Monday, June 16, 2014
SOCKEYE MARKET FACES RISKS
"This will be the riskiest year in recent memory for Bristol Bay processors," the report says. "Wholesale prices for sockeye are at peak levels and price resistance from buyers is increasing."
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Copper River catch tops 1 million
Salmon harvests in Prince William Sound have now topped 1.3 million salmon, including more than 1.1 million fish from the Copper River drift fishery.
– Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
Peak catch for test fishery
Saturday was the 5th full day of fishing for the ongoing Port Moller Test Fishery, which is run for 30 days in June and July with the goal of giving fishermen and other a sense of the sockeye resource that's 6 to 9-day's away from Bristol Bay's inshore fishing districts.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
States oppose Coast Guard power play
New rules proposed by the U.S. Coast Guard might dilute states' power to prevent and prepare for oil spills — for instance, by overriding Washington's requirement that tugboat escorts accompany supertankers into Puget Sound.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.com
Salmon season on the runway
Bristol Bay's massive salmon fishery is slowly gearing up as more and more fisherman and processor show up every day.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Road trips for CA smolts
This year state and federal wildlife agencies are trucking nearly 27 million smolts, about 50% more than normal, because of the drought, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
– The Guardian
More:theguardian.com
B.C. crabber presumed drowned
RCMP and a coast guard crew are looking for the body of a 48-year-old Courtenay man believed to have drowned after his commercial fishing vessel overturned Thursday night near Sayward.
– Times Colonist
More:timescolonist.com
Lowdown on Alaska candidates
Where does the seafood industry rank among the major candidates running for Alaska Governor and the US Senate?
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, reporting for Sitnews
More:sitnews.us
U.S. a model of sustainability
For decades, the US has led the way in managing fisheries responsibly. That has not always been the case globally, as some regions only more recently awakened to the need to better manage their marine resources sustainably.
– The Hill
More:thehill.com
EPA bill could impact Bristol Bay
Legislation before Congress to limit the Environmental Protection Agency's veto authority over Clean Water Act permits is drawing criticism from commercial, sport and subsistence fishermen concerned over its impact on Bristol Bay.
– Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
CLEAN WATER STANDARDS FIGHT
Unions representing Boeing machinists and mill workers are siding with businesses in a bitter fight over how much fish people eat, and thus how clean Washington state waters should be.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.com
Test fishery's catch drops
The catch at the Port Moller Test Fishery dropped off substantially on Sunday. Sunday's catch was just 17 sockeye. 13 of those fish were taken at station 10, which is the outermost station fished as part of the test fishery.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Obama pitches marine reserve expansion
President Obama on Tuesday will announce his intent to make a broad swath of the central Pacific Ocean off-limits to fishing, energy exploration and other activities, according to senior White House officials.
– Washington Post
More:washingtonpost.com
Kodiak keeps weather reports real
As recorded weather forecasts around the state and nation switch to automated voices, Kodiak remains one of the only places in the country that still uses the voices of real people.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
New Puget Sound smelt limits
The state will curtail recreational and commercial smelt fishing in Puget Sound in hopes of increasing protection for the species.
– The News Tribune
More:thenewstribune.com
Fishing banned in huge marine park
A tiny island nation that controls a vast area of the Pacific Ocean has announced it will ban all commercial fishing in a massive marine park that is the size of California.
– National Geographic
More:news.nationalgeographic.com
Chilean firms market salmon to U.S., Canada
Through a trade agreement, AquaChile will trade the entire production of salmon and trout from the firm Ventisqueros in markets in the United States and Canada.
– Fish Information Site
More:fis.com
Gas platform headed for Cook Inlet
Furie's platform will be the first new offshore production facility installed in Cook Inlet since the mid-1980s when Forest Oil Corp. installed the Osprey oil production platform at the Redoubt Shoal field on the Inlet's west side.
– Peninsula Clarion
More:peninsulaclarion.com
Aquaculture feeds NZ seafood growth
Aquaculture is expected to be the key driver for the forecast growth of New Zealand's seafood industry. It is expected to grow in the next couple of years through the planned expansion of salmon farming.
– The Fish Site
More:thefishsite.com
'Cutting edge' salmon farm launched
The first large-scale, ecologically sound, cutting edge salmon farm in North America opened last month on Vancouver Island, a kilometre away from the ocean, near the little town of Port McNeill.
– Vancouver Sun
More:blogs.vancouversun.com
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
COPPER RIVER HARVEST HITS 1.4M
Copper River's drift fishery has peaked, with a harvest of 1.4 million salmon, the bulk of them sockeyes, and most of the fleet has moved to the Coghill and Eshamy districts, as the fishery continues through July.
– Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
B.C. mining reps defend project
Critics say the KSM could be about the same size as the proposed Pebble Prospect, a controversial mine proposed for Southwest Alaska.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
CA appeals court sides with salmon
A state appeals court has restored the authority of California water regulators to direct reductions in cold-weather sprays by grape growers and other waterfront farmers along the Russian River that have led to deaths of endangered species of salmon.
– SFGate
More:sfgate.com
Niche marketing Kodiak fish
Small boat fishermen out of Kodiak have found a premium market for their catch, based on the idea of buying local.
– KDLG
More:alaskapublic.org
OR groups challenge feds
The same groups that have fought a long legal battle to force changes in the Columbia and Snake River hydrodam system to aid endangered salmon are heading back to court.
– Idaho Statesman
More:idahostatesman.com
Above average opener for Nushagak kings
The escapement of king salmon to the Nushagak River dropped off a bit on Monday but it's still ahead of the historical curve.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Test fishery swings upward
The ongoing Port Moller Test Fishery posted the largest daily catch of the season on Monday and there is hope that the sockeye run may be starting to build. However, bad weather scuttled Tuesday's fishing effort.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
'Pop-up' restaurant promotes AK seafood
A pop-up restaurant will open for one day in London later this month in hopes of increasing demand for Alaska seafood across the pond.
– Alaska Dispatch
More:alaskadispatch.com
Obama takes aim at pirate fishing
The Obama administration announced new measures to combat black-market fishing and protect ocean ecosystems on Tuesday, as scientists, diplomats, policymakers, and heads of state concluded a conference dedicated to ocean preservation.
– KCRA.com
More:kcra.com
Drought evacuates CA hatcheries
The drought is forcing state officials to evacuate rainbow trout and steelhead fish from two hatcheries on the American River amid concern the water will become warm enough to kill the fish in coming weeks.
– The Sacramento Bee
More:sacbee.com
Thursday, June 19, 2014
OBAMA'S OCEAN AGENDA
The White House yesterday issued this fact sheet on a raft of new executive actions on oceans.
– Pacific Fishing columnist
Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Test fishery releases genetic data
The first genetic data from the ongoing Port Moller Test Fishery shows big percentages for sockeye bound for the Egegik and Wood Rivers.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Habitat loss affects West Coast
The Ocean Health Index assesses ocean conditions in terms of how well the coastal waters deliver a range of benefits to people both now and in the future. The overall score for the west coast was 71 out of 100.
– SFGate
More:sfgate.com
Columbia Chinook forecast upped
As the official end of 2014's spring Chinook season approached on Sunday, June 15, Columbia Basin harvest managers bumped up their spring Chinook forecast from 224,000 to 243,000 fish (to river mouth) and gave commercial and sport fishers more time on the river.
– Chinook Observer
More:chinookobserver.com
Push for better food labelling
A new national poll reveals a consumer mandate for better food production practices and Consumer Reports has launched a campaign to end the 'natural' label in favor of one that underscores a more sustainable system.
– The Fish Site
More:thefishsite.com
Opposition may squash B.C. pipeline project
Conservatives are defending their government's approval of the contested Northern Gateway pipeline as based on science and evidence — while noting the project may never be built.
– The Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
Radio project profiles AK fisheries
The radio program will be broken into eight to 10 five-minute segments focused on different components of Alaska's fisheries.
– Juneau Empire
More:juneauempire.com
Researcher: Fish feel pain, can remember
Do you still believe that fish are dumb and cannot feel pain? That we do not have to worry much about how they are cared for or caught? Think again, says Culum Brown of Macquarie University in Australia, in a review article in Springer's journal Animal Cognition.
– The Fish Site
More:thefishsite.com
CA fish market effort stymied
Using traps, nets, diving or hook and line, San Diego's commercial fishermen can bring in 28 different species throughout the year. But what these fishermen don't have is a fresh seafood market of their own.
– Voice of San Diego
More:voiceofsandiego.org
Cap and trade at sea
Because of the state of the fishing industry today, small fishermen find themselves squeezed between massive international fleets and heavily depleted stocks.
– TriplePundit
More:triplepundit.com
Friday, June 20, 2014
PEBBLE FIGHT UPDATE
Many organizations have come out in opposition to the mine including several fishing groups. One of those groups is the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, which represents the over 18-hundred Bristol Bay driftnet permit holders.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Sockeye harvest tops 81,000 fish
Bristol Bay's massive sockeye fishery has been slow to build in recent days but Wednesday's commercial sockeye harvest topped 81-thousand fish.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Great white shark resurgence
A report that scientists are calling one of the most comprehensive studies of great white sharks finds their numbers are surging in the ocean off the Eastern U.S. and Canada after decades of decline — bad news if you're a seal, but something experts say shouldn't instill fear in beachgoers this summer.
– SFGate
More:sfgate.com
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, the possibility of the first 6 inch gillnet opening for salmon fishing on the Kuskokwim, the State of Alaska chimes in on the health of the Bristol Bay watershed, and a rough year for Togiak herring.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
ADFG's new newsletter
Here's Chinook News, a new publication from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Columbia River's summer fisheries
The Oregon and Washington fishery management agencies expect a relatively high effort – about 125 deliveries to commercial buyers – with a catch expectation of 1,800 summer chinook. The sockeye catch is estimated to be well within the 1,040 fish allocated for summer non-indian commercial fisheries.
– The Dalles Chronicle
More:thedalleschronicle.com
Slow opener for Cook Inlet sockeye
Typically, the first opener of the commercial season is slow, said Fish and Game managers and fishermen on the dock, though the banner run of Kasilof River sockeye lured some into the water Thursday for the 12-hour Cook Inlet-wide opening.
– Peninsula Clarion
More:peninsulaclarion.com
District awaits sockeye opening
The escapement of sockeye salmon ticked up a bit on Wednesday to the Wood and Nushagak Rivers as fishermen await the first sockeye opening of the season in the Nushagak District.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Geldof: aquaculture can bridge the gap
In his keynote address, the rock star turned poverty and environmental campaigner said he believes that aquaculture can play its part by bridging the gap between sustainable fisheries and the global demand for seafood but that the industry can only hope to achieve this when systems are responsibly implemented and managed.
– The Fish Site
More:thefishsite.com
Bahamas oil drilling: Few jobs, high risk
Oil drilling in The Bahamas will likely generate work for no more than a handful of locals while putting thousands of tourism and commercial fishing jobs at risk, reEarth President Sam Duncombe warned.
– Tribune 242
More:tribune242.com
