Monday, September 20, 2010
From fishing to fighting
“Growing up in a small fishing community in Alaska, there’s not much to do in a place like that other than drink and fight,” says Cody McKenzie, who’s parlayed his commercial fishing experience to success in mixed martial arts.
– MMAjunkie.com
More:mmajunkie.com
'Let's make history'
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who lost the Republican primary to Joe Miller, now plans to run as a write-in candidate against Miller and Democrat Scott McAdams in the Nov. 2 general election.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Another fishing vessel catches fire in Seattle
The blaze aboard the 125-foot Royal Enterprise drew a huge Seattle Fire Department response.
– My Wallingford news blog
More:www.mywallingford.com
Where the grass is greener
A U.S. government official clarifies Russia's stance on gaining access to pollock on the Alaska side of the Bering Sea.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy's blog, Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Alaska's fish and game commissioner to retire
Denby Lloyd, facing a drunk driving charge in Juneau, has announced he'll retire effective Dec. 1 as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
– Associated Press
More:www.juneauempire.com
$5 million in Yukon River disaster relief coming
The U.S. commerce secretary says the money will provide financial assistance to salmon fishermen and will pay for gillnet gear designed to let more adult female Chinook swim upriver to spawn.
– Commerce Department press release
More:www.commerce.gov
State stays after Kookesh
The state of Alaska is asking a judge to reconsider his dismissal of illegal subsistence salmon fishing charges against state Sen. Albert Kookesh and three others.
– Juneau Empire
More:www.juneauempire.com
Oregon packer recalls packaged crab meat
Hallmark Fisheries of Charleston is recalling several packaged crab meat products because they're potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
– Associated Press
More:www.theworldlink.com
Catch shares for West Coast trawlers?
Not everyone is on board with the idea, and doubts and rifts remain.
– News-Times of Newport, Ore.
More:www.newportnewstimes.com
Time running out for Elwha River dams
A bunch of heavy equipment chewing away at an alder forest signifies the start of something big: the largest dam-removal project ever in North America.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
From the weird news department
Wei Jinpeng is a fisher of dead people. His business is thriving.
– McClatchy Newspapers
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Minor fish kill could be just a start
At least 200 dead fish were reported on the beach near Potlatch, Mason County, in the southern part of Hood Canal Monday morning, apparently the result of low-oxygen water rising to within 10 feet of the surface.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Murkowski feels abandoned
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Monday she feels that Republican leaders have turned their backs on her as she mounts a write-in bid to try to hold onto her seat.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Canada oilsands may deform fish
Concern over fish found downstream from oilsands developments in Alberta with discoloured bodies, deformities and rotting flesh have spurred calls for an investigation.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
Your fish is brain food
Good news, baby boomers. The senior years loom ominously on the horizon, but there's plenty that you can do now to keep your brains healthy longer, according to experts at the University of Victoria.
More:www.vancouversun.com
Oregonians up for ‘Deadliest Catch’ role
In 33 years as an Alaskan commercial fisherman, Jim Wilson thought he’d seen everything, but he never imagined crab fishermen accorded celebrity status and in demand by Jay Leno and Larry King.
– Newport News-Times
More:www.newportnewstimes.com
Investing? One word: Fishmeal
You can boil down the appeal of emerging markets for investors to three words: growth, debt and fishmeal.
– Coos Bay World
More:www.theworldlink.com
Good time at Astoria festival
Guests at the Astoria festival were fortunate to experience a good amount of sunshine both Saturday and Sunday that allowed them to enjoy a variety of local seafood, tough competition, and dozens of booths from local businesses. They also were able to chat with cast members from the TV show "Deadliest Catch."
– Daily Astorian
More:www.dailyastorian.com
Openings on Oregon restoration panel
There are openings for a sport fishing representative and a commercial gillnetting representative on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fish Restoration and Enhancement Program Board.
– Salem Statesman Journal
More:www.statesmanjournal.com
Feds hold hearings on gene modified fish
U.S. authorities opened hearings Monday on genetically modified salmon, the final step before deciding whether to allow it to become the first transgenic animal to hit American dinner tables.
– The Province, Vancouver
More:www.theprovince.com
Enviros: Public says no to modified salmon
National consumer organization Food & Water Watch will note the results of a recent poll it conducted with Lake Research Partners showing that 78 percent of Americans believe AquaBounty’s GE product should not be approved for human consumption.
– Food & Water Watch
More:documents.foodandwaterwatch.org
Oops!
In the October issue of Pacific Fishing, which has just been mailed, we have an article about a young guy enduring a nasty night aboard an Alaska halibut boat. We planned to continue the article in The Life section of our website. But the ending of the story went missing for a few days. It is now up on the site.
Go towww.pacificfishing.com. Click on “The Life,” a button on the lower right side of the page. Then, click on “Storm the Life.”
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Deadliest Catch soap opera moves ashore
The two Deadliest Catch captains sued by Discover Communications for allegedly failing to perform work on a spin-off are firing back in a major way. Captains Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand say Discovery's $3 million lawsuit is an attempt to "extort" them and might even force them to sell their boats and fire their crews.
– Hollywood Reporter
More:www.hollywoodreporter.com
Death penalty for food safety offences
Imposing the death penalty for the worst offences and the mulling of a ban on a bakery bleaching agent are the latest measures unveiled this week by Chinese authorities as part of its ongoing battle to tackle food safety breaches.
– AP-Food Technology
More:www.ap-foodtechnology.com
CG rescues Sitka Sound fisherman
Sitka Mountain Rescue with Coast Guard assistance rescued a man from a sinking fishing vessel in Sitka Sound late Monday.
– Coast Guard
More:www.piersystem.com
More study needed on Frankenfish
While a genetically engineered salmon is almost certainly safe to eat, the government should pursue a more rigorous analysis of the fish's possible health effects and environmental impact, members of a federal advisory committee said.
– New York Times
More:www.nytimes.com
Fraser panel told ’10 run a fluke
Optimism for the future of the Fraser River's iconic salmon was in short supply at a public forum of the Cohen Commission in New Westminster.
– BCLocalNews.com
More:www.bclocalnews.com
NOAA exec still on public payroll
Andrew Cohen, the former federal fisheries agent in charge of law enforcement for the Northeast working out of Gloucester, continues to receive his annual salary of at least $123,000 after being relieved of virtually all previous duties, according to official communications.
– Gloucester (Mass.) Times
More:www.gloucestertimes.com
Alaskans to get $1,281
Most Alaskans' bank accounts will grow by $1,281 next month when the first of the 2010 Alaska Permanent Fund dividends will be distributed.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Aleutian current study complete
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has completed its currents survey in the Aleutian Islands. Mariners no longer need to be on the look out for the yellow torpedo-like objects used to conduct the project.
– Alexandra Gutierrez, reporting for KUCB, Unalaska
More:www.publicbroadcasting.net
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Frankenfish: Is it worth the gamble?
Will it happen? Will the king of fish, the noble, glamorous salmon become another commercially available genetically modified (GM) species? And if so, will you eat it?
– NPR
More:www.npr.org
Heavy lifting in Cordova
Since coming online in March, Cordova's new 150 metric ton travel lift, Celeste, has plucked nearly 40 boats out of Orca Inlet.
– Cordova Times
More:www.thecordovatimes.com
SalmonAID in San Francisco
Sunday's free SalmonAID music festival is an excuse for real San Franciscans to visit Pier 39 – without out-of-town guests.
– San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Fishing: A dangerous profession
Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. From 1992 to 2008, an annual average of 58 reported deaths occurred (128 deaths per 100,000 workers),compared with an average of 5,894 deaths (four per 100,000 workers) among all U.S. workers.
– FenceViewer.com
More:fenceviewer.com
Spilled Canadian salmon wash ashore
A rare combination of too many fish and too few fishing boats led to the stinky wash-up of pink salmon on the shores of Port Clements earlier this month, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
– QCI Observer
More:www.qciobserver.com
Lawsuit: Stop Chetco mine
The National Marine Fisheries Service approved a plan to mine gravel from the lower Chetco River despite admitting that the mining will damage the river's juvenile coho salmon, an environmental group claims in federal court.
– Courthouse News Serive
More:www.courthousenews.com
Ice melts, mammals feel the heat
As the Arctic melts due to climate change, its iconic marine mammals are feeling the heat.
– Prospectus News
More:media.www.prospectusnews.com
Don’t renew Chuitna coalmine
The exploratory permit for PacRim Coal to build its massive proposed Chuitna coal strip mine should not be renewed.
–Homer News
More:www.homernews.com
Hood Canal more fish-friendly
Surface waters in southern Hood Canal recovered their oxygen levels to some degree early Wednesday morning, giving the fish a little more room to breathe, officials said.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Friday, September 24, 2010
More bird trouble for Bering Sea longliners
The cod fleet has taken another endangered short-tailed albatross as bycatch.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy’s blog, Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
West Coast tsunami danger lurks
More than six years after the Indian Ocean tsunami shocked the world with its deadly power, communities along the West Coast of the United States remain ill-prepared for a similar event, concludes a report from the National Academies of Science.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Will she or won’t she?
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who narrowly lost the Republican primary to challenger Joe Miller, is expected to announce today whether to wage a write-in campaign in the general election.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Politics on The Rock
A Kodiak commercial fisherman jumps into the race for the Alaska Legislature.
– Kodiak Daily Mirror
More:www.kodiakdailymirror.com
The latest roundup from Kodiak
Global seafood value, Alaska’s salmon season, Bristol Bay king crab assessment and more.
– The Alaska Fisheries Report with Jay Barrett, KMXT radio in Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
Caution urged after huge Fraser sockeye run
Despite the largest run in almost 100 years, sockeye are facing threats ranging from climate change to poisons pouring into streams from storm runoff, the Cohen Commission of Inquiry heard this week at a Victoria forum.
– Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
Will the light stay on in Oregon?
The Umpqua River Lighthouse has buoyed many mariners’ spirits by guiding them through the night. But the U.S. Coast Guard is thinking of switching it off.
– The World of Coos Bay, Ore.
More:www.theworldlink.com
