Tuesday, February 19, 2013
UFA CLAIMS SPYING
Alaska's largest statewide commercial fishing trade association announced it is beginning the process to request Alaska authorities to investigate what they say was unauthorized eavesdropping of their United Fishermen of Alaska private teleconference by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association's office.
– SitNews, Ketchikan
More:sitnews.us
Sealaska not telling the truth
Trout Unlimited, the nation's oldest and largest cold water fisheries conservation organization, announced that, contrary to a misleading media release issued by Sealaska Corporation, it does not support newly introduced legislation that would carve some 70,000 acres from the Tongass National Forest and transfer it to the Juneau-based corporation.
– Trout Unlimited
More:americansalmonforest.org
Book thrown in Florida
Two commercial fishermen have been charged with a total of more than 1,300 conservation violations after being found inside a no-take zone in the Dry Tortugas.
– Miami Herald
More:miamiherald.com
Book thrown in Alaska
Federal enforcement officials have charged the owner and operator of the F/V Pacific Challenger with fishing for Pacific cod in the Western Gulf of Alaska without having a license limitation permit.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Arrest in Kodiak murder case
The U.S. Attorney in Anchorage announced that an arrest has been made in the double-murder at the Communications Station on Coast Guard Base Kodiak nearly a year ago.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:kmxt.org
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up: the FDA extends the public comment period on a new genetically engineered fish species, a study finds majority of seafood workers in Alaska live out of state, a world-renowned fisheries economist talks market trends for salmon, and a petition to protect Alaska's cold water corals stalls.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:kmxt.org
Lower mainland fishing healthy
Even though I no longer earn a living as a fisherman, I witness the huge contribution the industry continues to make to the province as a director of the Steveston Harbour Authority.
– Richmond (B.C.) Review
More:richmondreview.com
Feds say NW trawling recovering
Conservation efforts and a 2-year-old contentious quota system called "catch shares" appear to be helping, and fishermen who were losing money in the once-lucrative fishery are in the black again.
– Daily Astorian
More:dailyastorian.com
Humane Society loses
A U.S. District Court judge in Oregon dismissed the Humane Society of the United States' challenge to the government's plan to kill salmon-munching California sea lions at Bonneville Dam.
– The Oregonian
More:oregonlive.com
Sporties enter gillnet ban fray
The Coastal Conservation Association has announced it will file a motion to join the lawsuit over new Columbia River gillnet rules in the Oregon Court of Appeals.
– Vancouver (Wash.) Columbian
More:columbian.com
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
CAL PROTECTS GREAT WHITES
They are the ocean's most feared predator, but the state of California thinks great white sharks might need a little protection of their own.
– Eureka Times Standard
More:times-standard.com
Salmonella in farmed fish
Scientists in Malaysia found that fish that are fed chicken offal and spoiled eggs can be a potential source of salmonella and have a high risk of spreading antibiotic resistant genes.
– All About Feed
More:allaboutfeed.net
Ice complicates medevac
Due to icing conditions in St. Paul Harbor and the Baranof's inability to enter the harbor, the helicopter medevac was determined to be the safest and quickest means to get the fisherman to needed medical care.
– Coast Guard
More:uscgnews.com
Murkowski wants Shell probe
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski says in light of the Kulluk's grounding, the government needs to look at all aspects of Shell's Arctic drilling operations.
– Alaska Public Radio
More:alaskapublic.org
Drill rig languishes in Seward
A victim of circumstance, the craft has been delayed along its journey by equipment fires, a malfunctioning propulsion system, citations by the Coast Guard, and unscheduled tug maintenance.
– Seward Phoenix Log
More:thesewardphoenixlog.com
Cruise dump bill to Guv
The largely party line vote was 14 to 6, with every Democrat except Bethel's Lyman Hoffman voting against the measure and all Republicans voting for it.
– KTOO, Juneau
More:ktoo.org
Astoria fishermen's festival
Dungeness crab is donated by local commercial fishermen and served up along with coleslaw and garlic bread to raise funds for the 2013 Commercial Fishermen's Festival.
– Seaside Sentinel, Oregon
More:seasidesignal.com
California 2012 salmon season
The 2012 king salmon commercial fishing season was the best in California in nearly a decade, according to a new report that also offers hope for good trolling in 2013.
– San Mateo County Times
More:mercurynews.com
More on tsunami debris
"What is most concerning are the small pieces of debris, easily confused by wildlife for food."
– Oregon Public Broadcasting
More:opb.org
Wesley's annual big-shrimp story
Again this year, the state intends to open a commercial fishery for those enormous, delectable spot shrimp in Prince William Sound.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 21, 2013
NEW DIRECTOR FOR CRAB COMMISSION
The Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission announced that it has selected Hugh Link to be its new executive director. Link joined the Crab Commission staff in 2004, after spending a decade as sales manager at Hallmark Fisheries in Charleston, on the southern Oregon coast. He replaces long-time executive director Nick Furman, who recently retired after heading up the ODCC for 22 years.
Russia building fishing fleet
The Russian government is placing the development of its fishing industry high on the parliamentary agenda this year as it faces the massive task of turning record catches into record profits as part of a major rebuilding process.
– World Fishing.net
More:worldfishing.net
Panel against permit stacking
The Nushagak Fish and Game Advisory Committee has finalized their comments on the setnet permit stacking proposal for Bristol Bay.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Halibut commission nominees
The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced a new slate of nominees for two U.S. seats on the International Pacific Halibut Commission.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
A third of seafood mislabeled
Testers nationwide found that 87 percent of the time, restaurants and grocery stores were selling something else under that label.
– Washington Post
More:washingtonpost.com
In Portland, it's 20 percent
More than 20 percent of seafood sold at Portland markets, restaurants and sushi bars was mislabeled.
– The Oregonian
More:oregonlive.com
Chefs and catch shares
Even though life might be simpler if I just focused on cooking and running a restaurant, I just can't in good conscience ignore the serious threats to our oceans and the fish in them.
– National Geographic
More:newswatch.nationalgeographic.com
The value of cruise ships?
Is the ever-expanding cruise ship industry a cost or benefit to port cities?
– ABC News
More:abcnews.go.com
Commercial fishing skills
The University of Alaska wants to know what skills young people will need for jobs connected to commercial fishing.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:adn.com
Now, salmon official B.C. symbol
Steller's jay, spirit bear, and western red cedar are all living symbols of British Columbia.
– Straight.com
More:straight.com
Friday, February 22, 2013
KILL OTTERS!
An Alaska state senator is proposing a bounty on sea otters, the cute little marine mammals often seen by tourists swimming on their backs between cruise ships, sometimes munching on a fresh crab or clams.
– Anchorage Daily News
More: adn.com
Runaway rig allowed to go
"I reviewed all of the relevant and available information and determined that Shell has met the requirements of the Captain of the Port Order."
– Coast Guard
More: uscgnews.com
Southeast salmon mostly wild
He was looking for the percentage of wild, non-hatchery salmon that are caught in Tongass National Forest waters each year.
– KRBD, Ketchikan
More: krbd.org
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska joins the Yup'ik fisherman trials, the Alaska Legislature hears about eco-labels for Alaska's salmon and small boats in big boat territory.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More: kmxt.org
SE Tanner, golden king crab
Southeast crabbers are out harvesting Tanner and Golden King Crab. Both seasons opened on February 17th. Tanner boats get six days to fish in the most popular "core" areas and a total of eleven days in the non-core areas.
– KFSK, Petersburg
More: kfsk.org
Hear whole MSC radio report
NPR investigative reporter Daniel Zwerdling's three-part series on sustainable seafood began airing during All Things Considered on Monday evening, February 12.
– KCAW, Sitka
More: npr.org
Alaska salmon outlook good
In a word, the outlook for Alaska salmon markets this year is favorable.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, writing in SitNews, Ketchikan
More: sitnews.us
Japanese skiff in Oregon
A Japanese boat that was discovered on the North Spit Wednesday was removed Thursday by the Oregon State Parks department.
– Coos Bay World
More: theworldlink.com
Sea creatures off Washington
The same gelatinous sea creatures that clogged the intake at California's Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant last spring have shown up this winter on the Washington coast.
– Seattle Times
More: seattletimes.com
New chief at Icicle
Icicle Seafoods, a major fishing and processing company based in Seattle, said Amy Humphreys has been named president and CEO.
– Seattle Times
More: seattletimes.com
SF herring report from Ernie
Occasional Pacific Fishing contributor Ernie Koepf fishes for herring in San Francisco Bay. He paused to write this brief report:
Herring season began on Jan. 2, and there were fish right off the bat from an ongoing spawn in Sausalito. The next week, it was big tickets down in the docks of the South Bay, multiple loads all week, and 30 to 40 tons for all. Next week it was back to Sausalito. The 30 participants had a scant chance of filling the 2,800 ton quota, so the fishing went on uninterrupted until the first week of February, when the "even" group quota-ed out. Fishing on the 'odd' quota, the fleet whacked them at Paradise Cay to finish out the week. Next week, it was off to Richmond for the boats. All week getting a few tons a day as the smaller fish moved in. There were 500 tons remaining on the quota but quite possibly the last landing of the season occurred on Feb. 18, when one boat made a 5 ton delivery from Point San Pablo. As of today (Feb. 22), the sardines have returned and no herring have been seen. The season ends March 15 but the fat lady is singing right now.
