Monday, January 17, 2011
BERING SEA COLDEST ON RECORD
In defiance of all trends, the last three years in the Bering Sea have been the coldest on record.
– Earth Times
More:www.earthtimes.org
Wall Street Journal: Halibut charters
A federal move to ground at least a third of Alaska's chartered halibut-fishing fleet is under fire from officials in the rapidly growing industry, who say the plan will deal a blow to the state's already struggling tourism sector.
– Wall Street Journal
More: online.wsj.com
Probe into Alaska diver's death
The U.S. Coast Guard is looking into the death of a commercial diver harvesting sea cucumbers near Metlakatla.
– Alaska Public Radio Network
More:aprn.org
Tongass future before Congress
The New Year will bring a new fight over Sealaska's lands-selection legislation. The bill, which will be reintroduced in the new Congress, could determine the future of tens of thousands of acres of Southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest.
– KFSK, Petersburg
More:kfsk.org
NOAA study to survey fish jobs in SE
What is the contribution of fishing and seafood processing to the Southeast Alaska economy? Scientists at NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center are seeking improved data on that topic.
– SitNews, Ketchikan
More:www.sitnews.us
SE salmon worth $1 billion
Salmon is an economic engine that pumps nearly $1 billion into Southeast Alaska's economy, according to a Trout Unlimited Alaska study.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Kodiak to evaluate fish adviser job
The joint fisheries adviser position for the city and borough needs to be re-evaluated, said some Kodiak City Council members at their Tuesday work session.
– Kodiak Daily Mirror
More:www.kodiakdailymirror.com
Tanner crab infested with parasite
Tanner crab samples taken from Deadman Bay have shown that one quarter of one percent were carrying the parasite that causes Bitter Crab Syndrome.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
Astoria seafood school open again
After a 14-month closure, the Seafood School has been resurrected as the Community-based Education Collaborative – and not a moment too soon.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Deeda Schoeder, writing in The Daily Astorian
More:www.dailyastorian.com
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
KILLER WHALES HAVE TEETH PROBLEMS
This latest study, newly published in the journal Aquatic Biology, proves through DNA evidence that offshore killer whales prey on large Pacific sleeper sharks – whose skin is so abrasive it is believed to be wearing the whales' teeth flat.
– Vancouver Sun
Read More:www.vancouversun.com
SE halibut fishermen ‘staggered’
One Sitka-based commercial fishing group, the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, says it was "staggered" by the staff recommendations and has provided these thoughtful comments to the commissioners.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
W. Coast trawl ratz underway
A new "catch share" program will give each boat a percentage of an overall annual catch limit. Boats can buy, sell or trade parts of their quotas like stock market shares.
– San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Tougher rules for Yukon salmon
The Yukon River might be frozen, but the fight for the shrinking number of salmon that will be swimming up the river in five months is already heating up.
– Fairbanks News-Miner
More:newsminer.com
Fishermen fume: China farms use B.C. eggs
AgriMarine is doing most of its work in China, using Canadian-sourced fish eggs. That has some B.C. fishermen fuming; they accuse AgriMarine of selling off Canada’s "genetic code."
– The National, Canada
More:news.nationalpost.com
Closed pen farm in B.C.
B.C.'s first closed, floating salmon-farming tank — touted as a greener alternative to traditional open-net pens — has been installed off Vancouver Island.
– CBC
Read More:www.cbc.ca
Alaska Natives threaten polar bear suit
Some of the Arctic's largest Alaska Native organizations are threatening to sue the federal government over its decision to designate more than 187,000 square miles of land and ocean as critical habitat for polar bears.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Search still on for Unalaska fisherman
The search for John F. Courage continues into its third week. The 56-year-old fisherman went missing on December 29, and the Unalaska Department of Public Safety, the Coast Guard, and the Alaska State Troopers have been working to determine his whereabouts.
— Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Fishing restrictions near Kodiak
A plan designed to repair the Chinook salmon run on the Karluk River will impose new restrictions for seiners and trawlers fishing near the mouth of that river.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org (Scroll down.)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
ALASKA: TANNER CATCH SLOWS
Some Tanner crab districts around Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula are starting to close down as harvest levels reach the desired number.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
(Scroll down.)
California: Dungeness catch slows
The decline was expected entering the second half of the season, but some fishermen said it seems to have come sooner than in past years.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Big storm in Aleutians
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Western Alaska has granted storm avoidance requests for five foreign cargo vessels experiencing 27-31 foot waves, winds of more than 55 mph with reported gusts up to 100 mph, while transiting along the great circle route north of Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
– Coast Guard
More:www.d17.uscgnews.com
Longliner dies at sea
An Arizona man died at sea while working on a longlining vessel. Oratio Gomez, 33, was fishing for Pacific cod aboard the F/V Ocean Prowler when he fell ill.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Angler campaign worries B.C. halibut fleet
The commercial fishery is on edge this week, as saltwater anglers give government another hard push for a larger share of B.C. halibut.
– Comox Valley Echo
More:www.canada.com
Warming water stunts Atlantic cod
Climate change could make a sea in southern Scandinavia too warm for Atlantic cod, and rising water temperatures may be stunting the growth of young fish, a study showed on Monday.
– Vancouver Sun
More:www.vancouversun.com
Another tuna-mercury report
A Marin-based group released a report showing swordfish and tuna found in local grocery stores contained mercury above a federal threshold, while a seafood trade group called the study a "scare story."
– Marin (Calif.) Independent Journal
More:www.marinij.com
Small-boat marketing plan in Alaska
The Alaska Marine Conservation Council is piloting a Community Supported Fishery in the Anchorage area that will offer Kodiak tanner crab harvested by small-boat, conservation-minded fishermen to consumers.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Thursday, January 20, 2011
FISH BOARD APPROVES ADAK COD FISHERY
The board unanimously voted to grant the city of Adak its emergency petition that will allow vessels under 60 feet to fish Pacific cod in state waters in the vicinity of Adak during the federal season
– KTUU, Anchorage
More:www.ktuu.com
Halibut guide sentenced for poaching
Arthur C. Aho, a halibut sport fishing guide working out of Ninilchik, was sentenced by District Court Judge Margret Murphy on Jan. 18 for illegal acts committed while working as a sport fishing guide.
– Seward Phoenix
More:thesewardphoenixlog.com
B.C. citizens have right to fish
They fish because of a group of English lords, who, eight centuries ago, forced King John to sign the Magna Carta Their efforts gave the public a legal right to fish, and that right can be enforced even against a King or Prime Minister.
– Vancouver Sun blog
More:communities.canada.com
Coal will destroy Cook Inlet stream
I wish to add my voice, again, to the many and diverse Alaskans who oppose the destruction of a Cook Inlet salmon stream for the sake of a coal mine.
– Bill Sherwonit, writing in the Homer Tribune
More:homertribune.com
Cal loan program to update boats
The California Fisheries Fund, EDF's fisheries loan program, formed in 2008, targets fisheries that need money to shift to more sustainable fishing practices.
– San Francisco Business Times
More:www.bizjournals.com
Senator leads drive against frankenfish
Alaska Sen. Mark Begich plans to introduce a bill that would block federal approval of genetically altered Atlantic salmon as a food source.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
So, what killed '09 Fraser sockeye?
The most likely causes are: marine and freshwater pathogens like viruses, bacteria and sea lice.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
Opinion: Hatcheries kill fish
For the past 40 years fisheries biologists have known that hatchery fish are extremely harmful to wild fish.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
NOAA to fix Columbia sea lion rules
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has decied not to appeal a Ninth Circuit Court decision that found fault with the program that lethally removes California sea lions from the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam to protect threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead.
– Pacific Fishing correspondent Cassandra Marie Profita reporting in Ecotrope, Oregon Public Broadcasting
More:ecotrope.opb.org
Friday, January 21, 2011
HALIBUT CHARTERS PREDICT DOOM
By federal order, hundreds of Alaska halibut charter businesses will be forced to close their doors Feb. 1. Most of them are small, mom-and-pop operations.
– Alaska Dispatch
More:alaskadispatch.com
Halibut charters blame you
"This is due to that fact that 436 people own 88 per cent of the halibut that is allowed to be caught each year. US sports fishermen are only entitled to 12 per cent of what is a Canadian-owned product.
– North Island Gazette
More:www.bclocalnews.com
Opinion: Sportsmen want too much
The recreational sector wants to be allowed to continually grow and grow, and take more and more of all the fisheries resources (salmon, halibut, prawn, crab, etc.). That is not sound fisheries management.
– Canada.com
More:www.canada.com
Yachts should not support fishing fleet
Charter boat operators and yacht brokers say it's fine with them if the Port of Bellingham chooses to give moorage rate breaks to commercial fishers, as long as those breaks don't come at their expense.
– Bellingham Herald
More:www.bellinghamherald.com
Opponents gather against Alaska coalmine
Opponents of the proposed Chuitna coal mine on the western rim of Cook Inlet far outnumbered backers of the project at a public hearing in Kenai.
– Anchorage Daily News
Read more:www.adn.com
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, the Board of Fish has opened state waters in the Western Aleutians. It's a tricky science trying to guess the salmon return to Upper Cook Inlet. And just how big is the economic benefit of commercial fishing to Southeast? All that, and more on the search for fishermen's wives with big personalities.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
Oregon lab probes Alaska king crab
The numbers of both the red and blue varieties of Alaska king crab have declined significantly, and as resource managers struggle to determine why, a small team of scientists in a most unlikely location is working on insurance.
– Newport News Times
More: www.newportnewstimes.com
Two words: Eat clams
Tired? Depressed? Forgetting things? Who isn't these days?
– Wall Street Journal
More:online.wsj.com
Alaska safety courses scheduled
Alaska Marine Safety Education Association's boating safety courses will be available to mariners throughout the year in Alaska providing hands-on training with equipment used in survival situations.
– Coast Guard
More:www.d17.uscgnews.com
