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Monday, September 22, 2008Sports halibut fishery problem for Glacier Bay parkA new report says Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve's natural resources are in tip-top shape, but its cultural resources could use more attention. "We took a snapshot of Glacier Bay, and it's doing well," said Jim Stratton, Alaska spokesman for the National Parks Conservation Association, which released the report. "There's a lot of parks in America that would kill for these kind of scores." His group advocates for the national park system. It is assessing the health of the entire system. The group says lack of funding is the system's biggest problem. Glacier Bay got an 89 of 100, one of the highest scores nationwide, for its natural resources, which are relatively remote and little visited. … One concern is the fisheries harvest. Local halibut depletion "may be one of the larger resource extraction threats facing Glacier Bay," the report said. Commercial fishing in Glacier Bay is phasing out. Permits aren't being issued anymore, and existing permits can't be transferred. But recreational fishing is on the rise. "Park managers must ensure that the sport fishery does not grow to supplant the commercial harvest as the latter wanes," the report said. – Anchorage Daily News
The end of Columbia River gillnetting?This article is by Bill Monroe, a sports fishing columnist for The Oregonian. Here is the text of the SAFE for Salmon's white paper, a proposal to move gill nets off the mainstem Columbia River and benefit everyone, including the netters: Columbia River Fisheries....A New Vision Jim Martin, retired chief of fisheries, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Columbia River salmon fisheries are in chaos There is a Better Way Increased hatchery releases and improved survival rates in SAFE areas would ensure stable and profitable commercial fishing while adequately supplying markets. Even better, lower river netters are able to catch salmon in their prime, at top market value fresh from the Ocean. Profitable SAFE fisheries, in turn, would reduce wasted steelhead and cause fewer juvenile sturgeon mortalities.– The Oregonian
CDQ communities: Lay off crab ratzIt’s been a long while since we’ve touched on the subject of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council possibly making big changes to the still-young Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab rationalization program. Well, that process is well under way and is on the agenda for the council’s next meeting Sept. 29 through Oct. 7 in Anchorage. As we’ve noted in the past, some hanker for a major counterrevolution to the revolutionary ratz program. But one industry segment is urging a go-easy approach: the six Community Development Quota companies that harvest Bering Sea fish and crab on behalf of Western Alaska villages. – Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy writing as The Highliner for the Anchorage Daily News
Coast Guard finally corral a drifting fishing boatSEATTLE – After almost five days battling currents, tides and rough seas, salvage crews today successfully pumped the fuel off the partially submerged fishing vessel, Miss Michelle, near the entrance to Grays Harbor, Wash. Since the vessel posed a navigational and environmental hazard, the Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology worked together with vessel representatives and private contractors to salvage the 58-foot vessel. Efforts to salvage the vessel started last Monday after the fishing vessel began taking on water shortly after leaving Westport about 6:45 a.m. Although the cause is still under investigation, the captain of the Miss Michelle reported the vessel struck something, causing a hole in the fiberglass hull. He also initially told the Coast Guard that the vessel was carrying up to 1,000 gallons of oil and diesel fuel. The actual amount estimated on board later was revised to about 400 gallons. State environmental officials were particularly concerned that the fuel posed a hazard to the Grays Harbor estuary, one of four major staging areas for shorebirds in North America and one of the largest concentrations of shorebirds on the West Coast south of Alaska. Salmon also are currently migrating in the estuary. Shortly after the crew was rescued, all but about ten feet of the vessel was underwater three miles from shore. Salvage crews from Northwest Underwater Construction of Vancouver, Wash., were able to attach rigging to the stern of the Miss Michelle, and on Tuesday, the boat was under tow back to Westport when the line snapped. Wednesday morning the drifting vessel was located, re-secured and towed back inside the jetty near Westport, only to be lost again during the tide change and before salvage operations could be completed. The Miss Michelle drifted back into the ocean but was again secured on Thursday morning. The vessel was successfully towed into Grays Harbor where it was raised by a crane barge. Today crews were able to remove about 220 gallons of diesel fuel left in the tanks. The Miss Michelle has been towed to Aberdeen, Wash., where it will be removed from the water. – Coast Guard Press release
What will Bush do with troller money?Checks will soon be mailed to Oregon Coast commercial fishermen affected by this year's salmon disaster, but Rep. Peter DeFazio and 11 other members of Congress are worried that the Bush Administration will try to keep $70 million of the money appropriated for the relief. "I am absolutely astounded that the Administration is not distributing the full $170 million Congress allocated in the Farm Bill to deal with the salmon disaster. Instead, they are trying to steal $70 million from salmon fishermen and give it to an incompetent defense contractor," DeFazio said in a press release. "The fishing community of Oregon is already suffering because of the flawed Bush policies in the Sacramento River basin," said DeFazio, D-Ore. "They should not have to suffer again because the President has hired people in Florida who can't count. We've been there before." The Pacific States Marine Fishery Commission will begin sending checks to fishermen affected by this year's salmon disaster as early as Oct. 1, representatives of NOAA's Fisheries Service and PSMFC said in a telephonic news conference. Congress has appropriated $170 million to provide relief to affected commercial fishermen, wholesalers, processors, charter boat owners and recreational guides and businesses dependent on fishing.– Curry Postal Pilot, Oregon
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Lynn Canal chum harvest sets recordHarvest of chum salmon in Lynn Canal has hit a new record. At 1.1 million, this year’s take of dogs tops the 1.09 million caught in 1996, and nearly doubles the average of 576,000 chums taken the past 10 years. Hatchery-raised chum account for 93 percent of the catch. At 70 cents a pound, about twice the price paid to fishermen last year, the gross value of the harvest approaches $7 million. For many local fishermen, the big haul helps compensate for high fuel prices and weak sockeye returns throughout the region. "If it weren’t for hatchery chum, I’d be greeter at Wal-Mart with a little blue vest," said skipper Don Thurn, who has fished Lynn Canal since 1980. "They’re very important." – Chilkat Valley News, Haines
Columbia lamprey is threatenedBONNEVILLE DAM, Ore. — A fish ladder deep within the Bonneville Dam complex isn't designed for salmon. It's a mock-up of a fish-ladder entrance, part of a little-known but urgent drive by federal and tribal agencies to make Northwest dams friendlier to an odd and ancient fish that draws scarce attention and less love. Once, like salmon, a staple of Native American tribes, the eel-like lamprey are rapidly disappearing. Fewer adult lamprey have passed Bonneville Dam on their way upriver to spawn this year than any year since records have been kept. The number is so low it startles some biologists. In the upper reaches of the Columbia River and its major tributary, the Snake, lamprey populations are winking out, said Bob Heinith, a biologist at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. "We're running out of time. We don't have the animals anymore. There's a real sense of urgency." – Seattle Times
Fraser sockeye return weaker than predictedAlready predicted to be weak, Stellako and late Stuart sockeye salmon runs appear to be even worse than anticipated, according to the latest count from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Is it finally time for wave power buoys?For years, technological visionaries have painted a seductive vision of using ocean tides and waves to produce power. They foresee large installations off the coast and in tidal estuaries that could provide as much as 10 percent of the nation’s electricity. But the technical difficulties of making such systems work are proving formidable. Last year, a wave-power machine sank off the Oregon coast. Blades have broken off experimental tidal turbines in New York’s turbulent East River. Problems with offshore moorings have slowed the deployment of snakelike generating machines in the ocean off Portugal. Years of such problems have discouraged ocean-power visionaries, but have not stopped them. Lately, spurred by rising costs for electricity and for the coal and other fossil fuels used to produce it, they are making a new push to overcome the barriers blocking this type of renewable energy.—New York Times
Coast Guard warns of fake EEBDs on the marketThe U.S. Coast Guard has recently learned that counterfeit Unitor model UNISCAPE 15H EEBD Emergency Escape Breathing Devices (EEBDs) are being sold to ship operators and placed onboard commercial vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard strongly encourages that all vessel owners and operators with EEBDs onboard carefully and thoroughly inspect them for authenticity. If any doubt exists as to the authenticity, they should immediately contact their emergency equipment vendors and or the manufacturer for verification or replacement. The number of fake units sold and currently onboard vessels is unknown and could be substantial. The fake reproduction will not fit over an individual’s head and the automatic air release valve will not open. A crisis situation requiring the use of an EEBD will be severely compounded, potentially leading to death, should a crewmember inadvertently rely on a fake reproduction. Differentiating factors: An authentic Unitor UNISCAPE 15H is contained in a shiny PVC bag. When viewed from the front with the instruction icons upside down, the zipper opens from left to right, and at the most left section of the zipper is a two centimeter gap covered by a clear tab that has a button closure. The fake reproduction is contained within a dull canvas-like material bag. When viewed from the front with the instruction icons upside down, the zipper opens from right to left, and at the most left section of the zipper there is no opening, although a tab made of what appears to be the same material of the bag is present with a button closure. This unit will not automatically activate. Note: Authentic Unitor UNISCAPE 15H EEBDs are not permitted on U.S. flag vessels because they are not National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health certified.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Tax break for Exxon victim passes HouseAlaska’s congressional delegation again has hope of securing a set of tax breaks for commercial fishermen expecting payments soon from the Exxon Valdez court case. Past efforts to win the tax breaks have failed. But on Tuesday the Senate passed them.
Kodiak rescue swimmer honored for heroismKENAI -- A Coast Guard swimmer will travel to Washington, D.C., to receive an award for a harrowing rescue in the Bering Sea. The trip this week will be the third for Petty Officer First Class Wil Milam, stationed in Kodiak. Milam will be awarded a medal for his part in the rescue of a fishing crew off the F/V Illusion in stormy conditions. On his last trip to Washington, Milam was selected to sit with President Bush's family during the State of the Union Address. Milam was assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon in February 2007. – Anchorage Daily News
Crab Advisory Committee ponders western king crab
Linda Kozak, a fisheries consultant to crab harvesters, attended the meeting and said her primary interest was the western golden king crab fishery in the Aleutian Islands. “It’s important that the committee recognize there’s a problem with harvesters being able to have a market in the western golden king crab fishery,” Kozak said. She pointed out that one local resident, Dick Powell, participates actively in the fishery. Kozak called Powell “a major shareholder.” Changes in markets and processor share holdings in the fishery may address some of the marketing problems. Several potential solutions were discussed at the meeting and will now go through the council process at the NPFMC meeting.
Restaurant group honors Pacific Seafood presidentFrank Dulcich, president of Pacific Seafood, a family owned seafood company based in Portland, was named Purveyor of the Year by the Oregon Restaurant Association (ORA) at the organization's annual industry awards banquet. Dulcich was recognized by the ORA for outstanding leadership, success and dedication to the food service industry. The Purveyor of the Year award is determined by the ORA's board of directors and is awarded to an individual who is active in the association, has made contributions to both the community and the industry and who has high business ethics. While the success of their own business is important, their contribution to the growth and success of Oregon's restaurant industry and its members is what determines the selection. – Press release
Fishing survey vessels call on Crescent CityWith ocean commercial fishing basically shut down, Crescent City residents may be wondering why over-sized fishing vessels have been plying local waters lately. "We're doing a survey for Marine Fisheries," said David Richcreek, one of the captains of the Raven, out of Newport, Ore., as he helped pull a marine biologist's gear onto the deck of the ship. Richcreek said the Marine Fisheries Department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hires large fishing boats twice a year to survey commercial fish populations along the West Coast. – Crescent City Triplicate
Thursday, September 25, 2008 Editorial: Bail out for Wall Street, but how about fishermen?The Bush administration doesn’t blink a budgetary eye at proposing a $700 billion bailout for the nation’s failing financial institutions. But the prospect of $170 million in disaster relief for West Coast salmon fishermen has it playing hide and seek with the federal checkbook. Last week the administration released $100 million in relief for fishermen and dependent businesses in Oregon, California and Washington state. But it withheld another $70 million approved by Congress to help those harmed by this year’s closure of salmon fisheries.– Eugene Register Guard
Fishing disasters: All overBALTIMORE -- Federal officials announced a much sought-after disaster declaration for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery, making watermen eligible for funding to help them deal with severe harvest limits.– Delaware On-line NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has submitted a continuing resolution/supplemental appropriation that if passed could result in $75 million in fishery disaster assistance to help fishermen and processors affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.– Louisiana Seafood press release
Greenpeace: Alaska draggers killing sealsWhen fishing gear – be it nets larger than football fields dragging the ocean’s floor, crab pots, longline fishing hooks or other gear – used to catch and kill fish, much more than fish are being destroyed. Let’s look at one of them – the deep-sea trawlers that hunt and search for pollock and other flat fishes. Andrew Trites is the director of the marine mammal unit at the UBC-Fisheries Centre and the research director of the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium. In 1992, Trites published an article “Northern Fur Seals: Why Have They Declined?” in the Aquatic Mammals Journal. – George Pletnikoff, originally from St. George Island and now working as the Alaska Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace in Anchorage, writing in the Dutch Harbor Fisherman
NorCal tribe wants own marine sanctuaryEUREKA -- The Yurok Tribe is taking preliminary steps to establish a marine sanctuary from just south of Crescent City to Little River, the boundaries of the tribe's ancestral lands. Tribal representatives appeared before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to explain their interest in establishing a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Sanctuary as part of the tribe's park concept. ”We are exploring the Marine Sanctuary as a tool for resource protection,” tribal council representative Shaunna McCovey told the board. “As a tribe, we feel responsible to be stewards of our environment.” – Eureka Times-Standard
S. America hake said near collapseThe Argentine Wildlife Foundation called on the Argentine government for an immediate reduction in the hake quotas to avoid what it described as “irreparable environmental damage.” FVSA also stressed the need to implement a violators registry to limit abusive fishing encouraged by insignificant fines.
Friday, September 26, 2008 Oregon court upholds pot limitThe Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld the state limit on the number of crab pots for commercial fishermen. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the limits in 2006 after two years of meetings to deal with concerns about too many boats with too many pots. But some fishermen complained the limit favors smaller boats over larger vessels, and they went to court to challenge it. —KTVZ, Oregon
Cook Inlet beluga numbers holding steadyThe Cook Inlet beluga whale population has held steady from last year’s count of 375 animals, based on NOAA’s Fisheries Service latest annual survey. NOAA’s Fisheries Service scientists conducted aerial surveys in early June during fish migrations, when belugas concentrate near river mouths, including the Susitna and Little Susitna rivers, Knik Arm, and Chickaloon Bay. – NOAA press release
Ergonomics on Alaska fishing groundsThink of ergonomics in the workplace and commercial fishing may not be the first thing to come to mind, but that may soon change due to one engineer who hopes to bring ergonomics out of the office and the kitchen to one of the most punishing industries around. Donald Bloswick is a mechanical engineer and professor at the University of Utah who specializes in industrial ergonomics, a field that looks at how to design or change work environments to help employees avoid developing injuries. This October, Bloswick will travel to Alaska to hold a series of workshops with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association on how ergonomics might help commercial fishermen avoid musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs — injuries like tendinitis or lower back pain, which people often develop by doing the same task repeatedly over a period of time. – Phoenix Log, Seward, Alaska
Cal gov cuts fish and game fundsNorth Coast state Sen. Pat Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) criticized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for cutting more than $3 million from the state Department of Fish and Game’s oversight to safeguard threatened and endangered species, including salmon and steelhead, from over-logging and development, according to a news release. “Our once-thriving native salmon and steelhead fisheries are collapsing around us,” Wiggins stated in the release. “Yet, as if on a whim, the Governor took his blue pencil to line out restoration funding that is critical to saving the resource on which commercial fishing families and the North Coast economy depend.” Prior to signing the state budget, Schwarzenegger cut $3.1 million in funding dedicated to the DFG’s Biodiversity Conservation Program funds, along with more than $500 million in additional cuts to other programs. – The Eureka Reporter
Feds to fund wave-power center in OregonOregon's effort to become a leader in wave energy development got a boost from the U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday with the announcement of a five-year, $6.25 million grant to establish an ocean energy research center in Newport. Oregon State University, already known for its wave energy studies, snagged the grant. It will add the money to other funding sources to create a $13.5 million pool for what has been dubbed the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center. … The center will use some of the money to build a floating berth about one and a half mile off the coast at Newport. OSU scientists will conduct their own research on various wind energy technologies at the test berth and will allow private companies to do the same. – The Oregonian onday, September 22, 2008Sports halibut fishery problem for Glacier Bay parkA new report says Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve's natural resources are in tip-top shape, but its cultural resources could use more attention. "We took a snapshot of Glacier Bay, and it's doing well," said Jim Stratton, Alaska spokesman for the National Parks Conservation Association, which released the report. "There's a lot of parks in America that would kill for these kind of scores." His group advocates for the national park system. It is assessing the health of the entire system. The group says lack of funding is the system's biggest problem. Glacier Bay got an 89 of 100, one of the highest scores nationwide, for its natural resources, which are relatively remote and little visited. … One concern is the fisheries harvest. Local halibut depletion "may be one of the larger resource extraction threats facing Glacier Bay," the report said. Commercial fishing in Glacier Bay is phasing out. Permits aren't being issued anymore, and existing permits can't be transferred. But recreational fishing is on the rise. "Park managers must ensure that the sport fishery does not grow to supplant the commercial harvest as the latter wanes," the report said. – Anchorage Daily News
The end of Columbia River gillnetting?This article is by Bill Monroe, a sports fishing columnist for The Oregonian. Here is the text of the SAFE for Salmon's white paper, a proposal to move gill nets off the mainstem Columbia River and benefit everyone, including the netters: Columbia River Fisheries....A New Vision Jim Martin, retired chief of fisheries, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Columbia River salmon fisheries are in chaos There is a Better Way Increased hatchery releases and improved survival rates in SAFE areas would ensure stable and profitable commercial fishing while adequately supplying markets. Even better, lower river netters are able to catch salmon in their prime, at top market value fresh from the Ocean. Profitable SAFE fisheries, in turn, would reduce wasted steelhead and cause fewer juvenile sturgeon mortalities.– The Oregonian
CDQ communities: Lay off crab ratzIt’s been a long while since we’ve touched on the subject of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council possibly making big changes to the still-young Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab rationalization program. Well, that process is well under way and is on the agenda for the council’s next meeting Sept. 29 through Oct. 7 in Anchorage. As we’ve noted in the past, some hanker for a major counterrevolution to the revolutionary ratz program. But one industry segment is urging a go-easy approach: the six Community Development Quota companies that harvest Bering Sea fish and crab on behalf of Western Alaska villages. – Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy writing as The Highliner for the Anchorage Daily News
Coast Guard finally corral a drifting fishing boatSEATTLE – After almost five days battling currents, tides and rough seas, salvage crews today successfully pumped the fuel off the partially submerged fishing vessel, Miss Michelle, near the entrance to Grays Harbor, Wash. Since the vessel posed a navigational and environmental hazard, the Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology worked together with vessel representatives and private contractors to salvage the 58-foot vessel. Efforts to salvage the vessel started last Monday after the fishing vessel began taking on water shortly after leaving Westport about 6:45 a.m. Although the cause is still under investigation, the captain of the Miss Michelle reported the vessel struck something, causing a hole in the fiberglass hull. He also initially told the Coast Guard that the vessel was carrying up to 1,000 gallons of oil and diesel fuel. The actual amount estimated on board later was revised to about 400 gallons. State environmental officials were particularly concerned that the fuel posed a hazard to the Grays Harbor estuary, one of four major staging areas for shorebirds in North America and one of the largest concentrations of shorebirds on the West Coast south of Alaska. Salmon also are currently migrating in the estuary. Shortly after the crew was rescued, all but about ten feet of the vessel was underwater three miles from shore. Salvage crews from Northwest Underwater Construction of Vancouver, Wash., were able to attach rigging to the stern of the Miss Michelle, and on Tuesday, the boat was under tow back to Westport when the line snapped. Wednesday morning the drifting vessel was located, re-secured and towed back inside the jetty near Westport, only to be lost again during the tide change and before salvage operations could be completed. The Miss Michelle drifted back into the ocean but was again secured on Thursday morning. The vessel was successfully towed into Grays Harbor where it was raised by a crane barge. Today crews were able to remove about 220 gallons of diesel fuel left in the tanks. The Miss Michelle has been towed to Aberdeen, Wash., where it will be removed from the water. – Coast Guard Press release
What will Bush do with troller money?Checks will soon be mailed to Oregon Coast commercial fishermen affected by this year's salmon disaster, but Rep. Peter DeFazio and 11 other members of Congress are worried that the Bush Administration will try to keep $70 million of the money appropriated for the relief. "I am absolutely astounded that the Administration is not distributing the full $170 million Congress allocated in the Farm Bill to deal with the salmon disaster. Instead, they are trying to steal $70 million from salmon fishermen and give it to an incompetent defense contractor," DeFazio said in a press release. "The fishing community of Oregon is already suffering because of the flawed Bush policies in the Sacramento River basin," said DeFazio, D-Ore. "They should not have to suffer again because the President has hired people in Florida who can't count. We've been there before." The Pacific States Marine Fishery Commission will begin sending checks to fishermen affected by this year's salmon disaster as early as Oct. 1, representatives of NOAA's Fisheries Service and PSMFC said in a telephonic news conference. Congress has appropriated $170 million to provide relief to affected commercial fishermen, wholesalers, processors, charter boat owners and recreational guides and businesses dependent on fishing.– Curry Postal Pilot, Oregon
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Lynn Canal chum harvest sets recordHarvest of chum salmon in Lynn Canal has hit a new record. At 1.1 million, this year’s take of dogs tops the 1.09 million caught in 1996, and nearly doubles the average of 576,000 chums taken the past 10 years. Hatchery-raised chum account for 93 percent of the catch. At 70 cents a pound, about twice the price paid to fishermen last year, the gross value of the harvest approaches $7 million. For many local fishermen, the big haul helps compensate for high fuel prices and weak sockeye returns throughout the region. "If it weren’t for hatchery chum, I’d be greeter at Wal-Mart with a little blue vest," said skipper Don Thurn, who has fished Lynn Canal since 1980. "They’re very important." – Chilkat Valley News, Haines
Columbia lamprey is threatenedBONNEVILLE DAM, Ore. — A fish ladder deep within the Bonneville Dam complex isn't designed for salmon. It's a mock-up of a fish-ladder entrance, part of a little-known but urgent drive by federal and tribal agencies to make Northwest dams friendlier to an odd and ancient fish that draws scarce attention and less love. Once, like salmon, a staple of Native American tribes, the eel-like lamprey are rapidly disappearing. Fewer adult lamprey have passed Bonneville Dam on their way upriver to spawn this year than any year since records have been kept. The number is so low it startles some biologists. In the upper reaches of the Columbia River and its major tributary, the Snake, lamprey populations are winking out, said Bob Heinith, a biologist at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. "We're running out of time. We don't have the animals anymore. There's a real sense of urgency." – Seattle Times
Fraser sockeye return weaker than predictedAlready predicted to be weak, Stellako and late Stuart sockeye salmon runs appear to be even worse than anticipated, according to the latest count from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Is it finally time for wave power buoys?For years, technological visionaries have painted a seductive vision of using ocean tides and waves to produce power. They foresee large installations off the coast and in tidal estuaries that could provide as much as 10 percent of the nation’s electricity. But the technical difficulties of making such systems work are proving formidable. Last year, a wave-power machine sank off the Oregon coast. Blades have broken off experimental tidal turbines in New York’s turbulent East River. Problems with offshore moorings have slowed the deployment of snakelike generating machines in the ocean off Portugal. Years of such problems have discouraged ocean-power visionaries, but have not stopped them. Lately, spurred by rising costs for electricity and for the coal and other fossil fuels used to produce it, they are making a new push to overcome the barriers blocking this type of renewable energy.—New York Times
Coast Guard warns of fake EEBDs on the marketThe U.S. Coast Guard has recently learned that counterfeit Unitor model UNISCAPE 15H EEBD Emergency Escape Breathing Devices (EEBDs) are being sold to ship operators and placed onboard commercial vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard strongly encourages that all vessel owners and operators with EEBDs onboard carefully and thoroughly inspect them for authenticity. If any doubt exists as to the authenticity, they should immediately contact their emergency equipment vendors and or the manufacturer for verification or replacement. The number of fake units sold and currently onboard vessels is unknown and could be substantial. The fake reproduction will not fit over an individual’s head and the automatic air release valve will not open. A crisis situation requiring the use of an EEBD will be severely compounded, potentially leading to death, should a crewmember inadvertently rely on a fake reproduction. Differentiating factors: An authentic Unitor UNISCAPE 15H is contained in a shiny PVC bag. When viewed from the front with the instruction icons upside down, the zipper opens from left to right, and at the most left section of the zipper is a two centimeter gap covered by a clear tab that has a button closure. The fake reproduction is contained within a dull canvas-like material bag. When viewed from the front with the instruction icons upside down, the zipper opens from right to left, and at the most left section of the zipper there is no opening, although a tab made of what appears to be the same material of the bag is present with a button closure. This unit will not automatically activate. Note: Authentic Unitor UNISCAPE 15H EEBDs are not permitted on U.S. flag vessels because they are not National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health certified.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Tax break for Exxon victim passes HouseAlaska’s congressional delegation again has hope of securing a set of tax breaks for commercial fishermen expecting payments soon from the Exxon Valdez court case. Past efforts to win the tax breaks have failed. But on Tuesday the Senate passed them.
Kodiak rescue swimmer honored for heroismKENAI -- A Coast Guard swimmer will travel to Washington, D.C., to receive an award for a harrowing rescue in the Bering Sea. The trip this week will be the third for Petty Officer First Class Wil Milam, stationed in Kodiak. Milam will be awarded a medal for his part in the rescue of a fishing crew off the F/V Illusion in stormy conditions. On his last trip to Washington, Milam was selected to sit with President Bush's family during the State of the Union Address. Milam was assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon in February 2007. – Anchorage Daily News
Crab Advisory Committee ponders western king crab
Linda Kozak, a fisheries consultant to crab harvesters, attended the meeting and said her primary interest was the western golden king crab fishery in the Aleutian Islands. “It’s important that the committee recognize there’s a problem with harvesters being able to have a market in the western golden king crab fishery,” Kozak said. She pointed out that one local resident, Dick Powell, participates actively in the fishery. Kozak called Powell “a major shareholder.” Changes in markets and processor share holdings in the fishery may address some of the marketing problems. Several potential solutions were discussed at the meeting and will now go through the council process at the NPFMC meeting.
Restaurant group honors Pacific Seafood presidentFrank Dulcich, president of Pacific Seafood, a family owned seafood company based in Portland, was named Purveyor of the Year by the Oregon Restaurant Association (ORA) at the organization's annual industry awards banquet. Dulcich was recognized by the ORA for outstanding leadership, success and dedication to the food service industry. The Purveyor of the Year award is determined by the ORA's board of directors and is awarded to an individual who is active in the association, has made contributions to both the community and the industry and who has high business ethics. While the success of their own business is important, their contribution to the growth and success of Oregon's restaurant industry and its members is what determines the selection. – Press release
Fishing survey vessels call on Crescent CityWith ocean commercial fishing basically shut down, Crescent City residents may be wondering why over-sized fishing vessels have been plying local waters lately. "We're doing a survey for Marine Fisheries," said David Richcreek, one of the captains of the Raven, out of Newport, Ore., as he helped pull a marine biologist's gear onto the deck of the ship. Richcreek said the Marine Fisheries Department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hires large fishing boats twice a year to survey commercial fish populations along the West Coast. – Crescent City Triplicate
Thursday, September 25, 2008 Editorial: Bail out for Wall Street, but how about fishermen?The Bush administration doesn’t blink a budgetary eye at proposing a $700 billion bailout for the nation’s failing financial institutions. But the prospect of $170 million in disaster relief for West Coast salmon fishermen has it playing hide and seek with the federal checkbook. Last week the administration released $100 million in relief for fishermen and dependent businesses in Oregon, California and Washington state. But it withheld another $70 million approved by Congress to help those harmed by this year’s closure of salmon fisheries.– Eugene Register Guard
Fishing disasters: All overBALTIMORE -- Federal officials announced a much sought-after disaster declaration for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery, making watermen eligible for funding to help them deal with severe harvest limits.– Delaware On-line NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has submitted a continuing resolution/supplemental appropriation that if passed could result in $75 million in fishery disaster assistance to help fishermen and processors affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.– Louisiana Seafood press release
Greenpeace: Alaska draggers killing sealsWhen fishing gear – be it nets larger than football fields dragging the ocean’s floor, crab pots, longline fishing hooks or other gear – used to catch and kill fish, much more than fish are being destroyed. Let’s look at one of them – the deep-sea trawlers that hunt and search for pollock and other flat fishes. Andrew Trites is the director of the marine mammal unit at the UBC-Fisheries Centre and the research director of the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium. In 1992, Trites published an article “Northern Fur Seals: Why Have They Declined?” in the Aquatic Mammals Journal. – George Pletnikoff, originally from St. George Island and now working as the Alaska Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace in Anchorage, writing in the Dutch Harbor Fisherman
NorCal tribe wants own marine sanctuaryEUREKA -- The Yurok Tribe is taking preliminary steps to establish a marine sanctuary from just south of Crescent City to Little River, the boundaries of the tribe's ancestral lands. Tribal representatives appeared before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to explain their interest in establishing a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Sanctuary as part of the tribe's park concept. ”We are exploring the Marine Sanctuary as a tool for resource protection,” tribal council representative Shaunna McCovey told the board. “As a tribe, we feel responsible to be stewards of our environment.” – Eureka Times-Standard
S. America hake said near collapseThe Argentine Wildlife Foundation called on the Argentine government for an immediate reduction in the hake quotas to avoid what it described as “irreparable environmental damage.” FVSA also stressed the need to implement a violators registry to limit abusive fishing encouraged by insignificant fines.
Friday, September 26, 2008 Oregon court upholds pot limitThe Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld the state limit on the number of crab pots for commercial fishermen. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the limits in 2006 after two years of meetings to deal with concerns about too many boats with too many pots. But some fishermen complained the limit favors smaller boats over larger vessels, and they went to court to challenge it. —KTVZ, Oregon
Cook Inlet beluga numbers holding steadyThe Cook Inlet beluga whale population has held steady from last year’s count of 375 animals, based on NOAA’s Fisheries Service latest annual survey. NOAA’s Fisheries Service scientists conducted aerial surveys in early June during fish migrations, when belugas concentrate near river mouths, including the Susitna and Little Susitna rivers, Knik Arm, and Chickaloon Bay. – NOAA press release
Ergonomics on Alaska fishing groundsThink of ergonomics in the workplace and commercial fishing may not be the first thing to come to mind, but that may soon change due to one engineer who hopes to bring ergonomics out of the office and the kitchen to one of the most punishing industries around. Donald Bloswick is a mechanical engineer and professor at the University of Utah who specializes in industrial ergonomics, a field that looks at how to design or change work environments to help employees avoid developing injuries. This October, Bloswick will travel to Alaska to hold a series of workshops with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association on how ergonomics might help commercial fishermen avoid musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs — injuries like tendinitis or lower back pain, which people often develop by doing the same task repeatedly over a period of time. – Phoenix Log, Seward, Alaska
Cal gov cuts fish and game fundsNorth Coast state Sen. Pat Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) criticized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for cutting more than $3 million from the state Department of Fish and Game’s oversight to safeguard threatened and endangered species, including salmon and steelhead, from over-logging and development, according to a news release. “Our once-thriving native salmon and steelhead fisheries are collapsing around us,” Wiggins stated in the release. “Yet, as if on a whim, the Governor took his blue pencil to line out restoration funding that is critical to saving the resource on which commercial fishing families and the North Coast economy depend.” Prior to signing the state budget, Schwarzenegger cut $3.1 million in funding dedicated to the DFG’s Biodiversity Conservation Program funds, along with more than $500 million in additional cuts to other programs. – The Eureka Reporter
Feds to fund wave-power center in OregonOregon's effort to become a leader in wave energy development got a boost from the U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday with the announcement of a five-year, $6.25 million grant to establish an ocean energy research center in Newport. Oregon State University, already known for its wave energy studies, snagged the grant. It will add the money to other funding sources to create a $13.5 million pool for what has been dubbed the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center. … The center will use some of the money to build a floating berth about one and a half mile off the coast at Newport. OSU scientists will conduct their own research on various wind energy technologies at the test berth and will allow private companies to do the same. – The Oregonian |