Monday, September 24, 2012

TRIBAL DEMANDS ON AREA M

A federal lawsuit to establish tribal fishing rights in Area M is now being prepared by a Seattle attorney who won a similar case in Pacific Northwest that gave Native groups 50 percent of fish harvests.

– Dutch Harbor Fishermen

More:thedutchharborfisherman.com

Bristol Bay numbers

This year's catch of nearly 20.6 million sockeye at Bristol Bay paid fishermen $117.8 million.

– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, reporting on his blog: Deckboss

More:deckboss.blogspot.com

Finding sustainable fish

While plenty of countries are guilty of relentless over-fishing—southern Europe and China often get mentioned as key culprits—there are several nations that have worked hard to improve their fisheries management practices over the years. Iceland. New Zealand. Australia. And the United States.

– Washington Post

More:www.washingtonpost.com

Boomerang seafood imports

The top three seafood imports are shrimp, canned tuna and tilapia fillets. But NOAA Fisheries says a portion of the imported seafood is actually caught by American fishermen, exported overseas for processing and then re-imported to the U.S.

– Pacific Fishing correspondent Cassandra Marie Profita reporting in Ecotrope, Oregon Public Broadcasting

More:ecotrope.opb.org

Alaska village loses climate change fight

A federal appeals court has ruled against the northwest Alaska village of Kivalina, which sued energy companies over claims that greenhouse emissions contributed to global warming that is threatening the community’s existence.

– Alaska Public

More:www.alaskapublic.org

Alaska village loses climate change fight

A federal appeals court has ruled against the northwest Alaska village of Kivalina, which sued energy companies over claims that greenhouse emissions contributed to global warming that is threatening the community’s existence.

– Alaska Public

More:www.alaskapublic.org

New chief for Petersburg fleet

The Petersburg Vessel Owners Association has hired a retired fishery scientist as its new Executive Director.

– KFSK, Petersburg

More:www.kfsk.org

Columbia gillnet battle bitter

Backers of a ballot measure that would ban the use of nontribal gillnets on the Columbia River and those who are tied to the fishing industry have reached little middle ground following Gov. John Kitzhaber’s “compromise” proposal announced last month, which called for limiting gillnets to the river’s off-channel areas.

– Daily Astorian

More:www.dailyastorian.com

Columbia restoration needs cooperation

We believe leaders in the region are ready and willing to support a broader discussion of steps that can be taken to manage our hydro system in ways that benefit salmon, power and transportation interests, and that could avoid another round of costly litigation and uncertainty.

– The Oregonian

More:www.oregonlive.com

Fine harvest out of Klamath

The Yurok Tribe’s largest salmon quota, which produced one of the most lucrative commercial harvests the tribe has ever seen, is wrapping up smoothly.

– Crescent City Triplicate

More:www.triplicate.com

CG finds four fishermen

The Coast Guard rescued four men from a life raft after they abandoned their fishing vessel more than 30 miles south of Resurrection Bay.

– Coast Guard

More:d17.uscgnews.com

Busiest season for Alaska CG

The Coast Guard rescued four boaters and their dog near Sitka Friday marking the busiest search and rescue week this summer for the Coast Guard 17th District.

– Coast Guard

More:www.uscgnews.com

 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

SITKA BATTLES 'ROCK VOMIT'

Scientists have been monitoring an invasive species of sea squirt growing on the bottom of Whiting Harbor in Sitka. It's called Didemnum vexillum, or D. vex for short.

– KCAW, Sitka
More:kcaw.org

Drill rig eyed for invasive species

A biologist hired by Buccaneer Energy has determined that any invasive shells and organic marine debris attached to the company's Endeavour-Spirit of Independence drilling rig did not survive the trip from Singapore to Kachemak Bay.

– Anchorage Daily News

More:adn.com

Crescent City readies for crab

The construction company tasked with the reconstruction of the Crescent City Harbor has assured local officials that come crab season there will be enough space for the entire local commercial crab fleet.

– Crescent City Triplicate

More:triplicate.com

Alaska salmon count

A persistent commercial fleet caught nearly another 2.5 million wild Alaska salmon in the second week of September, boosting the preliminary season harvest total to nearly 121 million fish.

– Cordova Times

More:thecordovatimes.com

Farmed salmon weaknesses

Fish like wild salmon, tuna, and eel are built for the vigorous swimming required during migration.

– NPR

More:npr.org

Paying to gather Pebble signatures

Their slick PR representatives have been discretely hiring signature-gatherers to sign a pro-Pebble petition.

– Natural Resources Defense Council

More:switchboard.nrdc.org

Help for tsunami victims

The Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) has identified and funded 10 requests from Northern Japan fishing fleets affected by last year's tsunamis, to deliver over $375,000 in donations from Alaska seafood processors and fishermen.

– AFIRM

More:akjapanhelp.org

Fund Columbia fish programs

It is startling when the Bonneville Power Administration says it wants to cut funding of fish and wildlife programs.
 
– The Astorian

More:dailyastorian.com

Seven deadly jobs

Rough waters and capsizing ships elevate the rate of fatal work injuries among fisherman.

– Wall Street Journal

More:marketwatch.com

Extinct salmon not

The species is thought to have died out after an inflow of acidic water started entering the lake around 1940, polluting its living environment.

– Japan Times

More:japantimes.co.jp

 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

STURGEON MAY STOP OIL PORT PLAN

One of the most powerful foes of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline through northern British Columbia is not a lawyer or a conservation group or any of the many First Nations who have lined up against the project.

– Globe and Mail, Toronto

More:theglobeandmail.com

Chinese buy into Taku mine

A China-based engineering company and its Canadian subsidiary will acquire 30 percent of the Tulsequah Chief Mine in British Columbia at the headwaters of the Taku River.

– KTOO, Juneau

More:ktoonews.org

Trash talk at UFA

United Fishermen of Alaska, the state's top commercial fishing group, has been looking since July for a new executive director.

– Pacific Fishing columnist and Deckboss Wesley Loy

More:deckboss.blogspot.com

Salmon jobs on the line

Unless the Environmental Protection Agency takes action to protect Alaska's Bristol Bay from a mega-mine proposed by foreign mining interests, our salmon jobs and businesses in Seattle could be lost.

– Seattle Times

More:seattletimes.com

Canadian snow crab certified

The southern Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab trap fishery has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council certification. This is the second Atlantic Canadian snow crab fishery to have earned certification, following the Scotian Shelf fishery.

– FishNewsEU

More:fishnewseu.com

Anti-farm activist to go it alone

Just hours after the Cohen Commission announced it had received yet another extension to submit its written findings, Alexandra Morton said she has already set up her own volunteer group to test and monitor wild salmon along the coast.

– CBC

More:cbc.ca

Wave power at False Pass?

If the experiment works, False Pass will be the first town in the country to be powered by ocean currents.

– Alaska Public

More:alaskapublic.org

Estimating tsunami debris

A smear of tsunami debris, rather than a massive surge, is likely to wash up on B.C.'s west coast over the next two years.

– Vancouver Sun

More:timescolonist.com

Don't read this

It seems the September issue of Pacific Fishing magazine put editor Don McManman in the doghouse.

– Pacific Fishing columnist and Deckboss Wesley Loy

More:deckboss.blogspot.com (scroll down)

 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

MONEY UNCLAIMED IN EXXON SPILL

By Jay Barrett

There is about $1 million dollars sitting in a trust account waiting for its owners to claim it.

– Alaska Public Radio

More www.kmxt.org

Frankenfish guys complain

The company behind the genetically modified AquAdvantage salmon – which was widely dubbed "frankenfish" by the mainstream media – has issued a statement accusing the US government of unjustifiable delays in licensing its product.

– FishNewsEU

More:fishnewseu.com

'Avalanche' hits Columbia

But the restructuring of the lower Columbia commercial and sport fisheries under way now is more like an avalanche — wide, fast and no one quite knows what the landscape will look like when it's finished.

– Vancouver (Wash.) Columbian

More:columbian.com

Bitter over Cook Inlet season

Emotions ran high during a Friday town meeting at the Peninsula Grace Brethren Church in Soldotna where fishermen gathered to talk about economic disaster relief and hear Alaska Department of Fish and Game managers discuss the disastrous 2012 fishing season.

– Homer News

More:homernews.com

Pebble is a bad investment

Pebble Mine, located at the remote headwaters of the world's greatest salmon fishery, is fraught with risk.

– Natural Resources Defense Council

More:switchboard.nrdc.org

Quake hits Adak

A powerful earthquake rocked one of the few inhabited islands in Alaska's Aleutian chain, but no damage has been found, federal and local officials said.

– NBC

More:usnews.nbcnews.com

Mines eyed in Southeast

Two potential mines on Prince of Wales Island remain in development, but both are promising enough that owners intend to submit preliminary economic assessment plans within the next couple of months.

– KRBD, Ketchikan

More:krbd.org

Climate change and Bristol Bay

Climate change is anticipated to impact the Bristol Bay region in the coming years.

– KDLG

More:kdlg.org

 

Friday, September 28, 2012

GOOSE STILL FLIES TO AKUTAN

Even with a brand new airport that just opened this summer, mail and people are still flying into Akutan the old fashioned way, splashing down in a Goose.

– Pacific Fishing magazine contributor Jim Paulin, writing in the Dutch Harbor Fisherman

More:thedutchharborfisherman.com

SE red and blue king crab closed

"There is a low number of mature crab and we will be unable to open the commercial fishery for the entire Southeast Alaska region."

– Petersburg Pilot

More:petersburgpilot.com

Alaska halibut split considered

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider several alternatives for Pacific halibut allocations at its October meeting.

– Alaska Journal of Commerce

More:alaskajournal.com

Westport highest West Coast harbor

In a report released by NOAA on commercial fishing for 2011, Westport tops the West Coast in the value of seafood landed outside Alaska, and 13th in the nation for volume.

– KXRO, Aberdeen

More:kxro.wordpress.com

Update: Alaska's CDQ battle

"I wanted the people of the Bering Sea to own the Bering Sea and not just own it and hire people, but own it and put people on the boats to fish it."

– Cordova Times

More:thecordovatimes.com

Alaska salmon harvests substantial

While short of the 132 million fish forecast, it still ranks as a substantial harvest, including 65,660,000 humpies, 35,317,000 sockeye, 17,042,000 chum, 2,624,000 coho, and 290,000 king salmon.

– Alaska Dispatch

More:alaskadispatch.com

World's fish supply declining

A group of leading ocean scientists took a look at previously unstudied fisheries across the world and found grim news: declining stocks and poor fishery management threaten their future.

– Kansas City Star

More:kansascity.com

Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week: You may be one of the people still owed part of a million bucks from the Exxon Valdez litigation; the state answers fishery disaster questions on the Kenai; and NOAA Fisheries Alaska is all over the series of tubes.

– KMXT, Kodiak

More:kmxt.org

Stikine subsistence limit considered

A regional panel says Stikine River subsistence sockeye harvests should no longer be limited.

– KCAW, Sitka

More:kcaw.org

Sorry!

In Thursday's Wrap, we had an item about money from the Exxon Valdez litigation still unclaimed. We attributed it to the wrong source. Jay Barrett of KMXT in Kodiak did all the work to unearth the story. We should have attributed the item to him.


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