Monday, December 20, 2010
NOAA chief says no job loss with ratz
NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco issued a ringing defense of her, and now the nation's, catch share system, telling one of her and her policy's fiercest critics that catch shares are "merely a tool," not an outcome, and are thus "not the cause" of lost fishing industry jobs.
- Gloucester Times
More:www.gloucestertimes.com
Astoria wharf inferno suspicious
Officials in Astoria say firefighters believe the overnight fire at the waterfront site of a longtime salmon and tuna cannery had a suspicious origin.
– Seattle Times
More:seattletimes.nwsource.com
Petersburg eyes drive-down dock
Fishermen and others said a drive-down dock would help the local economy by allowing tradesmen to work on boats from a dockside van or truck workshop.
– Petersburg Pilot
More:www.petersburgpilot.com
Alaska lodge owner guilty of poaching
An Anchorage District Court jury found a Wasilla lodge owner guilty of 23 misdemeanor wildlife and fishing violations.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
B.C. commercial halibut quota ‘whacky’
A whacky policy governing halibut allocation between the commercial and recreational fisheries could cost coastal communities millions of dollars in 2011.
– Courier-Islander, B.C.
More:www.canada.com
Kodiak fish center ‘reviewed’
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is reviewing the future of its Kodiak campus, the Fisheries Industrial Technology Center.
– Kodiak Times Mirror
More:www.kodiakdailymirror.com
Tanker ban needed to protect B.C. coast
Once loaded with oil, they would navigate through the labyrinth of narrow waterways on B.C.'s north coast in hot pursuit of Asian markets. They would pass commercial fishing fleets, sport-fishing boats, eco-tourism operators, wildlife researchers, coastal First Nations traditional harvesters, tug boat operations, cruise ships, water taxis and B.C. Ferries.
– Victoria Times Colonist
More:www.timescolonist.com
Crew rescued from Petersburg vessel
A Sitka-based Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued five people from the sinking 34-foot fishing vessel Sandy M near Whitney Island north of Petersburg.
– Coast Guard
More:www.uscgalaska.com
Wild coho running in Marin creek
One of the last runs of wild coho salmon in California has surged into the Lagunitas Creek watershed in western Marin County, bringing renewed hope to fisheries experts, watershed managers and those who have devoted their lives to salmon procreation.
– San Francisco Chronicle
Read more:www.sfgate.com
Fish farmers eye bluefin tuna
In spite of all of its unwieldy and feral characteristics, aquaculture scientists have just announced an important step toward converting the Atlantic bluefin, in rapid decline in the wild, into a farm animal.
– New York Times
More:www.nytimes.com
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Pebble Mine is wrong
While I have worked with or for mining interests as a participant, air taxi operator, and in public service all of my adult life, learning about the Pebble prospect has stretched my comfort zone. I cannot support this mine in this place.
– Rick Halford, former state Senate president, writing in the Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Seattle crab mogul back in Russian prison
United States citizen Arkadi Gontmakher was found innocent by a unanimous jury panel on all articles of charges in Russia, but inexplicably rearrested before he could leave the courtroom.
– PRNewsWire
More:www.prnewswire.com
Tiny Scottish island forbids fish farms
Islanders rejected the idea by eight votes to seven in a secret ballot, largely because of the environmental impact of the plan.
– The Herald, Scotland
More:www.heraldscotland.com
Hotel chain requires sustainable fish
Marriott International has launched a sustainable seafood program called "Future Fish," making it the first, large global hotel chain to adopt such a policy.
– USA Today
More:travel.usatoday.com
Alaska looks for new fish commish
The Alaska Board of Fisheries and Game – a joint board – is holding a meeting to develop a list of candidates for the position of Department of Fish and Game commissioner.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Cutback in trawl halibut take?
As the Pacific Halibut Commission prepares to make drastic cuts in the total allowable catch in Alaska waters, there's been some debate over whether to adjust the limit of halibut taken as bycatch by the trawl fleet.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More: www.kmxt.org
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Mayday call released
The Coast Guard has released its recording of the captain of the fishing vessel Sandy M stating that his vessel was taking on water Dec. 18.
– Coast Guard Sector Juneau
More:www.piersystem.com
Alaska has help for clean diesel
The state of Alaska is offering low-interest loans to commercial fishing vessel owners who want to upgrade to a more fuel-efficient engine. Administered by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, the loans are already being made, with the first applicant receiving $36,000 for a new engine in a 42-foot salmon seiner.
– Diesel Progress
More:www.dieselprogress.com
Fisheries group honors Kaare Ness
At its 58th annual holiday party on December 11th, the Northwest Fisheries Association paid special tribute to Kaare Ness, “the gentle fisherman” and cofounder of North America’s largest vertically integrated seafood harvesting and processing company – Trident Seafoods – with the presentation of NWFA’s 2010 Person of the Year award at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Clean diesel subsidy bill passes
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) now just needs President Obama’s signature for the bipartisan legislation to be reauthorized for five more years as the U.S. House of Representatives approved DERA by a voice vote.
– Diesel Technology Forum
More:www.dieselforum.org
Critics say ADFG politicized
"It is a very sad state of affairs," said former state biologist John Schoen. "As alumni of an organization I was once very proud of, Fish and Game is, more and more over the past years, being managed under a political ideology, not science."
– Alaska Dispatch
More:www.alaskadispatch.com
Alaska to challenge polar bear protection
Alaska said it would challenge an Obama administration decision to designate offshore sea ice and other areas as critical habitat for the polar bear, ramping up a policy fight over waters that are important to both wildlife and the oil industry.
– Wall Street Journal
More:online.wsj.com
Nominees for Alaska fish commish
The joint boards of fisheries and game voted unanimously to send two names to Gov. Sean Parnell to consider for fish and game commissioner: Cora Campbell and Ron Somerville.
– Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing in his blog: Deckboss
More:deckboss.blogspot.com
Gulf of Alaska Chinook bycatch
Efforts to reduce Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska are moving forward following this month's meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
– KMXT, Kodiak
More:www.kmxt.org
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Crescent City boat sinks
A commercial fishing boat sank in the Crescent City Harbor on Sunday and was brought back to the surface late Monday afternoon.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Protesting B.C. fishermen fined
More than 40 commercial fishermen have been fined $200 each for illegally fishing to protest unequal rules governing aboriginal fisheries in 2001 and 2002, but some say they won't pay and would rather go to jail.
– B.C. Local News
More:www.bclocalnews.com
Fight brews over counting fish
There is no argument the industry's massive growth has vastly affected ocean ecosystems, but the extent to which this disruption has depleted and continues to deplete the sea's biodiversity has become source of a heated debate within the world of marine fisheries science.
– Scientific American
More:www.scientificamerican.com
Last minute gifts
The Coast Guard recommends safety gifts and stocking stuffer ideas for the Holiday season
-
A marine GPS navigation system
A 406 Mhz EPIRB (Make sure you register it after purchase.)
A Coast Guard-approved life jacket
A handheld VHF marine radio
A Boating Safety Course
Vessel Safety Check from the Coast Guard Auxiliary
A Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher
A first aid kit in a watertight container
A seamanship book
Nautical charts for the areas your favorite mariner frequents
A signaling kit (mirror, whistle and day/ night flares)
Clothing that is warm and water-resistant
Life raft with a survival kit
Thursday, December 23, 2010
What’s killing California salmon
California's salmon runs were once a mighty economic engine as well as a natural wonder, feeding the state and the nation and supporting hundreds of thousands of working people. But in the past five years, they have been devastated.
– Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle
More:www.sfgate.com
Salmon bycatch in Gulf pollock fishery
Regulatory measures to reduce Chinook salmon bycatch by Gulf of Alaska pollock trawlers were advanced for expedited analysis at the December meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
– Kenai Peninsula Clarion
More:www.peninsulaclarion.com
Official: Cora Campbell fish commish
Cora Campbell named Gov. Sean Parnell is appointing adviser Cora Campbell to head the state Fish and Game Department.
– Anchorage Daily News
More:www.adn.com
Crescent City boat sinks a second time
A commercial crab boat that was lifted by float bags Monday after sinking in Crescent City Harbor’s B dock on Sunday has sunk again.
– Crescent City Triplicate
More:www.triplicate.com
Study: Marine reserves work
Scientists now have hard evidence for something they have long believed — that establishing no-fishing zones in the ocean will help replenish fish populations far away that have been over-harvested.
– The Oregonian
More:www.oregonlive.com
NPR discovers trawl ratz
Decades of over-fishing and lawsuits have plagued the fishing industry on the West Coast, so starting in January, fishermen in California, Oregon and Washington will be working under a new system.
– National Public Radio
More:www.npr.org
Otter protection needs more study
After a year-long legal fight with two environmental groups, the federal government recently came to an agreement surrounding the future protection of the threatened California sea otter. If you believe the rhetoric coming from the plaintiff groups, they scored a major victory.
– Salinas Californian
More:www.thecalifornian.com
See top 2010 CG rescue videos
The U.S. Coast Guard released its top 11 video compilation for 2010, highlighting the year's most compelling cases from the work done every day by America's Coast Guard.
– Coast Guard
More:cgvi.uscg.mil and on YouTube atwww.youtube.com
And finally …
The folks at Fish Wrap wish you a peaceful Christmas.
We’ll see you next week.
Don McManman
Wesley Loy
Michel Drouin
Diane Sandvik
Erin Downward
David Saldana
Minh Nguyen
Christie Daigle
Peter Hurme
Mike Daigle
