Tuesday, December 4, 2012

DEADLIEST CATCH, LOWEST PAY

Alaskans made less than $7,000 working on the latest season of Discovery's Deadliest Catch, according to paperwork filed by the Alaska Film Office.

– Anchorage Daily News

More:adn.com

Frankensalmon company wobbles

Salmon that's genetically modified to grow twice as fast as normal could soon show up on your dinner plate. That is, if the company that makes the fish can stay afloat.

– Seattle Times

More:seattletimes.com

Pink shrimp competitor cut back

The northern shrimp season gets underway and catch limits have been set at 625 metrics – that's about 1.4 million pounds – which is less than a third of last season's.

– Maine Public Broadcasting Network

More:mpbn.net

Oregon gillnets decided Friday

The commission will be asked to adopt a new framework for sport and commercial fisheries on the lower Columbia River.

– Seaside (Ore.) Signal

More:seasidesignal.com

Corals nominated for protection

A federal agency has proposed listing 66 species of coral under the Endangered Species Act, which would bolster protections of the animals.

– Mother Nature Network

More:mnn.com

Another TV season for Kodiak CG

The Weather Channel's Coast Guard Alaska is back with more search and rescues, medevacs, and looks at the Coast Guard life in Kodiak.

– Juneau Empire

More:juneauempire.com

Meeting about observers

A meeting about the federal government's fishery observer program drew a large crowd of vessel owners to the Petersburg firehall.

– KFSK, Petersburg

More:kfsk.org

Tug, barge salvaged

Response crews successfully completed the salvage of the tug Polar Wind and its barge the Unimak Trader from Ukolnoi Island, 40 miles east of Cold Bay.

– Coast Guard

More:uscgnews.com

Trial set for Chinook fishermen

A Bethel court magistrate has rescheduled the trials of 22 Alaska Natives who are charged with illegal fishing during a weak king salmon run.

– KTOO, Juneau

More:ktoo.org

Dutch emergency buoy set

Unalaska has deployed a new emergency mooring buoy in Broad Bay.
 
– KUCB, Unalaska

More:kucb.org

 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

NEW STUDY OF SALMON RANCHING

Significant benefits to the state and regional economy were outlined, along with ways in which the programs could be expanded to produce greater economic benefit.

– Press release

More:sacbee.com

To slow Arctic ice melt

A new study suggests one way that humans could slow the melting of the sea ice — by preventing international flights from crossing over the Arctic circle.

– Washington Post

More:washingtonpost.com

Judge throws out rockfish suit

Well, the lawyers have made their arguments, and the judge has ruled.

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

More:deckboss.blogspot.com

States near gillnet change

The Oregon and Washington fish and wildlife commissions are nearing a decision on a push to ban the use of gillnets to catch salmon on the main stem of the Columbia River.

– San Francisco Chronicle

More:sfgate.com

Money for gillnet changes

Gov. John Kitzhaber's 2013-15 biennial budget will ascribe $5.2 million to costs associated with his proposal to phase out the use of gillnets on the main stem of the lower Columbia River.

– Daily Astorian

More:dailyastorian.com

Salmon find tough nest

Not a creek, really. An overlooked drainage canal in the middle of the busy city.

– Stockton, Calif., Record

More:recordnet.com

Loans for Kenai disaster

Applicants must have a credit history "acceptable to the SBA," must prove that they can repay the loan, and must provide collateral for all loans over $5,000.

– Kenai Peninsula Clarion

More:peninsulaclarion.com

Australia frets over supertrawler

Australia come under increasing pressure to allow in "giant predator'' super-trawlers as fish stocks elsewhere run out.

– Herald Sun, Australia

More:heraldsun.com.au

Bristol Bay needs mine, jobs

A political battle being waged in southwest Alaska is pitting national environmental lobbyists and commercial fisheries against isolated Alaskan communities such as ours that need year-round, well-paying jobs.

– Seattle Times

More:seattletimes.com

Bristol Bay needs fish, jobs

If you love to eat wild salmon, especially delicious sockeye, then you hate Pebble Mine.

– Vail (Colo.) Daily

More:vaildaily.com

 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

CAL CRABBERS ON STRIKE

More than a hundred crab fishing boats went on strike and stayed in harbor Wednesday in a dispute over prices that has caused a shortage of Dungeness crab in the Bay Area.

– San Francisco Chronical

More:sfgate.com

Tsunami debris: End or just a lull

It's been more than four months since the last confirmed piece of Japanese tsunami debris washed ashore on the Pacific Northwest coast.

– Oregon Public Broadcasting

More:opb.org

Why do boats need observers?

"I'd have thought this whole Arne Fuglvog thing would have highlighted this (illegal fishing), and sort of been in their face like this could be a problem."

– Alaska Dispatch

More:alaskadispatch.com

When will observers show up?

Some of those boats will be randomly selected to carry an observer for one or more trips throughout the year or for every trip during a two month period. 

– KFSK, Petersburg

More:kfsk.org

Board eyes Kvichak run

The health of one of the most important wild salmon runs on earth was discussed during the first day of the ongoing Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting in Naknek.

– KDLG, Dillingham

More:kdlg.org

Climate drives pelicans northward

The range of the brown pelican has been moving northward up the coast over the years "likely due to climate change."

– Victoria Times Colonist

More:timescolonist.com

Climate to change oceans

The CO2 concentrations currently in our atmosphere are now greater than at any time within the last 800,000 years, and will continue to rise and contribute to a significant increase in Global Warming.

– Guardian Express, U.K.

More:guardianlv.com

Petersburg harbor fee increase

The increases are intended to balance the harbor budget, not to pay for replacement of Petersburg's north harbor, although that project does impact the department's bottom line.
 
– KFSK, Petersburg

More:kfsk.org

Attacking rats from the air

Gwaii Haanas (Queen Charlottes) will be conducting the first aerial rat eradication in Canada next fall, in the next phase of its $1.6 million rat eradication program.

– qciobserver.com

More:qciobserver.com

Some against disaster money

While some fishermen may not currently feel like they need the loans, Dickey encouraged people to watch their finances closely for the next few months.

– Homer News

More:homernews.com

 

Friday, December 7, 2012

BRISTOL BAY BOAT LENGTH

The Alaska Board of Fisheries has voted to keep in place the traditional 32 foot length restriction on drift vessels in Bristol Bay.

– KDLG, Dillingham
More:kdlg.org

Editorial: Gillnets off the river

By contrast, sport fishermen in Washington state alone in the past three years have pumped $1.8 million into state coffers with the purchase of 220,000 Columbia River fishing stamps.

– Vancouver Columbian

More:columbian.com

Dungeness strike

But many commercial crabbers see a "soft" market following Thanksgiving and a looming threat that the Dungeness supply could be exhausted by Christmas, when demand is highest.

– Half Moon Bay Review

More:hmbreview.com

Sea lion protection in court

The state of Alaska and the Freezer Longline Coalition petitioned to overturn a lower court ruling that said the National Marine Fisheries Service was justified in restricting fishing in order to protect the sea lions.

– KUCB , Unalaska

More:kucb.org

Sorry news for SE rivers

The Department of Fish and Game has released its 2013 Chinook salmon forecast for the Stikine and Taku rivers in Southeast Alaska, and the news isn't good.

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

More:deckboss.blogspot.com

Dam stays, fish ladder built

The long debate about whether to remove Soda Springs Dam has ended with the construction of a ladder that salmon and steelhead are already using to reach a portion of the North Umpqua River that fish haven't traveled for 60 years.

– The Oregonian

More:oregonlive.com

Cook Inlet transparency needed

Part of the frustration from sport anglers and commercial fishermen has been a perceived disconnect between those making the decisions and those affected, and a lack of transparency about how management decisions are being made.

– Kenai Peninsula Clarion

More:peninsulaclarion.com

Distributer donates for crab research

Santa Monica Seafood, the largest distributor of seafood in the American Southwest, has donated $10,000 to support the Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation and Biology Program.

– Fish Update

More:fishupdate.com

Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week: A judge rules against Kodiak processors in rockfish suit. AquaBounty's finances are getting shaky. More cuts could be coming to your halibut catch. Bristol Bay sockeye run is forecast to be lower than usual. All that, and the Deadliest Paycheck is smaller for Alaskans.

– KMXT, Kodiak

More:kmxt.org