Monday, August 6, 2012
SORRY, CHARLIE - BIG TUNA PAYS UP
San Diego-based Bumble Bee Foods LLC and Tri-Union Seafoods LLC, and Pittsburgh-based StarKist Co. agreed to pay $3.3 million in the settlement without any admission of wrongdoing.
– The Oregonian
More:oregonlive.com
‘The Big One’ is close
A new Oregon State University study concluded that the South Coast – around Coos Bay – has a 40 percent chance of experiencing a local earthquake and tsunami sometime in the next 50 years.
– Coos Bay World
More:theworldlink.com
B.C. salmon farm quarantined
A second B.C. salmon farm is under quarantine because fish tested positive for a potentially deadly virus, but salmon farmers say the disease has not yet been confirmed and no culling decisions will be made until the Canadian Food Inspection Agency receives results from further tests.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:timescolonist.com
Missing kings sour economy
"It's not just a fish crisis," Mr. Parnell said at the time. "It's also an economic crisis."
– Wall Street Journal
More:online.wsj.com
No kings? Ban factory trawlers
But for the primary reason for the decline of the mighty king, we need look no further than McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, Carl's Jr., Dairy Queen, and other fast-food restaurants that serve fish burgers.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:adn.com
Another halibut fisherman guilty
U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler was trumpeting the news that halibut longliner Freddie Joe Hankins from Oregon was convicted in Anchorage federal court on two counts of falsely reporting where he was catching his halibut.
– Alaska Dispatch
More:alaskadispatch.com
Seiner burns to waterline
The U.S. Coast Guard tells me fire broke out in the engine room of a Prince William Sound fishing vessel, the Tempest, and the boat burned to the waterline.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Columbia restoration biggest in nation
It's likely the biggest restoration effort in the nation, from the Columbia's mouth to tributaries deep into eastern Oregon, Idaho and Washington.
– The Oregonian
More:oregonlive.com
Gillnet ban is resource grab
Oregon's renewable fishery resources belong to all the people, not just a select few who own the boats and equipment to catch fish for themselves.
– The Oregonian
More:blog.oregonlive.com
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
INLET SETNETTERS CAN FISH
After weeks of being shut out of their fishery, east Side Cook Inlet setnetters put their nets in the water on Monday, their first opportunity to fish since July 16.
– KTUU, Anchorage
More:ktuu.com
Fuglvog to be released
A former fisheries aide to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, convicted of falsifying his own fishing records, is scheduled for release from prison by Saturday.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:adn.com
Thank goodness for chum
The poor king salmon returns on the Yukon system remain a mystery. And why are chum runs at the same time relatively healthy? Whatever the reason for the contrast, it is a welcome one this summer.
– Fairbanks News Miner
More:newsminer.com
Freezer longliner buyout?
Perhaps you remember how, in 2007, the Bering Sea freezer longliner fleet took on a $35 million federal loan to buy out three vessels. Well, the fleet is now proposing to shoulder an additional $2.7 million loan to retire a latent permit and its fishing history.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Fishermen anxious about future
Kodiak fishermen are a happy lot, but they are also anxious about the future of their industry.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, writing in SitNews, Ketchikan
More:sitnews.us
Climate change: Ocean havoc
Climate change threatens to wreak havoc on entire marine ecosystems due to factors such as rising water temperatures, increased acidification, and reduced oxygen levels.
– Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
First salmon to Whitehorse
Two salmon have been spotted at the Whitehorse Rapids fish ladder, the first Chinook salmon to reach Whitehorse this season, arriving later than usual.
– CBC
More:cbc.ca
Central Oregon water deal to help fish
The agreement brokered by Sen. Jeff Merkley was helped by being able to protect water rights for competing interests.
– The Oregonian
More:oregonlive.com
ASMI markets Bristol Bay
While the harvesting aspect of the fishery is over, the process to market the bay's famous sockeye is just starting.
– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org
Planned attack on a buyer
A well-known buyer in Charleston is out of the tuna business today because of a pre-planned attack – and he's offering a reward.
– Pacific Fishing
More:Planned Attack
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
FISHER PIRATES
A Honolulu-based Coast Guard cutter is off the coast of Japan, pursuing prosecution of an unregistered fishing vessel suspected of catching 40 tons of fish with an illegal high seas driftnet.
– ABC News
More:abcnews.go.com
Politicians wrestle with genetically engineered fish ban
A U.S. Senate bill, which would have prohibited the sale of genetically engineered salmon, has failed to move forward.
More:californiawatch.org
Sacramento River hatchery reform?
California needs to dramatically reform its fish hatcheries in order to maintain healthy salmon and steelhead populations, according to a major new study.
– Mercury News
More:mercurynews.com
Better fish farms or no fish farms?
Weighing in on sustainable ways to create jobs without spoiling the ecosystem and environment.
– Herald News
More:thechronicleherald.ca
Cleanup begins for sunken seiner
The 50-foot fishing boat went down in the early morning hours of Aug. 2 north of Sitka.
– KCAW
More:kcaw.org
Kodiak salmon catch closing in on 10 million
After Sunday's catch of 600,000 - 584,000 of them pinks - the all-season figure was at 9,814,454 fish, with humpies accounting for 7.3 million of them.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Trident President Jerry Dowd dies suddenly
Jerry Dowd, president of Trident Seafoods Corp., died Monday while on a fly-fishing vacation in Alaska, the company says.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Rebuilding Crescent City harbor
Work underway to strengthen harbor, give it 50-year protection.
– Times-Standard
More:times-standard.com
Thursday, August 9, 2012
CATCH SHARE ALLOTMENT FIGHT STILL ALIVE IN 9TH CIRCUIT
Fishermen urged the 9th Circuit to overturn new federal regulations that gives 90 percent of the Pacific groundfish catch to large-scale companies.
– Courthouse News Service
More:courthousenews.com
In Kodiak, jobs are in fishing
Nearly half of all jobs in Kodiak are directly tied to fishing, according to the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce August newsletter.
– KMXT
More:kmxt.org
Two B.C. fish farms pull fish infected with deadly virus
Presence of the haematopoetic necrosis virus has been confirmed at both farms.
– Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
B.C. First Nation net-pen ban suit
Tribe announces re-launch of lawsuit aimed at protecting wild salmon stocks.
– Vancouver Sun
More:vancouversun.com
New bill takes aim at fishing limits
U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland has introduced a bill designed to address inequities in annual catch limits, catch shares in the Gulf of Mexico, enforcement of fishery laws and disaster assistance, among other issues.
– News Herald
More newsherald.com
Eliminate permit stacking in Bristol Bay?
The Alaska Board of Fisheries will consider a number of proposals to eliminate permit stacking at its winter meeting.
– KDLG Radio
More:kdlg.org
Climate change in B.C. oceans
A newly-released report shows that the effects of climate change are reducing fish habitat on B.C.'s coast, threatening the province's lucrative groundfish and shellfish fisheries.
– BYM Environmental News
More:bymnews.com
Mea culpa
You're probably wondering why we've been steering you to the Pacific Seafoods home page. So have I. It's not because Frank Dulcich has corrupted us with big bucks … or even small bucks. It all has to do with pilot error – specifically mine.
On Tuesday, in the Fish Wrap e-mail message, I typed www.pacificseafoods.com rather than www.pacificfishing.com. Why? Don't know. Probably because my fingers were moving faster than my brain. Not because of Dulcich money – darn! Once we figured there was a problem, we sent out a corrected version of the Fish Wrap e-mail. Trouble is, somehow the email service we use incorporated Tuesday's original screw-up into Wednesday's edition. I don't know why – but, then again, there's a lot I don't know.
Anyway, I think we've figured out how to make things right. First of all, I've placed myself on a week and a half suspension of employment. Happily, this corresponds to the week and a half vacation I've already planned. Deeda Schroeder – a totally innocent bystander and Pacific Fishing's Oregon correspondent – will be in charge until I return. See you on Aug. 20. – DonMcManman
Friday, August 10, 2012
OREGON GOVERNOR MAKES GILLNET PROPOSAL
Gov. John Kitzhaber's ideas would phase out non-tribal commercial gillnets in the mainstem of the lower Columbia River and move them to off-channel areas.
– The Oregonian
More: oregonlive.com
Would Oregon's Measure 81 affect Washington gillnetters?
Politifact Oregon asks – and answers – what gillnetting would look like for fishermen from each state if the measure passes.
– The Oregonian
More: oregonlive.com
California Salmon boom
WIth more than 800,000 fish expected to swim up the Sacramento River, numbers are at decade-high levels.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More: sfgate.com
Late run chum
Things are turning around for salmon fishers in the Southeast.
– KCAW
More: kcaw.org
Will voters restart the Alaska Coastal Management Program?
At the end of the month, voters will decide on Ballot Measure 2.
– KDLG Radio
More: kdlg.org
Coast Guard boards fish pirate boat
After chasing an illegal high-seas driftnetter across the Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard waits for orders.
– KMXT
More: kmxt.org
Alaska FIsheries Report
East side Cook Inlet Setnetters, salvaging the Evening Star and Trident's president passes away.
– KMXT
More: kmxt.org
Crab happy
Norton Sound crabbers are likely to hit their full quota of 430,540 pounds of red king crab by this weekend.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
