overviews:
Commissioner's Office - Commissioner Denby Lloyd; Commercial Fisheries - Commercial Fisheries Division Dir. John Hilsinger
2009 Processor Capacity Survey - Just Released
Fish Board meeting in Sitka, taking public comments (KCAW Audio) (2/16)
Commercial crabbing opens in Southeast Alaska (KFSK Audio) (2/16)
ADF&G Unveils New Publication Today at Board Of Fisheries:
“Sustaining Alaska’s Fisheries: Fifty Years of Statehood” (2/17)
Bristol Bay RSDA Board Allocates Grants Awards
Fish runs profiled at Fish Board meeting (KCAW Audio) (2/18)
Homer News SeaWatch. 'Fish Caucuses' organized (2/18)
New skate fishery kicks off in March (2/26)
Opinion. Fishermen fighting together to conserve livelihood (2/12)
Homer News SeaWatch. Book chronicles Alaska's fishing history (2/25)
Opinion. Fish and Game changes set extremism, hypocrisy loose (2/25)
Fish Board adopts proposal for Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring (KCAW Audio) (2/27)
Eight black cod a year for guided anglers (KCAW Audio) (2/27)
MARKETING
Alaska pollock fishery begins sustainable recertification process (2/13)
Local film explores useful and profitable products for fish waste (2/13)
Homer News SeaWatch. Banned chemicals in farmed fish (2/11)
Lower Yukon processors remodel during lull in salmon runs (2/13)
Local oysters suspected in norovirus outbreak in Sitka (KCAW Audio) (2/12)
Trident wins big at Alaska Symphony of Seafood (2/26)
Where all salmon are kings (2/26)
State won’t sponsor fish certification (2/24)
URI professor offers guide to seafood sustainability (2/22)
MISC
Census of Marine Life explorers find hundreds of identical species thrive in both Arctic, Antarctic (2/15)
YouTube. TRUTH: Fishing Crisis or Government Mismanagement
Putin puts writing on 'walls of death' in Russia (2/17)
More payments expected in Exxon Valdez case (2/19)
FEDRAL
US Senate Commerce Hearing – NOAA Administrator Designate Jane Lubchenco (2/12).
Video (opening remarks start at minute 47; intro by Senator Wyden just before that) Opening Remarks
Agreement: Scare birds away from fishing lines (2/12). GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The West Coast longline fishing fleet has agreed to take steps to avoid killing sea birds with baited hooks meant for halibut and black cod.
The American Bird Conservancy announced Thursday they have an agreement with the Fishing Vessel Owners Association to voluntarily use streamer lines that scare off the birds, which follow the boats looking for a free meal.
The conservancy says streamer lines have cut albatross deaths up to 80 percent in Alaskan waters, where they are mandatory. Link
Arctic fishing ban report places pressure on Canada (2/14). A U.S. report urging a moratorium on Arctic Ocean fisheries north of Alaska is putting pressure on Canada to produce its own sustainable, long-term strategy for managing what scientists believe could become a major new resource in the polar region's warming waters.
The proposed ban on Arctic fishing by the U.S. North Pacific Fishery Management Council - at least until researchers can fully assess the impact of climate change and the retreat of sea ice on fish populations widely believed to be moving northward - was quickly hailed by environmentalists as a prudent and proactive response to the potential bonanza for northern fishing fleets.
"The environment in the Alaskan Arctic is changing, with warming trends in ocean temperatures and changes in seasonal sea ice conditions potentially favouring the development of commercial fisheries," the council concluded. But it argued that the U.S. government should "close the Arctic to commercial fishing so that unregulated fishing does not occur ... until information improves so that fishing can be conducted sustainably and with due concern to other ecosystem components." More
Marine debris information now on Google Earth (2/13). Information on marine debris cleanup efforts in Alaska - past and present - has been compiled by the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation into a Google Earth-based database that is now accessible over the Internet.
The database identifies areas cleaned and surveyed with links to photos with reports of the volume removed and other statistics.
Dave Benton, the foundation's executive director, said that more than 1 million pounds of marine debris has been removed from Alaska's shoreline since the organization in 2003 joined in the cleanup effort.
Benton said the database will help future planning by showing locations where debris accumulations have been identified through surveys, and where cleanups have taken place. It also provides historical data on efforts to identify and remove accumulations of marine debris, he said.
Marine debris is any persistent, solid, manufactured material such as plastics that is disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment. In Alaska, much of the debris is derelict fishing gear such as nets, crab line and buoys. More
TSA security proposal worries Alaska aircraft owners (2/13). A new Transportation Security Administration proposal has Alaska pilots and aircraft owners concerned that their aircraft will be over regulated, and may force them to quit flying and scrap their planes.
The proposal, dubbed the large aircraft security program, would require the owners of aircraft that have a gross weight of 12,500 pounds or more to implement the same security measures used on commercial passenger and air cargo aircraft in the U.S.
The regulation would require pilots and their mechanics to have criminal background checks, check passengers against the federal "no fly" list, and that flights using these aircraft - both commercially and privately flown - be approved before each departure.
The rule would also require some aircraft to carry federal air marshals if directed to by the TSA.
The proposal would also require any airport that hosts these aircraft to have on staff a trained TSA officer and the necessary equipment to screen passengers and crew.
Alaska airports that would be affected by the proposal include Aniak, Dutch Harbor, Galena, Merrill Field, Palmer, Kenai, Lake Hood and Unalakleet and other rural airports used by aircraft for business, commercial and private use. More
USCG. Update: Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment management team announces advisory panel facilitator (2/19). ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment management team selected Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC Feb. 9, 2009, to fill the vacant facilitator opportunity as identified in the Transportation Research Board's "Special Report 293, Risk of Vessel Accidents and Spills in the Aleutian Islands: Designing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment."
As the facilitator Nuke Research will support the team's ongoing Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment with a key role of assembling and facilitating advisory panel activities. The contract is currenlty being finalized.
Nuka Research is a small business located in Alaska with extensive experience in facilitation and maritime issues in the Aleutian Islands. As the facilitator of the advisory panel, Nuka will assist in coordinating input on the risk assessment from a wide array of stakeholders and helping to ensure that the input is fairly considered within the panel. More
Yukon Seeks Help For Salmon, Caribou (2/18). In Canada's distant north, dwindling salmon stocks and threatened Caribou are major concerns and Yukoners are hoping these issues will come up when President Barack Obama meets with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday.
Conservation of the Porcupine caribou herd has been a subject of a decades-long intense debate in the U.S. and is linked to the controversy over oil development on the northeastern Alaskan coast.
The decline of Yukon River salmon runs is also a major concern, causing hardship for Yukon First Nations and others who rely on the fish for their food and livelihood.
The issues relate to two Canada-U.S. conservation treaties, one signed in 1987 covering the caribou, and the other signed in 2002 covering the salmon. More
Bering Sea, Aleutian fisheries slow to avoid bycatch worries (2/20). Factory trawlers and other large vessels on the hunt for pollock and Pacific cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands have slowed their harvests in the wake of initial high incidental catch of prohibited king salmon and halibut, a NOAA Fisheries manager said.
Participants in the federal groundfish fishery, which got underway Jan. 20, started getting concerned right off the bat by the number of chinook salmon being harvested along with the pollock, said Josh Keaton, inseason manager for NOAA Fisheries.
"They don't want a repeat of 2007, when they caught 129,534 chinooks," he said Feb. 13. The limit is 26,825.
Keaton said the fleet had voluntarily closed certain areas to fishing to avoid further incidental king salmon harvest. Other vessels fishing for Pacific cod found they were catching a lot of halibut incidentally, so several of the processing plants stopped fishing cod, Keaton said.
Major seafood processors involved in these fisheries include Westward, Alyeska, Unisea, Trident and Icicle. None of the processors were immediately available and did not return phone calls, but Keaton said they were all participating in programs to avoid catching king salmon and halibut. More
Fishing boat crew airlifted to safety (2/25). Even with night-vision goggles, Lt. Cmdr. Scott Jackson could hardly see a thing as his Jayhawk helicopter hurtled through the darkness, on the way to rescue four stranded fishermen. The U.S. Coast Guardsman had been dispatched on the sortie at about 5 a.m. Wednesday to hunt for the commercial fishing crew that ran their vessel aground in the Aleutians after the vessel's engine room began taking on water.
The crewmen from the 58-foot Kodiak-based Icy Mist were stuck on Akutan, 766 miles southwest of Anchorage and about 40 miles east of Dutch Harbor. They would ultimately be picked up by helicopter, but only after two attempts by different choppers that might have ended in disaster prompted them to abandon ship by shimmying down a crab pot cable.
But first, Jackson had to navigate his MH-60 Jayhawk the roughly 265 miles from St. Paul Island to the site through heavy, blowing snow and winds blasting at nearly 100 mph. More
Oil will be pumped from grounded vessel (2/27). ALEUTIAN ISLANDS -- The owner of a commercial fishing boat that ran aground in the Aleutian Islands is making plans for removing oil from the vessel.
The crew of the Kodiak-based Icy Mist ran the 58-foot boat onto a rocky shore of Akutan Island on Wednesday after it took on water.
The four men on board -- Dan Oliver, Clint Packer, Kevin Fisner and Terry Meyer -- lowered a crab pot off the stern and used the line to lower themselves off the boat. They were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.
About 2,700 gallons of diesel, 150 gallons of lube oil and 200 gallons of hydraulic oil are on board, along with 60,000 pounds of Pacific cod.
Magone Marine has been contracted to remove the petroleum. The company plans to pump oil into barrels and fly it out by commercial helicopter. More
Crew rescued after boat runs aground off Alaska (2/25). ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Four crew members of a commercial fishing boat that ran aground in the Aleutian Islands on Wednesday used a crab pot to lower themselves off the vessel, then made it to higher ground, where they were hoisted to safety by a helicopter.
All were taken to nearby Dutch Harbor for medical evaluations, but there were no reported injuries, Brad Anderson, the operations officer on the Coast Guard cutter Munro, told The Associated Press by satellite phone.
Hurricane-force winds kept the Coast Guard from lifting crewmen directly from the 58-foot-long Icy Mist, which ran aground off the rocky coast of Akutan Island, about 40 miles east of Dutch Harbor, a major Aleutian Islands fishing port. “They were able to disembark the fishing vessel by lowering a crab pot off their stern and lowering themselves on the line," Anderson said.
He said there were 20- to 30-foot seas during the rescue, but that based on communications from the scene, it didn't sound like the crew had to swim once off the boat.
Rescuers instructed the crewmen to head for shore and then to higher ground on the island to get away from a wind-whipped sheer cliff, Anderson said. More
Chinook bycatch may lead to pollock closures (2/27). The Bering Sea pollock fishery is identified as a contributing factor to the recent steep decline in Yukon/Kuskokwim king salmon escapements.
A draft environmental impact statement on Bering Sea chinook salmon bycatch management published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in December raises the possibility of limitations on the Bering Sea pollock fishery if prescribed chinook bycatch levels are exceeded.
Under the preferred plan, bycatch caps would be assigned to designated sectors. Once the cap is reached in a sector, fishing there must cease.
The Alaska pollock fishery is the nation’s largest by volume. In 2007, the Alaska groundfish fisheries harvested 2 million pounds of groundfish worth more than $2 billion. Pollock accounted for more than half that value. More
Coast Guard Cutter Munro rescues fisherman off Dutch Harbor (2/28). KODIAK, Alaska - Rescue crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Munro and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter safely medically evacuated a crewman from the 281-foot commercial fishing vessel Stellar Sea near Dutch Harbor at 1 p.m. today.
At 11:30 a.m. the Stellar Sea reported to Munro that Melic Elkhar, 40, was suffering from a possible heart attack.
The Munro, 12 miles from the Stellar Sea, launched a small boat with a corpsman and emergency medical technician on board to provide medical assistance while the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, attached to Munro, launched from Dutch Harbor.
The helicopter arrived on scene, lowered a rescue basket and the man was safely hoisted into the helicopter. Elkhar was flown five miles to Dutch Harbor and transferred to waiting emergency medical services for further treatment. He was reported to be coherent and in stable condition.
Weather at the time of the medevac was approximately 3-foot seas, scattered clouds with winds of 11 mph and water temperature of 37 degrees.
For more information on the Munro's underway activities in the Bering Sea visit www.uscgalaska.blogspot.com.
Wave destroys ship's navigational equipment (2/26). A rogue wave on the Bering Sea knocked out the windows of a fishing vessel and soaked all of the navigational equipment. The 112-foot F/V Alyeska , out of Washington, was transiting 131 miles north of Akutan at about 2:45 pm Wednesday when it was stuck by the wave. Coast Guard Petty Officer Sara Francis explains the incident.
"The wave blew out several of their pilot house windows and damaged the ship's electronics," she said. "All of their navigational equipment failed because it was inundated with water. They managed to keep one VHF radio operational. But they were essentially piloting blind. So another vessel, the Pacific Challenger, a stern trawler based out of Seattle, escorted them into Dutch Harbor."
Conditions at the time were 27 foot seas and 55 to 70 mile per hour winds. They arrived safely in Unalaska at 10:30 Thursday morning and the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment is helping evaluate the status of the equipment.
The Alyeska incident was one of four different maritime problems encountered in the stormy Bering Sea on Wednesday. At about 3:25 pm, the factory trawler the Ocean Peace reported a fire in the incinerator room. It was successfully extinguished and none of the 51 people aboard the 210-foot ship were injured. The Seattle-based vessel was on it way back to Unalaska at the time of the incident and arrived safely at 10 pm. More
Seattle PI Editorial Board. Washington Century: The safest catch (3/1). Even now, commercial fishing remains one of the deadliest occupations. As various markers and memorials remind us, Washington state has suffered more than its share of the sorrow, tragedy and devastation of loss.
More than might have been imagined, this state can decide whether to make the 21st century safer for commercial fishing crews. Two of the state's smartest, most capable political leaders will hold key federal positions on fisheries.
President Barack Obama has nominated former Gov. Gary Locke as secretary of the Commerce Department, where he will oversee the National Marine Fisheries Service. Sen. Maria Cantwell is a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and, importantly, she already chairs the subcommittee on ocean, atmosphere, fisheries and Coast Guard.
Locke and Cantwell can influence decisively whether the federal government enters a new era of safety with fundamental changes. The alternative will be to let fishing families and workers endure years more of tragedy.
Both leaders are Democrats who can become quite comfortable listening to the loudest, best-financed voices on economic issues. But they are also individuals, who when they delve deeper, have the passion and integrity to stand determinedly for the public interest and for individuals overlooked by the rich and powerful.
As a start, they could seek minimum wages for fishing vessel workers and set dates for eliminating the exemptions fish processing vessels have from safety and manning requirements. People working in factory conditions on processing ships also deserve the protections of land-based factory workers under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. More
STATE
Experts Worried About Depleted Herring Stocks. Scientists Say Past Overfishing, Present Predation To Blame (2/12). Kake elder Clarence Jackson says that when he was young, the seas near Sitka boiled with herring.
"The herring have disappeared in my lifetime," he told the House special committee on fisheries Tuesday.
Jackson and others told the lawmakers they believe Southeast's Pacific herring stocks are in trouble from past overfishing and present predation. And they don't believe the state is doing enough to help them recover.
Herring is an important element of Alaska Native subsistence. It's a bellwether species and a foundation of the ecosystem on which many other species depend. And it's a famously lucrative commercial fishery, in which a few boats can gross millions in minutes to an hour.
Thomas Thornton, an anthropologist at Oxford University, said that herring stocks were overfished in the first part of the 20th century. By the time Fish and Game started counting herring, they were already seriously depleted.
Scientist Vince Patrick from the Prince William Sound Science Center compared herring management to salmon. A primary impetus for Alaska's statehood was that locals wanted to control salmon fisheries depleted by outsiders. Now, the salmon fisheries are generally considered a success.
Evelyn Brown, a herring expert and former Fish and Game biologist, said Fish and Game's model of herring population is based on guesses - about how many fish there are, how fertile they are and how long they live, for example - that haven't been validated by field research. The model is the basis for the department's harvest limits. More
Legislature Audio. Fish Caucus: Value Challenges in the Bristol Bay Salmon Fishery: Partnerships and New Ideas; and Dept. of Fish and Game Overviews:
Commissioner's Office - Commissioner Denby Lloyd; Commercial Fisheries - Commercial Fisheries Division Dir. John Hilsinger. Go to this page, then click on calendar for Feb 12.
2009 Processor Capacity Survey - Just Released. ADF&G released the 2009 Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Processing Capacity survey results. The questionnaire was sent out to processors on January 5, and were returned to the department by
January 30, 2009.
Highlights include:
Thirteen of 15 processors responded
Daily processing capacity is an estimated 1.85 million fish, a slight increase over 2008.
In-BB tender capacity is reported to be 6.1 million fish
Long-haul tender capacity is 525,000 fish per day. Full Report
Fish Board meeting in Sitka, taking public comments (KCAW Audio) (2/16). Herring and salmon issues will occupy much of the Alaska Board of Fisheries’ attention for the next 10 days during its spring meeting in Sitka. The Board will begin hearing public testimony tomorrow afternoon on nearly 160 proposals for the management of Southeast salmon runs, and some species of state-managed groundfish, like lingcod. The Board lays down rules for both commercial and sport fisheries and is an influential player in some important subsistence fisheries.
Commercial crabbing opens in Southeast Alaska (KFSK Audio) (2/16). Commercial crabbers in southeast Alaska began fishing for tanner and golden king crab over the weekend. Both seasons opened at noon on Sunday. The region’s tanner crab season has a guideline harvest level of 931,000 pounds.
ADF&G Unveils New Publication Today at Board Of Fisheries:
“Sustaining Alaska’s Fisheries: Fifty Years of Statehood” (2/17). (JUNEAU) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is unveiling a new publication today as the Board of Fisheries (BOF) commences its meeting in Sitka. Commissioner Denby Lloyd will introduce “Sustaining Alaska’s Fisheries: Fifty Years of Statehood” today as he welcomes the board.
Recognizing that it was the need to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries, and to secure local control of their management, that supplied much of the drive for statehood, the department asked Bob King to write this engaging history of our commercial fishery management heritage.
Based on the vision of our constitutional convention half a century ago, Alaska’s fisheries management has become widely recognized as some of the best in the world. Many of the original principles of sustained yield, local area management, and public participation in the regulatory process that are the hallmark of the state’s management program have been adopted by federal managers for the marine fisheries off Alaska’s coast as well.
“I hope you enjoy this book, as a resource and a reminder of the visionary pioneers, scientists, and leaders who have been a part of developing Alaska’s amazing commercial fisheries. The stage is set for keeping our fisheries wild and productive, sustaining ways of life and livelihoods for generations to come” said Commissioner Lloyd.
The publication is part of the ongoing Statehood Celebration and was funded with a grant from the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board.
Earlier this month the department released another publication: “Economic Impacts and Contributions of Sportfishing in Alaska” MoreBook
Bristol Bay RSDA Board Allocates Grants Awards. Sixty-eight proposals were submitted to the board - totaling some $4.8 million in requests. Twenty-three proposals made the final cut, for a total investment of 795,500.
The next step is to negotiate project specifics with each prospective grantee and memorialize it all in legal grant agreements. That process could take 4-6 weeks; meaning that all these projects should be underway for the 2009 fishing season. More
Fish runs profiled at Fish Board meeting (KCAW Audio) (2/18). Fishery stocks for most species continue to be strong under state management, according to staff reports heard yesterday at the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, which continues in Sitka today. The 2008 sockeye runs on the Situk river near Yakutat was one exception — sockeye returns there were the lowest seen since 1960. Most of the fish runs in the Yakutat area come from the Situk River.
Homer News SeaWatch. 'Fish Caucuses' organized (2/18). State Rep. Alan Austerman, R-Kodiak, is working within the Legislature to bring other representatives up to speed on fisheries issues by instituting weekly "Fish Caucuses," joint House/Senate meetings that are geared toward educating legislators from non-coastal areas within the state about the importance of the industry.
In a podcast interview, Austerman explained that the seafood industry is often overshadowed by the oil industry.
"The third largest industry around the state (commercial fishing) is the number one employer around the state, and I think that is lost in the shuffle sometimes, because as the largest employer in the state we do not bring in as much dollar value as oil," Austerman said. "(Over the past 25 years) oil has dominated the revenue source so big that people have kind of just shuffled fisheries off to the side."
Austerman said the goal of the Thursday meetings is to help identify funding priorities, among other things. More
New skate fishery kicks off in March (2/26). A new skate fishery to begin in March is a test supported by local canneries, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Cordova District Fishermen United and the Alaska Board of Fisheries.
Rochelle van den Broek, executive director of the Cordova District Fishermen United, wants everyone to know the process of this introduction.
“In response to interest in targeting long nose and big skates in Prince William Sound, Cordova District Fishermen United worked with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to submit a request for funding through the state,” she said. “Rep. Bill Thomas supported the development of this new fishery, with the benefit of providing an extra shot in the arm for participants during the slow winter months, and he was able to secure $50,000 to fund a pilot study.”
At the end of the commercial fishing season in 2008, Fish and Game held numerous meetings with Fishermen United and approached processors to gauge interest in the purchase of harvested species. Copper River Seafoods expressed interest in the idea, and after finding support by fishermen and a processor, a proposal was approved during the 2008 Board of Fisheries cycle to run a pilot fishery this year, she said. More
Opinion. Fishermen fighting together to conserve livelihood (2/12). The Alaska fishing industry and the conservation community have aligned often on the same side of policy issues impacting our way of life and the resources on which we depend.
This happened during the fight banning high seas drift nets, which indiscriminately caught millions of Alaska salmon. The fight to prohibit fish farming in federal waters off the coast of Alaska and collaboration on the protection of water quality are other examples.
Issues involving global climate change and ocean acidification represent one more area where the fishing industry can join forces with the environmental movement.
Ocean acidification and global climate change are both result from excessive carbon dumping into the atmosphere. While climate change encompasses the varied impacts resulting from the greenhouse effect, ocean acidification is a straightforward chemical response to carbon dioxide emissions and is measured and predicted with a high degree of certainty. More
Upper Taku Not So Important Anymore (2/27). Challenged by a mine company, the state Department of Natural Resources says it was wrong to call the whole Taku River important habitat.
At state fish biologists' requests, DNR's Division of Coastal and Ocean Management, or DCOM, director Randy Bates on Jan. 30 designated the Taku "important habitat" from the mouth of the river to the border - not permanently, but for the purpose of Redfern Resources Ltd.'s application to haul barges year-round on the Taku.
It was the first use of the designation since the statute went into law.
But Redfern, owned by Vancouver-based Redcorp Ventures Ltd., complained. Bates reconsidered and decided Redfern was right.
The plan is to haul ore and supplies to the Tulsequah Chief mine in Canada on an air cushion barge year-round. In the summer, that means conventional barging with a shallow-draft tug. In the winter, Redfern wants a combination of amphibious vehicles to haul the barge over ice and across open leads. Many Taku fishermen and other river users worry the vehicles may harm sensitive habitat of the fish-rich river. More
"Important habitat" here is a legal term. It means that Redfern has to tell state permitters how it will avoid, minimize or mitigate harm to the "special productivity" of the designated area. More
Budget Change Slashes Marine Exchange Funds (2/25). The cruise ship Empress of the North struck a rock west of Juneau in 2007, sending public and private vessels racing to help. But few ships could carry its 281 passengers and crew.
The state ferry Columbia was out of radio contact at the time, on the other side of Admiralty Island. But Coast Guard officers coordinating the rescue from Juneau tracked its position through the Marine Exchange, and quickly diverted it to the scene.
The Columbia collected the passengers from the fleet of fishing, tug, tour and rescue vessels and brought them safely to Auke Bay.
Gov. Sarah Palin has proposed cutting state funding for the Marine Exchange, the Juneau-based nonprofit that operates vessel tracking stations in the state's busiest waterways. In amendments to her 2010 budget proposal, Palin reduced the proposal from $650,000 in funding to zero.
The funding was for a combination of operating costs and building new stations, such as in the Arctic, where shipping is growing.
"We expected a reduction, not a total wipeout," said Capt. Ed Page, executive director of the Marine Exchange. More
Homer News SeaWatch. Book chronicles Alaska's fishing history (2/25). Alaska fisheries history buffs have a new source of information in a publication unveiled recently at the Board of Fisheries meeting in Sitka: "Sustaining Alaska's Fisheries: Fifty Years of Statehood."
Requested by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, funded by the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board and written by former fisheries reporter and historian Bob King, the book chronicles the major role that the salmon fisheries played in the fight for statehood, and the dismal shape the runs were in when turned over to state management by the federal government, as well as the recovery efforts that have made it one of the bedrocks of the Alaska economy.
Filled with interviews and stories from fishermen and politicians who took the fight for statehood and control of the salmon fisheries to the federal government, the book details the state's commercial fishery management heritage and explores many of the original principles of sustained yield, local area management, and public participation in the regulatory process that are the hallmark of the state's management program. More
Opinion. Fish and Game changes set extremism, hypocrisy loose (2/25). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game sent out a press release during the winter holidays announcing two new appointments to the ADFG "leadership" team. The significance of the appointments went mostly unnoticed.
Patrick Valkenburg, retired ADFG biologist and Alaska Outdoor Council board member, was named deputy commissioner of ADFG, making him No. 2 in the chain of command.
Valkenburg is eminently qualified for the position, but his ties to the politically influential AOC, and his own personal views on bear control, are cause for concern. As deputy commissioner, Valkenburg immediately began pushing to legalize the snaring/trapping of black bears in bear control areas, even though some of the area biologists and research biologists he oversees strongly opposed it or want more time to assess the ramifications of his policies.
If all that wasn't bad enough, Gov. Palin also created a brand new "leadership" position at ADFG -- "assistant commissioner for abundance management." The man she chose to fill it is Corey Rossi, a Palin family friend and biologist formerly with the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Health Inspection Service. More
Fish Board adopts proposal for Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring (KCAW Audio) (2/27). SITKA, ALASKA (2009-02-27) The State Board of fish has made some changes to the way the Sitka sound sac roe herring fishery is managed. The guideline harvest level for the commercial harvest will be based on a rate of 12 to 20 percent, depending on the size of the biomass. That’s instead of a range of 10 to 20 percent. Also, the spawning population of herring now has to be forecast at 25,000 tons or more in order to have a commercial harvest. That’s five thousand tons higher than the old threshold.
Eight black cod a year for guided anglers (KCAW Audio) (2/27). SITKA, ALASKA (2009-02-27) The Board of Fisheries has established a bag limit for sport-caught black cod for the first time. Proposal 137 quickly became a point of contention during last week’s (Thu 2-27) board meeting in Sitka, and it was the last issue the Board dealt with before wrapping up the ten day meeting Thursday night.
Alaska pollock fishery begins sustainable recertification process (2/13). Alaska's pollock fishery has begun the assessment process required for continuing certification under the Marine Stewardship Council's sustainable seafoods program.
The Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery and the Bering sea and Aleutian islands pollock fishery, which together account for 100 percent of the targeted catch for Alaska pollock, were first certified in February 2005. Each MSC certificate is valid for five years, dependent on annual audits, and full reassessment is required every five years to ensure that the fisheries continue to meet MSC standards.
MSC's program is considered the leading global standard for certified sustainable seafood. For a fishery to become MSC-certified, a third-party auditor assesses three major principles based on the MSC standard. They include the status of the fish stock, the impact that the fishery has on the marine ecosystem, and the management system overseeing the fishery.
At-Sea Processors Association is the client representing both fisheries in the current assessment process. Stephanie Madsen, executive director of APA, said Alaska pollock fisheries continue to be among the most progressively managed fisheries in the world. More
Local film explores useful and profitable products for fish waste (2/13). Local filmmaker Dave Kaplan recently teamed up with fisheries correspondent Laine Welch to produce the film “Alaska Salmon from Byproducts to New Products.”
“We’re throwing away millions of dollars in fish waste. It’s time to make the leap from sustainability to full utilization,” said Welch, who wrote and narrated the film. Alf Pryor edited the film.
According to the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) approximately 2 million metric tons of fish were harvested annually in Alaska waters during the past five years. Given a moderate recovery rate of 25 percent, up to .75 million tons of processing byproducts are generated annually. Much of these byproducts are ground to a specified size and discharged into nearby waters. More
Homer News SeaWatch. Banned chemicals in farmed fish (2/11). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that three of the largest Chilean farmed salmon producers use a number of chemicals banned by the U.S. government, including a pesticide fed to fish that is designed to kill sea lice and antibiotics designed to deal with resulting infections. FDA documents obtained by the Pew Environment Group show that farmed salmon containing residues of the unapproved chemicals were destined for the U.S. market. More-Gear Contest, USCG Fishing Vessel Safety Committee
Lower Yukon processors remodel during lull in salmon runs (2/13). Two Lower Yukon fish processors hard hit by a failed commercial king salmon run in 2008 say plant and fleet efficiency continues to be their key to survival.
Spokesmen Randy Crawford of Boreal Fisheries at St. Marys and Jack Schultheis of Kwik'Pak Fisheries at Emmonak said they have upgraded operations aimed at allowing crews to process salmon more efficiently.
The improvements include plant revisions to reduce fish handling and greater efficiencies in refrigeration and tendering.
"We didn't have a king season so we took that time of not harvesting fish to reorganize the entire process," Crawford said. "It was actually a lot of fun."
The renovation, which ranged from electrical to plumbing, "will allow us to survive these tough times," he said.
Local harvesters who deliver to Boreal's processing facilities in St. Mary's on the Lower Yukon are working smarter too, he said. A lot of fishermen have learned over the years to budget their money better than in the past. More
Local oysters suspected in norovirus outbreak in Sitka (KCAW Audio) (2/12). Locally grown oysters are suspected as the source of an acute gastrointestinal outbreak in Sitka. 25 people have been identified with the gastrointestinal illness and four of the patients have tested positive for norovirus infection. Weld Royal, spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation says oysters from Whiting Harbor aquafarms LLC appear to be the source of the outbreak.
Trident wins big at Alaska Symphony of Seafood (2/26). About 400 people gathered at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage to celebrate the 2009 Alaska Symphony of Seafood, a competition where companies vie to gain top honors for their latest seafood creations.
The contest is open to salmon, whitefish and shellfish, but though ling cod, scallops and sole each made appearances, salmon was clearly king — be it glazed, planked, smoked or smeared with cream cheese. In a ballroom festooned with streamers and fish-shaped balloons, with foam, fish-shaped key chains and seafood recipe cards strewn about the tables, guests sampled a smorgasbord of salmon — from Italian salmon sausage to smoked salmon side and salmon parfait.
“Everything has a distinctive flavor,” said Jack Schultheis, who buys Lower Yukon salmon for Kwikpak. “It’s not the same old fare — grilled, fried in a pan.” More
Where all salmon are kings (2/26). About 400 people gathered at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage to celebrate the 2009 Alaska Symphony of Seafood, a competition where companies vie to gain top honors for their latest seafood creations.
The contest is open to salmon, whitefish and shellfish, but though ling cod, scallops and sole each made appearances, salmon was clearly king — be it glazed, planked, smoked or smeared with cream cheese. In a ballroom festooned with streamers and fish-shaped balloons, with foam, fish-shaped key chains and seafood recipe cards strewn about the tables, guests sampled a smorgasbord of salmon — from Italian salmon sausage to smoked salmon side and salmon parfait.
“Everything has a distinctive flavor,” said Jack Schultheis, who buys Lower Yukon salmon for Kwikpak. “It’s not the same old fare — grilled, fried in a pan.”
Schultheis, a 35-year-veteran of the fishing industry, should know. When the woman standing next to him offers him a small piece of salmon and asks him to guess its identity, he responds with not just the species but the company — “It’s Trident. Chum.” More
State won’t sponsor fish certification (2/24). Alaska salmon has gained recognition around the world as a healthy and sustainable resource. But this perception is in jeopardy.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is discontinuing its role as client for salmon certification with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
The MSC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that operates a global environmental seafood certification program.
MSC certification ensures seafood is harvested in a sustainable manner, with minimum environmental impact and under a management system that maintains sustainability of stocks.
In Alaska, black cod, halibut, pollock, Pacific cod and salmon are MSC-certified. Additionally, Alaska flatfish are under assessment and Alaska crab are undergoing pre-assessment.
The certification process consists of pre-assessment, full assessment, certification and annual audits. More
URI professor offers guide to seafood sustainability (2/22). At least nine organizations ranging from Greenpeace to the Monterey Bay Aquarium have produced guides to advise consumers about what seafood can be eaten without damaging the environment or fish populations and which seafood to avoid. But the problem is, they don’t all agree.
Tuna, for instance, comes from so many populations and is fished in so many ways, the various organizations give ratings ranging from green for “best choice” to red for “avoid.”
“You have an abundance of recommendations about what is sustainable seafood, but it can be confusing,” says Cathy Roheim, a professor of environmental and natural resource economics at the University of Rhode Island and director of a new program called the URI Sustainable Seafood Initiative.
Roheim and Michelle Armsby, a graduate research assistant, have prepared a Consensus Seafood Guide that lets people look at and compare all the ratings provided by the various organizations so they can make their own decisions. They also have gathered and indexed scientific papers on various fish topics. More
MISC
Census of Marine Life explorers find hundreds of identical species thrive in both Arctic, Antarctic (2/15). Researchers in North and South startled to find Polar oceans share 235 species; Changes in species distribution documented as warmer oceans spur migration. Earth's unique, forbidding ice oceans of the Arctic and Antarctic have revealed a trove of secrets to Census of Marine Life explorers, who were especially surprised to find at least 235 species live in both polar seas despite a distance of more than 13,000-kilometer distance in between.
The scientists found marine life that both poles apparently share in common include marathoners such as grey whales (www.eol.org/pages/328569) and birds, but also worms, crustaceans, and angelic snail-like pteropods, the latter discoveries opening a host of future research questions about where they originated and how they wound up at both ends of the Earth. DNA analysis is underway to confirm whether the species are indeed identical.
Among many other findings, the scientists also documented evidence of cold water-loving species shifting towards both poles to escape rising ocean temperatures.
The discoveries are the result of a series of landmark, often perilous voyages conducted during International Polar Year, 2007-2008. Biologists braved waves of up to 16 meters (48 feet) while getting to and from the Antarctic while their Arctic colleagues often worked under the watchful eye of an armed lookout to protect them from polar bears. More
Putin puts writing on 'walls of death' in Russia (2/17). Moscow, Russia - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has proposed outlawing fishing with drift nets, otherwise known as “walls of death”, following a lengthy campaign by fishermen and politicians in Kamchatka as well as local organizations including WWF-Russia.
Drift nets are used to catch fish migrating in open sea. Each net can be several kilometres long and their use results in a large bycatch of sharks, turtles, seabirds and marine mammals which are usually thrown back dead into the ocean. More
More payments expected in Exxon Valdez case (2/19). Plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez oil spill case should be seeing additional money soon.
A federal judge has approved a second round of punitive damages payments to commercial fishermen and Native subsistence fisherman who were harmed in the 1989 spill outside Port Valdez.
Lawyers overseeing a $383 million partial settlement from Exxon Mobil Corp. distributed $156 million in December.
U.S. District Judge H. Russel Holland of Anchorage approved a second round of payments totaling $62.5 million to 5,331 claimants on Feb. 12.
Court documents don’t specify when payments will be made. More
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