Monday, May 5, 2014
BREAKING INTO UNALASKA CHURCH
Frustrated at being stuck at the Unalaska airport for days trying to fly out standby, a man stole a pickup truck parked in the unloading zone, drove across town, broke into and vandalized the historic Russian Orthodox Church, according to local police.
– Alaska Dispatch
More:alaskadispatch.com
Alaska ranks with nations
In value alone, these exports compared with $9.5 billion from Norway, $4.5 billion from Russia, $4.2 billion from Vietnam, $3.9 billion from Chile, and $3.7 billion from Canada.
– Alaska Dispatch
More:alaskadispatch.com
Who's fighting acidification?
In July 2012, a commercial fishing charter called Ocean Pearl motored through the frigid waters of the North Pacific.
– Pacific Standard
More:psmag.com
NOAA ships ready for work
NOAA ships, small boats, and hydrographic services contractors will be surveying more than 2,000 square nautical miles in US coastal waters this year.
– World Fishing News
More:worldfishing.net
Slavery in seafood biz
What those colorful fillets don't reveal, however, are the human rights abuses that currently mar the global seafood trade.
– GreenBiz.com
More:greenbiz.com
Halibut prices, catch increases
Pacific halibut prices are up by more than a dollar over this time last year.
– TradEx
More:go.madmimi.com
Arctic shipping
The world's largest shipping and offshore classification society says the Arctic Council has a key role in ensuring shipping is safe in the North.
– EyeOnTheArctic, Canada
More:eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca
Whale tangles with net
Unfortunately, a prediction made by Monterey Bay whale experts earlier this week came true.
– KSBW, California
More:ksbw.com
Salmon attract Columbia sea lions
A host of spawning spring Chinook salmon arriving at the lower Columbia River's Bonneville Dam has coincided with a rush of sea lions eager for a feast.
– The Dalles Chronicle
More:thedalleschronicle.com
Interviewing Pebble chief
Pebble CEO Tom Collier sat down with KDLG's Dave Bendinger to talk about Pebble's response to the EPA, recent challenges, and the outlook for the future.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
TOGIAK HERRING STILL SWIMMING
Commercial fishermen participating in the ongoing Togiak sac-roe herring fishery still have a lot of fish to catch if they are going to approach this year's quota.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Obama warns of climate
Flooded rail lines. Bigger, more frequent droughts. A rash of wildfires.
– CNN
More:cnn.com
Natives ban non-Native boats
The Stz'uminus (Chemainus) First Nation has pledged to prohibit boat traffic in a large chunk of coastal Cowichan waters.
– Cowichan News, B.C.
More:cowichannewsleader.com
Billy Frank dies
Billy Frank Jr., a tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest four decades ago, died Monday at 83.
– ABC News
More:abcnews.go.com
Cod stocks vary
The North East Arctic cod stock is currently booming and provides much of the cod consumed in the UK, while the Northwest Atlantic cod fishery which collapsed 20 years ago has not yet recovered, and several other cod stocks remain at historically low levels.
– The Conversation, Australia
More:theconversation.com
Raising salmon in 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, B.C.
More:cbc.ca
Cal mine oozing death
Six Rivers National Forest is inviting the public to comment on the recently completed Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EECA) of the cleanup of Mammoth Mine and Hardscrabble Mine, both of which have been designated as Superfund sites by the Environmental Protection Agency.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:triplicate.com
No tsunami threat
A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook buildings in the Japanese capital Tokyo early Monday, slightly injuring 17 people, but officials stressed there was no risk of a tsunami.
– The China Post
More:chinapost.com.tw
China hungers for cucumbers
While the Banana Islanders have no use for sea cucumbers, in China they are prized for their medicinal properties and as a natural aphrodisiac.
– Daily Times, Pakistan
More:dailytimes.com.pk
Oil companies get tax break
Public documents show Gov. Sean Parnell's administration worked out a deal with Alaska's major oil producers that allows the companies to withhold tens of millions of dollars in property taxes.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
REPORT: U.S. CLIMATE CHANGE
A report by the National Climate Assessment lists concerns for the Northeast because of climate change including more days over 90 degrees, increased cases of Lyme disease and West Nile virus, changes to commercial fishing areas and coastal erosion.
– Minneapolis Star Tribune
More:startribune.com
Climate change affects Alaska fish
An update on the impact of climate change released May 6 by the Obama Administration, confirms that climate change is affecting us now, and very significantly in Alaska's marine fisheries.
– Margaret Bowman, reporting in the Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
Bristol Bay decision probed
The EPA's Inspector General's Office announced it would launch an investigation into the agency's actions surrounding the study of the Bristol Bay watershed, and the steps taken towards issuing a preemptive veto of the Pebble Mine.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Shipping Dungeness to China
The crab variety has become hugely popular in high-end Shanghai restaurants, leading most crab buyers in Vancouver to ship to China rather than sell locally.
– CBC, Vancouver, BC
More:cbc.ca
Yukon River closed to all
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced they are closing the river to king sportfishing effective May 12 and have plans to close the subsistence fisheries as the fish arrive in each district.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:adn.com
Cal retail salmon: $25 a pound
Markets across San Francisco are generally selling California king, or chinook, for about $25 a pound for filets — a stiff price to pay but one that could fall as the novelty of the local catch wears off and more fish arrive.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:blog.sfgate.com
Waiting for Columbia fish
The preseason forecast called for a return of 227,000 Chinook bound for the areas above Bonneville Dam.
– Lewiston Tribune
More:lmtribune.com
BC tribe bans boats
Frustrated with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans' "mismanagement" and failure to recognize mandated aboriginal fishing rights, the Stz'uminus First Nation has vowed to ban boat traffic from a wide swath of water off the east coast of Vancouver Island.
– Cowichan Valley Citizen
More:cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Crabber pleads innocent for entanglements
A commercial crabber said nothing can be done to prevent another humpback whale from being caught in crab pot lines like the two that became entangled last week and were found near the Monterey Bay.
– KSBW, Monterey, California
More:ksbw.com
Cod MSC certified
Russia's Barents Sea cod and haddock fisheries have achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification – succesfully completing a joint bid that began in March 2013.
– Fish News EU
More:fishnewseu.com
Thursday, May 8, 2014
THANK EXPORTS FOR HIGH PRICE
A poor commercial catch and steady demand from Asia are pushing prices for local Dungeness crab so high that some shops no longer carry them.
– Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
No agreement for N. Cal. salmon
At Half Moon Bay's Pillar Point Harbor, there's currently no price agreement for the few fish that are being landed. As a consequence, very few salmon are making their way to markets and restaurants.
– U.S. Campaign
More:us7.campaign.com
Highest roe count in Togiak history
The fish harvested by the gillnet fleet was 11.86-percent. That's the highest percentage recorded so far in the fishery, which is in its second week.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Fed grant for Maine fishermen
The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration has provided a $500,000 grant to Coastal Enterprises Inc. to replenish a revolving loan fund that provides greater access to capital for Maine's commercial fishermen and fishing-dependent businesses.
– Portland Press Herald
More:pressherald.com
Fed grant for NJ wind towers
A company that wants to build New Jersey's first offshore wind turbines is hoping that a $47 million federal grant will persuade state regulators to reconsider its recent rejection of the project.
– NorthJersey.com
More:northjersey.com
Confusion over Atlantic cod
Conflicting reports on the state of cod stocks range from misinterpretation of the science — such as the Telegraph's story that there were only 100 adult cod left in the North Sea (the correct figure was around 21 million) — to misunderstanding over the state of cod stocks in different territorial waters.
– Quartz.com
More:qz.com
Untangling Westport whale
The nearly three-hour rescue occurred several miles from Westport Harbor, with support of a Coast Guard crew in a 47-foot lifeboat.
– The Olympian
More:theolympian.com
Polar traffic shipping forecast
A recent government report suggests less ice may not mean more ships.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
B.C. Native blockade proposed
A Vancouver Island First Nation is threatening to blockade a large section of the Strait of Georgia because of a major dispute with Fisheries and Oceans over the lucrative geoduck harvest.
– CBC B.C.
More:cbc.ca
Salmon farms on 60 minutes
It is anticipated that this Sunday's 60 Minutes (CBS) episode will be on salmon farming. Check www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes and local listings on Friday to confirm episode content and air times.
– Save our Salmon, Canada
More:saveoursalmon.ca
Friday, May 9, 2014
ALASKA SALMON OPENER
The Department of Fish and Game just announced the Copper River salmon fishery will open for the season at 7 a.m. next Thursday.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog, Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Not enough halibut
Mezirow addressed a crowded room at a Seward Chamber of Commerce luncheon and explained a new feature of charter regulations that allows charter operators to purchase additional catch from commercial operators.
– Seward PhoenixLog
More:thesewardphoenixlog.com
Now, some good news!
It's worth highlighting a country that has actually done a lot to curtail overfishing and rebuild its fisheries in the past decade: the United States.
– Vox
More:vox.com
Alaska candidates won't debate fish
A fisheries debate has been called off for lack of participation among U.S. Senate candidates.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:adn.com
Fishermen's terminal anniversary
Built in 1914, Fishermen's Terminal is the largest West Coast commercial moorage facility and the only major fresh-water commercial port on the West Coast, according to the Port of Seattle.
– Puget Sound Business Journal
More:bizjournals.com
Judge: No extra setnet time
Demands for more salmon in the setnets of commercial fishermen working the east side of Cook Inlet have been thrown back into the shark tank of Alaska fisheries politics by an Anchorage Superior Court judge.
– EyeonTheArctic, Canada
More:eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca
Niners approve sea lion protection
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling that keeps in place fishing closures and restrictions in the Western Aleutian Islands meant to protect and rebuild declining populations of Steller sea lions in Western Alaska.
– EyeonTheArcitc, Canada
More:eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, they is still herring quota available in Togiak Bay, the Southeast winter troll season set a record, and there could be more strife out on the Y-K Delta this year.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:kmxt.org
Togiak slow
That's still well short of the available quota of 278,000 tons.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Fuzzy math: subsistence
Urban Alaska hunters and anglers often seem unable to grasp that subsistence is a touchstone for Alaska Natives, especially older Natives, watching the younger generation teased into the American melting pot by the attractions of TV and the Internet.
– EyeonTheArctic.com, Canada
More:eyeonthearctic.rcinet.ca
