Monday, June 7, 2010
Argentine hake fishery heading toward collapse
NGO warns that currently 61 percent of hake catches in Argentina are made up of juveniles, a trend that if allowed to continue would lead to the collapse of the fishery in less than two years times.
– MercoPress
More:en.mercopress.com
Yukon fishermen: Still waiting for kings
King salmon should begin showing up any day now in the Yukon River, but only time will tell if enough fish will return to feed Alaska’s biggest subsistence fishery.
– Fairbanks News-Miner
More:newsminer.com
Alaska sues over Cook Inlet beluga listing
The state of Alaska sued Friday to overturn the listing of beluga whales in Cook Inlet as an endangered species, saying the federal government overreached in its conclusion that the animals were not recovering.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Good news for Kodiak halibut fleet
While in Kodiak for the May 28 gubernatorial debate, I walked the docks a little and ran into the crew of the halibut longliner Inua.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
Oil industry vital to Alaska
A sense of gloom is spreading through the nation's energy industry from the Gulf of Mexico, and it's touching Alaska. Our confidence that advanced technology can handle any problem, even gushers gone wild at the bottom of the sea, is severely challenged.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
B.C. oil port? Don’t worry
Calgary's Enbridge Inc. is promising state-of-the-art technology and oil spill prevention plans for its proposal to ship an average of 83.5 million litres of crude oil per day through British Columbia's environmentally sensitive north coast waters.
– Vancouver Province
Read more:www.vancouversun.com
Quota set for Klamath River
The California Fish and Game Commission has approved a 12,000-fish quota for the inland fall-run chinook salmon season on the Klamath River that runs from Aug. 15 to Dec. 31.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Newport celebrates NOAA arrival
Under dreary drizzly skies, the R/V Bell M. Shimada entered Yaquina Bay Sunday morning sounding its horn as it crossed under the bridge. Nearby, the F/V Michelle Ann spouted its fire hose and tooted its own hello, as Don Mann, Port of Newport general manager, stood on a fishing pier waving a small American flag.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
Handful of coho in Shasta River
Northern California's Shasta River was once the most productive salmon stream for its size in the Golden State. But just nine Shasta coho salmon made it home last year to spawn. Even worse, all of the returning fish were male. Talk about a tough dating pool.
– Earth Justice
More:www.unearthed.earthjustice.org
We were collateral damage
Fish Wrap was a victim of a cyber assault on Friday. The company that hosts the Pacific Fishing website was under a “denial of service” attack by the forces of darkness. So, the company isolated all its servers. That meant we could mail out our usual daily announcement (actually, it wasn’t “usual,” it was a limerick), but we couldn’t post the new items on the website. We expect to receive a purple heart.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Unalaska processor for sale
The Harbor Crown seafood facility is currently on the market. Bob Martin, of Ravenwood Real Estate in Eagle River and Lee Henry of RE/Max in Anchorage are handling the foreclosure sale and will be accepting bids on the property until Tuesday, June 15.
– KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Keep oil off our salmon
Even if the Gulf eventually recovers, thousands of the men and women who fished it will be unable to resume their old livelihoods. Every day they can't get out on the water brings them one day closer to bankruptcy.
– Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association director, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Suing over Columbia water
Fishing businesses and conservation groups filed suit against the Washington Department of Ecology, saying the agency has failed to protect endangered salmon by preventing water releases over dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
– Environmental News Service
More:www.ens-newswire.com
Conflict of interest in Fraser fish probe
Contradictory arguments may ebb and flow over why Fraser River sockeye numbers continue to decline, but regardless, controversy inevitably continues to swim side-by-side with the sockeye in this endless salmon saga.
– The Province, Vancouver
Read more:www.theprovince.com
Canada proposes protected B.C. marine reserve
WWF congratulates the Haida Nation and the government of Canada on tabling an amendment to the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act to formally establish the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. The site will encompass approximately 3400 km2 of ocean in the southern archipelago of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).
– WWF press release
More:www.live-pr.com
Area M seiners stay ashore for salmon opener
Purse seiners in Sand Point and King Cove are voluntarily sitting out this week's salmon season opener as a way to avoid intercepting chums possibly bound for Western Alaska rivers.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
Brake shoes and California salmon
Every time Bay Area drivers tap their car brakes, they pollute San Francisco Bay and harm one of Northern California's most threatened fish – salmon.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
CG inspections on Bristol Bay
The Coast Guard will offer courtesy dockside examinations of commercial fishing vessels in Bristol Bay in anticipation of the 2010 Bristol Bay salmon fishery.
– Coast Guard press release
Locations and times:www.piersystem.com
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Editorial: Keep killing Columbia sea lions
The federal program that allows Oregon and Washington to trap and sometimes kill sea lions in the Columbia River is up for re-evaluation. Though its success is still a little ambiguous, it deserves continuation.
– Daily Astorian
Japanese prefer salmon over mackerel
Japanese ate more salmon than horse mackerel last year as advances in freezing technology boosted imported products and as working couples favored processed fish that is easier to prepare, a government report said.
– Japan Times
More:www.search.japantimes.co.jp
Crabber: Catch share lease rates too high
Deckboss asked crab boat owner Ian Pitzman for permission to post the following letter calling attention to what he believes is a serious problem with crab rationalization, the reform that converted Alaska's major king and Tanner crab fisheries to catch and processing shares beginning in 2005.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:www.deckboss.blogspot.com
Warmer Arctic to affect fish differently
As waters in the Arctic warm in response to climate change, populations of some fish species may grow at the expense of others, a new study suggests.
– Science News
More:www.sciencenews.org
Scientists to gather in Sitka for ‘BioBlitz’
This weekend marks one of the lowest tides of the season, and biologists are taking note. They’ll be gathering in Sitka this weekend to survey invasive species off the coast, and they’re calling it the BioBlitz.
– KCAW-FM, Sitka
More:www.kcaw.org
Gushing gulf oil well not alone
The Deepwater Horizon is not the only well leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the last month.
– AL.com
More:www.blog.al.com
Project: Surimi from squid
If successful, a pilot project to make surimi from squid could eventually change the industry.
– Juneau Empire
More:www.juneauempire.com
NASA to launch mission from Dutch Harbor
Next Tuesday, NASA will launch its first dedicated oceanographic mission from Dutch Harbor.
—KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
CG suspends search for freighter crewman
The Coast Guard suspended its search about 11:57 a.m. Tuesday for a Turkish crewmember reported to have fallen overboard from the 626-foot Yasa Fortune 775 miles southwest of Kodiak.
Coast Guard press release
More:www.piersystem.com
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Capt. Kirk beams north to help B.C. salmon
For the man who can seduce blond aliens at will and fend off hordes of angry Klingons, saving British Columbia's wild salmon should be no problem at all.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
National campaign against catch shares
A national campaign to raise funds to support the fight against commercial fisheries sector management and catch shares has been launched and will be overseen by the port of New Bedford.
– South Coast Today
More:www.southcoasttoday.com
Kodak fishery opens for early sockeye
There will be a 33-hour commercial salmon fishing period, to 9 p.m. Thursday.
“This targets early runs for sockeye salmon,” said Geoff Spalinger, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) assistant area biologist.
– Kodiak Daily Mirror
More:www.kodiakdailymirror.com
Fraser collapse probe to range wide
Justice Bruce Cohen will cast a wide net in his search for the reasons for the disappearance of millions of Fraser River sockeye salmon.
– B.C. Local News
More:www.bclocalnews.com
Salmon to get bar codes
Generally, a bar code on food means processed food. But soon, West Coast consumers might be scanning food that isn't processed at all: fresh fish.
– gazettetimes.com, Corvallis, Ore.
More:www.gazettetimes.com
Processors less worried about 2010 economy
If you’re a North Pacific seafood merchant, life is less threatening just now — at least compared to the near-death experience of 2009.
– Pacific Fishing magazine’s June issue
More:www.pacificfishing.com
Sea lions can cripple local budgets
Overly stringent federal rules intended to increase sea lion numbers in Western Alaska can deep-six a town's budget faster than you can say man overboard.
– Shirley Marquardt, mayor of Unalaska, writing in the Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
NOAA studies Aleutian currents
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began deploying sub-surface current meter moorings along the Aleutian Chain near Unalaska on June 9.
– Dutch Harbor Fisherman
More:www.thedutchharborfisherman.com
Alaska salmon sold in pricier forms
Alaska salmon has shown a big shift in the ways it goes out to market. More wild salmon is being sold as pricier fresh/frozen or fillets, instead of going into cans.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, reporting for Fish Radio
More: Check out Laine’s column in Pacific Fishing magazine
Friday, June 11, 2010
Scientists call for more marine reserves
More than 245 marine scientists from 35 countries are calling for the establishment of a worldwide system of very large, highly protected marine reserves as “an essential and long overdue contribution” to improving stewardship of the global oceanic environment.
– Maritime Journal
More:www.maritimejournal.com
Marine reserve coming to B.C. coast
Work to create the first national marine conservation area in the country in the waters around Gwaii Haanas National Park on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) is now underway following the tabling of legislation by Environment Minister Jim Prentice.
– The Northern View, B.C.
More:www.bclocalnews.com
Deadline nears on West Coast trawling
You probably know this already, but we'll repeat ourselves: You have one month to lodge comments concerning NOAA plans to rationalize West Coast groundfish trawling.
More info:www.nwr.noaa.gov
Opener set for Columbia gillnets
Rejecting pleas from sportsmen, Washington and Oregon officials have decided to allow gillnetting for summer Chinook in most of the lower Columbia River starting on June 17, just two days after recreational fishing opens.
– Longview Daily News
More:www.tdn.com
Unalaska port rates to increase
The council voted to amend the port tariff. Last year a study by Northern Economics recommended that the council raise the tariffs by 4.8 percent per year for the next three years in order to help keep the department afloat.
—KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Oil shareholders turn away Alaska native
A member of the Nanwalek Tribal Council says that despite having a required proxy, he was refused entrance to Chevron's annual shareholders meeting in Houston, where he traveled to protest dumping of discharges from oil rigs into Cook Inlet.
– Arctic Sounder
More:www.thearcticsounder.com
'Green' boat due on Bristol Bay
Capt. Mike Fourtner from the TV show Deadliest Catch has recently purchased the 34-foot Bristol Bay F/V Bristol Tide. Fourtner will fish this season for salmon, taking a break from his usual summer duties aboard the F/V Time Bandit.
– Bristol Bay Times
More:www.thebristolbaytimes.com
Alaska Sea Grant offices to stay open
Five Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP) offices that faced an uncertain future earlier this year will stay open, and a sixth position will be filled, now that Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has signed the state's 2011 operating budget.
– Sea Grant press release
More:www.seagrant.uaf.edu
