Monday, February 6, 2012
Japan: Little contamination of fish
But more than 10 months after the three reactor meltdowns, testing of thousands of fish, including tuna, bonito and "sanma" (Pacific saury), caught far from Tohoku's coast has turned up little contamination.
– Japan Times
More:www.japantimes
Dillingham eyes annexing bay
Dillingham voters will have a chance to give the proposed and approved annexation of the waters of the Nushagak Commercial Salmon District the thumbs up or down on April 10 following the Local Boundary Commission's approval of the move in mid-December.
– Dutch Harbor Fisherman
More:www.thedutchharborfisherman.com
Sea otters: Sell pelts
To provide economic advantages to the cull, the bill urges federal authorities consider the "use, transfer, and sale of intact sea otter pelts in order to restore to the state's Native people the right to make full use of sea otters harvested for subsistence while expanding and enhancing economic opportunities for residents of Southeast Alaska."
– Juneau Empire
More:juneauempire.com
Sea otter: Nurse them
"She's doing quite well, but she's tired and doing a lot of sleeping."
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
Halibut: What about habitat?
When it comes to halibut, however, the glaring deficiencies in Alaskan management compared to British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest were under scrutiny at the International Pacific Halibut Commission annual meeting.
– Alaska Journal of Commerce
More:www.alaskajournal.com
Fighting over agency mission
Parnell was pressed on the removal of the word 'conserve,' the adding of the term "maximum development" and the lack of mention of future generations.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, writing in SitNews, Ketchikan
More:www.sitnews.us
Here's your chance!
Prices for young eel have surged to their highest amid a string of extremely poor catches, and the government is looking for countermeasures.
– Japan Times
More:www.japantimes
Kimberly hard aground
The fishing vessel Kimberly is still hard aground on the Alaska Peninsula coast west of Kodiak Island.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org (scroll down)
Fish Vid: Dungeness
Sharon Biddinger presented this view of Dungeness crabbing in Oregon, featuring F/V Refuge: "When mom's snapping footage and dad's running the boat, a trip to the processor becomes a family affair! Here's a look at what our first crab offload of the season was like. And making their You Tube debut are our two boys, Tyler & Tristan."
– Sharon Biddinger
See it atwww.youtube.com
(If you have a good fishing video on You Tube, send us a link.)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Arne to be sentenced today
A former fisheries aide for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski who falsified commercial fishing records for profit is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday.
– Anchorage Daily News
Read more:www.adn.com
Fish fraud: $1 million fine
Federal prosecutors say a Torrance, Calif.-based seafood corporation has been ordered to pay $1 million in fines and community service donations for falsely labeling frozen catfish fillets as grouper.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Shasta River coho egg plan
A two-day "genetics workshop" next week in Yreka will explore the possibility of introducing fertilized salmon eggs into the Shasta River watershed to supplement dwindling coho runs.
– Record Searchlight, Redding, Calif.
More:www.redding.com
Building net boring, interesting
What is it about nets that's fascinating? It's challenging. Just tying nets is pretty boring, but the whole art of building a net is really interesting.
– Juneau Empire
More:www.adn.com
One boat, big family
The boat has been the livelihood of a father, son and grandson.
– Coos Bay World
More:theworldlink.com
Where are Canadian quotas?
Last spring, the Prime Minister campaigned on Vancouver Island, promising that quotas for the recreational and commercial fisheries in 2012 would be announced by the end of 2011. That has not yet happened.
– Campbell River Mirror
More:www.campbellrivermirror.com
Label frankenfish
It's a new year, and the first genetically engineered animal may be about to enter the food supply.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Rogue wave wounds freighter
The 610 foot cargo ship Dry Beam is moored at Ogden Point, its massive vertical support beams bent like matchsticks and its load of logs shoved askew by a rogue wave on the North Pacific.
– Vancouver Sun
More:www.vancouversun.com
Vigor buys Ketchikan shipyard
Vigor announced its plan to acquire Alaska Ship and Drydock Inc., further consolidating the business of ship repair on the U.S. West Coast.
– MarineLink
More:www.marinelink.com
Norwegian net pens criticized
As well as ruining Norway's own rivers, the nets are taking salmon native to rivers in Russia and Finland.
– Fish & Fly
More:www.fishandfly.com
Natives seek otter management
They support efforts to get Alaskans more involved in federal management of the once-rare marine mammals.
– AlaskaPublic.org
More:www.alaskapublic.org
Columbia coho up
The Columbia River early coho stock forecast this year is 229,800, compared to a 216,000 forecast last year and an actual return of 288,500.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
TOTE changes organization, name
On Jan. 1, American Shipping Group underwent a dramatic transformation. The company, formerly known as ASG, became TOTE Inc., and experienced a makeover in logo, look, and structure.
– TOTE
More:www.toteinc.com
Report lists Pebble damage
A new report puts some numbers on the potential impact to the Bristol Bay watershed from the proposed Pebble Mine.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Marine reserves get Oregon nod
The Oregon Senate voted 25-5 to approve three new marine reserves in state coastal waters.
– Pacific Fishing writer Cassandra Marie Profita, reporting in Ecotrope, Oregon Public Broadcasting
More:ecotrope.opb.org
Hazing Columbia's cormorants
The Corps of Engineers will try hazing seabirds at the mouth of the Columbia River in an attempt to reduce the size of a "super colony" that have been taking about one-fifth of the young salmon before they reach the ocean.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Eating the whole herring
Step aside, mackerel and sardines; there's a new oily fish in town - but only for a short while.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Civil rights for a whale?
A federal court is considering whether or not a constitutional amendment applies to five orca whales enslaved by SeaWorld.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
NMFS wants time on sea lions
The National Marine Fisheries Service is asking for at least 15 months to assess the impact of their Steller sea lion protection measures.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.kucb.org
Hatchery fish may weaken wild
The efforts have succeeded in replenishing depleted salmon populations, but the hatchery-raised fish may actually be weakening the ranks of wild salmon.
– Bay Citizen, San Francisco
More:www.baycitizen.org
Fight over Alaska mission statement
There is a new and very different mission statement posted by the Department of Natural Resources on the State of Alaska website.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, writing in the Capital City Weekly
More:www.capitalcityweekly.com
B.C. port tougher than Valdez
I have been to Valdez and sailed by the rocks that claimed the Exxon Valdez. The transit into Kitimat will be much more complex and difficult than the tanker route into Valdez.
– Vancouver Sun
More:www.vancouversun.com
Dungeness fishery dangerous
Each time the commercial fleet goes out in Crescent City or Brookings, every crew member knows that danger awaits.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Less paperwork for Bering crabbers
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted over the weekend to relax economic data reporting requirements for the Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands crab fisheries.
– KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.kucb.org
Petition to halt Canadian farms
Conservation, fishing and native groups in Canada and the United States filed a formal petition today requesting an international investigation into Canada's failure to protect wild salmon in British Columbia from disease and parasites in industrial fish feedlots.
– Center for Biological Diversity
More:www.biologicaldiversity.org
Greens like Oregon reserves
It's taken a decade, but conservationists are finally heralding the passage of legislation that will create a system of marine reserves off the Oregon Coast, where fishing and other commercial activity will be excluded from taking place.
– Daily Astorian
More:www.dailyastorian.com
Friday, February 10, 2012
Artist poaching sea otters
An artist known for his work with marine mammal pelts would serve six months in prison for the illegal sale of sea otter parts under a plea agreement filed in federal court.
– Anchorage Daily News
More: www.adn.com
Sharks bag lots of humans
Sharks killed a dozen people worldwide last year, a two-decade high as tourists ventured into waters in remote areas far from medical care, Florida researchers said in a report.
– Vancouver Sun
More: www.vancouversun.com
Fish farm foe to be deported
Anti-fish farm activist Don Staniford is to be deported to Britain days after the conclusion of a 20-day defamation case in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
– Victoria Times Colonisst
More: www.timescolonist.com
Crabbing in California
At 5 a.m., winter skies are dark and the roads empty, but the docks at Spud Point Marina are busy and cold. On board the Sandy B, a stove is going and the small cabin is cozy.
– Press Democrat, Santa Rosa
More: sebastopol.towns.pressdemocrat.com
Steller sea lion court filings
We have a flurry of new filings in the Steller sea lion case.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Spill map for Arctic
The federal government bumped up the deadline for a project that will help responders coordinate if an oil spill ever does happen.
– KUCB, Unalaska
More: www.kucb.org
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, Arne Fuglvog will spend less than a six months in prison for his fishing crimes; Southeast Native groups support trimming the sea otter population, but are concerned about some of a plan's ramifications; and the start dates for two crab fisheries will remain flexible. All that and should seats on the North Pacific Council be dedicated to sports fishing?
– KMXT, Kodiak
More: www.kmxt.org
No arrest in Indian fishing site
State wildlife authorities had no right to cite a Yakama Nation fisherman for catching undersized fish at a Columbia River tribal fishing site, the Washington Supreme Court ruled.
– The Oregonian
More: www.oregonlive.com
Find where to buy Copper River fish
Copper River promoters have launched what they're calling the first-ever salmon locator app for Facebook.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
