Monday, April 28, 2014
TOGIAK OPEN
The largest herring fishery in Alaska opened Sunday night but serious fishing could be on hold for a day or two.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Kodiak herring season
The fleet of 22 seiners was down a bit; they are competing for a harvest of 5,800 short tons, similar to the past five years.
– SitNews, Ketchikan
More:sitnews.us
Remembering dead fishermen
Her tragedy happened on Sept. 8, 2004, when her 40-year-old husband Sean, a commercial fisherman, became entangled in a rope while scuba diving near Langara Island to retrieve an anchor that was stuck more than 25 feet underwater.
– The Province. Vancouver, B.C.
More:theprovince.com
Salmon mean money
Washington's commercial and sport fishing industries contribute over $2.5 billion annually to the state's economy, supporting over 28,500 jobs.
– Bellingham Herald
More:bellinghamherald.com
Iron fertilization works
It certainly seems to work given that the salmon runs after it were magnificently large.
– Forbes magazine
More:forbes.com
China wants more cod
Cod market to strengthen over the next few months as China is in demand for Alaskan and Russian raw materials.
– Tradex Foods
More:tradexfoods.com
China's exclusive business club
But few people are aware of the months of preparation that went into planning the $1.8 billion (1.3 billion euros) deal and the role that about 20 of China's richest and most powerful business people played in making it happen.
– AsiaNewsNet
More:asianewsnet.net
China eats more fish
China's seafood prices and consumption were in positive territory in March, but more modest economic growth appears to be tempering growth in both figures.
– Saving Seafood
More:savingseafood.org
Greenpeace against polar oil
This will be the second time the environmental organization has hampered Russia's plans to produce and sell Arctic oil.
– Barents Observer, Norway
More:barentsobserver.com
Radiation in Alaska
A surprise inspection of Acuren's facility earlier this month revealed high levels of radiation outside the building.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
BRISTOL BAY BOUNDARY CONFUSION
The so-called "Boundary Line" can be confusing to fishermen.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Move to ban gillnets
Few people know that dolphins right off the California coast are being killed in our local swordfish fishery that uses drift gillnets.
– Sacramento Bee
More:sacbee.com
Too much bycatch
What percentage of all the marine life caught by industrial fishing operations ends up on our plate? Ninety percent? Seventy-five? Fifty? Not even close. Try just 10 percent.
– Living Green magazine
More:livinggreenmag.com
New bycatch rules
Herring trawlers will have to stop fishing and end the fishing trip if they lower their nets and dump bycatch, such as a haddock and alewife, according to new rules being recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council.
– Portland (Maine) Press Herald
More:pressherald.com
Protecting Alaska resource
It seems like if the state had its way, and Alaskans weren't paying attention, we wouldn't be fighting the Pebble Mine; we'd already be mitigating its impacts.
– Alaska Dispatch
More:alaskadispatch.com
Humpback whale needs protection
It comes only months ahead of a final decision on the widely despised Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline — an $8-billion proposal that has already faced a lawsuit alleging possible oil spills and tanker accidents would endanger threatened species.
– Vice News.com
More:news.vice.com
Restoring Sitka herring
Many believe the herring population in Sitka Sound now is a fraction of what it was in those days, and wonder if herring stocks — like salmon — can be restored.
– KCAW, Sitka
More:kcaw.org
Catch value is up
NOAA today is announcing its annual fisheries economic report: U.S. commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated more than $199 billion in sales in 2012, a gain of 7 percent over the previous year, with the economic impact of fishing jobs increasing three percent from 2011 to 2012, according to a new NOAA Fisheries economics report.
– NOAA
More:nmfs.noaa.gov
Minute increase in radiation
Albacore tuna caught off the Oregon shore after the Fukushima Daiichi power station in Japan was destroyed in a 2011 earthquake had slightly elevated levels of radioactivity but the increase has been minute.
– KCBY, Coos Bay
More:kcby.com
Department of Missed Opportunity
Just as you're questioning whether you should have entered the high-paced, extremely profitable field of professional poetry comes word from England that, once again, you didn't win the best sea limerick contest, sponsored by the Shipwrecked Mariners Society. The charity, which this year celebrates its 175 anniversary, launched the competition to raise awareness of its work providing financial support to ex-seafarers and encouraging those in need to come forward for help. The competition, now in its third year, received entries from across the UK and was judged by poet, broadcaster, and comedian Ian McMillan and supported by the National Federation of Fishermen's Organizations (NFFO).
To read the winning limerick, by Peter Hamill from Accrington, go to:useful-links.html and scroll to the bottom right of the page.
And if you have a better verse, send it toDonMcManman. We may publish it in Pacific Fishing magazine.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
JAPAN'S SHRINKING SOCIETY
The population will drop below 100 million in 2048 and below 50 million in the 22nd century.
– AsiaNews.Net
More:asianewsnet.net
Demand growth … in China
Discussion of the fast food market has been dominated by one thing in recent months: the battleground of the breakfast market. However, given Yum Brands' and McDonald's first-quarter earnings reports, it may be time to pay a little more attention to China.
– Entrepreneur
More:entrepreneur.com
Price of lobster heading up
Apparently, the population of young lobsters has declined by 50 percent compared with 2007 levels.
– TechTimes.com
More:techtimes.com
Acidification harms snails
The surface of some of their thin outer shells looked as if they had been etched by a solvent. Others were deeply pitted and pocked.
– Seattle Times
More:apps.seattletimes.com
Fish pirates seized
The ships were seized and its 63 crew members were detained in separate incidents on Friday and Saturday.
– NewStraitsTimes, Malaysia
More:nst.com.my
Focus on gillnetting
In October 2010, two endangered sperm whales off the coast of San Diego made national headlines when they became entangled in a large drift gillnet used to catch fish.
– TheEpockTimes, New York City
More:theepochtimes.com
Oceanless fish farms
A British Columbia First Nation is using a workshop this week in St. Andrews to explain how it is growing Atlantic salmon without the fish ever seeing the ocean.
– CBC, Canada
More:cbc.ca
Are fish farms improving?
Salmon farming threatens some of the planet's last remaining viable wild salmon — a keystone species that touches all our coastal ecosystems.
– David Suzuki in Strait.com, Canada
More:straight.com
Shellfish farms in Alaska
A move to develop mariculture through the creation of partnerships and strategic planning, has been announced by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, which envisions ocean farming as a future billion dollar industry for Alaska.
— Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
NW halibut seasons
Though the 2014 U.S. West Coast halibut quota is essentially the same as last year, Oregon anglers will notice four changes that affect sport fisheries.
– Daily Astorian
More:dailyastorian.com
Thursday, May 1, 2014
CAL TROLLERS START WORK
Bay Area fisherman will head out to sea Thursday for the first day of commercial fishing for Chinook salmon, one of California's most valuable fish.
– San Jose Mercury News
More:mercurynews.com
Troopers aim at Inlet setnetters
An unpublicized, end-of-session addition to the state capital projects bill for fiscal year 2015 gives the Alaska Wildlife Troopers $175,000 they never asked for to conduct "enforcement activities relating to" salmon returning to the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers and Upper Cook Inlet setnet fisheries on the Kenai Peninsula shoreline.
– Alaska Journal of Commerce
More:alaskajournal.com
New group in Inlet fight
The group submitted an amicus brief, or friend of the court brief, in support of the state of Alaska's position opposing the proposed setnet ban initiative, and while the judge accepted that brief, she denied the group's request to gain intervener status in an April 18 motion.
– Homer News
More:homernews.com
Columbia fishermen stand down
That leaves lower Columbia River sport and most commercial fishers idled for the time being as the strength of the 2014 spring chinook run begins to build.
– Wahkiakum County Eagle
More:waheagle.com
Fishermen fight for Obama EPA
Fisherman and conservation groups sought Wednesday to discredit charges that the Obama administration is attempting to sabotage a contentious mine project in Alaska, describing accusations from developers as recycled falsehoods.
– The Hill
More:thehill.com
Competition from carp
Our taste test results encouraged us to forge ahead with a project designed to market Asian carp in Latin American and Chinese-style restaurants around town.
– Scientific American
More:blogs.scientificamerican.com
Fish farmers stick with pens
The Namgis closed-containment facility on Vancouver Island is the first salmon farm in North America to grow Atlantic salmon on a commercial scale in a completely land-based aquaculture system.
– CBC, Canada
More:cbc.ca
Dillingham fights for bay annexation
The City of Dillingham has asked Judge Patricia Douglass to reconsider her March 27 ruling that struck down the 2012 Nushagak Bay annexation and fish tax.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Tuna fishermen groups merger
American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) and Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) today announced the merging of their individual Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery certifications.
– Western Fishboat Owners Association
More:msc.org
Harvesting Togiak herring
Fishermen participating in the ongoing Togiak sac-roe herring fishery have finally started harvesting herring.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
B.C. mine hit
A government panel ruled mine would damage environment.
– CBC, B.C.
More:cbc.ca
Friday, May 2, 2014
TYUKON RIVER SALMON CRASH
State and federal managers have released their Yukon River salmon fisheries outlook. Here's how it starts: The 2014 Chinook salmon run is expected to be extremely poor and could be the worst on record.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Stellar winter troll season
As of mid-day today (Wednesday), trollers had landed 46,800 king salmon, far more than the 26,200 landed by this time last year, and well above the 5-year average.
– KCAW
More:kcaw.org
Alaska objects to EPA's Pebble action
The State of Alaska's response came in the form of a lengthy letter from Alaska Attorney General Michael Geraghty. He didn't mince words.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Pebble partnership's response to EPA
The Pebble Limited Partnership has formally responded to the EPA's decision to initiate a process to stop the issuance of permits for the proposed Pebble Mine.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, Togiak herring season is open, but there's something less than a mad rush to get nets in the water; winter king trolling has wrapped up in Southeast, and the possibility of a herring transplant.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Skagway dock resurfaces
The Skagway ferry dock is floating again after a contractor hired by the state brought the sunken dock to the surface. But it's still not ready to host Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
Prince William Sound acidification study
The research in Prince William Sound will make use of wave gliders that look like surfboards.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
CA braced for fisheries effects
The 2014 California king salmon season that begins May 1 is predicted to be one of the better years recently, despite this winter's drought. But we'd better enjoy it while we can.
– Los Angeles Times
More:latimes.com
Getting rid of fishy evidence
Commercial fishing boat captain John Yates argues that the federal government used its mighty power to convict him of tossing overboard three fish that were under the 20-inch minimum legal size for red grouper caught in the Gulf of Mexico.
– Fox News
More:foxnews.com
Pollution affects Lower Columbia
A new study released this week by the U.S. Geological Survey found "potentially harmful" levels of contaminants in fish in the lower Columbia River.
– The Columbian
More:columbian.com
Seattle Fishermen's Memorial event
More than a tribute to an industry and the lives of its men and women, the monument fills a special need for commercial fishing families.
– Seattle Fishermens Memorial
More:seattlefishermensmemorial.org
