Tuesday, September 3, 2013

IRON DUMPER IN FIGHT

The company behind the dumping, the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp., remains committed to ocean fertilization even as it fights the federal government in court over the ensuing investigation.

– Zoe McKnight, reporting for the Vancouver Sun

More: vancouversun.com

Fraser sockeye improving

The offspring from the 2009 run are now making their own way back up the Fraser, and the department estimates those numbers could hit four million.

– Victoria Times Colonist

More: timescolonist.com

Guilty in Naknek

A couple of commercial fishermen were found guilty of violations in Naknek.

– Mike Mason, reporting for KDLG, Dillingham

More: kdlg.org

Humpback whales improving

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched a review of whether it should take North Pacific humpback whales off the endangered species list.

– GlobalNews.ca

More: globalnews.ca

Dead humpback near Sitka

A dead juvenile humpback whale has been found near Sitka.

– KTOO, Juneau

More: ktoo.org

Pebble: A really bad idea

The president and CEO of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation has clarified the corporation's position regarding the proposed Pebble Mine.

– Mike Mason, reporting for KDLG, Dillingham

More: kdlg.org

Pebble plan this year

The partnership looking at developing a massive gold and copper resource north of Lake Iliamna is planning to release a mine plan later this year in advance of formally entering into the state and federal permitting process.

– Mike Mason, reporting for KDLG, Dillingham

More: kdlg.org

Seeking the Big One

It's been a busy summer on the high seas for researchers trying to figure out the inner workings of an ominous earthquake fault.

– Tom Banse, reporting for Oregon Public Radio

More: opb.org

 

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

RUSSIAN KING CRAB BAN

The king crab stocks along the Kola Peninsula need protective measures following excessive catch of young and female crab.

– Atle Staalesen, reporting for Barents Observer

More: barentsobserver.com

Testing for radioactivity

Two federal agencies are continuing to test seafood caught in U.S. harvesting areas as needed to assure the safety of the harvest for consumption.

– Margaret Bauman, reporting for The Cordova Times

More: thecordovatimes.com

Fish bonanza

Much of this year's catch came from Southeast Alaska, with 98.4 million salmon, most of them pinks.

– Anchorage Daily News

More: adn.com

Questions about Pebble

But the partnership has yet to release its final mine plan specifying precisely where it will dig and—perhaps of greater concern—where it will dump its waste.

– Michael Conathan, reporting for Center for American Progress

More: americanprogress.org

SE whale imperiled

A humpback whale that first became entangled in fishing gear 12 days ago near Petersburg remains heavily wrapped in netting west of Juneau.

– Julie Speegle, writing for NOAA

More: alaskafisheries.noaa.gov

Fishermen protest Walmart

On the day before Walmart executives are expected to meet with Alaska seafood officials, some fishermen are planning a protest in front of the company's biggest store in Anchorage to urge the mega corporation to reverse its rejection of Alaska wild-caught salmon.

– Jay Barrett, reporting for KMXT, Kodiak

More: kmxt.org

Tender still stuck

The F/V Lonestar has not been moved from the shallow, muddy waters of the Igushik River.

– Dave Bendinger, reporting for KDLG, Dillingham

More: kdlg.org

Halibut plan debunked

The summary appears to be an attempt to debunk some of the claims swirling around the controversial plan.

– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog, Deckboss

More: deckboss.blogspot.com

Seattle's economic roots

The perilous, messy, sprawling, highly profitable and increasingly high-tech business of commercial fishing.

– Eric Scigliano, writing in Crosscut, Seattle

More: crosscut.com

 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

FRASER PINK SALMON STRONG

There has been a very strong migration of Fraser River pink salmon through Johnstone Strait over the past week.

– Pacific Salmon Commission

More: psc.org

A stunning Alaska season

During the last week of August alone, commercial fishermen netted about 24 million salmon.

– KTOO, Juneau

More: ktoo.org

Hoop nets on Kuskokwim?

The new chum salmon commercial dipnet fishery on the lower Yukon River this summer was a success! Should the idea be imported to the Kuskokwim?

– Doug Molyneaux, reporting for The Delta Discovery

More: deltadiscovery.com

Alaska salmon need rain

The summer's fine weather and record salmon runs have both made headlines – but they're a recipe for trouble without enough water in rivers and streams for fish to spawn.

– Robert Woolsey, reporting for KCAW, Sitka

More: alaskapublic.org

Alaska monster quake

If a monster earthquake struck off Alaska's coast, tsunami waves would rush toward California, crippling the nation's busiest port complex and flooding coastal communities.

– Weather Channel

More: weather.com

New at Fish Board

The Alaska Board of Fisheries has a new executive director. Glenn Haight will take over for Monica Wellard.

– Mike Mason, reporting for KDLG, Dillingham

More: kdlg.org

Halibut comments in thousands

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration–Fisheries officials estimated thousands of comments were received on the proposed halibut Catch Sharing Plan.

– Michael Armstrong reporting for the Peninsula Clarion

More: peninsulaclarion.com

Lobster: Where's the money?

Lobster populations in Maine are booming like never before.

– Dave Sherwood, reporting for Reuters

More: bangordailynews.com

Seattle and fish

Despite all the changes the Seattle economy has been through in the past century, this one industry has endured.

– Steve Dunphy, reporting in Crosscut.com

More: crosscut.com

 

Friday, September 6, 2013

CATCH LIMITS WORKING

The report by the National Research Council says 43 percent of fish stocks identified as being overfished were rebuilt or showed good progress toward rebuilding within 10 years, the time limit required by federal law.

– The Daily Astorian

More: dailyastorian.com

Trawling may help fish

The study focused on flatfish such as plaice and sole, and how those species — and their food — reacted to standard beam trawling.

– Jamie Baker, reporting for CBC

More: cbc.ca

Low oxygen water off B.C.

Researchers will then be able to track how low-oxygen water moves from the open ocean into the Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca Strait, and other parts of the Salish Sea.

– Lindsay Kins, reporting for the Victoria Times Colonist

More: timescolonist.com

Halibut rule due in December

The final rule on a halibut catch-sharing plan that has been under development for years is expected to be published in time for the December meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage.

– Cordova Times

More: thecordovatimes.com

Halibut: No one-fish limit

Sportfishing and charter halibut representatives have acknowledged that implementation of the new halibut catch sharing plan would not necessarily mean guided anglers in Southcentral Alaska face a one fish bag limit.

– Molly Dischner, reporting for Alaska Journal of Commerce

More: alaskajournal.com

Aleutian aftershocks

Hundreds of aftershocks are rattling the Aleutian Chain following a 7.0 earthquake near Adak.

– Ben Matheson, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska

More: alaskapublic.org

Budget could cut farm chemical

If the planned cuts go ahead, it is likely that it will lead to a decrease in the amount of data available to support new drugs being used in aquaculture.

– Lucy Towers, reporting in TheFishSite

More: thefishsite.com

Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week: Fishermen take matters into their own hands when it comes to Walmart's snub of Alaska seafood; the rain has come in the nick of time for spawning salmon in Sitka; and speaking of the Paris of the Pacific, kindly check your firearms at the door.

– KMXT, Kodiak

More: kmxt.org

Cook Inlet rigs aging

The water-quality watchdog group Cook Inlet Keeper and the Center for Sustainable Economy have released a new report that outlines the financial risks associated with the aging oil and gas infrastructure in Cook Inlet.
 
– Mike Mason, reporting for KDLG, Dillingham

More: kdlg.org

China grows fish in Africa

A new technology to boost commercial fish farming in lakes, dams, reservoirs, and rivers is being transferred from China to Uganda.

– SciDevNet

More: scidev.net