Monday, December 9, 2013
DISAPPOINTING HALIBUT NEWS
Fishery scientists with the International Pacific Halibut Commission have recommended a 2014 coast wide commercial catch total of 24.45 million pounds, a 21 percent decrease from the 31 million pounds allowed for this year.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Laine Welch,reporting in TheFishSite
More: thefishsite.com
Lots of salmon
Data compiled by its member countries during the 21st annual meeting of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission shows that Pacific salmon abundance in the North Pacific remains at near record high levels.
– Cordova Times
More: thecordovatimes.com
Canada looks to world markets
But to capitalize on growing markets abroad, the industry needs to overcome its own fragmentation and uncertainty, according to a new Conference Board report from the Centre for Food in Canada.
– FIS
More: fis.com
Catch and release Kenia kings
Catch-and-release anglers are massacring them with kindness.
– Alaska Dispatch
More: alaskadispatch.com
Protect baitfish
They might be little fish, members of these environmental groups say, but they are a big deal to birds and other marine creatures, and they need protection.
– Tampa Tribune
More: tbo.com/brandon
Petition for Kenai fishermen
The Kenai River Sportsmen Association is running a social media campaign against Cook Inlet salmon fisher men and processors in preparation for the Jan. 31 to Feb. 13 Board of Fish meeting. You can help Cook Inlet processors and fishermen by signing a online petition.
– Tom Gemmel, Alaska Fish Notes
The petition and more info: aksalmonalliance.org
Red, 'wild,' and blue Sarah
The Sportsman Channel said Monday it has hired Sarah Palin to be host of a weekly outdoors-oriented program that will celebrate the "red, wild, and blue" lifestyle.
– Anchorage Daily News
More: adn.com
Fine over Bristol Bay boats
To settle a federal air pollution case, RDI Marine has agreed to pay a $39,000 fine and replace or modify diesel engines installed on six Bristol Bay commercial fishing vessels.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog, Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Processors donate salmon
A group of seafood processors is responding to the need for food for the winter in two villages on St. Lawrence Island have decided to donate 40,000 pounds of canned salmon to residents of Gambell and Savoonga.
– Cordova Times
More: thecordovatimes.com
Hatchery cuts opposed
Brace yourself! Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) plans to reduce the number of hatchery fish in the mid-South Coast region.
– Bruce Bertrand, writing in the Coos Bay World
More: theworldlink.com
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
FDA'S 'FRANKENFISH' REPORT POISED FOR RELEASE
Alaska's Congressional delegation is bracing for an FDA decision on genetically modified salmon and Sen. Mark Begich has asked the head of the agency not to exploit the holiday season to release what's expected to be an unpopular report.
– Alaska Public Media
More: alaskapublic.org
Feds approve catch share plan
NOAA Fisheries is implementing a halibut catch sharing plan for the commercial and charter halibut fisheries in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) and the Central Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A).
– NOAA Fisheries
More: alaskafisheries.noaa.gov
Lone Star impacts prompt fishermen's lawsuit
The resulting oil spill shut down the fishery, costing most Igushik Beach set netters their season. They say they have still not been paid for their lost income for the season.
– Alaska Public Media
More: alaskapublic.org
B.C. mine's rejection overturned
Prospects for a proposed open-pit gold and copper mine in northern B.C. improved this week after a B.C. Supreme Court justice turfed a previous decision by two senior provincial government ministers to reject the project.
– The Vancouver Sun
More: vancouversun.com
More fishing jobs in Alaska
A new report from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, posted in the November issue of Alaska Economic Trends, shows that monthly jobs in seafood harvesting rose from 8,067 in 2011 to 8,189 in 2012.
– Alaska Dispatch
More: alaskadispatch.com
Fish oil price spike
The price of fish oil has continued to rise steadily throughout 2013, reaching new highs in mid-2013.
– The Fish Site
More: thefishsite.com
Making money off fish heads
Simpson's venture with his company, Alaska Marine Nutrition, is part of a dream to enable fish processors in remote places to use the oiliest part of a salmon -- its head -- a portion of the fish prized in other cultures but often returned to the ocean in Alaska fisheries.
– Anchorage Daily News
More: adn.com
Report: Global demand can boost Canada's seafood industry
To capitalize on growing markets abroad, the industry needs to overcome its own fragmentation and uncertainty, according to a new Conference Board report from the Centre for Food in Canada.
– Fish Information Site
More: fis.com
'Dead zone' threatens Dungeness crab
Climate change is the likely cause of unprecedented mass of oxygen-poor water off the Sonoma Coast, a phenomenon that could harm the region's prized Dungeness crab and other marine life.
– The Press Democrat
More: pressdemocrat.com
Alaska probes fishing casualties
Commercial fishermen experience the highest rate of occupational fatalities and second highest rate of non-fatal occupational injuries of any job in the state of Alaska, according to a bulletin released Thursday by the state Department of Epidemiology.
- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
More: newsminer.com
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
SET NET BAN DEBATE INTENSIFIES AS BALLOT
DECISION NEARS
Shortly after the new year, Alaska's Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell and the State Division of Elections will decide whether an initiative to ban set nets off Alaska's urban shores will go before the state's voters.
– Homer Tribune
More: homertribune.com
Adak wants share of Pollock quota
Recently, Alaska's Board of Fisheries set up an experimental harvest in the Aleutian Islands that they thought might benefit small communities like Adak. But, Adak had their eyes on a much bigger prize.
– Alaska Public Media
More: alaskapublic.org
Sitka moorage costs to rise
A 45-foot boat would pay about $7 more per month in 2014: $126, up from $119 this year. In total, that boat would pay $1,512 in moorage fees in 2014, $86 more than this year.
– KCAW
More: kcaw.org
Opinion: catch shares reduce jobs, pay
Catch shares, the recent trend in fisheries management that has taken over much of Alaska fisheries, essentially grants ownership of the fisheries to a small number of stakeholders and has led to massive job losses and wage reductions.
– Alaska Dispatch
More: alaskadispatch.com
CA releases environmental review of tunnel plan
After seven years in the making, the $25 billion plan to build two massive tunnels diverting water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is up for public review.
– SFGate
More: sfgate.com
Processors' donations feed two villages
A group of seafood processors is responding to the need for food for the winter in two villages on St. Lawrence Island have decided to donate 40,000 pounds of canned salmon to residents of Gambell and Savoonga.
– Cordova Times
More: thecordovatimes.com
Low forecast for Stikine River king fishery
The 2014 run forecast for large Stikine River king salmon is 26,000 fish, too few to open fisheries in early May, the Department of Fish and Game says.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More: deckboss.blogspot.com
Teaching the next generation
Commercial fish harvesters and their business partners intent on assuring economic survival of this physically and financially tough business will gather in Anchorage Dec. 10-12 to teach what they know to the next generation of industry leaders.
– The Cordova Times
More: thecordovatimes.com
Crabbing vessel inspections offered in OR, WA
The offered examinations and training are part of the Coast Guard's continuing effort to reduce the number of fishing-related deaths at sea.
– The Daily Astorian
More: dailyastorian.com
WA salmon policy under public review
The goal of the policy is to ensure spawning goals are met for wild salmon returning to the basin and to give anglers and commercial fishers a clearer picture of what fishing opportunities they can expect each year.
– KBKW
More: kbkw.com
Thursday, December 12, 2013
$1.6 MILLION YUKON SALMON CATCH
The final numbers are in on the Yukon River fall commercial chum and coho runs. Commercial fishermen earned nearly $1.2 million dollars for the fall chum and $461,000 for coho salmon.
– KYUK
More: kyuk.org
$42 million for salmon
The State of Washington, Salmon Recovery Funding Board and Puget Sound Partnership have put a number on the importance of salmon recently – more than $42 million for restoration and preservation of salmon habitat.
– The Capital Hill Times
More: capitolhilltimes.com
Commission: near record North Pacific salmon abundance
Data compiled by its member countries during the 21st annual meeting of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission shows that Pacific salmon abundance in the North Pacific remains at near record high levels, the NOAFC said in late November.
– Cordova Times
More: thecordovatimes.com
Religious leaders call for Bristol Bay protection
A group of senior religious leaders in Alaska have joined the chorus asking the EPA to finish its assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed.
– KDLG
More: kdlg.org
Big plans for Hawaii harbor
Hawaii officials plan $2.5 million in fixes and improvements to a harbor on the Big Island as the second phase of a project for commercial and recreational boats.
– SFGate
More: sfgate.com
Acidification making fish nervous
Simply stated, ocean acidification is making fish anxious — or, at least, anxiety as we measure it in fish.
– The Atlantic
More: theatlantic.com
Concern over B.C. dam impacts
The province of Alberta is concerned that a multibillion-dollar hydroelectric dam proposed in northeastern British Columbia could increase mercury levels in fish and escalate the risk of floods or drought along the Peace River that flows through its province.
– Vancouver Sun
More: vancouversun.com
Halibut charter catch eyed for downscale
The days of anglers coming home from a fishing trip to Homer, Alaska -- "The Halibut Capital of the World" -- with two big, honking halibut appear to be over.
– Alaska Dispatch
More: alaskadispatch.com
Australia opens door to new fisheries
Fish species not currently commercially fished in South Australian waters could soon end up on menus around the world thanks to new State Government fishing regulations.
– Fish Information and Services
More: fis.com
Regs impact RI fishing industry
Increasingly restrictive federal regulations have cut the commercial fishing fleet in half over the last four years and are imperiling its future, according to Richard Fuka, the president of the Rhode Island Fishermen's Alliance.
– Golocal Prov News
More: golocalprov.com
Friday, December 13, 2013
HALIBUT CATCH CUTS LIKELY
The preliminary numbers for 2014 halibut catches would mean cuts for most of the west coast, including Alaska, compared to 2013, but it's unclear if those numbers will become the real limits.
– Alaska Journal of Commerce
More: alaskajournal.com
$35 million for fishermen's safety
The latest proposed solution is being built in a dry dock north of Seattle: a $35 million, 190-foot vessel that would enable fishermen to work behind the safety of the hull, rather than out on the deck amid the dangerous wind and waves.
– SFGate
More: sfgate.com
Cal crab strike ends
Many local crab fishermen worked through the night Thursday, out on the water setting traps with the season's first catch expected to hit docks today after an agreement was reached with wholesale buyers to purchase the crustaceans at a price of $2.65 a pound.
– Times-Standard
More: times-standard.com
Shell oil plan deemed incomplete
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is seeking more information from Shell about their 2014 Chukchi Exploration Plan.
– Alaska Public Media
More: alaskapublic.org
Alaska Fisheries Report
Coming up this week, salmon is the focus of a science workshop in Anchorage, folks in Homer get reminded of when crab was king, and a story I've wanted to share for a couple months, and not just because of its name: Spawn-O-Rama!
– KMXT
More: kmxt.org
Alaska senator: Change certification method
Last week Senator Mark Begich said the MSC's certification model was too subjective, and that if the federal government wants to ensure the seafood it sources is sustainable – and includes Alaska salmon – the procedure needs to change.
– KMXT
More: kmxt.org
Coast Guard undermined by budget cuts
A top Coast Guard official acknowledged Wednesday that the service had failed to meet several mission performance targets in the 2013 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 and said he expects similar shortfalls in the current fiscal year.
– The Day
More: theday.com
'Fish war' politics intensify
It's a lesson every elected official in Alaska learns firsthand sooner or later, and Gov. Sean Parnell got a fresh reminder this past April in the waning days of the legislative session when his nomination of Vince Webster to a second term on the Board of Fisheries was rejected by a 30-29 vote.
– Alaska Journal of Commerce
More: alaskajournal.com
Fire destroys B.C. hatchery
A community salmon hatchery in Port Moody, B.C., has been destroyed by fire.
– Huffpost British Columbia
More: huffingtonpost.ca
Ban eyed for lower Columbia hatchery releases
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering a new plan to stop releasing hatchery fish in sections of the Lewis, Toutle and Wind rivers, all tributaries on the lower Columbia River.
– KUOW.org
More: kuow.org
