Monday, March 14, 2011
BUDGET WOULD AX CREW SAFETY
The nation’s most dangerous job could soon become more deadly. As Congress struggles to balance current and future budgets, fishing safety programs are on the cutting room floor. “That means current fishing research would stop,” said Jennifer Lincoln, an Injury Epidemiologist with the Commercial Fishing Research and Design Program based in Anchorage. Funds for the fishing program are about $1.5 million.
– SitNews, Ketchikan
More:www.sitnews.us
Managers see solid troll season
The biggest population of Chinook salmon since 2006 is plying coastal waters right now, according to fishery biologists, who are predicting a spawning bonanza in the fall.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:articles.sfgate.com
Sporties’ halibut rules in effect
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service announced it will be implementing the new halibut regulatory recommendations by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) starting Monday.
– Juneau Empire
More:www.juneauempire.com
B.C. awaits healthy herring catch
Fishermans Wharf is buzzing with activity as commercial fleets prepare to drop nets into one of the healthiest herring runs seen in decades.
– Comox (B.C.) Valley Echo
More:www.canada.com
Bill would collect info on deckhands
State Rep. Alan Austerman, R-Kodiak, has introduced House Bill 181 aimed at collecting a better set of statistics on people working as commercial fishing vessel crewmen. –Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Tsunami: Redwood trunks crash into buildings
The wave destroyed much of the businesses in Crescent City, washing cars and trucks down streets and sending the trunks of redwood trees into buildings. Sand covered entire sections of the street, and homes were ruined.
– Eureka Times Standard
More:www.times-standard.com
Tsunami: Crescent City headline says it all
Harbor basically destroyed; more details on man swept away in Klamath; latest advisories.
– Headline from the Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Tsunami: ‘Odd tides’ in Coos Bay
Instead of a wall of water, Coos Bay and area estuaries experienced what one observer called "odd tides" that began Friday morning and continued through the afternoon.
– Coos Bay World
More:theworldlink.com
Tsunami: Brookings hit hard
As the Port of Brookings faces the difficult task of rebuilding much of its infrastructure destroyed or damaged by Friday's tsunami surge, it does so with a balance sheet weakened by more than $5.3 million in debt and a 2008 financial crisis that it continues to feel.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Tsunami: Santa Cruz harbor closed
Santa Cruz's harbor is expected to remain closed through at least next weekend, said port director Lisa Ekers, as cleanup experts from the U.S. Coast Guard and the state Department of Fish and Game take the lead in stabilizing the 1,000-boat facility.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Tsunami: Bad timing
GOP wants cuts to tsunami warning network.
– CBS News
More:www.cbsnews.com
Tsunami: No damage to Unalaska
Alaska's coastal communities braced themselves for the resulting tsunami, but the impact in the state appears to be minimal.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Tsunami: Small waves in Alaska
Fears of a tsunami from the Japan earthquake kept people in coastal Alaska awake and sent two state ferries out to sea to avoid the potential of being swamped. But the scare passed with just small waves and no reported damage.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Tsunami: B.C. escapes damage
Coastal B.C. residents evacuated due to a tsunami alert triggered by the earthquake in Japan were expected to return safely to their homes after it became obvious the slight rise in water levels did not pose a significant risk.
– Vancouver Sun
Read more:www.vancouversun.com
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
TSUNAMI: WEATHER HAMPERS ASSESSMENT
Strong winds and high swells prompted delays for further damage assessment, while crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Game, Crescent City Harbor District personnel, Army Corps of Engineers and multiple oil response organizations were in waiting mode on scene.
– Contra Costa Times
More:www.contracostatimes.com
Tsunami: Astoria 'lucky'
We got lucky," Perez said. "We dodged a bullet."
– Daily Astorian
More:www.dailyastorian.com
Tsunami: $40 million in California
Officials estimate that California suffered $40 million in damage from last week's tsunami as assessments continued Monday in Crescent City, where 16 boats were confirmed sunk in the harbor that bore the brunt of the surging waters.
– Eureka Times Standard
More:www.times-standard.com
Tsunami: Divers scan harbor
Divers scanned the inner boat basin Monday for wreckage while small boats towed broken docks and placed booms in an effort to clean up the tsunami-ravaged Crescent City Harbor.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Tsunami: Federal aid for Oregon
Federal aid could arrive to help the battered Port of Brookings Harbor soon after the wheels of disaster declaration are set in motion.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Kodiak skipper found dead
A 48-year-old skipper from Kodiak has died after apparently losing consciousness aboard his vessel in Monashka Bay. Alaska State Troopers have so far identified the man as Alvin Holdiman and say foul play is not suspected.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
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Seattle blessing of the fleet
The Ballard First Lutheran Church congregated at the Fisherman's Terminal to honor the fishermen and women embarking on their next fishing season during the 83rd Annual Blessing of the Fleet.
– Ballard News Tribune
More:www.ballardnewstribune.com
Homer marine science educator honored
Homer resident and noted marine science educator Beth Trowbridge received the 2011 Ocean Literacy Award, given for the second year by the Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) to an Alaskan marine educator who has made significant contributions to awareness and sustainability of the state's marine resources.
– Alaska Sea Grant
More:seagrant.uaf.edu
Claim: B.C.'s poor need salmon farms
Northern B.C. and Nova Scotia, the places where fish farming could provide hundreds of jobs, are some of the poorest parts of Canada.
– National Post, Canada
More:fullcomment.nationalpost.com
Alaska fuel tax rollback unlikely
With just weeks left in the legislative session, Governor Sean Parnell is again asking lawmakers to suspend the state motor fuels tax for two years. It doesn't look like it will happen.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
TSUNAMI: JAPAN SEEKS REPLACEMENT FISH INVENTORY
Japanese seafood companies are starting to contact B.C. fishing companies about replacing product that was lost in the devastating earthquake.
– Vancouver Sun
Read more:www.vancouversun.com
Tsumani: Japan fish processing center hit
The Pacific Northwest fishing industry has historic ties to the devastated Japanese city of Sendai, which has served as a hub for processing, storage and distribution of pollock, flatfish and other seafood products caught in the North Pacific off Alaska.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Tsunami: Cal damage costs increased
Damage estimates increased for the two California harbors hardest hit by last week's tsunami, while one Northern California county declared a state of emergency because of extensive damage to its waterfront.
– Coos Bay World
More:theworldlink.com
Tsunami: State of emergency in Oregon
Governor Kitzhaber declared a state of emergency for Curry County with an executive order that sets in motion a state and federal process for federal disaster assistance.
– Pacific Fishing correspondent Cassandra Marie Profita reporting in Ecotrope, Oregon Public Broadcasting
More:ecotrope.opb.org
Tsunami: Route waves took
Cassandra Profita unearthed a video animation that shows how waves emerged from Japan and spread across the Pacific.
See it:www.youtube.com
Tsunami: Here's how to help out
Some folks in California – especially Beverly Noll and Lori French – have come up with a way to help fishing families that have been hurt financially by the tsunami. They're using the non-profit Friends of the Coast Guard Auxiliary to handle the fund. The organization will ensure funds will be used to help support commercial fishermen.
Send you contributions to:
Robert Walker, President
484 Meridian St.
Crescent City, CA 95531
Phone: (707) 465-8387
Email:bwalker5@charter.net
Speaking of tsunamis …
Alaska Sea Grant has a national awarding-winning video about the history and threat of tsunamis in Alaska, titled "Ocean Fury: Tsunamis in Alaska." Kodiak harbormaster, Marty Owen, was a huge help in leading us to people in Kodiak to interview, folks who had been in Kodiak when the 1964 quake and tsunamis hit. We also interviewed eyewitnesses in Valdez and Seward.
– Kurt Byers, Sea Grant
The video is available on DVD. You can view a clip at:seagrant.uaf.edu
(Scroll down to see the video clip.)
Columbia R. fishery not opening yet
Commercial fishing for spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River will not begin before Tuesday.
– Vancouver (Washington) Columbian
More:www.columbian.com
B.C. herring underway
The herring fishery is finally underway in the waters off Vancouver Island, and although there are plenty of fish in the sea this year, they're not big enough.
– A News Vancouver Island
More:www.youtube.com
Is salmon farming sustainable?
Many are beginning to wonder if salmon farming is sustainable, as a result, scientists, the salmon industry and environmental organizations are now collaborating to provide the answer to an important component: the feed resources.
– FIS
More:www.fis.com
Anti-Pebble message to Juneau
The prospect of the Pebble Mine is a looming figure for many in Bristol Bay. While the Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with a scientific assessment of the watershed, those of various industries connected to the salmon population would like to see further action.
– Juneau Empire
More:www.juneauempire.com
Suit against Pacific Seafoods filed
Two Oregon fishermen from Brookings and an antitrust lawyer from Portland have filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in Medford in an effort to break up a giant seafood company.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Thursday, March 17, 2011
NOAA SOFTENS ON FINE REVIEW
The U.S. commerce secretary has reversed course and said that he will allow more fishermen who have been accused of violations to have their cases reviewed for fairness by a special investigator.
– Coos Bay World
More:theworldlink.com
Fish predict tsunami
On the day of the tsunami, Mexican fishermen reported a stellar fishing day and it is being reported that the tsunami drove fish in their direction. Thousands of sardines, anchovies, stripped bass and mackerel surged along the coast of Acapulco, packed so tightly that they looked like an oil slick from above.
– World Fishing
More:www.worldfishing.net
A market for herring, pollock roe?
Alaska fishermen are poised to dip their nets into the biggest harvest of Sitka herring since statehood, but it's not clear if their only customer -- Japan -- has any appetite for the high-end product.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Seafood exporters to Japan worry 1
Last week's tsunami catastrophe in Japan is expected to harm India's USD 2 billion-seafood export industry. The heavily damaged Japanese North-Eastern city of Sendai was brimming with seafood factories and processing units directly connected to Indian exporters, explained Anwar Hashim, president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).
– FIS
More:www.fis.com
Seafood exporters to Japan worry 2
Right after the natural calamity occurred in Japan, the department's officials tried to contact representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan. However, the departments have not got a reply. He said "it is still unclear whether to adjust the targeted exports to Japan because there is still not enough information about the impacts of the national calamity."
– Vietnam.Net
More:english.vietnamnet.vn
Seafood exporters to Japan worry 3
B.C. companies are receiving inquires from Japan about sending more seafood. But how much product and the logistics of how and where it can be delivered is not known as the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster continues to unfold.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
Riding the tsunami 1
Docks were breaking, boats were sinking and Alan Mello was running for his boat Friday morning as a tsunami destroyed Crescent City Harbor.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More: www.triplicate.com
Riding the tsunami 2
If Mello was going to keep the Amanda B in one piece, he had to time things right to make it out of the boat basin before the water receded again. "I realized I had one shot," he says. "I had about 60 seconds."
– High Country News
More:www.hcn.org
See the damage
Leslie Hughes of NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program sent along this link to a set of amazing photos that show before and after images of some locales in Japan. Once you see the photos, move your cursor across an imaged.
More:www.abc.net.au
Radiation monitor on Dutch
The Environmental Protection Agency is installing extra radiation monitors in the state of Alaska, and one of them will be placed in Unalaska.
—Pacific Fishing columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Friday, March 18, 2011
SAVE YOUR LIFE!
The federal government is poised to do something very stupid: Yank funding from a program that may save your life.
More:www.pacificfishing.com
Earthquake idles company's fleet
If there was ever any doubt about who controls Fishing Company of Alaska vessels .... They are all tied up at the dock in Dutch now and have stopped fishing. Most of the Japanese on board are from the devastated area around Sendai and had to fly home. Boats can't operate without them.
– Fish Wrap eye witness
U.S. sushi restaurants drop Japan fish
Sushi restaurants are dropping Japanese fresh food from their menus as a radiation plume released by a damaged nuclear plant in the country heightens fears over possible radioactive contamination.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Catch share changes recommended
A panel of fishery experts, economists and congressional staffers unveiled a plan for community catch share programs for fisheries nationwide.
– Kodiak Daily Mirror
More:www.kodiakdailymirror.com
Repairs to Crescent City Harbor
Plans to rebuild Crescent City Harbor are moving forward after harbor commissioners voted to solicit bids for a project already approved after a tsunami damaged the harbor in 2006.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Redden doing right for Columbia salmon
For over a decade, U.S. District Judge James Redden has refused to accept anything less from the federal government than a true recovery plan for Columbia River salmon backed by the best science, strengthened by collaboration, and supported by reliable funding. Redden has done his job.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Argument for catch shares
As a business, commercial fishing is in need of oversight — something the federal government has, until recently, failed to do well. The problem is that, unlike other parts of the food industry where the concept of ownership is somehow tied to a particular possession — like livestock or acreage — the idea of property rights, which is the best mechanism to manage resource allotments, has been largely absent.
– Washington Examiner
More:washingtonexaminer.com
Sporties push for more Columbia kings
The Coastal Conservation Association is urging the start of gillnetting for Columbia River summer Chinook be delayed 10 to 14 days in June to improve sport fishing.
– Vancouver (Wash.) Columbian
More:www.columbian.com
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week: The halibut charter industry in Southeast gets even more restrictive; Cora Campbell seems to be winning converts in the Legislature; and trying to rein in chum salmon bycatch.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
Radiation no threat to Russian fishing
The radiation level around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant poses no threat to fishing, says Rosrybolovstvo, the Russian agency in charge of fishing.
– The Voice of Russia
More:english.ruvr.ru
Japan fishing center in misery
Sakanamachi, once a long line of sea-facing houses, factories and warehouses, is now a tangle of steel, boats and nets.
– Wall Street Journal
More:online.wsj.com
