Monday, November 18, 2013


FISH COPS WITH MACHINE GUNS

Fisheries inspectors have the right to carry Makarov pistols, Kalashnikov machine guns and different types of submachine guns.

– Trude Pettersen, reporting in Barrents Observer (Norway)

More: barentsobserver.com

King crab season success

After a late start that had the fleet worried, the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery went fast, with 96 percent of the 7,740,000 pound individual fishing quota landed by Nov. 11 and shipments beginning to Japan.

– Cordova Times

More: thecordovatimes.com

Fish fraud in Japan

The company has so far refunded more than 10,000 people to the tune of 20m yen (£126,000); the eventual bill is expected to reach 110m yen.

– The Guardian, U.K.

More: theguardian.com

Tough Cal crabbing

"It's been horrible out there," Zajac said. "It's hard to get your pots where you want to put them."

– Calvin Men, reporting for the Santa Cruz Sentinel

More: santacruzsentinel.com

Nuke testing on B.C. fish

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will test B.C. fish for possible radiation from a nuclear plant in Japan.

– Meera Bains, reporting for CBC

More: cbc.ca

Rupert in Oil Coast fight

Prince Rupert activists will be joining others across the country on Nov. 16 to protest growth in the oil development and export industries.

– Shaun Thomas, reporting for the Northern View, Prince Rupert

More: thenorthernview.com

How to sell all those pinks?

The board directed staff involved in marketing on the domestic and international front to come up with a budget of up to $1.5 million more than their current budgets in those areas to promote the millions of pink salmon landed during the 2013 fishery.

– Margaret Bauman, reporting in the Alaska Dispatch

More: alaskadispatch.com

Utah miners eye Pebble

Although Kennecott's activities in Utah led to widespread contamination decades ago, the company began addressing its environmental problems in Utah in the 1980's.

– John Hollenhorst, reporting for KSL.com

More: ksl.com

Troopers didn't target Russians

At no time did troopers single out or focus on any particular group of fishermen.

– Col. James Cockrell, writing in the Homer News

More: homernews.com

Cuke dive fishery near quota

Sea cucumber fishing is winding down for commercial divers in Southeast Alaska.

– KFSK, Petersburg

More: kfsk.org

 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013


UNIVERSITY FORECASTS BIG SOCKEYE RUN

This year's sockeye salmon run to Bristol Bay came in at 23-million fish. Next year's run could potentially be significantly larger according to a forecast that was released last week.

– KDLG

More: kdlg.org

Aquaculture escapees have prices on heads

Marine Harvest, a Norwegian company that farms and exports fish all over the world, announced the reward on Monday after discovering over the weekend that fish had escaped their massive submerged cage through a hole likely caused by ongoing stormy weather.

– Aljazeera America

More: america.aljazeera.com

U.S. fish consumption down, except for salmon

Americans ate slightly less seafood overall last year at 14.6 pounds per person, compared to 15 pounds in 2011. One bright note: Each person ate just over two pounds of salmon, a 3.5 per cent increase.

– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch, writing for The Fish Site

More: thefishsite.com

Fisherman medevaced after onboard fight

A fight on the F/V Alaska Juris landed one crew member in the hospital with knife wounds, and another behind bars.

– KUCB

More: kucb.org

Petition asks for reversal on mackerel fishery

The Board of Fisheries has scheduled an emergency teleconference for Nov. 26 to consider a petition asking the board to undo its recent action to establish a purse seine fishery for Atka mackerel in state waters in the Aleutians.

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

More: deckboss.blogspot.com

Report: $5.1 billion in U.S. landings last year

The value and volume of fish and shellfish caught remain higher than the average for the previous ten years of 9.2 billion pounds and $4.1 billion, although this represents a small decrease from the high level of landings and value in 2011.

– FISHupdate.com

More: fishupdate.com

No daylight for sunken boat

The funding required to raise a sunken vessel is typically organized through family members, friends, insurance proceeds and other sources.

– Cape Cod Times

More: capecodonline.com

Aquaculture, hydroponics combo trending

Aquaponics hits a sweet spot for environmentalists. It recycles fish waste into plant food.

– Voice of America

More: voanews.com

Rallying to save a 'Trash fish'

Salmon and steelhead recoveries have overshadowed the decline of the lamprey, which some non-tribal fishers considered a "trash fish."

– Jefferson Public Radio

More: ijpr.org

$50 million for B.C. shipwreck clean-up

A $50-million Canadian Coast Guard clean-up operation is underway to extract hundreds of tonnes of fuel from a bomb-laden U.S. Army transport ship that sank in 1946 in Grenville Channel on B.C.'s remote north coast.

– The Vancouver Sun

More: vancouversun.com

Fukushima fears cripple South Korean seafood market

Sales of marine products have plummeted in recent months as three out of every four Koreans say they have cut back on fish consumption following leaks of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

– The Wall Street Journal

More: online.wsj.com

Fukushima fears cripple South Korean seafood market

Sales of marine products have plummeted in recent months as three out of every four Koreans say they have cut back on fish consumption following leaks of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

– The Wall Street Journal

More: onlne.wsj.com

Fishing Expo: What's new

WESMAR (Western Marine Electronics) will introduce two new trawl systems and five new sled options at Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle November 20-22 at Century Link Field Event Center. The TCS785 and TCS 385 trawl systems, with sled options, will be on display in Booth 933 along with WESMAR's line of hull mounted sonar and commercial bow thrusters.

Rolling out its largest group of trawl sonar options in its 50-year history, WESMAR is giving trawlers sophisticated electronics with unprecedented information and sleds designed for nets of all sizes. Dennis Soderberg, WESMAR vice president, says that with the new systems and sled options, trawlers can select the frequency that best fits their fishery and net size.

Both new systems have an information-packed new operation screen that displays critical towing information. Each system works with up to six catch sensors that include voltage measurement down the cable and third wire communication. The sleds all have memory capabilities, a feature WESMAR calls "Smart Sleds." The memory feature saves valuable time and ensures greater accuracy by saving critical settings in memory so they are available every time the system is turned on.

– WESMAR

More: wesmar.com

Got something new at Expo that needs some extra publicity? Send info to donmcmanman@gmail.com

 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013


PEBBLE OPPONENTS GET INITIATIVE ON BALLOT

The initiative would require legislative approval for large-scale mining operations in the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve for the purpose of protecting the area's salmon fishery. While the initiative does not explicitly name Pebble Mine, it is targeted at the controversial project. 

– Pacific Columnist Alexandra Gutierrez, writing for Alaska Public Media

More: alaskapublic.org

New oil spill policy proposed

A large swath of marine waters off Alaska would be preauthorized for dispersant use, under a proposal being considered by the Alaska Regional Response Team, the federal-state multiagency cooperative that plans oil-spill responses and snaps into action when marine oil spills occur.

– Alaska Dispatch

More: alaskadispatch.com

Night vision reveals salmon poachers

The officer used a night-vision scope to allegedly spot three men using headlamps while dip-netting salmon in the creek.

– Q13FOX.com

More: q13fox.com

Alaska DFG forecast: 4 million more sockeye

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting that next year's sockeye run to Bristol Bay will be 4-million fish larger than this year's actual run. KDLG's Mike Mason has the details.

– KDLG

More: kdlg.org

Enforcement bias denied

The Alaska Wildlife Troopers don't discriminate against any group, says the agency's director, Col. Jim Cockrell, in this column published in the Homer News.

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

More: deckboss.blogspot.com

Tanner crab closure highlights instability

Local fishermen don't want to get stuck in a cycle of closures and openings. Instead of waiting for these tanner crab stocks to stabilize, they're looking for a new area to fish.

– KUCB

More: kucb.org

ESA considered for Alaska's only abalone

Federal regulators say Endangered Species Act protections may be justified for a much-depleted population of marine snail that is Alaska's only native abalone.

– Alaska Dispatch

More: alaskadispatch.com

'Fish bombing' lawsuit dismissed

The suit alleged that the stocking of fish in lakes, including some in federally designated wilderness areas, without a permit constituted an illegal discharge under the Clean Water Act.

– The Del Norte Triplicate

More: triplicate.com

Rogue chinook flourish after dam removal

With the dam gone three years now and the fine sediment washed away, the bar now teems with big chinook digging and spawning in their egg nests.

– SFGate

More: sfgate.com

 

Thursday, November 21, 2013


ALASKA FISHING JOBS ON UPSWING

Some new data from the State of Alaska indicates that the number of fishing jobs in the state of Alaska has been inching upwards over the last few years.

– KDLG

More: kdlg.org

Bristol Bay salmon forecasts to be downscaled

It has recently come to our attention that a newly developed database program used to generate data for the 2014 Bristol Bay forecast had an error in the catch computation.

– Alaska Department of Fish and Game advisory, quoted in Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy's blog: Deckboss

More: deckboss.blogspot.com

Today is World Fisheries Day

Fishing communities worldwide celebrate this day through rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural programs, dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight the importance of maintaining the world's fisheries.

– Fish Information and Services

More: fis.com

Huge Chinook run for WA river

More than 30,000 wild fall chinook salmon are spawning in the North Fork of the Lewis River this year, more than five times the escapement goal.

– The Columbian

More: columbian.com

Crescent City harbor project nears finish

Richard Young, CEO and harbormaster of the West Coast's newest port, said that when a representative of Ben C. Gerwick, one of the project's lead engineering firms, toured the nearly-completed harbor last week, he was impressed with the execution of the $54 million reconstruction design.
 
– Del Norte Triplicate

More: triplicate.com

Setnet bycatch effects probed

A study in Alaska's Bristol Bay indicates the damage to the escapees might be greater than what appear to be just "net marks" on their bodies.

– Alaska Dispatch

More: alaskadispatch.com

Snow could sink your boat

While landlubbers are often inconvenienced by the wet snow, it rarely sends a home to the bottom of the sea. Aboard boats tied up in the harbor, though, it's a different story – a snowy winter doesn't go by without at least one small boat getting so overloaded that it sinks.

– KMXT

More: kmxt.org

Alaska Arctic port

Tschudi Shipping Co., one of the oldest shipping firms in Norway, will begin exploring the possibility of establishing a transshipment port in western Alaska, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell said.

– Maritime Executive

More: maritime-executive.com

New type of MPA proposed

A new plan for managing Biscayne National Park waters north of the Florida Keys may create a new type of marine-protected area that limits recreational fishing and bans commercial fishing.

– KeysNet.com

More: keysnet.com

Organic labeling for fish farms?

Among the groups closely eyeing the proceedings are environmentalists, who say fish farms shouldn't quality for an organic label if they rely heavily on feed that can't be verified as organic.

– NPR

More: npr.org

 

Friday, November 22, 2013


CAN SATELLITES MONITOR CATCHES?

A new pilot project initiated by WWF proves that the use of satellite technology in the surveillance of fishing activities can be an efficient and simple method to increase safety on fishing vessels and promote legal and transparent fishing operations.

– World Wildlife Foundation

More: wwf.panda.org

Sockeyes drive Cook Inlet's economy

The sockeye fishermen may not be spending the same amount of money per fish as the king salmon fisherman, but sheer volume can make up the deficit.

– Homer News

More: homernews.com

Offshore oil standards delayed

Arctic-specific standards to guide offshore oil operations -- rules crafted in response to Shell's trouble-plagued 2012 drilling season -- will be issued later than expected, the head of a key federal agency said on Wednesday.

– Alaska Dispatch

More: alaskadispatch.com

Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week, after a one-year experiment, there'll again be no tanner crab season in the Eastern Aleutians next year; the sea cucumber season is winding down, and not everyone in Southeast got in on this year's salmon bonanza. 

– KMXT

More: kmxt.org

Disease potential prompts Sitka hatchery release

The Sitka Sound Science center prematurely released some coho salmon smolt this month, in order to prevent the spread of infection throughout its hatchery. 

– KCAW

More: kcaw.org

Vatican's on crewmen's side

The Vatican has warned that migrant workers within the commercial fishing sector are in danger of being exploited as a result of globalization and labor shortages. 

– ICN

More: indcatholicnews.com

Mysterious fish identified

A university researcher in Canada claims he knows the identity of a mysterious sea creature that was recovered by a fishing boat in the Arctic Ocean.

– Huffington Post

More: huffingtonpost.com

Conserving tuna on the high seas

Global Environment Facility (GEF) CEO Naoko Ishii approved a project coordinated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to improve the health and sustainability of tuna fisheries worldwide by reducing illegal catch and supporting related marine ecosystems and species.

– The Fish Site

More: thefishsite.com

Learning from the Philippines

University of Washington Professor of Marine and Environmental Affairs Patrick Christie has done a lot of research in the Philippines — for which he is currently trying to marshal typhoon relief — and he has noticed one thing among many: People seem to feel a strong connection to Pacific Northwest fisheries.

– Crosscut.com

More: crosscut.com

Investors launch aquaculture fund

A fund devoted to technology, techniques and businesses focused on farming seafood instead of hunting it got underway with $1.5 million poured in by investors courted during a visit to San Francisco.

– Phys.org

More: phys.org