March 20, 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.
Fishermen’s fight started with pipeline (3/17). The commercial fishermen of Cordova battled big oil companies long before the Exxon Valdez oil spill tainted Prince William Sound and disrupted their way of life. The struggle is documented in a 1985 doctoral thesis by James Payne titled “Our Way of Life is threatened and Nobody Seems to Give a Damn.”
The Prudhoe Bay oil strike in 1968 precipitated a rush by the oil industry and the State of Alaska to bring the field into production. The following year the state leased 179 tracts for exploration. A consortium of companies formed the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and applied for a permit to construct an oil pipeline.
Alyeska opted for an all-Alaska route for the pipeline and selected Valdez as the site for an oil terminal. Cordova fishermen were concerned that tanker traffic through Prince William Sound posed a threat to the ecosystem and to their livelihoods. More
Coast Guard promotes safe 2009 Sitka Herring Sac Roe fishery (3/17). JUNEAU, Alaska - The Coast Guard is offering courtesy dockside examinations of commercial fishing vessels in Sitka, Alaska, in anticipation of the annual Herring Sac Roe fishery, which is slated to open later this month.
Fishermen can sign up for an exam in the Sitka Harbor Master’s office, by calling Sector Juneau Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator Scott Wilwert at (907) 957-0152, or by speaking with a Coast Guard examiner working in Sitka’s harbors this week.
The courtesy dockside examination program offers fishermen an opportunity to work with Coast Guard representatives to ensure vessels meet Federal safety regulations. The examiners will not issue fines or other penalties for any problems they discover at the dock. Each vessel that passes a dockside exam earns a decal. ~~~~
The Coast Guard would like to remind the operators of cork line tenders and other skiffs (other than seine skiffs) that when they are operating in support of the Herring Sac Roe fishery, they must comply with federal regulations governing the safety equipment required on fishing vessels. However, a special Coast Guard District Seventeen waiver permits crewmembers working in skiffs to wear anti-exposure suits instead of carrying immersion suits on board, provided that certain other conditions are met.
Skiff operators can download a copy of the waiver from Sector Juneau’s home page at < http://homeport.uscg.mil/juneau > under the Commercial Fishing section. Skiff operators may also contact Scott Wilwert at (907) 957-0152 for more information. More
Mar-Gun response ongoing, progress hampered by adverse weather (3/17). ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Response efforts to lighter and recover the fishing vessel Mar-Gun from Staraya Beach on St. George Island are ongoing but progress has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions since Friday.
The total volume of diesel, lube and hydraulic oil removed is 17,195 gallons. The volumes of fuel and oils on board are slightly more than initial estimates provided to responders by the fishing vessel's crew.
Approximately 2,600 gallons of diesel, lube and hydraulic oil remains on board. A portion will be lightered when weather conditions permit safe operations. Response crews plan to leave 800 gallons of diesel and 100 gallons of hydraulic oil on the vessel to run generators that will aid them in further lightering and the recovery of Mar-Gun.
Plans for recovery of the vessel are in development while repairs to the hull in the engine room have begun. More
Mar-Gun responders shift tactics, progress continues (3/19). Due to weather conditions responders are changing their tactics today to remove the remaining 1,700 gallons of oils on board the fishing vessel Mar-Gun grounded on St. George Island in Western Alaska.
Low temperatures, strong winds, surf conditions and icing since Friday have prompted responders to utilize drums and a commercial helicopter to remove the remaining oil. Transfer hoses and two pumps were employed to remove about 17,195 gallons of oils from the vessel to a mobile tank on shore last week.
"Utilizing the helicopter and transferring the product in smaller loads will reduce the hazards to our responders and the environment," said Cmdr. Joseph LoSciuto, deputy commander Sector Anchorage and the federal on-scene coordinator for the response. "The weather conditions we're encountering present a risk to the safety of our responders and an undesired delay to our operation. This new approach should allow us to continue making progress while addressing those concerns."
Winds on scene today remain out of the northeast at about 23 mph with seas up to 10 feet and freezing spray. The air temperature may reach a high of 20 degrees but is expected drop into the teens Friday and through the weekend. More
Mar-Gun clean-up still in process; fish still on Icy Mist (3/19). The clean up of the F/V Mar-Gun is still underway. The Coast Guard has been on scene on St. George Island since the vessel grounded two weeks ago, but the clean-up process has been hampered by high winds and high surf since Friday. So far the team has removed 17,195 gallons of oil and fuel from the vessel.~~~~~
A salvage plan for the F/V Icy Mist is also in the works. The 58-foot fishing vessel went aground on Akutan in late February. All four crew members were safely rescued but 60,000 pounds of cod were left on board. The boat's owner plans on removing the vessel then scrapping it, but first they have to remove the rotting fish. Francis says this could be potentially dangerous - rotting fish creates hydrogen sulfide which in high concentrations can lead to loss of consciousness or death.
"If a vessel has freezers and it goes aground and electricity to the freezers is lost and you have large volumes of fish decaying, once you open one of those doors you can release the gas."
The gas can be extremely dangerous because if you are exposed to it for too long, you no longer sense the odor. It often develops in pockets and more can be spontaneously released. The salvage plan for the Icy Mist is due to the Coast Guard on Friday. The Mar-Gun did not have any fish on board at the time of the incident. Both incidents are still under investigation. More
Do Silent Ships See More Fish? Comparisons of walleye pollock backscatter recorded by a conventional research vessl, the NOAA ship Miller Freeman, and the noise-reduced research vessel, the NOAA ship Oscar Dyson, in Alaska. More>
Check It Out ! New Fish Ageing Demo. Want to try your hand at ageing fish bones? Check out the Age and Growth Program's latest interactive fish ageing program: ARD 2.0. Requires Adobe Flash player. More>
Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals. The Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program has increased its use of passive acoustics to detect and monitor marine mammals. In all projects, bottom-moored passive acoustic recorders are being used to collect long-term recording. More>
Refresher Safety Training for Observers. The Fisheries Monitoring & Analysis Division implemented an updated refresher safety training session for prior North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program observers returning to work at sea. More>
Growth Variability in Age-0 Northern Rock Sole. A recently completed study examined the abundance patterns and growth dynamics of age-0 northern rock sole over 4 years (2004-07) in three Kodiak Island nursery areas. More>
Advances in Skate Management and Research. Member of the Status of Stocks & Multispecies Assessment Program designed a new population model for Alaska Skates and initiated what is intended to be a long-term tagging study of skates in summer 2008. More>
AFSC. Northern Fur Seal Research in Alaska. The National Marine Mammal Laboratory's (NMML) Alaska Ecosystems Program (AEP) conducted a number of studies on northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) during 2008, with field components that began in June and continued until late November.
The primary research objectives of monitoring population trends and investigating the ecology and health of the fur seal population on the Pribilof Islands (St. Paul and St. George) were accomplished through a variety of projects, including studies of pup condition, causes of mortality, and habitat use during the winter migration.
However, the majority of the AEP's research efforts involved three projects that collected data on fur seal abundance, fine-scale foraging behavior of adult females in the Bering Sea, and age-specific vital rates of females on St. Paul Island.
Figure 1. Argos satellite (blue triangle) and GPS
(red circle) locations acquired from an adult female northern fur seal during a summer foraging trip from St. Paul Island in 2008.
Northern fur seal abundance and population trends were assessed on the Pribilof Islands during 2008 by obtaining counts of adult males and estimates of the numbers of pups born. Recently completed analyses of data collected during the summer indicated that, although the numbers of adult males increased, overall pup production has continued to decline on the Pribilof Islands. More
North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission Sixteenth Annual Meeting. Representatives of Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States, the primary states of origin for Pacific salmon stocks in the North Pacific Ocean, met in Seattle, Washington, 17-21 November 2008 for the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC).
Head of the U.S. delegation during the meeting was Doug Mecum, NMFS, Acting Alaska Regional Administrator with able assistance from U.S. Commissioners Gray Smith from the State of Washington and Rowland Maw from Alaska. A highlight of the annual meeting was the U.S. reception held at the Seattle Aquarium and organized by Commissioners Mecum and Smith.
The NPAFC brings together leading salmon scientists from each member country in a multilateral forum to review recent scientific research on Pacific salmon and to plan for coordinated and cooperative future studies. The meeting also provides enforcement officials from each of the Parties to plan their activities to continue efforts to minimize illegal, unreported, and unregulated salmon fishing on the high seas in the North Pacific Ocean Convention Area covered by the NPAFC Treaty.
Regulated commercial fisheries for salmon occurs within each member countries' jurisdiction. The total catch of Pacific salmon from all five countries in 2007 reached an all-time recorded high level of just over 1.0 million metric tons. Russian catches in 2007 were also at all-time high levels, especially for pink salmon from eastern Sakhalin Island where several new very large hatcheries are now in production. Sockeye and Chinook salmon catches in Kamchatka were also good. More
2008 NOAA Pink Salmon Forecast "Spot On" for Southeast Alaska. Auke Bay Laboratories' pink salmon forecast for the commercial harvest in Southeast Alaska (SEAK) proved highly accurate in 2008, correctly predicting record low returns to the region.
At the SEAK regional Purse Seine Task Force (PSTF) meeting in November 2007, researchers from ABL predicted a harvest of 16.1 million pink salmon for 2008. In the ensuing year, 15.9 million pink salmon were harvested in the region, 98% of the predicted forecast. Remarkably, this 2008 SEAK pink salmon harvest was the second lowest in the past 20 years.
Scientists from ABL have been forecasting pink salmon harvests in SEAK for the past 5 years and are working to develop forecasting models for other salmon species. At the PSTF meeting in December 2008, ABL researchers forecasted a 44.4 million pink salmon harvest in SEAK for 2009 (http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/ABL/MSI/msi_sae_psf.htm).
The ABL pink salmon forecasts are based on ecosystem monitoring research conducted over the past 12 years under the Southeast Alaska Coastal Monitoring (SECM) project (http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/ABL/MSI/msi_secm.htm). More
Alaska Marine Science Symposium Materials.
Monday, January 19
Nora L. Deans, COSEE Alaska: Welcome, introductions, and overview
Lee Cooper, Janet Warburten, and Kristen Timm: Communicating ocean science at sea - scientists and teachers sharing research experience in remote locations
Jane Lubchenco Confirmed as NOAA Administrator (3/19). Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate this evening as the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. In this capacity, she will serve as the ninth administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation’s top science agency for climate, oceans, and the atmosphere. Dr. Lubchenco is the first woman and the first marine ecologist to lead NOAA.
"Dr. Lubchenco is an outstanding and accomplished environmental scientist with a proven ability to communicate, lead a dynamic team, and inspire action," White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley said. "Dr. Lubchenco joins a distinguished group of scientific leaders in the Obama administration that will ensure that science plays its proper role in shaping policy."
With a budget of $4 billion, and 12,800 employees in every U.S. state and locations around the world, NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. More
Aleutian Risk Assessment team seeking advisory panel members (3/17). The Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment management team is looking for advisory panel members to help identify maritime hazards in the region. The panel will work independently from the management team, which consists of representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation.
"We're looking for that local knowledge and ideas on how to mitigate hazards, how to mitigate the risks from maritime transportation," said Leslie Pearson, who is helping co-facilitate the panel for Nuka Research and Planning Group.
The panel will include stakeholders from many different sectors, including the shipping industry, local subsistence users, land managers, local government representatives, and the fishing industry. The panel will work with other experts over the next two years to help develop a risk mitigation plan for the region.
"We anticipate having to bring in people with expertise in certain specialized areas where we may just need to plug them in for certain topic areas as well," Pearson said.
The 12 member panel will meet eight times over the next year in person and via teleconference then four more in the following year. Applications are due by April 15, including references and a letter of interest. You can follow a link to the application here.
The risk assessment was prompted by the Selendang Ayu grounding in December of 2004. When the vessel split in half it spilled 336,000 gallons fuel near Unalaska Island and garnered a government response. More than 4,800 ships transit through the area each year that does not include fishing vessels or other local vessels. Link
Homer News SeaWatch. Changes in Pacific cod fishery head to NPFMC (3/18). The proposed amendment would address this concern by limiting entry into the Pacific cod fishery to fixed gear licenses that have participated in recent years and qualify for a Pacific cod endorsement. According to the amendment's executive summary, this action may enhance stability in the GOA Pacific cod fisheries, reduce competition among fixed gear participants and protect historic catch shares of participants.
In the absence of this action, future entry of latent effort into the western and central GOA Pacific cod fisheries could further intensify competition among fixed gear participants and erode catch shares of long-term participants.
One thing that will be decided in the meeting before final action is taken is what window years will be used to determine which license limitation program (LLP) permits will be retired. The choices cover a range of options in the years between 2000 and 2008.
The subject is not without considerable controversy. State Rep. Alan Austerman, R-Kodiak, has introduced a joint House resolution "Requesting the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to cease consideration of an amendment package that would require a Pacific cod endorsement for a license limitation program license holder to participate in the Pacific cod fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska." More
STATE
Bill Would Boost Loans For Vessel Upgrades (3/16). Legislation to broaden the use of the Commercial Fishing Loan Act to include energy efficiency upgrades is garnering growing support from conservationists and groups representing residents of Alaska's fishing communities.
The Alaska Marine Conservation Council on March 6 added its support to House Bill 20, which includes language to make low-interest loans available to a large number of the state's commercial fisheries to improve the energy efficiency of vessels.
In recent years, great advances have been made in diesel and outboard technologies, AMCC officials said. Fuel efficiency and performance have vastly improved.
Passage of H.B. 20 would provide Alaska fishers the opportunity to make these improvements sooner. "At the same time, it will foster innovation and stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in one of Alaska's most important industries," the conservation group said.
Mark Vinsel, executive director of United Fishermen of Alaska, said that UFA strongly supports the legislation, which is now before the House Finance Committee.
The Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference, the regional economic development organization for Southwest Alaska, gave the bill support in mid-February.
"This bill comes at an opportune time to address the energy cost concerns of the state's commercial fisheries," Michael Catsi, executive director of SWAMC, said in a letter to Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, and chairman of the House Special Committee on Fisheries. More
ADFG. Commercial Fishing Can Lead To Little Fish, But Probably Not In Alaska (KDLG Audio)(3/10). Fisheries scientists are currently examining a possible link between commercial fishing practices and smaller fish sizes. KDLG's Adam Kane interviews Ecologist Stephan B. Munch about his research and John Hilsinger, Director of Commercial Fisheries. Director Hilsinger explains (at the 4:00 mark) how Alaska's commercial fisheries management practices and harvest means and methods work to protect species stock size in addition to other traits in order to maintain diversity and resiliency within specific populations. (Listen to the radio interview, length, 8:28)
Plentiful Profit (3/19). Southeast seiners can look forward to a bigger haul of pinks this year, if state fish biologists' annual forecast is on the mark.
This summer's commercial salmon season overall could be 11th largest salmon season since 1960, an increase due mostly to Southeast pinks.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its forecast Tuesday.
The forecast of a 174.8 million fish catch statewide includes fisheries for all five species of salmon except Southeast's Chinook catch. Last year's statewide catch was 146.1 million fish.
"2009 should be a better year for everybody except for the trollers," said Geron Bruce of the Commercial Fisheries Division. More
Salmon task force fails to issue report (3/19). Like an exhausted salmon unable to reach its redd, a report on the disbanded Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force continues to flounder in the slack water two months after the the committee was to report to the Legislature.
The task force was created during the 2008 legislative session when Matanuska-Susitna lawmakers argued that commercial fishermen in the inlet were intercepting fish heading to the Susitna and Yentna rivers and that the Board of Fisheries and Department of Fish and Game were not doing a good job of allocating resources equitably.
A report, and recommendations from the committee were due on Jan. 20, the first day of the 2009 legislative session. That report was pushed back a month with a 30-day extension, but Feb. 20 came and went, and a report remains to be seen two months into the session.
According to the office of Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Klatt, who chaired the task force, a pared down report is still due, perhaps by early next week.
The beleaguered report has lost heft however, both because of pending copyright issues and because it's now unlikely to feature any recommendations; a aspect specifically written into the basis of its creation. More
ADF&G pulls crab observers off boats early (3/19). With 20 percent of the opilio crab total allowable catch still in the water, crab fisheries observers are being pulled from the field early. Observers are placed on at least 30 percent of the fishing boats to monitor the catch and collect data on crab size, sex, disease and other information as well as bycatch data. All of the information is used by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to monitor the health of the fishery.
ADF&G Shellfish Observer Program Coordinator Mary Schwenzfeier says they are pulling observers off of boats early this season because they are on track for reaching the legally required coverage goal. Fewer registered boats went out to fish than anticipated so ADF&G needs fewer observers. Though the department is having budget problems, Schwenzfeier says they are not linked to the observer issue. The budget for the observer program was set early on but more of it was used earlier in the season than anticipated. Storms prevented boats from fishing so observers were being paid for days they did not collect data.
Schwenzfeier says removing the observers from the boats will not affect the quality of this year's data nor ADF&G's ability to accurately manage the fishery. Most boats do not have observers and it is not up to the observer program to track all instances of illegal fishing with in the opilio fishery. State troopers also monitor the grounds. Link
Annual Kodiak trade show, policy forum to celebrate 50 years of Alaska fishing (3/18). ComFish, Kodiak's annual spring fisheries policy forum and trade show, will celebrate Alaska's 50 years of involvement in commercial fishing and processing.
The schedule, set for April 23-25, is still in flux for fisheries forums and related events at Kodiak's new convention center.
Current plans are shaping up for a gala seafood dinner April 23, in celebration of 50 years of statehood and the Alaska seafood industry.
The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, which has hosted ComFish since its inception in 1980, has invited Gov. Sarah Palin and the state's congressional delegation to participate in the dinner at the Golden Anchor, at the U.S. Coast Guard Base at Kodiak.
Reservations can be made online at the ComFish Web site, www.comfishalaska.com.
Exhibitors for this year's ComFish trade show include federal and state agencies, the Port of Seattle, the Renewable Resources Coalition, the Marine Stewardship Council, several private businesses engaged in commerce with the fisheries industry.
On the discussion groups' agenda, which is still being finalized, the topics include crab enhancement, Kodiak's role in the global seafood economy, the effect of cooling Gulf of Alaska waters on marine life, the 125th anniversary of the Bristol Bay fishery, non-renewable resource extraction on and offshore of Bristol Bay and the ever-popular town hall meeting with Fish and Game Commissioner Denby Lloyd.
Bob King, former dean of the Alaska fisheries reporters, now on the staff of Sen. Mark Begich, is another of the confirmed speakers. More
MISC
North American Association of Fisheries Economists 2009 Forum. The North American Association of Fisheries Economists (NAAFE) welcome academics, government representatives, industry members, and others interested in the economics of fisheries management, aquaculture and seafood trade to participate in our 5th biennial forum, NAAFE Forum 2009.
Our 5th biennial NAAFE forum will be held in Newport, Rhode Island, May 17-20, 2009. Newport, RI, is one of the top tourist destinations in the US. Partners and families of Forum participants will find much to enjoy in this unique New England coastal town. The amenities include historical sites, opulent mansions, museums, parks and beaches, golf, sailing, art galleries, theaters, and ample shopping opportunities.
Organized by Jon G. Sutinen and James L. Anderson of the University of Rhode Island, NAAFE Forum 2009 will feature 2 1/2 days of plenary and concurrent sessions on a wide variety of fishery and aquaculture economic topics, and will feature an opening reception, conference banquet, and a post-Forum workshop
Two keynote speakers will address the Forum:
Francis T. Christy, Jr., the intellectual father of individual transferable quotas. The Forum will celebrate the 36th anniversary of his seminal paper on ITQs, delivered to the Law of the Sea Institute at the University of Rhode Island in 1972. Christy’s novel proposal and analysis revolutionized economic and policy approaches to fisheries management.
Lee G. Anderson, President of NAAFE and Professor of Marine Policy at the University of Delaware, will make his Presidential Address to the Forum.
Following the Forum, on May 21-22, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Committee for Fisheries will present a workshop on the ‘Economics of Stock Rebuilding Programs,’ to which all Forum participants are invited to attend. More
Marine Conservation Alliance
431 N Franklin St Ste 305
Juneau, AK 99801-1186
