Monday, August 4, 2014
NEW VERSION OF MSA
The newest draft of the Magnuson-Stevens Act proposes changes to fisheries management including new fees, sustainability standards, and a possible national marketing effort.
– Alaska Journal of Commerce
More:alaskajournal.com
Anti-fishing campaign snubbed
Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski has sent a letter to the president and CEO of McDonald's, Donald Thompson, urging him to ignore an anti-fishing campaign from Greenpeace over the Bering Sea canyons.
– Undercurrentnews
More:undercurrentnews.com
Fraser sockeye opening
The prized Fraser River sockeye-salmon fishing season is opening along southwestern British Columbia for what could be a banner year.
– CTV News
More:ctvnews.ca
Kuskokwim opening in limbo
For the second consecutive week, it's "wait and see" for fishermen who are eager or anxious for the next commercial opening on Kuskokwim River.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
Kodiak CG rescues fisherman
The Coast Guard medevaced an ailing 69-year-old man from the 50-foot fishing vessel Sierra Seas near Village Islands off Kodiak, Sunday.
– Coast Guard News
More:coastguardnews.com
MSC eyes slave labor
MSC said that despite the fact its standard does not include a requirement for the assessment of the social and employment conditions of fisheries and their supply chains, it will continue to engage with other standard setters wishing to develop social standards for fisheries and seafood supply chains.
– Seafood Source, NOAA
More:seafoodsource.com
Oregon culvert plan
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public comment on a proposal to team up with the Oregon Department of Transportation to boost fish passage when road culverts are repaired.
– KTVZ.com
More:ktvz.com
Bill targets discharge permits
Fishermen won't need special permits to hose off their decks thanks to a bill moving through the US Senate.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, reporting for Sitnews
More:sitnews.us
Disease nixes shrimp imports
The Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) decided to suspend crustacean imports for 12 months as well as their products and aquaculture inputs from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Mexico.
– Fish Information Services
More:fis.com
San Diego backing fishing industry
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously directed staff to come up with ways that the county government can support the region's commercial fishing industry.
– KUSI News
More:kusi.com
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
SALMON CATCH TOPS 82 MILLION FISH
Commercial harvests of wild Alaska salmon reached some 82,335,000 fish through July 29, including nearly 30 million fish from Prince William Sound.
– The Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
Army Corps reveals dam pollution
For the first time in its history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must disclose the amount of pollutants its dams send into waterways in a groundbreaking legal settlement that could have broad implications for the corps' hundreds of dams nationwide.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.com
Monster waves in the Arctic
The study authors blame shrinking Arctic sea ice for the house-size swells, and predict that waves will grow larger as the Arctic ice pack melts further in future decades.
– Fox News
More:foxnews.com
Plenty of B.C. pinks, sockeye
Pink salmon numbers are higher than expected this year and sockeye production has doubled to 19,000 tons.
– The Fish Site
More:thefishsite.com
New England cod collapse
NOAA scientists informed the New England Fishery Management Council that the most recent assessment of Gulf of Maine cod indicated that the cod were, well, collapsed would be putting it mildly.
– TalkingFish.org
More:talkingfish.org
Fishing revenue tracked
In this project we are identifying the main fleets exploiting the North Pacific fisheries and summarizing the revenues earned by the location of residence and hailing port for fleet participants over several years.
– NMFS researchers, as quoted in Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy's blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Opinion: setnet initiative a dangerous precedent
In the minefield that is Cook Inlet fisheries management and regulation, this initiative could set off an explosive reaction.
– Peninsula Clarion
More:peninsulaclarion.com
Chilean salmon exports more profitable
Between January and June, Chilean salmon exports generated USD 2,314 million in revenue, an amount that shows a 36 per cent increase compared to USD 1,695 million registered in the same period of the previous year.
– Fish Information Services
More:fis.com
Tribes object to West Coast management
The four Columbia River treaty tribes reminded Washington and Oregon this week on how much they disagree with the way the states manage sport and commercial fall salmon fisheries downstream of Bonneville Dam.
– The Columbian
More:columbian.com
Making money off fish waste
Findings from this project showed that fish waste compost could be a component of a growing mix that meets a more demanding specification and for which the consumer is accustomed to paying a higher price.
– Michigan State University Extension
More:msue.anr.msu.edu
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
B.C. MINE BREAK COULD IMPACT ALASKA
Monday's tailings-dam break at a British Columbia copper and gold mine could threaten Southeast Alaska salmon fisheries.
– Alaska Public Media
More:alaskapublic.org
Pink harvest ramps up
Another processor has started buying pinks and silvers as the Nushagak District opens to continuous fishing on Tuesday.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
State appeals setnet ballot decision
The State of Alaska will appeal a state Superior Court decision that would permit a ballot initiative that could ban setnets in certain parts of the state.
– Peninsula Clarion
More:peninsulaclarion.com
Coast Guard responds to capsized vessel
The crew ceased fishing operations and prepared for the storm but a large wave reportedly caused the Auriga to capsize.
– Coast Guard
More:uscgnews.com
Overdue vessel located
The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday found three men aboard a vessel that had been reported overdue returning from a two-day fishing trip out of Whittier into the waters of Prince William Sound.
– Alaska Dispatch News
More:adn.com
Four-day closure for SE trollers
Southeast Alaska's commercial troll fishing fleet will have to stand down for a few days, starting this weekend.
– KCAW
More:kcaw.org
Salmon catch tops 100 million
The statewide salmon catch has topped 100 million fish, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports. The forecast calls for a harvest of 133 million salmon for the year.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Sea star disease hits Alaska
A scientist visiting Alaska, Karyn Traphagen, said she hoped she wouldn't find the mysterious ailment so pervasive when she visited Tutka Bay in July.
– Homer Tribune
More:homertribune.com
Klamath farms lose water
In a decision similar to last week's cessation of releases to the lower Klamath and Trinity rivers, water is being cut off to about one-third of the farms on a federal irrigation project in the drought-parched Klamath Basin of Oregon and California.
– Times-Standard
More:times-standard.com
Eat fish, avoid dementia
The new research reveals that people who eat a diet including fish have larger brain volumes in areas associated with memory and cognition.
– Daily Mail Online
More:dailymail.co.uk
Thursday, August 7, 2014
NZ FISHERMEN'S GRISLY CATCH
The crew aboard a New Zealand fishing boat on Thursday received a shock when they hauled up gruesome catch: a small plane with a body inside.
– Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
More cod from Norway
Norway exported cod worth NOK 733 million in July – an increase of 7 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council.
– FishnewsEU.com
More:fishnewseu.com
Gov's adviser lobbied for Pebble
It's not clear who thought it would be a good idea for Gov. Sean Parnell's new fisheries adviser to have mining instead of fishing experience but some people in the fishing industry aren't happy about it.
– Alaska Dispatch News
More:adn.com
Fines, jail time for fishing violations
Two fishermen recently learned that commercial trolling out of season – even by a single day - can be expensive.
– KCAW
More:kcaw.org
B.C. mine impact analysis due
An early assessment of the environmental impact of a mine tailings pond failure in British Columbia is expected today when the first water-testing results may be released.
– Times Colonist
More:timescolonist.com
Togiak sockeye catch falling short
The sockeye run in the Togiak District is winding down and current sockeye counts put the total shy of the predicted forecast.
– KDLG
More:kdlg.org
Sockeye egg harvest
A group of volunteers and KRAA staff made the trek to Afognak Lake where they spent the day harvesting and fertilizing sockeye salmon eggs.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
New way to catch cod
This research-based bait may lead to larger catches and more sustainable fishing.
– The Fish Site
More:thefishsite.com
Yukon commercial closure continues
It's a mixed outlook for salmon fishing on the Yukon River, with state managers emphasizing record-level chum runs even as middle and upper river fishermen say they are not yet seeing those returns for themselves.
– Knom
More:knom.org
Herring comeback advances
Over the past couple years, the juvenile herring population has begun to stabilize. With a robust year-class in 2012, there's even a chance that 2015 may bring enough recruitment to reopen a commercial fishery.
– Cordova Times
More:thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 8, 2014
JUDGE ISSUES ORDER IN OBSERVER CASE
A federal court judge has questioned whether the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is doing enough to protect salmon and halibut from trawlers whose massive nets strip mine the ocean off the Gulf of Alaska coast.
– Alaska Dispatch News
More:adn.com
Mine spill tests non-toxic
The water in a pristine British Columbia lake and river that were flooded with mine waste after a tailing ponds dam burst earlier this week is well within drinking water and aquatic life guidelines, according to preliminary test results announced Thursday.
– Times Colonist
More:timescolonist.com
Fraser gillnet season looms
The sports fishermen have savoured this year's sockeye run on the Fraser River. Now it's almost time for the commercial fishermen. But they'll have to wait one more weekend.
– Maple Ridge News
More:mapleridgenews.com
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, a four-day troll closure starts this weekend in Southeast, a tailings dam burst in British Columbia, contaminating important salmon rivers, and we take another look into the archives.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Astoria area fishermen's fest cancelled
While the heart, soul and minds are willing, the Commercial Fishermen's Festival (CFF) board has made the hard decision to cancel the Festival this year.
– Commercial Fishermen's Festival website
More:commercialfishermensfestival.com
Feds: seafood plant workers falsified reports
The Westward Seafoods plant is tucked away on Captains Bay Road. But the factory – and two of its former employees – are drawing heat from federal regulators for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Lauren Rosenthal, reporting for KUCB.
More:kucb.org
Mining impacts concern SE Alaska
After the tailings pond dam breach at Mount Polley on Monday morning, Southeast Alaskans are worried about another Imperial Metals Corporation mine already being constructed at the headwaters of the Stikine watershed, one of the largest salmon producers in the Tongass National Forest.
– Juneau Empire
More:juneauempire.com
Judge: B.C. hockey team owner harmed fish habitat
A judge has ruled the owner of the NHL's Dallas Stars and the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League broke federal environmental laws while renovating his waterfront vacation home in Kamloops.
– Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
OR leaders confer on investment challenges
Steve Fick, owner of the Fishhawk Fisheries seafood plant in Astoria, said he can't reinvest in his industry because he doesn't know if he'll have a business in three years.
– Daily Astorian
More:dailyastorian.com
CA El Niño 'a flop'
There's now about a 65 percent chance of El Niño by late fall-early winter, right when we'd be hoping for rain and snow to return. More important is the anticipated strength of the pattern, which NOAA forecasters now characterize as "weak."
– KQED
More:blogs.kqed.org
