Monday, March 29, 2010
Letter: Otters will ruin fishery
When I heard that the first sea otter had been spotted off of Santa Barbara Harbor, all my alarm sirens went off. Sea otters seem to cast a magical spell upon any landlubber who gazes upon them. But if Santa Barbara is going to welcome the sea otter back, I think it is critical that its residents understand the price that will be exacted.
– Chris Goldblatt, sport diver, operator of commercial and charter vessels, writing in The Santa Barbara Independent
More: www.independent.com/newsAlaska can’t trace deckhands
It's tough to track a workforce when you don't know where it is. But that will remain the case for more than 20,000 Alaska deckhands, at least for the immediate future.
Read more: www.adn.com/2010
Enviros howl over MSC certification
of Fraser fish
The Marine Stewardship Council raised eyebrows in B.C. recently when it announced the “The British Columbia sockeye salmon fishery should be certified in accordance with MSC standards.”
More: Pacific Fishing’s April issue or subscribe here.Fishing ban rumor still circulating
Earlier this month, a rumor began to take hold that President Obama wants to ban fishing.
– CBS News
More:www.cbsnews.com
Interior rep resigns from Fish Board
Janet Woods of Fairbanks resigned from the Alaska Board of Fisheries on Friday, less than a year after being appointed to the board by then-Gov. Sarah Palin.
– Fairbanks News-Miner
More: newsminer.com/view
Kodiak CG aircrew to receive award
The eight Alaska-based Coast Guardsmen from Air Station Kodiak will be awarded the American Helicopter Society’s (AHS) Capt. William J. Kossler Award at the AHS forum in Phoenix on May 12 for saving the lives of seven commercial fishermen in 2009.
– Kodiak Daily Mirror
More: www.kodiakdailymirror.com
Sitka seiners halfway to limit
Sitka Sound herring seiners had a second crack at the fish Saturday, bagging an estimated 3,500 tons.
That brings the total harvest so far to 9,800 tons, or more than half the season limit of 18,293 tons.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
North Pacific susceptible to acidification
The cold waters and currents of the North Pacific Ocean make the ecosystems around the Aleutians more susceptible to ocean acidification. Brad Warren, former editor of Pacific Fishing magazine and now with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, spoke about the issue at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference.
—Pacific Fishing columnist Anne Hillman, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More: www.publicbroadcasting.net/kial
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Device reduces
Bristol Bay bruising
A Bristol Bay fisherman has come up with a device that appears to dramatically reduce bruising, even when fishing is heavy. Crewmen report it makes their job easier. The gizmo is portable and costs about $1,250.
More: Pacific Fishing’s April issue or click here to subscribe.
Balsiger back on the job in Alaska
Dr. Jim Balsiger is back in Juneau to again serve as administrator for NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Region.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Ocean death panel at work
Pass the bluefin sushi, shark fin soup and polar bear paw ashtray.
– David Helvarg, writing in The Huffington Post
More: www.huffingtonpost.com
Lawmakers fund Unalaska ferry service
Funding for twice monthly ferry runs passed the State House of Representatives Monday morning.
—Pacific Fishing columnist Anne Hillman, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More: www.publicbroadcasting.net/kial
Columbia gillnetters go fishing
Armed with evidence of improved spring Chinook numbers in test-netting Sunday and a winter steelhead run that is winding down, state biologists met by telephone Monday and approved a 12-hour commercial gill-net fishery Tuesday, from noon until midnight.
– The Oregonian
More: www.oregonlive.com/sports
Plan today for commercial fishing in the Arctic
Arctic nations must chart a course that taps into the region’s rich resources while protecting the environment and livelihoods of the indigenous people who live there, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said after meeting with his northern coastal counterparts here Monday.
– Toronto Sun
More: www.torontosun.com/news
Fair play for California fishermen
I grew up in Ft. Bragg, a small fishing town on California's North Coast. More accurately, Ft. Bragg was a salmon fishing town – the fishermen would bring in Dungeness crab, albacore and rock cod as the seasons and opportunities permitted, but the real business of Ft. Bragg was salmon. And business was good.
– Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle
Read more: www.sfgate.com
A new chapter in Adak melodrama
This press release arrived rather out of the blue yesterday regarding the lease dispute over the fish plant out on Adak Island.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
NYT food critic praises Alaska Chinook
I ate Alaskan troll-caught king salmon three times this week and wondered why I’d waited so long. There is no better finfish.
– Mark Bittman, writing in the New York Times
More: bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2010
Salmon Summit set for Thursday
Fishermen and Congressional leaders will rally to demand action to rebuild the West’s iconic salmon industry at the First Annual Salmon Summit on Thursday, April 1, from 10 am – 2 pm at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.
More: salmonwaternow.org/get-involved
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Obama: No Bristol Bay drilling
The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.
– New York Times
More: www.nytimes.com/2010
West Coast trollers ponder options
Commercial and recreational fishermen are split on several options the Pacific Fishery Management Council has laid out for the upcoming salmon season.
– Coos Bay World
More: www1.theworldlink.com/cda
New options to stay connected on Bristol Bay
Nothing on Bristol Bay is ever easy – even calling home. But that could change this year with new cell phone and sat phone options.
More: Pacific Fishing’s April issue or subscribe here.
Fish packers knocked for short weights
An Illinois consumer craving seafood who bought a 2-pound bag of shrimp priced at $12.99 a pound expected to pay about $26 for dinner, not $16 for the meal and $10 for some melted ice.
– Chicago Tribune
More: www.chicagotribune.com/business
Alaska packers tops in weights honesty
The National Conference on Weights and Measures announced the findings of a voluntary multi-state investigation Monday, revealing significant overcharges due to incorrect package weights on some frozen seafood products.
– Juneau Empire
More: www.juneauempire.com/stories
Peter Pan wants new dock in Dillingham
Peter Pan Seafoods Inc. is planning to build a major new dock at its Bristol Bay salmon cannery at Dillingham.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
NMFS seeks comments on bycatch rule for pollock fleet
The National Marine Fisheries Service is accepting public comments on the new rules regarding Chinook salmon bycatch by the Bering Sea pollock fishery.
—Pacific Fishing columnist Anne Hillman, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More: www.publicbroadcasting.net/kial
Taku an opportunity to help wild fish
Wild salmon need wild rivers to thrive. That's a simple idea, but it has become a lot more complicated in modern times because so much salmon habitat in so many Pacific coast watersheds has been forsaken for industrial development, hydro power, mining, logging, agriculture, and other activities.
– Mark Angelo, chairman of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council in Vancouver and of the Rivers Institute at the B.C. Institute of Technology, and Guido Rahr, executive director of the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, writing in the Vancouver Sun
More: www.vancouversun.com
Grocery chain to stock only sustainability
Trader Joe's has announced it will sell only sustainably sourced seafood by the end of next year.
– Washington Post
More: voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat
B.C. barge owner guilty of pollution
The owner of a barge that tipped and spilled logging equipment into Robson Bight three years ago has been found guilty of pollution charges.
– Victoria Times-Colonist
Read more: www.timescolonist.com
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Oil exploration plan draws
praise, criticism
President Barack Obama announced Wednesday he supports development of some oil and gas leases in Arctic waters off Alaska's coast but won't allow drilling in federal waters near Bristol Bay.
More: www.miamiherald.com/2010
As for Bristol Bay, the World Wildlife Fund likes its closure: www.worldwildlife.org/who
However, Aleutians East Borough in Alaska was disappointed about the Bristol Bay announcement: www.piersystem.com
Halibut opening rocky
Commercial fishermen and local processors report a rocky start to the halibut season, with prices for fresh fish soaring to all-time highs, then softening under pricing resistance.
– Juneau Empire
More: www.juneauempire.com/stories
Gimme me that fish ... now!
Cops said an irate man crawled out of his car and into the drive-thru window of a McDonald’s in New Jersey just to get his hands on a Filet-O-Fish sandwich.
– New York Post
Read more: www.nypost.com
Sitka Sound herring fishery nears end
Sitka Sound herring seiners had another crack at the fish yesterday, bagging an estimated 4,000 tons, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this update.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Icicle donates to university
Icicle Seafoods made a third donation of $200,000 in support of programs and scholarships at several University of Alaska campuses. The donation includes $85,000 to UAA's Institute of Social and Economic Research for the Icicle Fisheries Fund.
– Juneau Empire
More: www.juneauempire.com/stories
Kodiak salmon planners seek new hatchery
Constructing a new fish hatchery became a high priority for the Kodiak Comprehensive Salmon Plan after being discussed at the Kodiak Regional Planning Team (RPT) meeting Tuesday afternoon.
– Kodiak Daily Mirror
More: www.kodiakdailymirror.com
Oregon Coast tops for wave power buoys
Oregon has “tremendous infrastructure capability” that could make the state a leader in the rapidly emerging wave energy industry.
– Newport News-Times
More: www.newportnewstimes.com
CG responds to sinking fish boat in Southeast
The Coast Guard responded to the sinking of the 45-foot fishing vessel Millie B in Crab Bay, east of Annette Island Wednesday.
– Coast Guard press release
More: www.piersystem.com
CG medevacs injured crewman near Adak
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrews medevaced a crewman reported to have injured his wrist on the 200-foot trawler, Ocean Peace, homeported in Dutch Harbor, less than a 100 miles northwest of Adak Wednesday morning.
– Coast Guard press release
More: www.piersystem.com/go
Still time to comment on proposed catch share policy
You still have time to comment to NOAA concerning its new national policy on catch shares.
Deadline is April 10.
The mailing address is:
Attn: Catch Shares
Office of Policy, NOAA Fisheries Service
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
More: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa
Friday April 2, 2010
Only sustainable fish for
this cat food
Mars Inc. announced Thursday it will use only sustainably-sourced fish in its pet products, including Pedigree, Sheba, and Wiskas by 2020.
– MongaBay.com
More: news.mongabay.com
Salmon summit is a ‘call-to-arms’
Pummeled by two straight years of canceled fishing seasons, enraged salmon fishermen held an emotional call-to-arms in San Francisco Thursday, vowing to fight to save the vanishing Chinook salmon.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More: www.sfgate.com
A broad band sonar?
Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have developed two advanced broadband acoustic systems that they believe could represent the acoustic equivalent of the leap from black-and-white television to high-definition color TV.
– ScienceBlog
More: www.scienceblog.com
Another collision in the Sitka fishery
A collision was reported which occurred during the Sitka sac roe herring fishery. Investigation revealed the seiner F/V Agave, operated by Kenneth M. Jones of Homer, collided with the seiner F/V Alaskan Rose operated by John Johanson, 53, of Klawock.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Uncertainties remain for Shell
and Dutch Harbor
Unalaska is paving the way for Shell Oil to come to the region for exploration-related work, but there are no guarantees about when it will happen, Mayor Shirley Marquardt said.
– Dutch Harbor Fisherman
More: www.thedutchharborfisherman.com
Judge says no to California farmers
A federal judge on Wednesday turned down farmers' emergency request to lift water pumping restrictions in California's delta, saying continuing with current pumping levels risked killing chinook salmon.
– BusinessWeek
More: www.businessweek.com
CG medical flight one of endurance
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted a long-range rescue of an injured crewmember from the Dutch Harbor-based, 200- foot trawler Ocean Peace March 31, 2010.
The rescue crew launched from St. Paul Island to fly 400 miles directly to Adak, which would be the equivalent of a helicopter launching from Seattle to San Diego for a rescue.
– Coast Guard press release
More: www.piersystem.com
Governor names men to Alaska Fish Board
Gov. Sean Parnell reappointed Claude "Vince" Webster of King Salmon and appointed Thomas G. Kluberton of Talkeetna to the state Board of Fisheries.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Halibut schooners still working
This week, as the Tordenskjold prepared for a 99th season, the boat mustered in formation with six other fishing schooners for a rare fleet parade through Lake Union, the Ballard Locks and out into Puget Sound.
– Seattle Times
More: seattletimes.nwsource.com
Oops!
Yesterday, we had several items concerning the Obama administration’s decision to forbid petroleum exploration off Bristol Bay.
However, we attached the wrong link to an item from Aleutians East Borough, expressing disappointment over the decision. Here is the correct link:
www.aleutianseast.org
