April 18, 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.
Kodiak Fisheries Advisory Committee. Bycatch limits leave most parties unsatisfied (4/13). The Kodiak Fisheries Advisory Committee met Friday to discuss fishery issues of importance to the city and borough.
Duncan Fields reported on actions taken at the recent meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
The council adopted limited entry restrictions to the fixed-gear Pacific cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Vessels that qualify will receive a cod endorsement to their license limitation program (LLP) licenses.
The action was taken in response to perceived threats of over-competition in the fishery in the western and central Gulf. The regulations apply to federal waters but do not address continued growth in state waters. More Topics
Alaska Fish Wars: Pollock v. Salmon (4/13). Anchorage is just about the same distance from Seattle as Chicago, yet it falls to Seattlest to chronicle not the latest Obama puppy story but an Alaska fish tale.
The huge, relatively shallow Yukon River Delta empties into the vast Bering Sea, home to the largest single-species fishery in the world: Alaskan pollock. Giant trawlers scoop up millions of pounds of pollock every year, more than $2 billion worth, to be processed and sold as frozen fish sticks and "krab." It's a healthy, sustainable industry (its proponents say) that provides low-cost protein for millions of people around the world. And, through a government program called Community Development Quotas, the impoverished native villages of Western Alaska actually own a share of the fishery.
But there's a catch to the catch.
It's called by-catch, species other than pollock that get caught in the nets of the offshore fishery. Were they just junk fish, it would be no problem. But the pollock by-catch consists of chinook (king) and chum salmon returning to their Yukon River spawning grounds, plump with omega-3 fatty acids, some of the healthiest and best-eating fish on the planet. More
Stranded sea lion provides hands on science (KCAW Audio) (4/10). SITKA, ALASKA (2009-04-10) Jr. and Sr. Marine Biology Students at Mt. Edgecumbe High School had the opportunity this week (4-8-09) to perform a necropsy on a sea lion that was found floating near Thomsen Harbor. The National Marine Fisheries Service allowed the students to take samples from the animal, for both education and possibly to discover the cause of death.
NOAA. Groundfish harvest Specifications. Correction to the preamble to a final rule published on January 21, 2009 (4/14). 74 FR 17113, April 14, 2009. Correction to the preamble to a final rule published on January 21, 2009 (74 FR 3446). This correction is necessary to summarize and respond to public comments received on the proposed rule. No changes to the requirements of the final rule result from this correction. Effective April 14, 2009.
Legal Bedrock for Rebuilding America's Ocean Ecosystems (4/10). Recent discussions about ocean policy reform have focused on ecosystem-based management, which fully incorporates humans and considers the cumulative impacts of their activities on ecosystems and the services they provide (1). This approach is logical given the highly interconnected social-ecological systems of the ocean (2) and may be best realized through comprehensive marine spatial planning and ocean zoning (3). But U.S. ocean governance as currently configured cannot easily accommodate ecosystem-based management (4).
Federal waters, which include the territorial sea and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), reach from the 3- or 9-nm (nautical mile) borders of state waters out to the 200-nm outer boundary of the EEZ, an ocean area in which the United States has rights to explore, exploit, and manage living and nonliving resources (5-7). Because of the United States' extensive coastlines and territorial holdings, these waters cover 3.6 million nautical square miles (11.4 km2), an area that is larger than the combined land area of the 50 states. Over 20 federal agencies operating under dozens of laws regulate activities, support ocean-based commerce, and protect marine species and habitats in the territorial sea and EEZ (8) (see figure, right). These agencies separately manage parts of marine ecosystems, without any systematic effort to coordinate their actions for the public good (9). More
Ted Stevens to be honored at ComFish April 23 (4/16). Former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, will be presented with a special lifetime achievement award at a Kodiak dinner April 23 honoring 50 years of statehood and the Alaska seafood industry.
Stevens is among 21 fishing industry veterans to be honored by United Fishermen of Alaska at the dinner, one of the highlights of ComFish 2009, at the U.S. Coast Guard base at Kodiak.
Deb King, executive director of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce, the annual host of ComFish, confirmed April 16 that Stevens would attend.
Mark Vinsel, executive director of UFA, said the organization wanted to recognize Stevens with the award and a lifetime membership in UFA for his contributions to the sustainability of Alaska fisheries, "and especially his measures to protect Alaska fisheries from unsustainabilty and often illegal practices that have fisheries on the ropes throughout much of the world."
Vinsel noted Stevens' role in enacting federal legislation protecting Alaska fisheries from foreign fleets up to 200 miles from shore, plus legislation on illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries and the high seas driftnet ban. "These pieces of legislation help insure the sustainability of our fisheries," he said.
UFA also will honor at the dinner 20 initial inductees to the UFA Seafood Hall of Fame, whose names will be announced at the dinner. The group, chosen from more than 50 people nominated, includes representatives of many regions and fisheries in the state, who have contributed in a number of ways, from fisheries science to policy making, Vinsel said.
ComFish, an annual gathering at Kodiak to discuss fisheries issues, will run from April 23-25. Panel discussions are planned on a number of topics, ranging from Kodiak's role in the global seafood economy to proposed development of mines and offshore drilling in Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea, plus king crab aquaculture and research.
Coast Guard rescues fishing crew that abandoned ship (4/17). Five fishermen whose vessel began taking on water in Southeast Alaska early this morning have been rescued and brought to safety, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. One of the crew members sustained back injuries and was airlifted to Ketchikan for treatment, according to the Coast Guard. The crewman's condition was not immediately available.
The crew of the 58-foot Seafarer, based out of Klawock, sent out a Mayday call at 12:51 a.m. as they began to abandon ship onto an 18-foot skiff, said the Coast Guard. At the time, the vessel was in Clarence Strait, about seven miles north of Thorne Bay.
The Coast Guard dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka as well as a 47-foot lifeboat and 25-foot response boat from Ketchikan. It also diverted the cutter Naushon to the scene.
The chopper was first to arrive and found the crew safe on the skiff. It waited at the scene until just before 3 a.m., when the lifeboat reached the scene. More
Opinion. Will feds pursue Stevens on fisheries? (4/18). The federal authorities who rammed through seven faulty felony convictions against Sen. Ted Stevens should be ashamed of their careless conduct. The attorney general was right in asking for dismissal of the case because federal prosecutors failed to disclose evidence deemed helpful to the defense. And Judge Emmet Sullivan struck a blow for judicial ethics in ordering a criminal investigation into the appalling conduct of the federal prosecution team.
However, the government should feel more ashamed of bringing those pussycat charges in the first place. The feds had a chance to dig much deeper into Alaska corruption, particularly as it involved the senator's twisting of this nation's fishery policies and earmarking taxpayer dollars to benefit private interests. More
Council votes to grant more licenses for cod fishermen (4/15). A decision reached late last week has the potential to change the Federal Pacific Cod fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. The first proposal taken up by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council at their just concluded meeting in Anchorage was a series of amendments to the management plan for groundfish in the Gulf. Specifically, the amendments add Pacific cod endorsements to Western and Central Gulf fixed-gear License Limitation Program licenses based on “Recency.” In other words, the proposal rewards those who have fished for Pacific Cod within the last six years. The LLP licenses were created in the 90s to limit access to the groundfish and crab fisheries in the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska as a precursor to full scale groundfish rationalization. However, in 2006, the Council decided to delay the rationalization program in the Gulf of Alaska. The LLP licenses remain. On Friday, the Council put in place the criteria for determining if individual licenses can carry the Pacific cod endorsement. After days of public testimony and deliberations, the final amended proposal was approved by a vote of 10 to 1. Council member Duncan Fields from Kodiak ended up as the lone dissenting voice. More
When your ship comes in, watch it on the Web (4/16). Now you can go online and see where all the ships in the world are — real time.
The Web site www.marinetraffic.com/ais/ is a project of the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering at the University of the Aegean in the town of Mytilene on the island of Lesvos in Greece.
Vessels that carry an automatic identification system transponder on board can participate in the project.
“Given the amount of time and money the Coast Guard spends zeroing in on ships in distress in Alaska waters, this system should really be a boon to them,” said Jay Barrett, Alaska Fisheries Report producer in Kodiak. “I would think that fishing families would also sleep better at night knowing where there loved ones are while out at sea. Who knows? Maybe some day we’ll be able to zoom into the boats on Google Earth and see them in near-real time.
“One of the real benefits of this is for shipping. The ‘Great Circle Route’ between Asia and the Lower 48 passes right through the treacherous waters of Aleutian Islands arc,” he added. More
Yukon River fishery disaster declaration sought from feds (4/16). Two leading Alaska Native organizations recently sent letters to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, asking the federal government to declare a fisheries disaster on the Yukon River.
The Association of Village Council Presidents dated its letter April 1. The Alaska Federation of Natives sent its letter dated April 8, two days after the North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to put a cap on salmon bycatch, hoping to increase the number of salmon in the Yukon. The Commerce Secretary must approve the cap.
“The issue we would like to bring to your attention now is the virtual collapse of our in-river fisheries, specifically the Yukon River commercial fisheries our people rely so heavily upon,” wrote AVCP chairman Raymond J. Watson and president Myron Naneng Sr. “We respectfully request that you exert your authority as the Secretary of Commerce and declare a fisheries disaster because of the failure of our commercial fisheries and the return of our Chinook salmon.”
The plan approved by the council allows pollock fleets to catch up to 60,000 bycatch salmon a year. AFN — like many Western Alaskans — said the council didn’t go far enough because the cap is too high. More
Bycatch hard cap passes unanimously (4/16). After seven days of hearings in packed rooms, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting ended April 7 in Anchorage. But the most-awaited decision came the evening of April 6, when the council unanimously passed a cap of 60,000 or less on the chinook salmon bycatch for the pollock industry.
It also created a system of rewards and penalties for so-called “clean” or “dirty” boats. For boats that go over the cap, the limit would then be reduced to 47,600 and their right to fish halted in the middle of the season.
Knots of non-Native and Native commercial fishermen and subsistence fishers lined the halls and crowded around the doors of the meeting rooms. They sat on the floors, took over lounges and waited out the decision that deeply affects their lives.
The billion-dollar pollock fishery, with its mammoth support of the Unalaska economy, and the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta and Bering Sea region subsistence and commercial fisheries that support a web of small villages each vied for their interests at the meeting.
Opinion. History shows salmon would be vulnerable to a big mine (4/12). I thought the day I went to England I would take my daughter on an adventure, bring to life a little fantasy of the Old World to my little girl, Lakota. Guess I will just have to make a second trip over there to show her the sites, history and country she fantasizes about. This weekend I'm taking my first trip to England -- not for leisure, but to protect my way of life in my homeland of southwestern Alaska. Bristol Bay has the world's largest wild salmon run on the planet, and London-based mining giant Anglo American wants to put the world's second-largest open pit mine there.
There is a little real-life fantasy for me in Great Britain as well. I try to imagine the River Thames 900 years ago, thriving with wild salmon, some up to 10 pounds, jumping in the river, fishermen on the sides of the banks complaining not of the lack of salmon but of their nets being so full they are bursting. Imagine all those fish returning to their individual streams to spawn, much as I have seen every summer since I can remember in Bristol Bay.
Great Britain is one of Alaska's leading importers of canned Bristol Bay wild salmon. Maybe there is an old memory that makes the British hungry. I think the people of Bristol Bay would be sad if our salmon were over-fished, unable to reach spawning grounds due to dams, or if the water wasn't suitable. The Pebble mine would obliterate miles of watershed and generate acid drainage and other pollution hazardous to salmon. More
Fish board nominee runs into criticism (4/13). Gov. Sarah Palin's nominee for the state Board of Fisheries has run into opposition from sport fishing groups and critics who say his approval would leave the body without a voice from north of Big Lake.
Palin has nominated Brent Johnson of Clam Gulch, a setnet fisherman who critics say will skew the balance of the board toward commercial fishermen in allocating a precious Alaska resource, fish.
John Blair of Sitka, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, testified last week before the House Special Committee on Fisheries and again Monday before the Senate Resources Committee. He said Johnson's appointment raises two important concerns: It would leave Interior Alaska without representation, and it does not correct the current lack of Alaska Native representation on the board.
"We think it's very important that the board reflect the diverse user groups, ethnic groups and locations throughout the state," Blair said. "This nomination represents a missed opportunity for Interior and Native representation." More
Fairbanks New Miner Editorial. Three strikes (4/15). Seats on Alaska’s fish and wildlife management boards shouldn’t be filled solely on the basis of geography or membership in specific interest groups, but neither should such factors be ignored.
So its unfortunate to see that Gov. Sarah Palin’s latest nominee to the Alaska Board of Fisheries would create a group devoid of any members who live north of the Anchorage area. The nomination of Brent Johnson also would strengthen the dominance of those with commercial fishing backgrounds and interests on the board. And it would leave the board with no representation by an Alaska Native.
No one of those factors alone should be enough to doom Johnson’s appointment. Taken together, though, they add up to three strikes. The Legislature should call him “out.” More
Lawmakers reject Palin nominee for Board of Fisheries (4/16). JUNEAU -- The Legislature has rejected Gov. Sarah Palin's nominee for the board that decides how the catch of Alaska's salmon, halibut and other fish should be divided between commercial, sport and personal use fishermen. Meeting in a joint session Thursday, lawmakers voted 42-16 to reject Brent Johnson of Clam Gulch for the Board of Fisheries.
Johnson is a commercial fisherman who drew strong opposition from sport fishing groups.
They said Johnson would tip the balance on the seven-person board to the interests of commercial fishermen in allocation decisions.
They also claimed Johnson's appointment would leave Interior Alaska without representation and would not correct the current lack of an Alaska Native on the board. Link
Bristol Bay delegation arrives in United Kingdom (4/13). A delegation of Bristol Bay residents and fishers are in London this week to bring an anti-Pebble mine message directly to executives and its shareholders of Anglo American.
Anglo American PLC holds 50 percent interest in the Pebble Partnership, which is currently exploring development of a huge copper and gold deposit in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. holds the remaining interest.
The group has said they believe the leadership of Anglo American fails to understand the depth and breadth of the opposition to Pebble project, which if developed would be an open-pit copper and gold mine at the headwaters of “the world’s most productive salmon-spawning rivers.” They are concerned that the mine would pollute the water and destroy salmon spawning grounds. More
Seiner Julia Kae continues tradition of sharing herring eggs (KCAW Audio) (4/15). SITKA, ALASKA (2009-04-15) The seiner Alice H was instrumental in helping gather and distribute herring eggs when it was owned by Sonny Enloe. Sonny passed on and Steve Demmert bought the boat, named it the Julia Kae, and continues Sonny's legacy, harvesting eggs and distributing them to villages in the region.
Kodiak. Regional salmon management plan taking shape (4/15). A regional planning team is working to draft a Kodiak regional comprehensive salmon plan. The plan will guide decision makers in future efforts to maintain suitable harvest goals, supplement natural salmon production and to rehabilitate Kodiak salmon stocks.
The planning team is comprised of three representatives from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and three representatives from the Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association (KRAA). In addition to the six voting members, the team has a non-voting chairman and several ex-officio members. Lorne White, retired ADF&G fishery biologist, has been contracted to write the new plan.
Kodiak’s first salmon plan was approved in 1984. That plan, with revisions in 1987 and 1992, applied to the years 1982 through 2002.
The plan set salmon harvest goals for both natural and supplemental (enhanced) runs and prioritized rehabilitation and enhancement projects for the Kodiak management area. More
Kodiak. Changes announced in herring sac roe openings around Kodiak (4/15). The Kodiak commercial herring sac roe fishery opens today at noon. Due to recent low participation in the fishery by gill-netters, changes were made in how fishing periods will be implemented.
The following sections will open for gillnet gear at noon and remain open until further notice: Afognak Districts (Malina Bay and Raspberry Strait); Uyak District (Browns Lagoon, Zachar Bay and Spiridon Bay); Alitak District (Sulua Bay and Lower Olga Bay); Uganik District (Viekoda Bay, Terror Bay and West Uganik Passage); Eastside District (Shearwater, Inner Kiliuda and Inner Ugak bays); Inner Marmot District (Anton Larsen and Sheratin bays); and Womens Bay.
The remaining purse seine areas open at noon, and fishing periods run from noon to 9 p.m. on odd-numbered days, and 9 a.m. to noon on even numbered days, followed by a 24-hour closed period. More
Dennis Guhlke Named Chief Executive Officer of Icicle Seafoods (4/17). Icicle Seafoods, Inc., a diversified seafood harvesting, processing and marketing company, today announced the appointment of Dennis Guhlke to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2009. Mr. Guhlke succeeds Don Giles, who will retire as CEO on June 30, 2009 after 36 years at Icicle. Mr. Giles will continue to serve as an advisor for the next three years to Icicle on various projects. Mr. Giles has been Chief Executive Officer since 1994.
Mr. Guhlke said, "I am excited to be taking on this role at Icicle. Speaking for all of the employees at the Company, I want to thank Don for his outstanding service. Don was a visionary for the company, a mentor to many of us at Icicle, and a trusted friend. Over the past few years we have made great strides as an organization, thanks to the superb leadership of Don, our deep and experienced management team and our strong relationship with Paine & Partners. I look forward to building on Don's legacy and Icicle's considerable strengths to take the next step forward in our company's proud history." More
Unalaska. Port is losing money (4/15). The Port of Dutch Harbor is facing revenue shortfalls that could negatively impact the overall city budget. The city's port is loosing a significant amount of business to competing communities, like King Cove and Kodiak, and to the new DH Ports dock here in Unalaska.
"The port has lost a substantial amount of its market share to other competing facilities in the community. And we don't expect that to come back," said Northern Economics president Pat Burden who recently completed a study on the future of the ports for the city. "So it will be a difficult situation for the port enterprise fund to break even."
Burden said that in addition to competition from other ports and docks, the city's facilities are suffering because of fewer boats in the local fisheries and until that changes, the port will continue to lose money. That means less money going into the general fund for other city facilities and programs, like the PCR. More
MARKETING
Gillnet group looks to form regional coalition (4/16). Efforts to set up a regional seafood development association are culminating this month in a series of meetings across Southeast Alaska. Coming to Petersburg on April 23, the informative meeting will make the case for taking 1% levy from Southeast gillnetters in order to fund Rainforest Wild.
“The hope is to update gillnet fishermen in all of Southeast and Petersburg specifically on the Southeast Alaska Regional Seafood Development Association (RSDA). We want to explain what regional development associations are, how they work, and how they can benefit gillnetters in Southeast Alaska,” said Elizabeth Dubovsky, the interim executive director. “Essentially that would create the seed money needed to then have Rainforest Wild go and access federal dollars, grants, and other opportunities to help gillnetters in Southeast Alaska. With that money, RSDA could help fund things like new infrastructure development and marketing and promotional materials. It could also go to just helping fishermen cut operations costs. Ultimately it will be up to the gillnetters to decide.”
Rainforest Wild began in Wrangell when a group of drift gillnet fishermen applied with the state to establish an RSDA for the Southeast/Yakutat region back in 2005. The group has since expanded to include representatives from Petersburg, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Haines.
A positive vote for the 1% levy would set into place an organization that is similar to what is seen in other parts of the state. Copper River and Bristol Bay have similar regional development associations and the money coming into them totals about $1 million a year, according to Dubovsky. She also said that a sunset clause would cancel the levy after a couple years should the gillnet fleet feel that the organization wasn’t pulling its weight. More
MISC
American Seafoods Announces 4th Quarter Conference Call for Bondholders (4/10). SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ASG Consolidated LLC (“American Seafoods”) today announced the date and time of its quarterly bondholder conference call for the 4th quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. The call is open to all holders of the Company’s 11 ½% Senior Discount Notes Due 2011.
Quarterly Conference Call Information:
American Seafoods will host its conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and year end financial results live on Thursday, April 16 at 11:00 a.m. PDT (2:00 p.m. EDT). In order to participate, call 877-718-5098 or 719-325-4749 and enter access code 6196214. The call is expected to start no later than 11:15 a.m. PDT. Information regarding replays of the conference call is available from the Company on request or by sending an e-mail to andrea.opilla@americanseafoods.com.
Disclosures of American Seafoods’ operating results, including certain non-GAAP financial measures such as Consolidated Cash Flow (EBITDA), are set forth in the Company’s audited financial statements for the year-ended December 31, 2009 and the accompanying “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” copies of which have previously been delivered to the bond trustee and the registered holders of the bonds. Bondholders also can access these documents via the Internet or obtain copies from the Company on request. Link
Interview: Captain Keith from Discovery Channel's 'Deadliest Catch'.
Captain Keith Colburn of The Wizard
As part of Discovery Channel's "Alaska Week"of programming, tonight at 9pm is the season premiere of "Deadliest Catch" and over the past four seasons we've seen some incredible sights as these brave men harvest the King and Snow crab we, in the lower 48, love to nosh on while sitting in our warm, safe, and cozy restaurants and houses. To say that these guys have a dangerous workplace is an understatement - every season of the show has included footage of injuries as they happen as well as reports of other vessels sinking with men losing their lives in the frigid waters near Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
Captain Keith Colburn owns and skippers the Wizard, one of the larger vessels in the series. We had a chance to talk with him by phone while he was finishing up a promotional tour for the season premiere. Be sure to check out his website and blog which includes a full history of The Wizard as well has his recent testimony before Congress to discuss the impacts offshore oil drilling could have on the fisheries around the Aleutian Islands. More/Video
Salmon fisheries try out new identities (4/16). Regional salmon have a new look this year following a comprehensive identity branding effort undertaken by the Copper River and Prince William Sound Marketing Association. “We’ve been working on developing logos for the two brands for years,” said executive director Beth Poole. “But the logos we ended up with didn’t quite fit the overall image we were hoping to portray.”
The marketing association worked with a graphic designer out of San Francisco to develop the new logos, which are geared toward slightly different audiences.
“Copper River is a luxury brand,” Poole said. “Everything about it should look and feel top of the line. The new logo is clean, sophisticated and classic. We had a great response at the Boston Seafood Show and people have really connected to the image.”
The Prince William Sound logo is aimed at a youthful and adventurous demographic with multiple messages sent through glaciers, mountains and a crown. More
Marine Conservation Alliance
431 N Franklin St Ste 305
Juneau, AK 99801-1186
