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UFA Update

December 31, 2011

The UFA annual Spring meeting will be held February 14-16 in Juneau. Meetings are open to current paid members.
Support UFA by joining - see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Support the Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) Japan Fund: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG 
To donate by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE

Contents:
1. IUU Fishing addressed in DC: Murkowski Warns Oceans Caucus of the “Great Consequences” Of Illegal Fishing
2. The Fight Against Pirate Fishing  (Matt Tinnning/Huffington Post)
3. Bon Appétit seeking fisherfolk for new ‘Fish To Fork’ program:
4. The fourth Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit -Juneau February 13 - 14
5. CFAB Reduces Interest Rate two percentage points
6. Steller sea lion case now in hands of judge
7. Board of Fisheries PWS and Upper Copper River/Upper Susitna Finfish – summary
8. Taku River Task Force schedules first meeting
9. Northern Southeast sea otter numbers up 4 percent
10. China top market for Alaska exports
11. Gov. Parnell Criticizes Genetically Engineered Salmon
12. Begich Chairs Hearing on Environmental Risks of Frankenfish
13. Canada Holds Hearings on Suspected Virus in Salmon
14. Murkowski concerned about preliminary halibut numbers
15. Homer News Editorial: Protect halibut, relationships while seeking solutions
16. Committed to halibut plan, council gives relief to Southeast
17. State fisheries excluded from federal plan over commercial objections
18. Council takes aim at absentee ownership in crab fishery
19. Health of pollock stock debated, quota set
20. Items from the NPFMC December meeting:
21. NOAA Improving Community Profiles for the North Pacific Fisheries
22. Acidification Study: Severe tissue damage in Atlantic cod larvae
23. Simon Fraser U. hosts salmon scientists
24.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
25. AK Sea Grant: Fuel-Saving Measures for Fishing Industry Vessels
26. IPHC 2012 Annual Meeting, Jan 24 – 27, Anchorage Hilton
27. Deadline for comment Jan. 6 on DEC Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards
28. Comment deadline Jan 10, 2012 on National MPA Center
29. Comment deadline January 9, 2012 on 5-year OCS PEIS
30. Deadline Jan 20 for nominations to USDA Native American Farmers and Ranchers
31. Comment by Jan 23 on Proposed 2012 and 2013 Groundfish Harvest Specs
32. Comment deadline Jan 23 on Amendment 93 Chinook bycatch in GOA Pollock
33. Comment by Jan. 20 on GOA Pollock Chinook Salmon Bycatch Amendment 93
34. Comment deadline Feb 7 on ESA definition of “Significant Portion of Its Range”
35. Comment deadline Feb. 8 on 5-year OCS Leasing Program
36. Deadline Feb 13 for USFS Planning Rule Implementation Committee
37. Comment deadline Feb 13 on Arctic Oil & Gas Draft EIS
38. Comment by Feb 21 on EPA Draft Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel GP
39. NMFS posts Amendment 83 GOA Groundfish regs & correction
40. USFS issues internal directive on Invasive Species management
41. US Forest Service Takes Action to Confront the Threat of Invasive Species.
42. House Approves Ballast Water Bill
43. NMFS posts IFQ cost recovery fee for halibut and sablefish – 1.6%
44. NMFS Final Rule on GOA Groundfish Amendment 88 Rockfish Pilot Program
45. Alaska Marine Science Symposium January 16-20, Anchorage
46. Alaska Pollock Certified Sustainable
47. ASMI Great Alaska Seafood Cook-Off! - May 14, 2012, Anchorage, AK
48. Sign up for ASMI weekly Marketing Updates:
49. Alaska Seafood Logo Decals – Vessel Size –available free from ASMI

1. IUU Fishing addressed in DC: Murkowski Warns Oceans Caucus of the “Great Consequences” Of Illegal Fishing
Discusses “Extraordinarily Important” Legislation with Colleagues, Alaskan Panelists

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski, Co-Chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus today took part in a briefing on Capitol Hill with Senators Dan Inouye (D-HI), Co-Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Mark Begich to discuss the global problem of illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing commonly referred to as IUU or pirate fishing.

“When we have illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing that goes on, we can see great consequences when we do not have the rules in place and when we do not have a level of enforcement,” Murkowski said.

Sen. Murkowski is a lead co-sponsor of the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act, legislation associated with a NOAA/Dept. of State upcoming treaty to require stronger controls on vessels carrying fish into the world’s ports. This bill would also demand strict enforcement including denial of port access for vessels listed for IUU fishing...

Panelists at the briefing included Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, Arni Thomson of the United Fisherman of Alaska, Trident Seafood Corporation’s Joe Plesha and State Department officials who shared their expertise on the issue.
http://www.akbizmag.com/Alaska-Business-Monthly/December-
2011/Murkowski-Warns-Oceans-Caucus-of-the-Great-Consequ
ences-Of-Illegal-Fishing/

&&
New Bill Aims to Restrict Pirate Fishing
By Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB
http://kucb.org/post/new-bill-aims-restrict-pirate-fishing
&

NOAA: Legislation will protect U.S. fishermen from unfair competition
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/iuu/

Find the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act – S.1980 by bill search at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php

2. The Fight Against Pirate Fishing  (Matt Tinnning/Huffington Post)
Whether it's the rise of International Talk Like a Pirate Day or the enduring popularity of Gasparilla, pirates occupy a glamorous place in the public imagination. But for many American fishermen, the word is becoming synonymous with lower revenues, lost jobs and environmental destruction.
Just ask Arni Thompson, president of the United Fishermen of Alaska. Arni was on Capitol Hill last week to talk about the devastating impact that pirate fishing -- the term increasingly used to describe illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity -- has on the fishermen he represents. His volumes of research and economic analysis left those he met in Congress aghast.

Take, for example, Alaska's famed crab fishermen. They operate under the North Pacific's system of Annual Catch Limits based on the best available science -- a model that has provided a template of sustainable fisheries management for the entire nation. The process limits the amount they harvest in any given year; but it also ensures that their livelihoods--and the interests of crab-loving seafood aficionados everywhere -- will be sustained into the future...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-tinning/fishing-sustainable-
jobs_b_1156294.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=1
945495,b=facebook

3. Bon Appétit seeking fisherfolk for new ‘Fish To Fork’ program:
(Except most of you, with On-board self-processors ineligible, distance limits, &tc.)
 The Bon Appétit restaurant management company is looking for fishermen to become part of its new program called “Fish to Fork.”  The program outlines what it finds “local” and “small-scale” to mean for both wild and farmed seafood and elevates certain overlooked species that have both great flavor and robust supplies. It aims to better connect consumers with their local fishermen. Among the guidelines:

** Traceability: Seafood suppliers must present a reliable system of traceability from the farm or the boat to Bon Appétit kitchens;

** Size: Boats must be individually owned and operated, and not process the seafood on board. Aquaculture operations will be limited to those grossing less than $5 million per year per species. Small-scale fishing and aquaculture operations that practice integrated multi-species fishing or aquaculture will be emphasized;

** Distance: Boats should travel no more than 100 miles out to sea per trip. Distribution distance for wild fish or aquacultured products is limited to 500 miles by truck from dock or farm to Bon Appétit kitchens;

** Species Preferences: Low-on-the-food-chain species (such as sardines, oysters); species whose edible portion could be better utilized (such as scallops, much of which gets discarded by U.S. processors); less-widely eaten larger species (Seafood Watch “green”- or “yellow”-rated) that can substitute for one of the “Top Ten” species, such as tuna, whose popularity is endangering the species.

     Bon Appétit is also designating 14 of its chefs in different areas of the country as “piscators.” Like the Farm to Fork foragers, their role will be to locate and develop purchasing relationships with local fisherfolk and fish farmers who meet the criteria and who will then serve clusters of cafes. Similarly, Fish to Fork will also channel Bon Appétit Management Company’s supply-chain clout toward helping hundreds more small, environmentally responsible producers, creating local jobs and healthier communities. Any fisherfolk interested in this program should email Chris Lenza at Chris.Lenza@cafebonappetit.com; 480-245-6917. Read more about the program: www.bamco.com/sustainable-food-service/fish-to-fork .

4. The fourth Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit will be in Juneau February 13 - 14, 2012. This leadership training has drawn over 200 young harvesters from all over the state to learn about fishing business skills, markets, the regulatory and legislative processes, and fisheries management and science. Attendees network with peers as well as established fishing leaders. We look forward to another great summit!

Online registration is now open.

5. CFAB Reduces Interest Rate two percentage points
Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank’ Board of Directors at its November 17, 2011 meeting approved Management's recommendation to lower CFAB's base  rate* by 2% effective January 1, 2012.  This 2% reduction will be applied automatically to all open loans effective January 1, 2012.
http://www.cfabalaska.com/News%20and%20Views.htm

6. Steller sea lion case now in hands of judge

By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce
The fate of wide-ranging fishing closures in the western Aleutian Islands is now in the hands of a federal judge after a Dec. 21 hearing in U.S. Alaska District Court.

The State of Alaska, a coalition of fishing industry groups and Aleut Enterprises squared off against National Marine Fisheries Service, Oceana and Greenpeace to contest the validity of the rule issued Dec. 13, 2010, that shut down fishing for Atka mackerel and Pacific Cod over large swaths of the Aleutian chain.

After taking two hours of oral arguments for summary judgment, Judge Timothy Burgess gave no indication of when he may issue a ruling other than to tell the parties, “I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

Read more: http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-
Commerce/AJOC-January-1-2012/Steller-sea-lion-case-now-in-
hands-of-judge/#ixzz1i2nYTZFL

7. Board of Fisheries PWS and Upper Copper River/Upper Susitna Finfish – meeting summary
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=lib.forcedownload
&filepath=/static/regulations/regprocess/fisheriesboard/pdfs/2011
-2012/pws/&filename=summ-of-action-pws.pdf&contenttype=
application/pdf

Upcoming Board of Fisheries meetings:

Comment Deadline: December 30, 2011 - 5:00PM

Comment Deadline: February 9, 2012 - 5:00PM

Comment Deadline: March 5, 2012 - 5:00PM

BOF meeting info page:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.meetinginfo

8. Taku River Task Force schedules first meeting
by Rosemarie Alexander, KTOO radio Juneau
After a three month delay, the Taku River Fact-Finding Task Force will meet next week for the first time. The task force was created in September by Juneau’s legislative delegation to gather facts about the river and possible impacts of Tulsequah Chief Mine redevelopment on the Canadian side of the Taku River watershed.

The Taku River is the most abundant salmon-producer in Southeast Alaska.

Scheduling difficulties prevented task force members from meeting with Fish and Game, Natural Resources, and other agency experts until January 5th, about three weeks after a report to Juneau legislators was due...
KTOO Audio:  http://www.ktoonews.org/2011/12/29/taku-river-t
ask-force-schedules-first-meeting/

For a snapshot of the value of Juneau based fisheries see UFA Commercial Fishing and Processing Fact Sheet for Juneau, at:  http://www.ufa-fish.org/cff.htm

9. Northern Southeast sea otter numbers up 4 percent
by Ed Schoenfeld, KTOO Radio Juneau
Will Ware goes subsistence fishing in Sumner Strait, south of Petersburg. But the administrator of the town’s tribal government says he finds fewer shellfish there these days...
“When you get onto the reefs you’re seeing that it’s just shell-laden all over the rocks and beaches. There’s gumboot shells everywhere, shrimp shells. It’s almost like a devastating sight to see on some of these islands and rocks,” he says...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies have been surveying Southeast
waters to determine the extent of otter growth...
http://www.ktoonews.org/2011/12/22/sea-otter-numbers-4-
percent-up-in-northern-southeast/
&&
Sea otters get their cut from Southeast fisheries
By LAINE WELCH ADN FISHERIES
Sea otters are taking a big bite out of valuable commercial fisheries in Southeast Alaska, and they've been doing it for decades. A second report by the McDowell Group of Juneau updates the financial hit otters have inflicted on the region's fisheries since 2005.
Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2011/12/10/2212778/
sea-otters-get-their-cut-from.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.adn.com/2011/12/10/2212778/sea-otters-get
-their-cut-from.html

McDowell Group report: - Sea Otter Impacts on Commercial Fisheries in Southeast Alaska:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/74857876/MCDOWELL-GROUP-
2011-Sea-Otter-Impacts-Report

Support Alaskan artisans as well as local commercial, subsistence and personal use fishermen by purchasing handmade items  of sea otter:

Ralph Strickland, Petersburg, AK... trstrickland@gci.net  ...Phone: (907) 518-0308

 Peter Williams, Sitka, Alaska... dancingmudpuddle@hotmail.com 
www.seaotterfur.com/buy-sea-otter-fur-products 

 Christy Ruby, Craig, Alaska.... crdesigns@ak.net  ... (907) 254-2232
www.indigenousalaska.com/ 

 Diana Riedel, Cordova, Alaska... dianariedel@hotmail.com... (907) 253-5364
www.dineegafurs.com/dineega_products

Thanks to Petersburg Vessel Owners Assn...

10. China top market for Alaska exports
By Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce

China will emerge as Alaska’s top export customer for 2011 when final trade statistics are counted for the last two months of the year, state officials say...
Susan Bell, State Commissioner of Commerce said China’s domestic consumption of seafood is increasing, and this includes higher-value products.

“We really saw this when we accompanied Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute people to the China Seafood Expo in late October. We saw snow crab, Pacific cod and sole from Alaska as well as other products like sea cucumbers and geoduck,” Bell said.

http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/
AJOC-January-1-2012/China-top-market-for-Alaska-exports/

11. Gov. Parnell Criticizes Genetically Engineered Salmon
December 15, 2011, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell again expressed his strong concerns regarding AquaBounty’s application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market genetically engineered salmon. This fish would be the first food from a transgenic animal application approved by the FDA.
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-
press-release.html?pr=5992

12. Begich Chairs Hearing on Environmental Risks of Frankenfish
Threats to wild fish stocks, ecosystems highlighted at hearing
In his ongoing efforts to discourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving genetically-engineered (GE) fish, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich today chaired a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard on the environmental risks of what Begich calls “Frankenfish.”
http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?
ID=9c482005-f47f-468b-a685-ea563144c593

13. Canada Holds Hearings on Suspected Virus in Salmon
By WILLIAM YARDLEY, NY Times, December 15, 2011
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The fate of wild salmon is a sensitive topic in the Pacific Northwest and arguments often end up in court in the United States, whether over threats to endangered fish by hydroelectric dams or sea lions swallowing them along their migration routes.
But on Thursday, a new and particularly bitter dispute began playing out in a very different kind of judicial venue across the Canadian border: a provincial Supreme Court justice held a hearing into questions of whether a potentially lethal virus had been detected in wild Pacific salmon — and whether the Canadian government was responding adequately...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/science/canada-begins-
hearings-on-infectious-salmon-anemia-virus.html
&&&
Salmon virus has been in B.C. since 1985: scientists
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111215
/bc_salmon_virus_since_1985_111215/20111215/?hub=
BritishColumbiaHome

14. Murkowski concerned about preliminary halibut numbers
Alaska U. S. Senator Lisa Murkowski says she's disappointed to hear that further reductions in the catch of halibut in Alaska are likely.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission suggested during a briefing this week that potentially drastic model changes may be needed that would spur steeper reductions.

Whether the changes are incorporated this year or in future years, Murkowski says the discussion creates more uncertainty for the commercial fishing industry, sport charter businesses and the state's fishing communities.

She says they have already taken a serious economic hit from reduced harvest levels and changing management measures.

The senator is also concerned about the manner in which commission staff presented its findings and data..
http://www.kinyradio.com/juneaunews/latest_juneau_news.html

15. Homer News EDITORIAL: Protect halibut, relationships while seeking solutions
Homer is fortunate. While fish wars have bitterly divided other Alaska communities, Homer’s commercial fishing and sport charter fleets have been able to avoid most of the acrimony that’s found in other fishing towns...
The news puts Homer at crossroads. As a community, we can whine and wring our hands about the unfairness of it all, we can play the blame game or we can make some decisions that move us in new directions...
http://homernews.com/stories/120711/oped_
lphor.shtml#.Tv4Ee1a8DBI

For UFA Community Fishing and Fact Sheet for Homer, see:  http://www.ufa-fish.org/cff.htm

16. Committed to halibut plan, council gives relief to Southeast
Andrew Jensen, AK Journal of Commerce
With potentially drastic harvest cuts on the horizon in 2013, the battle over the declining halibut resource continued at the latest meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
 Over the better part of two days at the Anchorage Hilton Dec. 11 and 12, the council once again revisited the contentious issue of halibut management between commercial and charter sectors that remains unresolved more than 18 years after the first stakeholder workgroup was formed.
The results were a mixed bag for charter and commercial halibut users, with everyone getting something from the council decisions.
Read more: http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-
Commerce/AJOC-December-18-2011/Committed-to-halibut-
plan-council-gives-relief-to-Southeast/#ixzz1i2qZkKyl

17. State fisheries excluded from federal plan over commercial objections
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce

With the Magnuson-Stevens Act up for reauthorization in 2012, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is still getting caught up on the requirements added to the law in 2007.

At its recent meeting in Anchorage, the council checked one of the final boxes to bring each fishery management plan, or FMP, into compliance with the 2007 revised MSA.

The council, which has deferred management of salmon to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game since 1979 and hasn’t reviewed the salmon FMP since 1990, officially excluded the Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound and Alaska Peninsula salmon fisheries from the FMP with a unanimous vote.

The Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery will remain in the FMP with state management to provide a nexus for meeting requirements of the federal Endangered Species Act and the international Pacific Salmon Treaty...

Read more: http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-
Commerce/AJOC-December-25-2011/State-fisheries-excluded-
from-federal-plan-over-commercial-objections/#ixzz1i2pfEW9L

18. Council takes aim at absentee ownership in crab fishery
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce
Buying into the Bering Sea crab fishery will take boots on deck or a stake in some steel under requirements now being contemplated by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
The thorny issue of crew compensation in the Bering Sea crab fishery put a divide between Alaska and Pacific Northwest members on full display Dec. 10 at the Anchorage Hilton as a 6-5 vote advanced potential rules for active participation to buy harvest shares...

Read more: http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-
Commerce/AJOC-December-18-2011/Council-takes-aim-at-
absentee-ownership-in-crab-fishery/#ixzz1i2pwjwEt

19. Health of pollock stock debated, quota set
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce
Whether the pollock stock in the Bering Sea is as healthy as the quota was a source of debate at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council after several skippers and the largest seafood company in the state asked for a conservative approach for the 2012 season.

The council settled on a total allowable catch, or TAC, of 1.2 million metric tons for 2012, a slight decrease from the 1.25 million metric tons in 2011. The pollock fleet was unable to harvest the full quota in 2011, finishing the season about 54,000 metric tons short.

Read more: http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/
AJOC-December-18-2011/Health-of-pollock-stock-debated-quota
-set/#ixzz1i2qO2LOv

20. Items from the NPFMC December meeting:
Newsletter 12/11

• Draft Minutes: AP, SSC 12/11
• Freezer Longline Vessel Replacement motion 12/11
• Halibut CSP motion; Powerpoints: Area 2C Charter Mgmt; Halibut Sport Harvest 12/11
• Crab Program motions 12/11
• GOA and BSAI Groundfish Final Specifications for 2012 and 2013
• Salmon FMP motion 12/11
• Charter Management Implementation Committee Minutes 12/11
• USCG report 12/11

And more, online at the NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

21. NOAA Improving Community Profiles for the North Pacific Fisheries

To provide baseline information about a large number of Alaskan fishing communities to fisheries managers, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s (AFSC) Economic and Social Sciences Research Program (ESSRP) compiled existing information about, and published the Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries – Alaska (referred to as the Community Profiles from here on) in 2005 (Sepez et al. 2005). The Community Profiles have been widely used as the basis for fisheries management plans, social and economic impact assessments of proposed fishing regulations, and numerous discussions by natural resource agencies. However, it has become clear that the Community Profiles need to be updated with current information about communities’ dependence on fishing and additional categories of information that would be integral in determining the social and economic impacts of fishing regulations on local communities....   4 megabyte download:
http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Publications/AFSC-TM/NOAA-TM
-AFSC-230.pdf

For UFA Alaska Community Fishing Facts sheets see http://www.ufa-fish.org/cff.htm .

22. Study: Severe tissue damage in Atlantic cod larvae under increasing ocean acidification
Ocean acidification, caused by increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 (refs 1, 2, 3), is one of the most critical anthropogenicthreats to marine life. Changes in seawater carbonate chemistry have the potential to disturb calcification, acid–base regulation, blood circulation and respiration, as well as the nervous system of marine organisms, leading to long-term effects such as reduced growth rates and reproduction...
Here we show detrimental effects of ocean acidification on the development of a mass-spawning fish species of high commercial importance...
 http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n1/full/
nclimate1324.html

23. Simon Fraser U. hosts salmon scientists
A think tank of national and international scientists was held at SFU Nov 30-Dec 1 to explore:
• What pathogens and diseases are impacting wild Pacific salmon populations?
• What do we know, what do we not know, and what do we need to know right now?
• What should we consider in terms of interacting stressors, cumulative impacts and diseases?
• How do we manage for uncertainty and the protection of wild salmon?

To view the think tank consensus statement and recommendations from the convenors, visit: www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/salmon.php

24.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
12/26/11 Cod fishermen get surprise Christmas opener‏‏‏
12/23/11 Under sea medical miracles‏
12/22/11 Training future fishing leaders
12/21/11 Wanted: Fish stories from AK
12/20/11 Fish in Gov’s budget‏‏
All are online at http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?page_id=846

25. AK Sea Grant: Fuel-Saving Measures for Fishing Industry Vessels
By Terry Johnson
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore/pubs/ASG-57.html

26. IPHC 2012 Annual Meeting, Jan 24 – 27, Anchorage Hilton
The Eighty-eighth Annual Meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission will be held from Tuesday, January 24 through Friday, January 27, 2012. The sessions will be held at the Hilton Anchorage...
http://www.iphc.int/meetings-and-events/20/29-annual-
meeting.html

27. Deadline for comment January 6 on DEC Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards
Every three years, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) conducts a comprehensive review of the Water Quality Standards (WQS) in 18 AAC 70. This review helps to keep the pollution limits for Alaska's waters up to date by integrating the latest science, technology, policy, and federal requirements into how the State regulates water quality.
2011-2013 Triennial Review
ADEC is starting the next triennial review on December 4, 2011. The following documents are available on the Triennial Review for 2011-2013:
Public Notice
Current Issues
Fact Sheets for:

• 2011-2013 Triennial Review Process
• Anti-degradation Policy Implementation
• Outstanding National Resource Waters
• Copper
• Fish Consumption

DEC Triennial Review page:
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wqsar/trireview/index.htm

28. Comment deadline Jan 10, 2012 on National MPA Center
SUMMARY: On May 26, 2000, President Clinton signed Executive Order (EO) 13158, directing federal agencies (led by NOAA and DOI) to establish a comprehensive national system of MPAs serving multiple conservation and management goals. To this end, the EO directs NOAA to establish a National Marine Protected Area Center (``MPA Center'') within NOAA (Sec. 4(e)) to carry out several provisions in cooperation with the Department of the Interior. Over the past decade, the MPA Center has conducted a variety  of efforts to establish and support the growing national system through targeted science, information resources, coordination and policy development.

    An external review of the MPA Center is needed to maximize its effectiveness and transparency and to ensure that the MPA Center is conducting high quality work of significant value to NOAA and the nation. To this end, the MPA Center is seeking external feedback, including public comment on the program's approach to balancing
competing priorities.

    All comments received in response to this request will be summarized and provided to an expert review panel scheduled to convene in late January, 2012.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 10, 2012.
Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-01/
html/2011-30700.htm

National MPA Center home page: http://www.mpa.gov/

29. Comment deadline January 9, 2012 on 5-year OCS PEIS – Cook Inlet, Beaufort, Chukchi... Public hearings in AK December 5 – 13.
...Persons interested in reviewing the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2011-001 can locate it on the Internet at http://www.boem.gov/5-year/2012-2017
Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-10/html/
2011-29152.htm

30. Deadline Jan 20 for nominations to USDA Native American Farmers and Ranchers
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the
establishment of the Council for Native American Farming and Ranching
(Council). The purpose of the Council is to provide recommendations to
the Secretary on how to eliminate barriers to Native American
participation in Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm loan programs and other
farm programs. The Council will discuss issues related to the
participation of Native American farmers and ranchers in USDA farm loan
programs and transmit recommendations concerning any changes to FSA
regulations or internal guidance or other measures..

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-06/html/2011-31235.htm

31. Comment by Jan 23 on Proposed 2012 and 2013 Groundfish Harvest Specs
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes 2012 and 2013 harvest specifications, apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2012 and 2013 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska...

DATES: Comments must be received by January 23, 2012.
Federal Register: GOA Groundfish
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-22/html/2011-32848.htm
&&
Proposed 2012 and 2013 Harvest Specifications for BSAI Groundfish
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-27/html/2011-33169.htm

&&
Final 2011 and 2012 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-29/html/2011-33448.htm

32. Comment deadline Jan 23 on Amendment 93 Chinook bycatch in GOA Pollock fishery
Federal Register notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-23/html/2011-30267.htm

NPFMC Chinook salmon bycatch home page:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/bycatch-controls/BS
ChinookBycatch.html

33. Comment by Jan. 20 on GOA Pollock Chinook Salmon Bycatch Amendment 93
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 93 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). The proposed regulations would apply exclusively to the directed pollock trawl fisheries in the Central and Western Reporting Areas of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) (Central and Western GOA). If approved, Amendment 93 would establish separate prohibited species catch (PSC) limits in the Central and Western GOA for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), which would cause NMFS to close the directed pollock fishery in the Central or Western regulatory areas of the Gulf of Alaska, if the applicable limit is reached. This action also would require retention of salmon by all vessels in the Central and Western GOA pollock fisheries until the catch is delivered to a processing facility where an observer is provided the opportunity to count the number of salmon and to collect scientific data or biological samples from the salmon. Amendment 93 would increase observer coverage on vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) length overall that participate in the directed pollock fishery in the Central or Western regulatory areas of the GOA by January 2013, unless the restructured North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program is in place by this time...

DATES: Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. Alaska local time (A.l.t.) January 30, 2012...

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-14/html/
2011-31973.htm

34. Comment deadline Feb 7 on ESA definition of “Significant Portion of Its Range”
Summary: We, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively, the Services), announce a draft policy to provide our interpretation of the phrase ``significant portion of its range'' in the Endangered Species Act's (Act's) definitions of ``endangered species'' and ``threatened
species.'' The purpose of this notice is to provide a draft interpretation and application of ``significant portion of its range'' that reflects a permissible reading of the law and its legislative history and minimizes undesirable policy outcomes, while fulfilling the conservation purposes of the Act. We seek public comments on this draft policy. It is our intent to publish a final policy that will provide a consistent standard for interpretation of the phrase and its role in listing determinations that will be accorded deference by the federal courts.

DATES: We will consider comments and information we receive from all
interested parties on or before February 7, 2012...

Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-09/
html/2011-31782.htm

35. Comment deadline Feb. 8 on 5-year OCS Leasing Program
Federal Register notice:
 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-10/html/2011
-29151.htm

36. Deadline Feb 13 for USFS Planning Rule Implementation Committee
The Secretary of Agriculture intends to establish the National
Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System
Land Management Planning Rule (Committee)...
Written nominations must be received by February 13, 2012...

This Committee will be comprised of not more than 21 members who
provide balanced and broad representation within each of the following
three categories of interests:
...Commercial or recreational hunting and fishing interests...
 (and many other categories that you may fit)

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-29/html/
2011-33535.htm

Planning Rule home page: http://www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule

37. Comment deadline Feb 13 on Arctic Oil & Gas Draft EIS
SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of the ``Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Effects of Oil and Gas Activities in the Arctic Ocean.'' Publication of this notice begins the official public comment period for this DEIS. The purpose of the DEIS is to evaluate, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of implementing the alternative approaches for authorizing the take of marine mammals incidental to oil and gas exploration activities in the Arctic Ocean pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)...
DATES: All comments and written statements must be received no later than Monday, February 13, 2012...
Information on this project can also be found on the Protected Resources Web page at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/arctic.htm ...

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-30/html/
2011-33195.htm

38. Comment by Feb 21 on EPA Draft Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel GP
EPA Regions... are publishing for comment a draft NPDES Vessel General Permit (VGP) that would authorize discharges incidental to the normal operation of non-military and non-recreational vessels greater than or equal to 79 feet in length. If finalized, this draft VGP would replace the current VGP, which was issued in December 2008 and expires on December 19, 2013. EPA is also proposing a draft NPDES Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) to authorize discharges incidental to the normal operation of non-military and non-recreational vessels less than 79 feet in length. EPA is proposing the sVGP to authorize discharges from vessels less than 79 feet in length, because the P.L. 110-299 moratorium (subsequently extended by P.L. 111-215) expires on December 18, 2013. These laws generally provide that no NPDES permits shall be required for incidental discharges (except discharges of ballast water) from vessels less than 79 feet and commercial fishing vessels. EPA is soliciting comment on today's draft VGP and draft sVGP.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 21, 2012.

Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-08/pdf/
2011-31576.pdf

For Draft 2013 Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General Permit and other relevant info see: EPA Vessel Discharge home page: 
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=350

39. NMFS posts Amendment 83 GOA Groundfish regs & correction
NMFS publishes regulations to implement Amendment 83 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Amendment 83 allocates Western and Central GOA Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) limits among various gear and operational sectors. Sector allocations limit the amount of Western and Central GOA
Pacific cod that each sector is authorized to harvest. This action reduces competition among sectors and supports stability in the Pacific cod fishery. This rule limits access to the Federal Pacific cod TAC fisheries prosecuted in State of Alaska waters, commonly known as the parallel fishery, adjacent to the Western and Central GOA. This action is intended to promote community participation and provide incentives for new entrants in the jig sector...
Federal Register Notice (Dec 1)
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-01/html/2011-30861.htm

Correction regarding parallel fishery (Dec 30):
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-29/html/2011-33452.htm

40. USFS issues internal directive on Invasive Species management
The Forest Service has finalized the development of an internal directive to Forest Service Manual (FSM) 2900 for invasive species management. This final invasive species management directive will provide foundational comprehensive guidance for the management of invasive species on aquatic and terrestrial areas of the National Forest System (NFS)...
Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-05/html/2011-31090.htm

41. US Forest Service Takes Action to Confront the Threat of Invasive Species. On 12/5 the U.S. Forest Service announced that the publication of its first ever national-level direction on the management of invasive species across aquatic and terrestrial areas of the National Forest System. “Invasive species cost the American public an estimated $138 billion each year. They deplete water supplies, destroy recreation opportunities and damage landscapes across the country,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “We are taking this bold approach to better protect our nation’s forest and water resources from the threat of invasive species.”While the Forest Service has long had a Forest Service Invasive Species Program, this policy adds new requirements for agency-wide integration of invasive species prevention, early detection and rapid response, control, restoration, and collaborative activities across all National Forest System lands. “The integrated nature of this new approach will make the Forest Service able to more effectively manage invasive species in the context of environmental issues such as adaptation to climate change, increasing wildfire risk, watershed restoration, 13
fragmentation of habitats, loss of biodiversity, and human health concerns,” said USDA Undersecretary Harris Sherman. “At the same time, we will be engaging the public, including participation by Tribes, in these programs and benefits.”
The proposed policy was published on June 3 in the Federal Register for a 60-day public comment period. The final policy published in the Federal Register reflects the consideration of comments received from a wide variety of stakeholders in the public and private sectors, including non-government organizations, state and local government agencies, private individuals, and other Federal government agencies. To see the final policy go to http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-05/pdf/2011-31090.pdf.

Thanks to the Invasives in a Nutshell newsletter – online at:
http://www.aquaticnuisance.org/newsletters

43. NMFS posts IFQ cost recovery fee for halibut and sablefish – 1.6%
NMFS publishes individual fishing quota (IFQ) standard prices and fee percentage for the IFQ cost recovery program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. The fee percentage for 2011 is 1.6%... effective December 12, 2011.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-12/html/
2011-31817.htm

44. NMFS Final Rule on GOA Groundfish Amendment 88 Rockfish Pilot Program
NMFS issues regulations implementing Amendment 88 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA FMP). Amendment 88 is the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program). These regulations allocate exclusive harvest privileges to a specific group of license limitation program license holders who used trawl gear to target Pacific ocean perch, pelagic shelf rockfish, and northern rockfish during particular qualifying years. The Rockfish Program retains the conservation, management, safety, and economic gains realized under the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Pilot Program (Pilot Program) and resolves identified issues in the management and viability of the rockfish fisheries...
Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-27/html/
2011-32873.htm

45. Alaska Marine Science Symposium January 16-20, Anchorage
Online registration for the 2012 Symposium is open until Friday, January 6th, 2012...
http://www.alaskamarinescience.org/

North Pacific Research Board home page: http://www.nprb.org/

46. Alaska Pollock Certified Sustainable
A positive Certification determination has been awarded for the fishery management of the U.S. Alaska pollock commercial fisheries, against the FAO-based Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Conformance Criteria1 . Certification determination was given by a Global Trust Certification Committee on December 6th 2011, after a nine months independent assessment of the Alaska pollock commercial fishery. The assessment was performed at the request of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI)...
http://sustainability.alaskaseafood.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07
/AK-Pollock-Certification-Summary-12-12-2011.pdf

ASMI Pollock Certification home page: h
ttp://sustainability.alaskaseafood.org/pollock-certification

47. ASMI Great Alaska Seafood Cook-Off! - May 14, 2012, Anchorage, AK
Limited Space Available.
Do you think you have what it takes to be the King or Queen of Alaska Seafood?
You can apply to compete in the Great Alaska Seafood Cook Off here.
The winner will represent the state of Alaska at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans, Louisiana.
http://greatalaskaseafoodcookoff.com/

48. Sign up for ASMI weekly Marketing Updates:
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/home/?u=bcd6d5bec392f12ce7
03f7e00&id=bb976f52af

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute home page:
http://pressroom.alaskaseafood.org/

49. Alaska Seafood Logo Decals – Vessel Size –available free from ASMI
AK registered commercial fishing vessels can receive the ALASKA SEAFOOD decal -all they have to do is call the ASMI office at 907-465-5560. ASMI also has banners, flags  for boats that do not have space to stick the decals) bumper stickers, window decals.

UFA dues for Alaska Individual members are $170 for one year or $300 for two years and are now open to holders of Alaska commercial crew licenses, in addition to CFEC permit holders and IFQ holders.
We also welcome crew/supporter nonvoting members at $50 per year.
To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm
We encourage you to support UFA Business members  - see list at http://www.ufa-fish.org/bm.htm

September 29, 2011

UFA will meet in Homer, October 25-27. Stay tuned at UFA home page for a possible change in meeting room location pending discussion among UFA Board members.

Support UFA by becoming a member - see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Support the Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) Japan Fund: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG 
To go directly to donation by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE

Contents:
1.  NOAA Fisheries asks fishery council to take another look at halibut plan
2. 4,185 comment on halibut Catch Sharing Plan
3. Begich Statement on Further Review of Halibut Catch Sharing Plan
4. ADN: Move to cut charter bag limit may not help, will hurt for sure
5. Avoid taking sides on halibut issue and stick to the facts
6. Keep halibut catch sharing facts in mind
7. Economic analysis of controversial halibut plan easier said than done
8. NMFS posts 2011 GHL for Charter Halibut areas 2C & 3A
10. AK Journal of Commerce Fish Bytes: A chat with IPHC biologist Gregg Williams
11. 2011 IPHC Interim Meeting Announcement –Nov 30 & Dec 1
12. UAF Study examines availability of seafood to Kenai Peninsula area residents
13. Life In Balance: The Tongass Rainforest and Commercial Salmon Fishing
14. KRSA asks Board of Fisheries to take up king salmon plan
15. Alaska Board of Fisheries proposal & meetings - recent documents
16. AK- Senate Resources to hear public comment on SB24 - Sport Fishing Guiding Services  
17. NPFMC agenda for Dutch Harbor, Sept 26 – Oct 4 (Salmon FMP & more)
18. ACLs in the Northeast bring accountability measures to recreational sector
19. Senator Murkowski: Bipartisan Group of Senators Announce Formation of Oceans Caucus
20. Senator Murkowski: “Without Healthy Oceans, We Do Not Have a Healthy Planet”
21. Murkowski: Alaska’s Fisheries To Receive “Smart, Targeted” Support
22. Senator Patty Murray: Deficit Reduction: I Want to Hear from You
23. House Resources Hearing on National Ocean Policy – Oct 4
24. NOAA: U.S. domestic seafood landings and values increase in 2010
25. Dr. Jane Lubchenco And Maria Damanaki: Pirates are stealing fish
26. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Passes Coast Guard Reauthorization
27. Trident Seafoods Corp. to Pay $2.5 Million to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations and Spend More Than $30 Million to Upgrade Processing Plants
28. Copper River salmon are a vital resource
29. Ketchikan to host shellfish events in October
30. Homer art exhibit 'Faces of Fishing' brings fishermen together — literally
31. Rhymes of the mariners: Fishermen gather in Kenai to share poetry, inspiration
32. Murkowski Speaks Out About Her Former Fisheries Aide’s Federal Violations
33. Former Crew Members Attempted to Turn in Fuglvog
34. Two Subsistence Users wanted for Federal Subsistence Board - Deadline October 31
35. Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils meeting schedule:
36. Interior Secty Salazar honors Subsistence Sharing Network among Partners in Conservation
37. NSF study underway on Social Transitions in Kodiak Fisheries
38. ASMI: Apply now for the Alaska FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management Chain of Custody
39. ASMI announce the new in-country representative in Japan
40. ASMI help wanted: Retail /Foodservice Program (Domestic) Marketing Specialist – Seattle
41. DNR: Public Input Sought for Permit Streamlining – ADFG, DNR & DEC
42. Judge sides with state in lawsuit targeting Pebble mine
43. For Healthy, Sustainable Fish: Buy American
44. NOAA Seeks Fisheries Histories from Alaska
45.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
46. NPRB Report Shares Highlights of 2009-2010
47. SE Transportation Plan posted for comment, public meetings scheduled
48. Comment by October 12 on Columbia R. Sea Lion take for ESA listed Salmon and Steelhead
49. NOAA releases results of 2011 Bering Sea Groundfish Survey
50. USDA posts Aquaculture statistics
51. Comment Deadline Nov 16 on Waivers of Crew Citizenship Requirements
52. USDA amends Farm-Raised Fish Emergency Assistance Program
53. EPA report: Aquatic Ecosystems, Water Quality, and Global Change; Challenges of Conducting Multi-stressor Vulnerability Assessments
54. NPFMC Crab Industry Advisory Meeting Oct 13 – Seattle (Unalaska & Kodiak by Tele)
55. Alaska Seafood Logo Decals – Vessel Size –available free from ASMI
56. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today
57. 2011 Preliminary Alaska Commercial Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet updated 9/16

1.  NOAA Fisheries asks fishery council to take another look at halibut plan
Dutch Harbor, AK – Citing policy and technical issues raised by public comments, NOAA Fisheries yesterday asked members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to take another look at the proposed halibut catch sharing plan for Southeast and Southcentral Alaska…

 “After our initial review, we believe that a number of the comments raised issues that may require additional input from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council before NOAA Fisheries can proceed to a final rule,” Merrill told the Council. “We are still moving forward with the rule-making process, but we are getting some issues clarified and refining the rule based on public comments and additional Council input.”  

Specifically, numerous commenters raised concerns about:
(1) Management implications at lower levels of abundance;
(2) Economic impacts of the catch sharing plan; and
(3) Methods for calculating the average weight for guided angler fish that may be leased from commercial IFQ operators reporting guided angler fish…

 NOAA Press release 9/29: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/halibut092911.htm

AJC Andrew Jensen: NMFS asks for more input on halibut plan
http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/
October-2011/NMFS-asks-for-more-input-on-halibut-plan/

2. 4,185 comment on halibut Catch Sharing Plan
With the comment period ended on Sept. 21 for the proposed halibut Catch Sharing Plan, 4,185 replies have been received by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. The comments include electronic, fax and postal submissions, said Julie Speegle, a public affairs officer for NOAA Fisheries, Alaska…
Comments can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;rpp=10;po=0
;D=NOAA-NMFS-2011-0180 .

Homer News:
http://www.homernews.com/stories/092811/news_cohcsp.
shtml#.ToPU5llI6lc

3. Begich Statement on Further Review of Halibut Catch Sharing Plan
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich released the following statement after NOAA Fisheries announced a delay in the implementation of a halibut catch sharing plan in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska:
“Announcement of a delay in the implementation of the halibut catch sharing plan will please some Alaskans and disappoint others but in the end there’s a lot more work to be done on this longstanding, divisive issue and some tough decisions to be made in the interim…
http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID
=f7ac47a3-9e6e-4ca1-9afb-d5deb95d6cbf

4. ADN: Move to cut charter bag limit may not help, will hurt for sure
http://www.adn.com/2011/09/17/2073871/our-view-move
-to-cut-charter-bag.html

5. Avoid taking sides on halibut issue and stick to the facts
ADN Letter to the Editor by Rhonda Hubbard
http://www.adn.com/2011/09/20/2079375/avoid-taking-
sides-on-halibut.html

6. Keep halibut catch sharing facts in mind
ADN Compass by Brent Western
http://www.adn.com/2011/09/19/2077540/keep-halibut-
catch-sharing-facts.html

7. Economic analysis of controversial halibut plan easier said than done
http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/
September-2011/Economic-analysis-of-controversial-halibut-p
lan-easier-said-than-done/

8. NMFS posts 2011 GHL for Charter Halibut areas 2C & 3A
Pacific Halibut Fishery; Guideline Harvest Levels for the Guided Sport Fishery for Pacific Halibut in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A

SUMMARY: NMFS provides notice of the 2011 Pacific halibut guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for the guided sport fishery in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) Regulatory Areas 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Central Gulf of Alaska). This notice is necessary to meet the regulatory requirement to publish notice announcing the GHLs
and to inform the public about the 2011 GHLs for the guided sport fishery for halibut. The GHLs are benchmark harvest levels for participants in the guided sport fishery. The 2011 GHLs remain the same as the 2010 GHLs; the Area 2C GHL is 788,000 lbs (357.4 mt); and the Area 3A GHL is 3,650,000 lbs (1,655.6 mt).
…The GHLs are effective February 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011…
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-02/html/2011-22585.htm

10. AK Journal of Commerce Fish Bytes: A chat with IPHC biologist Gregg Williams
http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/
September-2011/Fish-Bytes/

11. 2011 IPHC Interim Meeting Announcement –Nov 30 & Dec 1
The International Pacific Halibut Commission’s 2011 Interim Meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, on November 30 and December 1 at the offices of the IPHC (2320 W. Commodore Way, Suite 300, Seattle, WA).

On Wednesday, November 30th at 1:00 P.M. (PST), there will be a webcast briefing on the stock assessment and staff’s preliminary recommended catch limits for 2012. The webcast is open to the public…
There will be a public webcast presentation on 2011 research projects and proposed projects for the future on Thursday, December 1, from 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. (PST)…

Registration for the two webcasts as well as other Interim Meeting information can be found at: http://www.iphc.int/meetings-and-events.html

IPHC news release:
http://www.iphc.int/meetings-and-events.html

12. UAF Study examines availability of seafood to Kenai Peninsula area residents
Lindsay Johnson, Homer News
Do you eat fish? If you do, where do you get it? Do you get it as often as you want to? Can you afford it?
Soon, if they haven't already, 1,500 Kenai Peninsula residences will receive a post card from the University of Alaska Fairbanks asking them to answer six questions like these as part of a new study about food security on the Kenai Peninsula…
She said that with the abundance of food resources available on the peninsula, the idea that some residents can't access enough good food might seem strange.
But it seems to be true. From interviews conducted around the region last month, Harrison said need is up at area food pantries and a number of barriers prevent people from benefiting from local foods.
"It makes no difference if a fish is here, but if it's like $20 a pound nobody can afford it, it might as well not be here," Harrison said, also pointing out that a person can't buy a locally caught fish at a grocery store in Homer.
http://www.homernews.com/stories/092811/news_seaos.shtml
#.ToTjp1muPBI

13. Life In Balance: The Tongass Rainforest and Commercial Salmon Fishing
Video Online, featuring Salmon in the Trees Author Amy Gullick, thanks to Marine Conservation Alliance
http://www.youtube.com/user/AbundantOceans#p/u/6/htb0J0SWlY8

MCA Home page: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/

Also be sure to check out SeaAlliance if you use Facebook or Twitter.

And if you plan to be in Juneau:
The "Salmon in the Trees" exhibit will be on display until Oct. 27. at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center (350 Whittier Street)
http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/092111/
new_888596315.shtml

14. KRSA asks Board of Fisheries to take up king salmon plan
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce
Kenai River Sportfishing Association is asking the Board of Fisheries to take up king salmon management outside the normal cycle in response to a late-run return that might have fallen below the lower end of escapement goals.

In comments prepared for the board work session Oct. 4-5 in Anchorage, Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported the late run of king salmon to the Kenai River was at or below the lower end of escapement goals for the last three years…

The Upper Cook Inlet board cycle had its three-year meeting this past March, and for it to take up the Kenai River king management it would have to accept an ACR to consider it at an upcoming meeting.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/
October-2011/Kenai-River-anglers-ask-board-to-take-up-king-
salmon-plan/

15. Alaska Board of Fisheries proposal & meetings - recent documents
·  Corrections to Board of Fisheries Proposal 215 (PDF 108 kB)
·  Notice of Proposed Changes In The Regulations of The Alaska Board of Fisheries (PDF 18 kB)
·  Corrections to Board of Fisheries Proposals 107, 109, 111 and 112 (PDF 7 kB)
·  ACRs for Board of Fisheries Worksession (PDF 240 kB)
·  Corrections to Board of Fisheries Proposals 289 and 298 (PDF 68 kB)
·  Board of Fisheries 2011-2012 Proposal Book (PDF 1,991 kB)
·  Board of Fisheries 2011–2012 Meeting Schedule (PDF 53 kB)
All these and more can be found at:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.main

16. AK- Senate Resources to hear public comment on SB24 - Sport Fishing Guiding Services  
Oct 10 Monday 9:00 AM Anchorage LIO Conference Room, and by teleconference from LIOs.
  The public testimony schedule will be as follows: 
  9:00-10:15 am Southeast LIOs  
  10:30am-12:00pm Kenai Peninsula LIOs  
  1:30-3:00pm Anch/Mat-Su, Glenallen & Valdez LIOs  
  3:00-4:00pm Fairbanks, Tok & Delta Junction LIOs  
  4:00-5:00pm Kodiak/Western AK LIOs 

For SB 24 Bill tracking and text see:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session=27&bill=SB24 

17. NPFMC agenda for Dutch Harbor, Sept 26 – Oct 4 (Salmon FMP & more)
The Council's Agenda for the September/October meeting in Dutch Harbor is online at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/1011agenda.pdf

Documents are posted at the NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

18. ACLs in the Northeast bring accountability measures to recreational sector
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures; Final Rule

“Existing proactive accountability measures, including commercial trip and possession limits, commercial fishery closure authority, and commercial fishery overage repayments are being retained and codified as AMs through the Omnibus Amendment. In addition, new AMs are established to close recreational fisheries when data in hand indicate ACLs have been met or exceeded, as well as establishing lb-for-lb repayment of any catch above established ACLs for all fisheries.

In today’s federal register:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-29/html/
2011-24511.htm 

19. Senator Murkowski: Bipartisan Group of Senators Announce Formation of Oceans Caucus
Washington, DC – With our oceans and coastal resources, and the economies and jobs they support, facing constant and increasingly direct pressure from a variety of sources, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators today met to form a new Senate Oceans Caucus.  The Caucus will work to increase awareness and find common ground in responding to issues facing the oceans and coasts, which support millions of jobs in America and contribute more to the country’s GDP than the entire farm sector, grossing more than $230 billion in 2004.
Following today's inaugural meeting, the members announced that U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will serve as Caucus Co-Chairs.  Senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), as Chair and Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the Senate Oceans Caucus to promote effective coordination with the subcommittee.  Other Caucus members are Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Scott Brown (R-MA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), John Kerry (D-MA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Senator Murkowski Press Release:
http://www.oceanleadership.org/2011/bipartisan-group-of-senators
-announce-formation-of-oceans-caucus/

20. Senator Murkowski: “Without Healthy Oceans, We Do Not Have a Healthy Planet”
Senator Murkowski Launches Bipartisan Oceans Caucus with Co-Chair Senator Whitehouse
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&
ContentRecord_id=67930120-31c0-43a7-8411-2f5e429e8a9c&
ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&Group
_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624&MonthDisplay=9&Y
earDisplay=2011

21. Murkowski: Alaska’s Fisheries To Receive “Smart, Targeted” Support
Appropriations Subcommittee Okays Salmon, Fishery Funding Amounts for 2012..
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases
&ContentRecord_id=485a1dfb-d0cc-4d71-b7fc-e66f8ae1a07b&
ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&Group
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earDisplay=2011

22. Senator Patty Murray: Deficit Reduction: I Want to Hear from You
Over the next few months, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will need to find a balanced approach to addressing our debt and deficit, growing our economy, and putting Americans back to work. As Co-Chair of this bipartisan commission, I am working hard to bring members together around a bipartisan plan that works for families in Washington state. But I also know that we have a difficult challenge in front of us and that we need to marshal every idea and resource we can to complete this difficult task. That’s why I want to hear from you.
Please go to my comment form where you can submit your new, innovative, and most importantly – practical – approaches that could be implemented by the Joint Select Committee to help move our country in the right direction. At this critical time for our country your involvement is important to ensuring that we can find common ground solutions that work for real families. I look forward to hearing your ideas.
http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/deficit-reduction#friends

23. House Resources Hearing on National Ocean Policy – Oct 4
Full Committee Oversight Hearing on "The President’s New National Ocean Policy - A Plan for Further Restrictions on Ocean, Coastal and Inland Activities"
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 10:00 AM..
For details see:
http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?
EventID=261864

24. NOAA: U.S. domestic seafood landings and values increase in 2010
Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska and New Bedford, Mass. are top fishing ports
U.S. commercial fishermen landed 8.2 billion pounds of seafood in 2010, valued at $4.5 billion, an increase of 200 million pounds and more than $600 million in value over 2009, according to a new report released today by NOAA. This report shows U.S. fishermen, who meet high environmental and safety standards, continue to be competitive in the dynamic, fast-paced global seafood marketplace…
NOAA Press release:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/docs/2011/sep/
fus_sept2011.pdf

Fisheries of the United States report: http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/fus/fus10/index.html

Commercial landings: http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/commercial/index.html

25. Dr. Jane Lubchenco And Maria Damanaki: Pirates are stealing fish
From Saving Seafood.com:           
http://www.savingseafood.org/index2.php?option=com_
content&task=view&id=5662&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=156

NOAA: U.S., European Union to strengthen cooperation to combat illegal fishing (9/9/11)
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/docs/2011/sep/07
_iuu_fishing_agreement.pdf

26. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Passes Coast Guard Reauthorization
(Washington D.C., Sep 8 )
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed H.R. 2838, The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011 out of committee today. This legislation authorizes the Coast Guard to spend $8.49 billion for FY 2012, $8.6 billion for FY 2013, and $8.7 billion for FY 2014. Alaskan Congressman Don Young worked hard to ensure that several provisions important to Alaska were included in this legislation such as the Alaska delegation’s Maritime Lien Reform Act (H.R. 1210)…

Congressman Don Young press release (lists more projects beneficial to Alaska):
http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?
DocumentID=258920

27. Trident Seafoods Corp. to Pay $2.5 Million to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations and Spend More Than $30 Million to Upgrade Processing Plants
Settlement to reduce discharges of seafood processing waste by more than 100 million pounds annually
(Seattle | Sept. 28, 2011) “Today’s settlement is truly a ‘game changer’,” said Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “Trident is definitely changing course and seriously investing in waste management and increased fish meal plant capacity. We share Trident’s view that this settlement will be better for the environment as well as their bottom line. We’re establishing a new 'best management practices' yardstick for Alaska’s seafood processing industry.”

More information on the settlement and a copy of the consent decree: http://epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/
tridentseafoods.html  

28. Copper River salmon are a vital resource
ADN COMPASS: Other points of view
By BRIAN RUTZER
As cooler weather and shorter days come to Alaska, a beautiful harbinger of fall is making its annual migration back to Cordova streams -- Copper River coho salmon. Together with its king and sockeye cousins, the Copper River run lasts five months, from mid-May through the end of September. I've been fishing the Copper River for 20 years, and, as any fisherman here will tell you, coho season is a wild ride -- unpredictable returns and the potential for big storms can either bring a sweet ending to the season or a chance to pack the net up early. However fishing wraps up this fall, this seasonal economy supports and feeds the hundreds of fishermen, businesses and families in Cordova, throughout Alaska and beyond…
http://www.adn.com/2011/09/16/2072631/copper-river-salmon-
are-a-vital.html

29. Ketchikan to host shellfish events in October
SCOTT BOWLEN, Ketchikan Daily News
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Alaska shellfish growers, harvesters, regulators and aficionados will be gathering in Ketchikan late in October for four days of meetings and educational opportunities, capped by the second annual Alaska Shellfish Festival up at the Ted Ferry Civic Center.

"I think for anyone interested in aquaculture, it's going to be a real exciting time," said Rodger Painter, president of the Alaskan Shellfish Growers Association that has scheduled its annual meeting for Oct. 28-29 in Ketchikan.

The series of shellfish-related events actually will start Oct. 26 with a meeting of the OceansAlaska Industry Advisory Committee…

On Oct. 27 will be a day-long shellfish aquaculture educational opportunity sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sea Grant Aquaculture Program.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Ketchikan-to-host-shellfish-
events-in-October-2189666.php

Oceans Alaska announcement: http://www.oceansalaska.org/oa2/pages/news10_10.html

30. Homer art exhibit 'Faces of Fishing' brings fishermen together — literally
http://homernews.com/stories/091411/arts_fofbft.shtml#
.TnGOqOz3GWE

31. Rhymes of the mariners: Fishermen gather in Kenai to share poetry, inspiration
http://juneauempire.com/state/2011-09-19/rhymes-mariners-
fishermen-gather-kenai-share-poetry-inspiration#.ToUCW1muPBI

32. Murkowski Speaks Out About Her Former Fisheries Aide’s Federal Violations
By Sean Doogan
Murkowski: “I disagree there’s a smoking gun” that Arne Fuglvog’s plea is evidence of conspiracy among commercial interests

Sen. Lisa Murkowski also speaks with KTVA’s Sean Doogan about halibut fishing restrictions, weighing scientific evidence against political interests and potential effects on Alaska’s tourism industry.
Video: http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Murkowski-
Speaks-Out-About-Her-Former-Fisheries-Aides-Federal-Violations-
128973663.html 

33. Former Crew Members Attempted to Turn in Fuglvog
.. Now, former crew members are coming forward saying they tried to turn Fuglvog in to authorities for years, and felt like they were ignored…
APRN Audio:
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/26/alaska-news-nightly
-september-26-2011/

Note no mention of UFA of any individuals we know – we appreciate professional journalism.

34. Two Subsistence Users wanted for Federal Subsistence Board - Deadline October 31
…One proposed regulatory change has recently been finalized that would expand the Federal Subsistence Board by adding two public members appointed by the Secretary of the Interior with the concurrence of the Secretary of Agriculture. This action will afford additional stakeholder input to the Federal Subsistence Board process…
Nominations and applications for the two public member positions on the Federal Subsistence Board are now being solicited and welcomed through October 31, 2011…
The Secretary is seeking public members who have:
•  “Personal knowledge of and direct experience with subsistence uses in rural Alaska” (from the Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 100.10 {76FR56109});
•  Experience with and knowledge of the federal subsistence management program;
•  A commitment to the purposes and goals of the subsistence provisions (Title VIII) of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA);
•  An ability to listen to and understand competing views;
•  An ability to make fair and objective decisions on complex biological and allocative issues.
Department of the Interior News Sept 12 – Application Instructions:
http://www.doi.gov/whatwedo/subsistencereview/FSB-public-
members.cfm

Related Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-12/html/2011-
23243.htm

35. Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils meeting schedule:
Sep. 27-29, 2011               Southeast Alaska Regional Advisory Council - Wrangell  
Sep. 29-30, 2011               Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Advisory Council -TBA  
Oct. 3-4, 2011               Southcentral Alaska Regional Advisory Council - Cantwell  
Oct. 4-5, 2011               Western Interior Alaska Regional Advisory Council -  Aniak  
Oct. 11-13, 2011               Eastern Interior Alaska Regional Advisory Council - Fairbanks  
Oct. 12-13, 2011               Bristol Bay Regional Advisory Council - Dillingham  
Oct. 18-19, 2011               Northwest Arctic Regional Advisory Council - Anchorage  
Oct. 18-19, 2011               North Slope Arctic Regional Advisory Council - Anchorage  
Jan. 17-19, 2012               Federal Subsistence Board to Meet in Anchorage   

Federal Subsistence Board meeting and deadlines page:
http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/deadline.cfml

36. Interior Secty Salazar honors Subsistence Sharing Network among Partners in Conservation
… “Exemplifying best practices for sustainable resource management within the Department of the Interior, the Subsistence Sharing Network is working to quantify the traditional values of cooperative and reciprocal relationships among Alaska Native people. Through their studies, the network is setting new professional standards for how social science projects could be conducted on the North Slope to achieve broad community support and participation, with responsible dissemination of research results.
Nominated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

UAF School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences blog item:
http://snras.blogspot.com/2011/09/snras-project-receives-
national.html

Dept. of Interior press release: http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Honors-
Partners-in-Conservation-Award-Winners.cfm

Event Program including list and description of awardees is online at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/loader.cfm?csModule=se
curity/getfile&pageid=259351

37. NSF study underway on Social Transitions in Kodiak Fisheries
From Kodiak Representative Alan Austerman:
“Recently our staff was in touch with Dr. Courtney Carothers, who does anthropological research on fisheries and communities. She gave us a heads-up on a research project currently underway in Kodiak. It sounds like an interesting project…”
http://www.alanausterman.com/?p=1808

Thanks to Representative Austerman

38. ASMI: Apply now for the Alaska FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management Chain of Custody
THE ALASKA SEAFOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE ALASKA FAO-BASED RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT (RFM) CHAIN OF CUSTODY
The Chain of Custody Standard ensures that only Alaska Seafood products bearing a statement “sourced from a certified Alaska fishery” can make this claim. It will give confidence to all buyers of the seafood that it can be traced back through the supply chain to the certified fishery that was certified as part of the Alaska FAO-Based Responsible Fisheries Management Program
http://sustainability.alaskaseafood.org/chain-of-custody-2

ASMI home page: http://www.alaskaseafood.org/

39. ASMI announce the new in-country representative in Japan
After an extensive RFP process that was conducted this summer, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is pleased to announce that AVIAREPS Marketing Garden (Holdings) Ltd. of Tokyo , Japan was selected and will be its new In-Country representative in Japan to market Alaska Seafood effective Oct 1, 2011.
http://pressroom.alaskaseafood.org/new/

40. ASMI help wanted: Retail /Foodservice Program (Domestic) Marketing Specialist – Seattle
Application deadline October 7 – for job description see:
http://pressroom.alaskaseafood.org/careers-2/

41. DNR: Public Input Sought for Permit Streamlining – ADFG, DNR & DEC
(Anchorage, AK) -  The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is launching an outreach effort to gather public feedback for state resource agencies as they seek ways to streamline the permitting process. The departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Game and Environmental Conservation are evaluating their permitting processes for efficiency improvements at the request of Governor Sean Parnell.

“We welcome public input on how to make our permitting system more timely, efficient and predictable,” said DNR Commissioner Dan Sullivan.

DNR has launched a Web page that provides information about some of the major issues under review by the agencies. The Web page includes a feedback form for the public to submit their comments and ideas electronically. At this point, the agencies have not begun a formal comment period as they have yet to propose any revisions to statutes or regulations.

DNR is planning to host a series of public forums throughout Alaska this fall to gather additional public input on the permitting review. The meeting schedule will be posted on the Web page, in addition to other methods of notification.

Web page: http://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/Priorities/Permitting_
Reform.html

DNR press release:
http://dnr.alaska.gov/shared/mediareleases/dsp_media_release.cfm
?id=1597&title=Public%20input%20sought%20for%20permit%2
0streamlining

42. Judge sides with state in lawsuit targeting Pebble mine
APPEAL POSSIBLE: Notice not required for exploratory permits.
By BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press, September 28th

JUNEAU -- A Superior Court judge in Anchorage has sided with the state in a legal battle over the Pebble mine project.
Judge Eric Aarseth, in a written ruling Monday, found that the state was not required to give public notice before issuing exploratory permits for the project site. He also found the state didn't need to study the potential impacts of the activity first…
http://www.adn.com/2011/09/27/2091876/judge-sides-with-
state-in-pebble.html

43. For Healthy, Sustainable Fish: Buy American
Last night, President Barack Obama delivered an address to Congress laying out his plan for job creation in America. In the most recent version of this column, I did the same, at least for the fishing industry. Though admittedly my work lacked some of the pomp and circumstance of a joint address to Congress, it suggests one key to fishing jobs is greater investment in fisheries science, which would reduce the uncertainty forcing regulators to keep catch limits low, thereby allowing fishermen to catch more fish. That’s a classic supply-side solution. But there’s another side to that equation as well: greater demand…

American Progress - Fish on Fridays column by Michael Conathan
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/09/fof_090911.html

44. NOAA Seeks Fisheries Histories from Alaska
By Daysha Eaton, KDLG - Dillingham | September 20, 2011
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is calling for Oral history submissions from Alaska.    It’s for their project, ‘Voices From The Fisheries’.    NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service started the project back in 2007, but stories from Alaska have been slow to come in…
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/20/noaa-seeks-fisheries
-histories-from-alaska/

Voices of the Fisheries project page - How to participate:
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/voicesfromthefisheries/how_to
_participate.html

45.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
9/29/11 King crab a go in Southeast New voice for AK Bering Sea crab industry
9/28/11 Fish stories wanted from Alaska
9/27/11 Survey results, bycatch report, friendly Trident, Yardarm Knot sale
9/26/11 Fish updates – king crab, dive fisheries, etc
9/23/11Chilean farmed salmon coming back on line
6/3/11 Bycatch to food banks program expands to Gulf of AK‏‏‏
All are online at
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?page_id=846

46. NPRB Report Shares Highlights of 2009-2010
 A new report shares important Board milestones over the last two years, including the funding of over 50 new projects through the annual requests for proposals, bringing the total as of 2010 to 252 projects for $41.5 million. The large ecosystem project in the Bering Sea wrapped up its field seasons and began synthesizing results, while the $17.5 Gulf of Alaksa Integrated Ecosystem Research Program launched in the fall.

A PDF of the full report is available here:
 http://www.nprb.org/documents/NPRB2009-10Report_final_web.pdf

North Pacific Research Board home page: http://www.nprb.org/

47. SE Transportation Plan posted for comment, public meetings scheduled
Info and meeting schedule is online at: http://dot.alaska.gov/sereg/projects/satp/index.shtml

48. Comment by October 12 on Columbia R. Sea Lion take for ESA listed Salmon and Steelhead
NMFS received an application under section 120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) from the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington (states) requesting authorization to intentionally take, by lethal methods, individually identifiable California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) that prey on Pacific salmon and steelhead (Onchorhyncus spp.) listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon. This authorization is requested as part of a larger effort to protect and recover listed salmonid stocks in the river. Pursuant to the MMPA, NMFS has determined that the application contains sufficient information to warrant convening a Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task
Force (Task Force), which will occur after the close of the public comment period. NMFS solicits comments on the application and other relevant information related to pinniped predation at Bonneville Dam.
DATES: Comments and information must be received by October 12, 2011.
Federal Register Notice:
 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-12/html/
2011-23266.htm

WDFW Columbia River Sea Lion page: Restoring balance between predators and salmon http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/sealions/

Humane Society Bonneville Dams Sea Lions Under Siege:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/fisheries/timelines/
bonneville_dam_sea_lions_under_siege.html

49. NOAA releases results of 2011 Bering Sea Groundfish Survey
How much fish and crab can be sustainably caught by fishers in the Bering Sea next year?
The annual process to set total allowable catch levels for various groundfish and crab species in the Bering Sea took a big step forward this week, when NOAA scientists from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center completed calculating the initial biomass estimates from the 2011 eastern Bering Sea survey…
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/beringsurvey
092211.pdf

50. USDA posts Aquaculture statistics
The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) has released its latest aquaculture data set, which provides statistics on domestically grown catfish and trout and U.S. trade in marine fish and shellfish such as salmon, shrimp, and oysters. The ERS Aquaculture Data Set is available at www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Aquaculture.

51. Comment Deadline Nov 16 on Waivers of Crew Citizenship Requirements
The Coast Guard proposes to add to its regulations a description of the procedures for requesting and processing waivers of citizenship requirements on commercial fishing vessels. The Coast Guard aims to improve its efforts to inform the commercial fishing industry of this opportunity by publishing the application procedure policy into
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before November 16, 2011 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date. Comments sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on the collection of information must reach OMB on or before November 16, 2011…
Federal Register Notice Aug 18:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-08-18/html/
2011-21024.htm
&
Correction to above – see corrected RIN #
In the Federal Register of August 18, 2011, in FR Vol. 76, No. 160, on page 51317, in the first column, correct the RIN to read: RIN 1625-AB61.
Federal Register Correction posted Sept 14:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-20/html/
2011-24055.htm

52. USDA amends Farm-Raised Fish Emergency Assistance Program
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has issued a Final Rule for amendments and corrections to the regulations for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-08-31/html/2011-22323.htm
USDA Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program - Farm-Raised Fish Assistance – program home page:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?area=newsroom&subjec
t=landing&topic=pfs&newstype=prfactsheet&type=detail&item=pf_2
0100401_distr_en_fish10.html

53. EPA report: Aquatic Ecosystems, Water Quality, and Global Change; Challenges of Conducting Multi-stressor Vulnerability Assessments
EPA is releasing a final report entitled, Aquatic Ecosystems, Water Quality, and Global Change: Challenges of Conducting Multi-stressor Vulnerability Assessments, (EPA/600/R-11/011F). The document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development.
    This report investigates the issues and challenges associated with identifying, calculating, and mapping indicators of the relative vulnerability of water quality and aquatic ecosystems across the United States to the potential impacts of global change…
Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-06/html/2011-
22669.htm

Final Report home page: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/global/recordisplay.cfm?deid=231508

54. NPFMC Crab Industry Advisory Meeting Oct 13 – Seattle (Unalaska & Kodiak by Tele)
The Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee will meet October 13, 2011 at the Leif Erickson Hall in Ballard, WA. In Alaska, listening sites for the meeting will be located at the Unalaska City Hall and in Kodiak listening site to be announced.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-21/html/2011-24210.htm

55. Alaska Seafood Logo Decals – Vessel Size –available free from ASMI
AK registered commercial fishing vessels can receive the ALASKA SEAFOOD decal -all they have to do is call the ASMI office at 907-465-5560. ASMI also has banners, flags  for boats that do not have space to stick the decals) bumper stickers, window decals.

56. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today http://www.fishsafe.info/contactform.htm

57. 2011 Preliminary Alaska Commercial Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet updated 9/16
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyfishery
salmon.bluesheet

&  Inseason Alaska Commercial Salmon Summary:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyfishery
salmon.bluesheetsummary

Inclusion of an item does not mean UFA or any individuals agree, endorse the point of view, or have verified statements presented as facts.

UFA dues for Alaska Individual members are $150 and are now open to holders of Alaska commercial crew licenses, in addition to CFEC permit holders and IFQ holders.
We also welcome crew/supporter nonvoting members at $50 per year.
To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm
We encourage you to support UFA Business members  - see list at http://www.ufa-fish.org/bm.htm

August 29, 2011

Support UFA by becoming a member - see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Support the Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) Japan Fund: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG 
To go directly to donation by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE

Contents:
1. House Special Committee on Fisheries - Overview Hearing on Pacific Halibut Management – Sept 1, 1:00 PM, Anchorage
2. Comment Deadline September 6 on Charter Halibut Catch Sharing Plan
3. Charter sector faces changes, but not like closures set in Canada
4. Charter operators explore plan to purchase pool of quota
5. Alaska Seafood Logo Decals – Vessel Size –available free from ASMI
6. Confusion, controversy mar end to Cook Inlet sockeye season
7. ADFG addresses criticism after sockeye season
8. Experts agree on the first international guidelines on responsible recreational fisheries
9. PWSAC Gulkana hatchery - A high-country Garden of Eden for red salmon
10. NPFMC agenda for Dutch Harbor, Sept 26 – Oct 4 (Salmon FMP & more)
11. My turn: Faulty Columbia Basin salmon plan bad for salmon and jobs
12. Is there room for young captains in the Alaska fishery?
13. National Fish Habitat Action Plan posts State habitat fact sheets
14. ADFG Outreach Aims to Help Anglers Conserve Rockfish through Avoidance, Proper Deepwater Release
15. Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Lodestar ENewsletter:
16. Boats drop pots for Alaska king crab in the Bering Sea
17. Public forum needed on plan to barge mining materials down the Taku River
18. White House urges end to programs that can make dangerous jobs safer
19. Pebble advertising wars heat up as sides seek support
20. In poll, commercial fishermen come out against Pebble mine
21. AK Supreme Court allows Pebble initiative onto October ballot
22. AFS "Fisheries and Hard Rock Mining" symposium Sept 6th Seattle.
23. Symposium and Workshop on Electronic Fishery Information Systems Sept. 9
24. Alaska Sea Grant hosts 27th Wakefield Fisheries Symposium September 14-17,
25. First class graduates from Maine cod farming academy
26.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
27. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today http://www.fishsafe.info/contactform.htm
28. 2011 Preliminary Alaska Commercial Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet updated 8/26
29. Deadline September 28 for Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund (AKSSF)
30. Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils to Hold Meetings Statewide
31. Comment Deadline September 26 on BSAI Groundfish Amendment 80 Criteria

1. House Special Committee on Fisheries - Overview Hearing on Pacific Halibut Management – Sept 1, 1:00 PM, Anchorage
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_hearing.asp?session=
27&Chamb=B&Date1=08%2F29%2F2011&Date2=09%2F0
1%2F2011&Comty=&Root=&Sel=1&Button=Display

Contact your legislator – interim phone list: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/docs/pdf/InterimPhoneList.pdf

Locate your legislator: http://www.elections.alaska.gov/vi_eo_state_dist.php

Testimony by invitation – UFA thanks Committee Chairman Representative Steve Thompson for the invitation to speak.

2. Comment Deadline September 6 on Charter Halibut Catch Sharing Plan

NOAA's Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a draft rule, called a catch sharing plan, designed to sustainably manage the halibut stock in southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the rule to establish a clear allocation between the commercial and charter sectors that fish in these areas.
The proposed catch sharing plan, which is scheduled to be in place by 2012, is designed to foster a sustainable fishery by preventing overharvesting of halibut and would introduce provisions that provide flexibility for charter and commercial fishermen.
NOAA News Release:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/halibutstock072111.htm

NOAA Sport Halibut page: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/halibut/sport.htm.

Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=FR+PR+N+O+SR
+PS;rpp=10;po=0;D=NOAA-NMFS-2011-0180

Federal Register Notice: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/prules/76fr44156.pdf

3. Charter sector faces changes, but not like closures set in Canada
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce

Charter halibut operators concerned about how a proposed rule to divide the harvest between their sector and the commercial fishery can take solace in one thing: at least they're not in Canada.

The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans closed the recreational halibut fishery effective Sept. 5 because sport fishermen have reached their harvest allocation for the season.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/082611/fis_csfcbnl.shtml
&
Halibut plan offers way around limits, for a price
(Andrew Jensen, AK Journal of Commerce)
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/080511/fis_hpowalf.shtml

&
Halibut conservation should be a shared responsibility
(Kate Troll in Juneau Empire)
http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2011-08-27/halibut-conservation
-should-be-shared-responsibility

4. Charter operators explore plan to purchase pool of quota
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce

The bumper stickers aren't as common as they once were in Sitka, but the tension they expressed between commercial and charter halibut fishermen is still there…

The idea of a pooled charter purchase from the commercial fleet isn't a new one, said Kathy Hansen of the Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance…

Julianne Curry, executive director of Petersburg Vessel Owners Association, attended two CATCH meetings, one in Petersburg and one in Sitka…Curry said dealbreakers would be the charter sector attempting to prevent the CSP from being implemented in 2012, or seeking larger allocations under the plan.

Curry noted she purchased quota shares worth 7,000 pounds of halibut in 2007. This year, those same shares amounted to 1,700 pounds.

"It doesn't pass the red face test to say, 'I need more fish,'" Curry said.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/081211/fis_coeptp.shtml

5. Alaska Seafood Logo Decals – Vessel Size –available free from ASMI
AK registered commercial fishing vessels can receive the ALASKA SEAFOOD decal -all they have to do is call the ASMI office at 907-465-5560. ASMI also has banners, flags  for boats that do not have space to stick the decals) bumper stickers, window decals.

6. Confusion, controversy mar end to Cook Inlet sockeye season
Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce (8/12)
Upended regulations, costly logistical nightmares and concern over Kenai River king salmon marred a historic return of sockeye to Cook Inlet this season…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/081211/fis_ccmetis.shtml

7. ADFG addresses criticism after sockeye season
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce

Swift Arrow Capt. Dyer VanDevere may have gotten the first standing ovation ever received by a drifter from dipnetters after he pulled up to the north shore of the Kasilof River July 16 and started handing out free sockeye…see Photo Courtesy of Dyer VanDevere at link below.              

After "threading the needle" with salmon management decisions in Cook Inlet throughout July, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commercial Fishing Director Jeff Regnart hopes one of the last calls of the season doesn't unravel the work of his staff up to that point.

Faced with a sockeye return that ranked among the top five all time and what may end up as the lowest return of Kenai River king salmon ever, ADFG was under even more scrutiny than usual in the most hotly contested fishery in Alaska…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/081811/fis_adcass.shtml

8. Experts agree on the first international guidelines on responsible recreational fisheries
An International Expert Consultation convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) agreed today on the first international guidelines on responsible recreational fisheries. The Technical Guidelines, which will be brought to the attention of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), support sustainable recreational fisheries in context of the FAO Code of Conduct of Responsible Fisheries and were prepared following calls from FAO member states for guidance on recreational fisheries as a rapidly rising form of use of wild fish populations…
The Expert Consultation, composed of 20 experts from academia, policy and NGOs, was hosted by the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries 5-6 August 2011 after the Sixth World Recreational Fishing Conference (Humboldt-University of Berlin) August 1-4 2011. The Technical Guidelines will be published by FAO and available online…
Documents: http://www.worldrecfish.org/

9. PWSAC Gulkana hatchery - A high-country Garden of Eden for red salmon
NED ROZELL, ALASKA SCIENCE (Anchorage Daily News)
EAST FORK OF THE GULKANA RIVER -- In early August, a few months before this mossy valley will feel the sting of 40-below air, bright red salmon dart through a crystal clear pool amid fragrant green vegetation…
At the Gulkana Hatchery, a few people working for the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation raise a brood of up to 35 million red salmon each year and release them into the Gulkana River system.
"It's the largest sockeye hatchery in the world," Martinek says.
"Two-hundred and sixty miles from the ocean."
http://www.adn.com/2011/08/20/2023773/a-high-country-garden
-of-eden.html

10. NPFMC agenda for Dutch Harbor, Sept 26 – Oct 4 (Salmon FMP & more)
The Council's Agenda for the September/October meeting in Dutch Harbor, Alaska has been posted:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/1011agenda.pdf

Please note that Initial Review of the Salmon FMP is scheduled for (though is subject to change as necessary):
AP - Monday, September 26, 8:00am;
SSC - Tuesday, September 27, 1:00pm;
Council - Wednesday, September 28, 1:00pm.

Also, please note that the Salmon FMP Workshop will be held on September 14 in Anchorage, at the Clarion Suites, 1110 W 8th Ave.  An Agenda has not yet been set.

NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

11. My turn: Faulty Columbia Basin salmon plan bad for salmon and jobs
By DALE KELLEY Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  
Juneau Empire My Turn:
http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2011-08-10/faulty-columbia
-basin-salmon-plan-bad-salmon-and-jobs

12. Is there room for young captains in the Alaska fishery?
Melati Kaye  KDLG Radio Dillingham
The “Graying of the fleet” was the subject of the last State Legislature’s Fisheries Caucus earlier this spring —demonstrating that the aging demographic of Alaska’s fishing fleet is not just a concern for old fishermen sipping coffee at Petersburg’s coastal cold storage sandwich shop or taking tea in their Naknek living room. It’s a state-wide concern with economic ramifications. Melati Kaye has the details.
http://www.kdlg.org/news/archive.php?id=1392

13. National Fish Habitat Action Plan posts State habitat fact sheets
… Fact sheets provide an important picture of the challenges and opportunities facing fish and those engaged in fish habitat conservation efforts.  Please use these fact sheets to inform yourself and others of fish habitat conditions within your state….  
Alaska          California       Oregon     Washington 

NFHAP page –all states: http://fishhabitat.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=
article&id=415:state-fact-sheet-test-page&catid=36:news&Ite
mid=50

14. ADFG Outreach Aims to Help Anglers Conserve Rockfish through Avoidance, Proper Deepwater Release
New materials published by the Division of Sport Fish aim to help saltwater anglers and charter operators conserve Alaska’s rich rockfish stocks by increasing the survival of fish caught incidentally and released. The department has dedicated a new Web page to proper deepwater rockfish release at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSport
FishingInfo.rockfishconservation  and has prepared an updated version of the popular informational pamphlet “Angler’s Guide to the Rockfishes of Alaska,” available from Alaska Sea Grant in the near future.

15. Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Lodestar ENewsletter:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs071/1103573872919
/archive/1107320011735.html

16. Boats drop pots for Alaska king crab in the Bering Sea
Alaska’s Bering Sea crab fisheries got underway with this week’s start of the golden king crab season.  The fishery opens annually on August 15th and continues through March.
           
            Golden king crab is one of Alaska’s most stable fisheries, producing about six million pounds each year for more than a decade. A fleet of just five to six boats fish for “goldens” in deep waters off the Aleutian Islands.  

            To keep track of the far away fishery, every vessel is required to carry a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) transceiver to mark where it is dropping crab pots.  VMS usage is required for all Alaska Bering Sea crab boats under the crab catch share program. Since 1988 the vessels also have carried onboard observers to collect scientific data and monitor the crab catch.  

            It makes it virtually impossible for crabbers to cheat, and they don’t want to anyway, said Jake Jacobsen, a veteran Bering Sea crabber and director of the Inter-Cooperative Exchange, a harvester group. 

“The consequences are such,” Jacobsen added, “that even if someone were so inclined; it is too big of a risk compared to any potential gain.”
http://www.sitnews.us/0811News/081911/081911_king_crab.html

17. Public forum needed on plan to barge mining materials down the Taku River
Jev Shelton in Juneau Empire
The Tulsequah Chief mine is in the news again…
It is time to convene a public forum with a time line that produces both practical protective measures for Taku salmon habitat and a viable strategy for gaining its implementation…
http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2011-07-31/public-forum-
needed-plan-barge-mining-materials-down-taku-river

18. White House urges end to programs that can make dangerous jobs safer
Obama budget cuts could impair safety in some of the deadliest occupations
Loggers, farmworkers and commercial fishermen die on the job at an astonishing pace.  In 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fatality rate for agricultural workers was five times that of American industry as a whole. The rate for loggers was almost 19 times as high, for fishermen 58 times as high…
Even so, the Obama administration wants to eliminate a research and outreach program aimed at finding new ways to prevent deaths, injuries and illnesses in the three high-risk occupations…
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/08/04/5506/white-house-
urges-end-programs-can-make-dangerous-jobs-safer

CDC NIOSH F/V Safety home page:
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing

UFA has written to the Alaska delegation in support of CDC NIOSH F/V Safety program – if you are a resident of another state, please contact your senators and representative!

19. Pebble advertising wars heat up as sides seek support
By LISA DEMER, Anchorage Daily News
The battle over the giant Pebble gold and copper prospect is escalating across Alaska with a blitz of radio and television ads.
Again.
http://www.adn.com/2011/08/13/2014064/pebble-wars-heat
-up-as-sides-seek.html

20. In poll, commercial fishermen come out against Pebble mine
Anchorage Daily News / adn.com
A new poll commissioned by an environmental foundation concludes that Bristol Bay commercial fishermen are overwhelmingly opposed to development of the proposed Pebble mine prospect. The poll, released Tuesday, found that 85 percent of the commercial setnetters and drift fishermen surveyed oppose the Pebble mine. And 98 percent believe the headwaters of Bristol Bay should be protected for future generations. The poll was conducted in May by Craciun Research and has a margin of error of just over 5 percent. Some 350, or 10 percent, of Bristol Bay's commercial fishing permit holders were surveyed.

The poll was commissioned by the Alaska Conservation Foundation, which has called Pebble a threat to Bristol Bay's wild salmon.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/08/16/2018091/in-poll-commercial-f
ishermen-come.html#ixzz1VJVbKj00

21. Supreme Court allows Pebble initiative onto October ballot

LAKE AND PEN: Measure aimed at 'any big mine' that poses threat to salmon streams.
By LISA DEMER, Anchorage Daily News
A ballot initiative that could sidetrack the giant Pebble mine will be allowed to go before voters in the Lake and Peninsula Borough this October under a ruling Wednesday by the Alaska Supreme Court.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/08/17/2019818/supreme-
court-allows-pebble-initiative.html#ixzz1VUqMjSCw

22. AFS "Fisheries and Hard Rock Mining" symposium Sept 6th Seattle.
You can read the abstract for each presentation by clicking on the appropriate link. Over 3,500 fisheries professionals will be attending this 141st meeting of North America's oldest & largest professional fishery biologist organization.
A few highlights of this session:

1. Dr. Hughes will present an overview of mining impacts on aquatic life using solid scientific examples from Brazil to Canada.  
2. Dr. Chambers will present "Should lakes be used for mine waste disposal?" to highlight the 2002 administrative regulatory change that included mine waste in the term "fill" which allows lakes, rivers, wetlands and the ocean to be converted to mine waste treatment facilities with an Army Corps 404 permit.  
3. Dr. Ann Maest will present her work on "Comparison of predicted and actual water quality at hard rock mines" 
4. Dudley Reiser will present "Defining Aquatic Resource Baseline Conditions for Mining Projects"
5.  Knight Piesold-  "21st Century design concepts for mitigating the impacts of metal mines on fish and fish habitat".
6. EPAs Patty McGrath will discuss EPA's new regulations related to hard rock mines.
 http://afs.confex.com/afs/2011/webprogram/Session1806.html

Thanks to Dr. Carol Ann Woody for this item.

23. Symposium and Workshop on Electronic Fishery Information Systems Sept. 9
September 9, 2011, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA
To register for this event, please go to http://marineresearch.oregonstate.edu and click on the National eFIS button, or at www.pacificfishtrax.org.

For information about registering for the American Fisheries Society meeting, go to http://afs2011.org/.

24. Alaska Sea Grant hosts 27th Wakefield Fisheries Symposium September 14-17,
Fishing People of the North: Cultures, Economies, and Management Responding to Change, at the Hilton Downtown Anchorage Hotel. Nearly 100 presentations are scheduled on northern fishing communities, indigenous knowledge, governance and fisheries management, and the environment, including 27 posters;

The Wakefield meeting is one of the first to focus on the work of anthropologists, sociologists, Native knowledge experts, and other social scientists. The goal of the symposium is to clarify how to characterize northern people and places that depend on the sea, and to investigate how values and livelihoods can be best incorporated into management processes…
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/conferences/2011/wakefield-people/
program.php.

25. First class graduates from Maine cod farming academy
By Clarke Canfield, The Associated Press, The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine — Three Maine lobstermen and a former groundfish fisherman have become the first graduates from the first-ever “Cod Academy” aimed at teaching them the ins and outs of fish farming…
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/08/02/news/portland/class
-graduates-from-maine-cod-farming-academy/?ref=mostReadBox

Cod Farming for Maine's Commercial Fishermen – home page:
http://www.ccar.um.maine.edu/cod%20academy.html

26.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
8/29/11 Fishing permits, catch shares increase in value‏
8/26/11 SHalibut tags use iPhone technology
8/25/11 Sablefish wanderings focus of tag study
8/24/11 Salmon winds down; other fisheries gear up‏
8/23/11 Salmon will come up short 2011
6/3/11 Bycatch to food banks program expands to Gulf of AK ‏‏‏‏‏
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?page_id=846

27. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today http://www.fishsafe.info/contactform.htm

28. 2011 Preliminary Alaska Commercial Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet updated 8/26
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialby
fisherysalmon.bluesheet

&  Inseason Alaska Commercial Salmon Summary:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialby
fisherysalmon.bluesheetsummary

29. Deadline September 28 for Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund (AKSSF)
All forms and templates for the 2011 Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund (AKSSF) Call for Proposals (CFP) are available online at http://www.akssf.org.  Please be sure to review CFP documents well in advance of the closing date (12:00 pm Alaska Daylight Time on September 28, 2011) as many of our forms and templates, as well as our policies and procedures, have been modified based on guidance governing federal grants. 

A new step in the proposal review process includes a review of applicants’ business/financial management systems and internal controls (see the Federal Grants Capability Survey at http://www.akssf.org).  To help nonfederal and nonstate entities improve their capacity for managing federal awards, AKSSF is offering a two-day Technical Assistance Workshop in Anchorage on September 8-9, 2011.  Participants will learn about federal cost principles, uniform administrative requirements, and other federal and AKSSF requirements.  Sample policies and procedures related to financial management, personnel, property, procurement, and travel will be provided. 

30. Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils to Hold Meetings Statewide
Schedule is online at:
http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/deadline.cfml

31. Comment Deadline September 26 on BSAI Groundfish Amendment 80 Criteria
Amendment 93 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) would amend the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Amendment 80 Program to modify the criteria for forming and participating in a harvesting cooperative. This action is necessary to encourage greater participation in harvesting cooperatives, which enable members to more efficiently target species, avoid areas with undesirable bycatch, and improve the quality of products produced…
DATES: Comments on the amendments must be submitted on or before September 26, 2011…
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-28/html/2011-19126.htm

July 27, 2011

To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission has passed $375K in funds for Tsunami relief for fishermen. Bering Sea Crabbers lead the way.
To go directly to donation by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE
AFIRM Home Page: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG 

CONTENTS
1. NOAA seeks public input on sustainable management of halibut stock
2. KTUUVIDEO: Small Catch, Big Impact – 2 part series (more Halibut Charter)
3. French chefs, food writers tour Alaska fisheries, restaurants
4. Calista Corp. to close chain of Alaska newspapers
5. Governor Parnell: August is United States Coast Guard Appreciation Month
6. Scientific Review of Steller Sea Lion Bi-Op is Critical of NMFS findings
7. Hokkaido gov't begins training fishermen for Stellar sea lion hunt
8. Catch Shares - Recreational Fishermen, Let Commercial Side Work It Out. 
9. Navy gets OK to sink ships in Gulf of Alaska target practice
10. Kaltag fish processing plant closes for summer
11. Pollock industry moves to reduce chum salmon bycatch
12. Statewide salmon harvest tops 38 million fish  (now 71 million)
13. 'Property right' to Cook Inlet salmon denied
14. Upper Cook Inlet bracing for nearly 10 million sockeyes
15. Judge voids new salmon regs for Inlet
16. River guides protest bait restrictions
17. Kenai Setnetters share in king conservation effort
18. Alaska Senators Fight Against "Devastating" Genetically-Engineered Fish
19. The secret of wild salmon  - Juneau Empire opinion by Rich Moniak
20. Time Magazine cover story: The future of fish
21. Governor Parnell: Susitna-Watana Hydro Project Gets Traction
22. AK DEC General Permit for Medium-Size Suction Dredge Placer Mines posted
23. Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas Draft Mgmt Plan Comment by August 12
24. Taku River Tlingit, B.C. agree to land use plan in Atlin Taku area
25. House Resources Committee Passes Sealaska Bill
26. WTO finds for Vietnam in U.S. shrimp dumping case
27. MCA names new Executive Director Merrick Burden
28. NPRB welcomes Program Manager, Danielle Dickson
29. 2012 Alaska Marine Science Symposium Call for Abstracts – closes October 3
30. NOAA Aquaculture and other staff receive distinguished NOAA Administrator Award
31. Study: Genetically modified salmon can breed with wild fish
32.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
33. FISHSAFE.INFO -Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Dockside Safety Exam Today
34. Comment by Aug. 17 on National Policy for Distinguishing Serious From Non-Serious Injuries of Marine Mammals
35. Comment by August 17 on Chinook Salmon Economic Data Program (pollock fisheries)
36. Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee tele meeting Aug 16 & 23
37. Comment by September 23 on BSAI Crab Amendment 30 document procedures
38. Comment by September 9 on GOA Groundfish Amendment 83 sector allocations
39. Comment by September 13 on GOA & BSAI Groundfish logbook family of forms
40. Nominate a young environmental steward for President’s Champions for Change
41. Federal Subsistence Board Meets in Work Session, Considers Several Issues
42. Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund psoposals open Aug 17 –deadline Sept. 28
43. Nominations sought for Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC)
44. US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Photo Contest. 
45. Salmonstock Festival - August 5, 6 & 7th, Ninilchik
46. Copper River Wild Salmon Festival, July 28-30, 2011, Cordova

1. NOAA seeks public input on sustainable management of halibut stock - Comment deadline Sept. 16 on Catch Share Program
NOAA's Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a draft rule, called a catch sharing plan, designed to sustainably manage the halibut stock in southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the rule to establish a clear allocation between the commercial and charter sectors that fish in these areas.
Currently, the commercial and charter halibut fisheries are managed under different programs. The commercial halibut fishery has been managed under a catch limit program since 1995….
The proposed catch sharing plan, which is scheduled to be in place by 2012, is designed to foster a sustainable fishery by preventing overharvesting of halibut and would introduce provisions that provide flexibility for charter and commercial fishermen.

NOAA Press Release
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/halibutstock
072111.htm

NOAA Sport Halibut page: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/s
ustainablefisheries/halibut/sport.htm.

Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=
FR+PR+N+O+SR+PS;rpp=10;po=0;D=NOAA-NMFS-2011-0180

Federal Register Notice: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-0
7-22/html/2011-18321.htm

Long term Charter Halibut issues at NPFMC: http://www.fakr.noaa.g
ov/npfmc/current_issues/halibut_issues/halibut.htm

2. KTUUVIDEO: Small Catch, Big Impact – 2 part series (more Halibut Charter)

VIDEO: Small Catch, Big Impact Part 1:
http://www.ktuu.com/ktuu-part-1-small-catch-big-impact-2011
0719,0,1158944.tivideo

VIDEO: Small Catch, Big Impact Part 2:
 http://www.ktuu.com/ktuu-video-small-catch-big-impact-part-2-
20110720,0,6010868.tivideo

and more...
No Fishing: Judge Denies Charter Halibut Operators' Injunction Request
Halibut Charter Operators File Suit Against Dept. of Commerce
Can't Catch a Break: Halibut Guides Cite Casualties of New Regulations
at:
http://www.ktuu.com/ktuu-small-catch-big-impact-20110718
,0,7328403.special

3. French chefs, food writers tour Alaska fisheries, restaurants
KODIAK -- Kodiak is showing some of France's most renowned chefs how we harvest seafood around the island -- and how we love to cook it.
Along for the experience are journalists writing for French food publications who will take home stories of their time in Alaska.

The trip is organized as part of the international outreach of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, a $7.5 million per year endeavor to increase the value of Alaska seafood products.

On Tuesday in Kodiak, the French party boarded the fishing vessel Arctic Hunter to learn more about the scallop industry. They then were treated to a reception that featured cuisine by chef Joel Chenet and allowed the group to meet local fishing interests and community leaders…
http://www.adn.com/2011/07/23/1982515/french-chefs-food
-writers-tour.html

4. Calista Corp. to close chain of Alaska newspapers
Calista, an Alaska Native corporation for the Bethel region, announced today it is closing a long-standing chain of newspapers that serve rural Alaska. Calista's board of directors voted today to "shut down and liquidate" Alaska Newspapers Inc., the company says.

ANI encompasses six weekly rural papers including the multi-award winning Tundra Drums out of Bethel, the award winning quarterly magazine First Alaskans, as well as Camai Printing, a traditional printing house based in Anchorage.

The weekly newspapers also include Arctic Sounder, Bristol Bay Times, Cordova Times, Dutch Harbor Fisherman and Seward Phoenix Log. The publications have helped bring about change in rural Alaska by raising awareness of the disparities in health, water, sewer, energy, telecommunications and transportation infrastructure.

Read more: http://community.adn.com/adn/node/157662
#ixzz1T9AXl8AR

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/157662

Senator Murkowski response: Demise “Will Leave a Big Hole in the Communities They Served”…

A-greed!
These papers all feature important fisheries and community news not covered elsewhere. Hat’s off those who can still remain in business.

5. Governor Parnell: August is United States Coast Guard Appreciation Month
Effective Date: Monday, August 1st, 2011
WHEREAS, the United States Coast Guard has faithfully protected our nation’s shores since August 4, 1790, and is the nation’s oldest continuous seagoing service…
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sean Parnell, Governor of the State of Alaska, do hereby proclaim August 2011 as: United States Coast Guard Appreciation Month in Alaska, and encourage all Alaskans to recognize and appreciate the honorable service provided to the residents of Alaska and our nation by the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard…
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-
proclamation.html?pr=5855

6. Scientific Review of Steller Sea Lion Bi-Op is Critical of NMFS findings
A new draft report of an independent scientific review of a recent biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service on the impact of groundfish fisheries on Steller sea lions is critical of the NMFS report.
Fishermen’s News story:
http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2011/07/scientific-
review-of-steller-sea-lion.html

SSL BiOp Peer Review Panel – Mtg Aug 22 in Anchorage, Comment by Sept. 1
Comment deadline is Sept 1 and a public meeting is scheduled August 22 in Anchorage to provide an opportunity for the independent science panel members to receive comments and feedback on the draft review and recommendations.

Draft report: http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/steller_seali
ons/fmp_biop_ind_sci_rev_21july2011.pdf

Review Panel home page http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/s
teller_sealions/tof.html

7. Hokkaido gov't begins training fishermen for Stellar sea lion hunt to reduce fisheries damage
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Japan Reports] Tokyo - July 15, 2011
The Hokkaido government is poised to reduce damage on fisheries caused by Steller's sea lions, especially in northeastern part of the prefecture.
As a concrete step, the government started this month subsidizing the fees for training seminars for fishermen to obtain permits to hunt Steller's sea lions…
The damage on fisheries in Hokkaido in fiscal 2009 amounted to Y1.35 billion…
http://www.seafoodnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?StoryId=841955

8. Catch Shares - Recreational Fishermen, Let Commercial Side Work It Out. 
Opinion by Brad Warren – originally posted in Seafood.com

Sometime in the next week or two, in the broiling midsummer heat on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who work on fisheries will attempt to reclaim their ears. It will be a delicate operation, and it may not go well…
The louder lobby (and much more shrill) is the crowd fighting against catch shares. Jostling at the front of this pack are the sport-fishing warriors from the Coastal Conservation Association and the Recreational Fishing Alliance. They aim to block development of new catch-share systems for their commercial and charter rivals, fearing these regimes might lock up coveted harvests on which they've set their sights. The byword for CCA remains: “Reallocation.”
http://www.seafoodnet.com/NewsStory.aspx?
StoryId=844870

9. Navy gets OK to sink ships in Gulf of Alaska target practice
The Navy has obtained authority to blast and sink as many as two real ships a year in the Gulf of Alaska over the next five years to give pilots and gunners authentic targets for their sights.
But ocean campaigners say that even decommissioned, stripped-out ships, like the ones the Navy will use as targets, contain residual hazardous materials that can poison the Gulf's rich habitat for years. They're trying to stop the target practice before it begins…
http://www.adn.com/2011/07/25/1985023/navy-gets-ok
-to-sink-ships-for.html

10. Kaltag fish processing plant closes for summer
by Reba Lean / rlean@newsminer.com
FAIRBANKS — A Yukon River fish processing plant at Kaltag that was named one of the “greenest fisheries” in the world is closing its doors this summer.

The operator of the plant blamed a fishing time limit imposed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, a limit he believes is unnecessary because his business does not target the depleted king salmon run. However, a manager said the department had to impose the limit to protect king salmon and treat fishermen along the river equitably.

Doug Karlberg, owner of Yukon River Gold, said the department’s limit left him with too little time to make money. He leases the plant from the city of Kaltag.

“In order for that plant to survive, it needs about 35 days of processing time,” he said…
Fairbanks News-Miner:
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/14682207-Kaltag-fish-
processing-plant-closes-for-summer

11. Pollock industry moves to reduce chum salmon bycatch
Commercial fishermen engaged in the Bering Sea Pollock fishery have agreed to allow for closure of an additional 1,000 square nautical miles of fishing grounds to reduce encounters with chum salmon, a fishermen's association said today.

The announcement from the Marine Conservation Alliance in Juneau said through the use of the Inter-Cooperative Salmon Agreement, the Pollock industry agreed to allow for that closure by the independent organization SeaState, bringing the total area allowed for closure to 5,000 square nautical miles…
http://thearcticsounder.com/article/1128pollock_industry_
moves_to_reduce_chum_salmon

MCA Feature: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org
/?p=3218

Laine Welch -AK Journal of Commerce: Pollock fleet expands closures to avoid chums, dungie prices up
Alaska's pollock fleet has skedaddled to stay clear of a big chum salmon run headed to the Yukon River.
To prevent bycatch of chums in their trawl nets, the Bering Sea fleet agreed to add another 1,000 square nautical miles of fishing grounds to its no-trawl zones. That brings the total closed area to 5,000 square nautical miles, an area larger than the state of Connecticut…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/072211/fis_pfectac.shtml

12. Statewide salmon harvest tops 38 million fish  (now 71 million)
After a strong start, with the famed run of wild Alaska sockeye salmon coming in early, the blustery weather continued, but the Bristol Bay salmon fishery has slowed down.

The big question is what happened to the 2-2s, the 4.5 million sockeye who has spent two years in the ocean and two in fresh water, who were supposed to return to the bay this summer?
http://www.alaskanewspapers.com/article.php?article=
1128statewide_salmon_harvest_tops_38_million_fish

Current season tallies are updated weekly at the ADF&G Comfish home page: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercial
byfisherysalmon.bluesheet

13. 'Property right' to Cook Inlet salmon denied
Craig Medred | Jul 13, 2011

Once more commercial fishermen in Alaska's Cook Inlet have been told that the ownership of exclusive state permits to catch and sell salmon does not entitle them to those fish.

Now joining the Alaska Supreme Court and U.S. District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess in denying fishermen any property right to Inlet salmon is the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a decision handed down Monday, the federal judges agreed with the opinion of the state's top justices that "as a matter of state law, an entry permit to fish commercially for salmon in the Cook Inlet is not 'property' for the purpose of requiring compensation when its value decreases due to state regulation."
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/property-right-cook-
inlet-salmon-denied

14. Upper Cook Inlet bracing for nearly 10 million sockeyes
July 24th 2:16 pm | Margaret Bauman –Dutch Harbor Fisherman (Alaska Newspapers)      

Talk about the importance of getting a second opinion!

That's just what the Alaska Department of Fish and Game did on July 22, with its standard in-season assessment of the Upper Cook Inlet salmon fishery, which suggests that the run may reach 9.9 million wild Alaska sockeye salmon, or more…
http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/1129upper
_cook_inlet_bracing_for_nearly_10 

&&&

Kenai: What's a commissioner to do with these lopsided salmon runs?
By Craig Medred – Alaska Dispatch, Jul 22, 2011
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/whats-commissioner-do-
these-lopsided-salmon-runs
&
Seeing red on the Kenai: Record sockeye run thrills fishermen
Fishermen thrilled by record historic runs of sockeye salmon on two rivers..
By Randi Somers, Homer Tribune
http://homertribune.com/2011/07/seeing-red-on-the-kenai/

15. Judge voids new salmon regs for Inlet
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce

An Alaska Superior Court judge tossed out emergency revisions to Upper Cook Inlet salmon regulations July 13 and reignited a battle sports fishing groups thought they'd won at the Board of Fisheries meeting in March…

Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi agreed with UCIDA and Copper River Seafoods that the board's finding of an emergency was improper because errors in regulatory language are not "unforeseen or unexpected" and such emergency findings are intended to be "rare."

Guidi declared the revised regulations invalid, restored the rules codified April 21 and granted the request for a restraining order and injunction…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/072211/fis_jvnsr.shtml

16. River guides protest bait restrictions
By Jenny Neyman, Redoubt Reporter
HOMER TRIBUNE/Jane M. Pascall - The Kenai Peninsula is home to some of the best salmon fishing in the world – and no end to contentions.
… This Monday guides still hitched their boats to their trucks and went angling. But instead of heading to the river to help their clients catch king salmon, as they would any other day of the week, it was to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office on Kalifornsky Beach Road to angle for king-friendly support from fishery managers.
About 100 guides, as well as fishing clients and private sportfishermen, plugged the Fish and Game parking lot with trucks, boats and trailers and staged a protest outside the office at about 7 a.m. Monday.
The purpose was to demonstrate their displeasure with measures to restrict king fishing in the Kenai while at the same time liberalizing commercial fishing in Cook Inlet…
http://homertribune.com/2011/07/river-guides-protest-bait-
restrictions/

17. Kenai Setnetters share in king conservation effort
By Brian Smith Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 
Peninsula Clarion
Officials are hoping an emergency order made Tuesday will counterbalance another one issued Friday concerning the management of Kenai River king salmon escapement.…
http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2011-07-27/setnetters-
share-in-king-conservation-effort

18. Alaska Senators Fight Against "Devastating" Genetically-Engineered Fish

U.S. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski joined six other Senators in a letter to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today, warning the agency not to dismiss the clear congressional opinion opposing the approval of genetically modified salmon. 
The agency is considering an application by Aqua Bounty, Inc. to grow genetically-engineered salmon in Panama for importation into the United States, with plans to eventually grow the fish in the U.S.   The genetically-altered fish would grow faster than natural fish and there are serious concerns about the impact of escaped fish on wild salmon stocks, the suitability of such fish for human consumption, and the FDA’s approval process for the fish…
Others signing the letter include Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. Daniel Akaka, and Sen. Patty Murray.

19. The secret of wild salmon  - Juneau Empire opinion by Rich Moniak
By Rich Moniak Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 
… Was it special interest politics that energized Young’s rare burst of regulatory affection? Or is there something deeper in his commitment to preserving Alaska’s wild salmon?
http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2011-07-12/secret-wild-salmon

This piece is a rebuttal to this item included in the last UFA Update:

Forbes blog: They engineered a better salmon, so why is Congress blocking it?
http://blogs.forbes.com/stevensalzberg/2011/07/04/they-
engineered-a-better-salmon-so-why-is-congress-blocking-it/ 

20. Time Magazine cover story: The future of fish
…"Fish are the last wild food," says Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish, one of the best books on the state of seafood. "And we're just realizing it."
But we may be coming to that realization too late, because it turns out that even the fathomless depths of the oceans have limits.
…It's not that commercial fishing will disappear; in fact, sustainable fisheries like Alaska's wild-salmon industry may even produce boutique foods, finally earning what they're worth.”

Complete Time Magazine feature article online: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2
081796,00.html#ixzz1S7EuAYUU

21. Governor Parnell: Susitna-Watana Hydro Project Gets Traction
July 25, 2011, Anchorage, Alaska – Two weeks after signing legislation necessary to move the Susitna-Watana hydroelectric project forward, Governor Sean Parnell today said the state is recruiting its Susitna-Watana hydro project team and he expects first power from the major hydropower system on the Susitna River by 2023. Licensing the project is expected to take six years and construction will take five years.

The Susitna-Watana project requires building a 700-foot-high dam on the river at the Watana site. The dam would create a 39-mile-long reservoir with a maximum width of two miles.
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-press-
release.html?pr=5853

22. AK DEC General Permit for Medium-Size Suction Dredge Placer Mines posted
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES) Medium-Size Suction Dredge Placer Miners General Permit AKG371000. 
Permit documents can be accessed from the  ADEC Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program website under the Recently Issued Permits section.

(Documents are posted at http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wwdp/Recent
Permits.htm#A1)

23. Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas Draft Mgmt Plan Comment by August 12
Online extension notice:
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/d60b466aab9ccc1a892578be0003cf8f?
OpenDocument

The draft plan is available for public review and comment through July 8, 2011. Copies are available on the department website at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bristolbay
.draftplan

24. Taku River Tlingit, B.C. agree to land use plan in Atlin Taku area
Posted: July 19, 2011 - 9:17pm - Juneau Empire
The Taku River First Nation and the government of British Columbia, Canada, agreed to a land use management plan for part of the Atlin Taku region Tuesday, according to a release from the Canadian Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation…
One spot the agreement allows to be developed includes the site of the Tulsequah Chief mine, she said. The mine is now owned by Chieftain Metals. The mine has caused controversy in the past because of the sulfuric acid and other pollution it produced, which found its way into the Taku River…
http://juneauempire.com/state/2011-07-19/taku-river-tlingit
-bc-agree-land-use-plan-atlin-taku-area

25. House Resources Committee Passes Sealaska Bill
Washington D.C., Jul 13 -
The House Committee on Natural Resources marked-up the Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Jobs Protection Act today, introduced by Chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Don Young (R-AK) and Ranking Member Dan Boren (D-OK), in April.  This bipartisan legislation will allow the Sealaska Native Corporation to receive its remaining land conveyance under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971.  Rep. Young first took the lead on this legislation in the 110th Congress.  This bill passed out of committee with strong, bipartisan support; the final vote was 34 – 10.
Representative Don Young Press release:
http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?
DocumentID=251832

Alaska Journal of Commerce: http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/072211/
loc_sbatr.shtml

To track the House (HR 1588) and Senate (S. 881) versions see http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php , and search by bill number.

26. WTO finds for Vietnam in U.S. shrimp dumping case
GENEVA — World Trade Organization judges ruled that the United States is violating global trade rules in using its controversial "zeroing" method to impose anti-dumping tariffs on shrimp from Vietnam.

The decision by a three-member panel was the latest of a series in which zeroing — a framework for calculating duties on goods sold at less than their price on the exporter's home market — has been found illegal under WTO agreements…

In zeroing, U.S. officials do not take into account cases in which the imported goods are cheaper on their home market. Instead, they apply across the board a duty rate based only on those that are more expensive at home. Other shrimp producers argue that this is unfair…
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/11/business/la-fi-shrimp-
20110711

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Anti-dumping Measures on Certain Shrimp from Viet Nam home page:
http://www.ustr.gov/trade-topics/enforcement/dispute-settlement
-proceedings/united-states-%E2%80%93-anti-dumping-measures-
certai

27. MCA names new Executive Director Merrick Burden
Seattle, Washington – Merrick Burden has been named the new Executive Director of the Marine Conservation Alliance. The Juneau and Seattle-based organization, a coalition of seafood processors, harvesters, support industries, coastal communities and CDQ groups that are active in Alaska fisheries, is marking its 10th anniversary with new priorities and initiatives, as well as a new director…
Merrick will also head up the MCA Foundation which continues to work on marine debris cleanup and cooperative research on important issues including crab tagging, information collection in the scallop fishery, and the intersection between fishery activities and right whales.
Merrick Burden will be based in Seattle with an office at Seattle Fisherman’s Terminal.
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?p=3289

28. NPRB welcomes Program Manager, Danielle Dickson
Danielle Dickson is the new Program Manager for the Gulf of Alaska Project. She will also be working on developing a new NPRB research initiative in the Arctic…

North Pacific Research Board home page: http://www.nprb.org/

29. 2012 Alaska Marine Science Symposium Call for Abstracts – closes October 3
Abstract submissions open early this year for the 2012 AMSS. Open August 29, close October 3, 2011. www.alaskamarinescience.org 

30. NOAA Aquaculture and other staff receive distinguished NOAA Administrator Award
For their leadership in the NOAA-USDA Alternative Feeds Initiative to accelerate development of alternative feeds for marine aquaculture, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, has conveyed the distinguished Administrator's Award to Dr. Michael Rubino, Dr. Mike Rust, Kate Naughten, Dr. Walt Dickhoff, and Linda Chaves…
NOAA-USDA Alternative Feeds Initiative page: http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/news/feeds.html
NOAA Aquaculture Program page: http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/
NOAA Aquaculture Policy page: http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/us/aq_policies.html

31. Study: Genetically modified salmon can breed with wild fish
KCAW Radio:
JUNEAU, ALASKA (2011-07-18) A new study of genetically modified salmon shows they can breed with their wild counterparts.
That raises concerns that escaped farmed fish could weaken wild stocks. It’s not an immediate threat to Alaska species, though it could be to commercial sales…

But several scientists said cross-fertilization is not an issue here.
"Atlantic salmon basically don’t breed with Pacific salmon,' says Ted Meyers, chief pathologist for Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game.

"As far as being a genetic threat to our own Pacific salmon here in Southeast Alaska, that’s not likely. Speaking in that term, the transgenic fish then would be no greater threat than the unaltered Atlantic salmon currently farmed in B.C.," he says…
http://kcaw.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock
&syndicated=true&ID=1899

32.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
7/26/11 Halibut catch sharing plan – comments wanted
7/25/11 Kodiak fisherman favorite and least favorites about fishing‏
7/22/11 Pollock bones solve US toxic waste problem
7/21/11 Seafood industry top employers‏
7/19/11 Salmon update and prices, 2011‏‏‏‏‏
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?page_id=846

33. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today http://www.fishsafe.info/contactform.htm

34. Comment Deadline Aug. 17 on National Policy for Distinguishing Serious From Non-Serious Injuries of Marine Mammals
NMFS developed a draft national policy, comprised of a Policy Directive and associated Procedural Directive, for distinguishing serious from non-serious injuries of marine mammals. The draft Directives were developed by reviewing injury determinations from 1997-2008, current scientific information, and a new analysis of existing NMFS data. NMFS solicits public comments on the draft Policy and Procedural Directives.

DATES: Comments must be received by August 17, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The draft Policy and Procedural Directives for distinguishing serious from non-serious injuries of marine mammals are available in electronic form via the Internet at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/  under ``Policies, Guidances and Regulations''.
(To save your valuable time, we have included the links below for the documents)

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-18/html/2011
-18037.htm

Draft Policy:    Policy for Distinguishing Serious from Non-Serious Injury of Marine Mammals (DRAFT) [pdf]: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/serious_injury_polic
y_draft.pdf

Draft Procedures:    Procedure for Distinguishing Serious from Non-Serious Injury of Marine Mammals (DRAFT) [pdf]:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/serious_injury_proces
s_draft.pdf

35. Comment by August 17 on Chinook Salmon Economic Data Program (pollock fisheries)
NMFS proposes to implement the Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report Program to evaluate the effectiveness of Chinook salmon bycatch management measures for the Bering Sea pollock fishery that were implemented under Amendment 91 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). …
This proposed rule would implement the Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report (EDR) program for the Chinook salmon bycatch management measures implemented under Amendment 91 to the FMP. The Chinook Salmon EDR program applies to owners and operators of catcher vessels, catcher/processors, motherships, and the six Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program groups qualified to participate in the  pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) fishery in the Bering Sea subarea of the BSAI. The proposed rule also applies to the representatives of  participants in the Bering Sea pollock fishery…
DATES: Written comments must be received no later than August 17, 2011.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-18/html/
2011-17894.htm

36. Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee tele meeting Aug 16 & 23
Matters To Be Considered: The Committee will discuss and vote on recommendations on the linkages between marine protected areas and Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning. The focus of the first meeting will be to discuss the issues in the draft recommendations developed by
the Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CSMP) Subcommittee for the Committee's review and action. The focus of the second meeting will be to vote on the same recommendations. Committee materials for the conference call will be posted at http://www.mpa.gov .

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-21/html/
2011-18325.htm

NOAA CSMP home page: http://www.cmsp.noaa.gov/

37. Comment by September 23 on BSAI Crab Amendment 30 document procedures
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Allocating Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crab Fishery Resources…
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery management plan amendment; request for comments.
Amendment 30 would amend the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP) and the CR Program to modify procedures for producing and submitting documents that are required under the arbitration system to resolve price, delivery, and other disputes between harvesters and processors.
DATES: Comments on the amendment must be submitted on or before September 23, 2011.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-25/html/
2011-18725.htm

38. Comment by September 9 on GOA Groundfish Amendment 83 sector allocations
NMFS proposes a rule to implement Amendment 83 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). If approved, Amendment 83 would allocate the Western and Central GOA Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) limits among various gear and operational sectors. Sector allocations would limit the amount of Western and Central GOA Pacific cod that each sector is authorized to harvest. This action would reduce competition among sectors and support stability in the Pacific cod fishery. This rule would also limit access to the Federal Pacific cod TAC fisheries prosecuted in State waters, commonly known as the parallel fishery, adjacent to the Western and Central GOA. This action is intended to promote community participation and provide incentives for new entrants in the jig sector…

DATES: Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. Alaska local time (A.l.t.) September 9, 2011.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-26/html/
2011-18317.htm

39. Comment by September 13 on GOA & BSAI Groundfish logbook family of forms
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region
Logbook Family of Forms…
This request is for an extension of a currently approved information collection…
Federal Register notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-07-15/html/
2011-17752.htm

40. Nominate a young environmental steward for President’s Champions for Change
All across the country young people are taking initiative in their schools and communities to teach others about the importance of environmental stewardship, energy conservation and reducing waste. From teens teaching school-children about environmental issues, to primary school kids starting school gardens, these Champions of Change are inspiring the adults around them by greening their schools and communities. 
Please honor these “Champions” and visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions  to see what Americans like you are doing to “Win the Future.”  To nominate someone as a Champion of Change, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions/nominate .

41. Federal Subsistence Board Meets in Work Session, Considers Several Issues
ANCHORAGE --- The Federal Subsistence Board held a work session that was open to the public on July 11-12, 2011.  At the meeting the Board denied a request for reconsideration submitted by the State of Alaska on the customary and traditional use determination for Ninilchik for all fish in the waters north of and including the Kenai River drainage, within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest within the Kenai Peninsula district.

The Board also discussed whether or not it should stay a past decision on rural/nonrural determinations, in light of the recommendations arising out of the Secretarial Review, and possible changes to that rural/nonrural determination process.  After lengthy discussion, the Board decided to have another public meeting to further consider the possibility of extending the compliance date of the 2007 nonrural determinations.  The communities that would be affected by this action include Saxman, Prudoe Bay, Point Mackenzie, Fritz Creek East and the North Fork Road area, and an additional portion of Sterling.

Finally, the Board reviewed and accepted interim Tribal and ANCSA corporation consultation protocols. At its January 2011 meeting in Anchorage, the Board directed that protocols to guide the Board through consultations be developed, in keeping with the effort of the Obama administration to improve government-to-government relations.

The protocols will be made available on the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s website: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/issue.cfml .

Federal Subsistence Board Press Release http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/newsrel/r071411.pdf
FSB Home page: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/index.cfml

42. Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund psoposals open Aug 17 –deadline Sept. 28
The Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund (AKSSF) will open a statewide call for proposals (CFP) on August 17, 201 with about $10 million dollars in funding available. 
For details and conditions see http://www.akssf.org/akssf_org/home.cfm

43. Nominations sought for Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC)
Nominations accepted through August 26, 2011.
…Nominees should possess demonstrable expertise in a field related to the management of living marine resources and be able to fulfill the time commitments required for two annual meetings. Individuals serve for a term of three years for no more than two consecutive terms, if re-appointed.  MAFAC members represent a wide spectrum of fisheries interests, environmental, academic, state, tribal, consumer and other related national interests.  Members draw on their expertise, experience and other appropriate sources to conduct their work.

The committee functions solely as an advisory body (complying fully with the Federal Advisory Committee Act) who reports to the Secretary.

Full nomination instructions and guidelines are detailed in the Federal Register notice:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/mafac/Documents/2011/
07/12_federal_register.pdf 

MAFAC home page: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/mafac/

Seats currently held by Alaskans Heather McCarty (Chairman) and Catherine Foy will be open due to term limits.  We thank Heather and Catherine for their 6 years of service on MAFAC.

44. US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Photo Contest.  The goal is to build a great collection of photos that can be used in educational materials to celebrate the diversity of Alaska’s native fishes, their seasonal movements and behavior, and their importance to people and ecosystems in Alaska and beyond...
Contest info and entry form located here: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/fish/index.htm

45. Salmonstock Festival - August 5, 6 & 7th, Ninilchik
http://www.salmonstock.org/

46. Copper River Wild Salmon Festival, July 28-30, 2011, Cordova
http://www.copperriverwild.org/

This is where I’ll be.

Inclusion of an item does not mean UFA or any individuals agree, endorse the point of view, or have verified statements presented as facts.

UFA dues for Alaska Individual members are $150 and are now open to holders of Alaska commercial crew licenses, in addition to CFEC permit holders and IFQ holders.
We also welcome crew/supporter nonvoting members at $50 per year.
To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm
We encourage you to support UFA Business members  - see list at http://www.ufa-fish.org/bm.htm

July 6, 2011

To support UFA by becoming a member see
http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Fishing fleets, processors and others in the seafood industry have stepped up to the plate in fundraising to help Japan’s fishing communities with over a third of a million dollars raised so far, and we’re just getting started. Please contact AFIRM through UFA at 907-586-2820 if you would like to coordinate a fundraising event in your fishing community with our help, this fall

To go directly to donation by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE
AFIRM Home Page: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG 

CONTENTS
1. UFA Announces New Officers, At-large Board Members and Committee Chairs
2. Kenai Community pulls together to solve problem
3. Comment by September 20 on BOF Cook Inlet “Emergency” drift regs
4. Yakutat fishermen died of exposure and drowning – life vests on
5. Safety program cuts don't make sense for deadliest jobs
6. AMSEA Safety Training Calendar
7. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Dockside Safety Exam Today
8. USCG Safety Alert: Upgrade to GPS enhanced EPIRBs
9. Federal agriculture research operation in Alaska faces ax
10. Non-residents lead in Alaska seasonal seafood jobs
11. Alaska House defeats coastal zone program bill
12. Failure on Coastal Zone Management cedes Alaska sovereignty to Feds
13. State asks court to overturn fishing closures (Steller Sea Lions)
14. International Scientists warn marine life is on 'brink of extinction'
15. Alaskans maintain strong links to salmon, poll finds
16. Feds file Clean Water Act complaint against Unalaska
17. Bristol Bay, Alaska: A Chance to Do It Right the First Time, By Robin Samuelsen
18. Pebble Partnership suit could stifle Bristol Bay residents
19. Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas Draft Mgmt Plan Comment Extended to August 12
20. Pebble - Hardrock Exploration Permit Applicaiton in the Bristol Bay Mining District 
21. Congressman Young and Congressman McDermott Introduce CCF Legislation
22. Senators Introduce Bill to Secure NOAA Presence in Ketchikan
23. Fish fight isn't fair -- just ask river folks
24. Fishery Council Limits Chinook Bycatch in Gulf of Alaska
25. Items from the June NPFMC meeting:
26. NPFMC Salmon FMP Workshop  - September 14, 2011, Anchorage
27. Alaskans not keen on trade assistance grant programs (Dept. of Commerce TAA)
28. Deadline August 29 for USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Applications
29. ABSC offers Free DVD for Bering Sea crab boat skippers and crew    
30. AKCRRAB ships juvenile red king crabs to Juneau
31. Nat’l Oceans Council CSMP sessions: N.E. Fishing industry blasts exclusion
32. ASMI radio interview - sustainability & Alaska's place in the global marketplace
33. F/V Tordenskjold  - Boat of the Century – film by John Sabella debuts tonight
34. Rep. Young’s Frankenfish Amendment Passes
35. DOC and NOAA Issue Final National Aquaculture Policies
36. Sen. Murkowski: “More Questions Than Answers” in Federal Water Fish Farms
37. New offshore aquaculture bill seeks to protect oceans
38. Forbes: They engineered a better salmon, so why is Congress blocking it?
39. Clock’s ticking on U.S. aquaculture
40.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
41. US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Photo Contest
42. Federal Subsistence Board Executive and Work Sessions July 11-12, Anchorage
43. NMFS Posts Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports
44. Comment deadline July 28 on 2011 MMPA List of Fisheries
45. National Science Foundation PEIS on Marine Seismic Research
46. NPRB RFP for Data Management for the Gulf of Alaska Project – deadline Aug 22.
47. SALMONSTOCK  - AUGUST 5, 6 & 7th  - Ninilchik, Alaska
48. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee Meeting July 26, Anchorage
49. Juneau Docks and Harbors Seafood Direct Market Planning Study

1. UFA Announces New Officers, At-large Board Members and Committee Chairs (June 15)
The United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) today announced the reelection of Arni Thomson who resides in Anchorage, and represents the Alaska Crab Coalition, as President of UFA. Bruce Wallace, a Southeast salmon seiner has been elected as Vice President and he currently resides in Juneau. Rich Davis, a salmon troller, who resides in Juneau, was reelected Secretary Treasurer. Kevin Adams, a Bristol Bay gillnetter who resides in Anchorage, was elected to the UFA Board as a new at-large Board Member, joining Bruce Wallace, Gerry Merrigan, from Petersburg, and Bruce Schactler who were re-elected to their at-large UFA board seats.
http://www.ufa-fish.org/press/2011-1%20UFA%20Exec%20&%2
0Board%20Changes%20061511.pdf

2. Kenai Community pulls together to solve problem
These days $60,000 doesn't construct much, certainly not a mile of installed steel guardrail. But an unlikely coalition of concerned community folks -- commercial fishermen, sport fishermen, dipnetters, conservatives, liberals -- well, maybe only a few liberals -- organized by two dedicated historical society members, Brent Johnson and Catherine Cassidy, built a first-rate fence from scrounged material. They were given more or less free rein by an acquiescent if slightly perplexed state bureaucracy.
You had a commercial fisherman, Brent Johnson, running a Bobcat with a post driver attached, assisted by the head of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, Rickey Geese…
http://www.adn.com/2011/06/10/1910201/community-pulls
-together-to-solve.html

3. Comment by September 20 on BOF Cook Inlet “Emergency” drift regs
Board of Fisheries Emergency Teleconference Summary of Actions (6/30/2011):
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=lib.forcedownload&file
path=/static/regulations/regprocess/fisheriesboard/pdfs/2010_2011
/6-30-11-etc/&filename=summ-of-actions.pdf&contenttype=a
pplication/pdf

BOF Online Public Notice: (7/5/2011)
 The Board of Fisheries does intend to make the emergency regulations permanent….
…comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 20, 2011…
Written comments, limited to 10 singled sided or 5 double sided pages, also may be submitted at the Board of Fisheries' October 6-10, 2011 meeting in Anchorage…
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a892
5672a0060a91b/0aa02a60118354e1892578c4005bdee5?Open
Document

BOF EMERGENCY MEETING announcement June 28
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/regprocess/fisheries
board/pdfs/2011-2012/6-30-11-etc/uci-peition-etc-6-30-11.pdf

Board of Fisheries home page:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.main

(what was the emergency?)

4. Yakutat fishermen died of exposure and drowning – life vests on
Attempted to swim to shore with lifejackets
By Klas Stolpe, JUNEAU EMPIRE
According to an uncle of one of the two fishermen who died in Monday’s commercial fishing accident near Yakutat, both of the victims were wearing life jackets and died due to the extreme temperature of the water…
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-06-21/yakutat-fisherman
-died-exposure-and-drowning

5. Safety program cuts don't make sense for deadliest jobs
By Laine Welch, For the Alaska Journal of Commerce
It simply doesn't make sense to de-fund a program that directly saves people's lives…

President Barack Obama's 2012 fiscal year budget eliminates funding for all agriculture, forestry and fishing research done by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH. That means fishing safety programs — budgeted at a mere $1.5 million — will cease to exist.

No more E-Stops that prevent fishermen from being wrapped around deck winches. Finding the perfect personal floatation device, or PFD, to prevent man overboards? A thing of the past…(and more)

A 2006 NIOSH review by the National Academies review called the fishing program "exemplary" and said "the NIOSH Alaska Field Station has executed its research according to how an ideal program would operate"…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/062311/fis_spcdms.shtml

CDC NIOSH F/V Safety home page:
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing

6. AMSEA Safety Training Calendar with links: http://www.amsea.org/calendar.html
Alaska Marine Safety Education Association home page:  www.amsea.org .

There is no substitute for hands on training.
“If you don’t see a class scheduled that you can attend, get seven fishermen together and AMSEA will come to you.” Jerry Dzugan, AMSEA

7. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today http://www.fishsafe.info/contactform.htm

8. USCG Safety Alert: Take the Search out of Search and Rescue - Upgrade to GPS enhanced EPIRBs
Summary:  This advisory strongly urges owners and operators to replace and upgrade their existing EPIRB to GPS Enhanced EPIRBs.
http://homeport.uscg.mil/cgi-bin/st/portal/uscg_docs/MyCG/
Editorial/20110520/adv02-11.pdf?id=20379d28a4c0ac6649
b441d00a060b8ebcd4d61e

9. Federal agriculture research operation in Alaska faces ax
BUDGET: Cuts hit offices looking at crops, fish and invasive species.
By DAN JOLING, The Associated Press
Some look at the bounty hauled in by Alaska's commercial fishermen and envision salmon fillets on the grill. Peter Bechtel dreams up ways to use the leftovers.
For more than a decade, the U.S. Department of Agriculture food researcher and his cohorts have been looking into better ways to use fish heads, skin, guts and bones. But their days in the state that catches more wild fish than any other may be numbered.

Alaska's only agricultural research station is on the chopping block, one of 10 slated for closure by Sept. 1 as the Obama administration looks to cut $42 million from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service budget. Federal officials deflected questions about the cut by referring to the budget language, which says the administration is looking to finance other initiatives by getting rid of lower priority and duplicative projects.

Not all of the Alaska research station's $2.4 million budget goes to fish waste research. The Fairbanks office, housed in a new $1.2 million research complex on the University of Alaska campus, focuses on studies of invasive plants and insects, and the Palmer office collects plant samples important to Alaska. The closures will end that work as well…
http://www.adn.com/2011/06/12/1913046/agriculture-research
-operation.html

10. Non-residents lead in Alaska seasonal seafood jobs
by Jonathan Grass / Juneau Empire
JUNEAU, Alaska - Seafood season is here. As such, the state is encouraging seasonal hiring. While the hopes are residents will be hired for these jobs - that continues to be a tall order.

"Some seasonal jobs are in strong supply right now," Labor Commissioner Click Bishop said in a release. "Young people are especially encouraged to apply, as these jobs offer an opportunity to earn money quickly while building a work history, as well as travel and see Alaska."
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-06-14/non-residents-lead
-numbers-seasonal-seafood-jobs

AK Department of Labor Seafood Jobs page:
http://labor.alaska.gov/esd_alaska_jobs/seafood.htm

To clarify, more than ¾ of Alaska commercial fishing limited entry permits are held by residents. Approximately half of commercial crew licenses are issued to residents - MV

11. Alaska House defeats coastal zone program bill
JUNEAU – The Alaska House defeated a measure June 28 that would have extended the state's coastal management program, a surprising end to a special session that had been called to try to save it.

The opt-in program, which allows states to put conditions on certain activities on federal lands and waters, expired June 30, at midnight. The Senate narrowly passed what had been billed as a compromise with the House on June 27, then adjourned, leaving the House with no real practical option besides taking the bill as-is or leaving it…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/070111/loc_ahdczp.shtml
&&&
Legislators expect to see Coastal Management issue again
Alaska’s Coastal Management program officially ends today after operating in Alaska for 34 years, providing a powerful state voice on federal development in its waters.

Some legislators who fought to save the program say they hope to bring it back in future years, and legislation to do that is expected to be introduced when the Legislature returns to Juneau next January.
Juneau Empire:
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-06-29/legislators-expect
-see-coastal-management-issue-again#.ThS1E2GuMzg

12. Failure on Coastal Zone Management cedes Alaska sovereignty to Feds
By Alaska Rep. Les Gara  - Alaska Dispatch, Jun 29, 2011
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/failure-coastal-zone-
management-cedes-alaska-sovereignty-feds

13. State asks court to overturn fishing closures (Steller Sea Lions)
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce

Federal regulators were more afraid of litigation from environmental groups than from the fishing industry over measures to protect Steller sea lions, and in their haste to rush the rule-making process they ignored science and violated numerous laws that should render the final decision null and void.

That's the case against National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, and its wide-ranging fishing closures in the western Aleutian Islands as laid out June 16 by the state of Alaska and a coalition of fishing vessel operators and cooperatives in their joint motion filed for summary judgment.

The federal government has until Aug. 15 to submit its response…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/070111/fis_sactof.shtml

14. International Scientists warn marine life is on 'brink of extinction'
Catastrophe would be "unprecedented in human history," they say.
By ANNA TOMFORDE, McClatchy-Tribune News Service (ADN)
LONDON -- The world's oceans are degenerating far faster than predicted and marine life is facing extinction due to a range of human impacts from over-fishing to climate change, a report compiled by international scientists warned…
The cumulative impact of "severe individual stresses," ranging from climate warming and sea-water acidification to widespread chemical pollution and over-fishing, would threaten the marine environment with a catastrophe "unprecedented in human history."

The conclusions were published by a panel of international scientists who reviewed recent research at a workshop at Oxford University in Britain. They will be presented to the United Nations in New York later this week for discussions on reforming governance of the oceans…
ADN Story:
http://www.adn.com/2011/06/21/1928924/scientists-warn-
oceans-marine.html

International Programme on the State of the Ocean –
Home page with report summary:
http://www.stateoftheocean.org/ipso-2011-workshop-
summary.cfm

Press release: http://www.stateoftheocean.org/pdfs/1806
_IPSOPR.pdf

15. Alaskans maintain strong links to salmon, poll finds
By Laine Welch, Anchorage Daily News
Alaskans have a strong personal connection to salmon. We believe the fish is essential to the Alaska way of life and our economy. Furthermore, we rate the health and abundance of salmon as a top concern, on a par with the federal budget deficit and higher than concerns about jobs…
http://www.adn.com/2011/07/02/1948917/alaskans-maintain
-strong-links.html

16. Feds file Clean Water Act complaint against Unalaska
The federal government filed a complaint against the city of Unalaska on Thursday, alleging that it violated pollution limits in its Clean Water Act discharge permit at least 4,870 times within a six-year period.
The Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency said the alleged violations resulted in partially treated sewage, with pollutants such as fecal coliform bacteria at higher-than-legal limits, being discharged into South Unalaska Bay… http://www.adn.com/2011/06/23/1933240/feds-file-clean
-water-act-complaint.html

17. Bristol Bay, Alaska: A Chance to Do It Right the First Time, By Robin Samuelsen in Fishermen's News
Wherever your home port, commercial fishermen know all too well what happens when the land, water, and habitat supporting a fishery is abused. Far too many have declined due to loss of habitat, oil spills and other environmental calamities. And we’ve also seen that billions of dollars cannot fully restore fish stocks impacted by inappropriate development. In hindsight, it’s obvious too, that efforts to restore habitat are more expensive and less effective than preventing damage in the first place. Thankfully in Alaska’s Bristol Bay we have an opportunity to learn from history and take proactive steps to protect the world’s last great wild salmon fishery.

Commercial fishermen, Alaska Native tribes, sports fishermen, restaurant owners and wild salmon lovers across the nation all agree that Bristol Bay is the place to do it right the first time.

As anyone involved in fish politics knows, it’s rare to see such a diverse group all on the same side of an issue. But in this we all agree: Bristol Bay must be protected, because if we don’t work together today to protect this habitat we won’t have fish to argue about tomorrow!

Perhaps as unique as this unity is the fact that that all the various user groups also agree that we need the help of the Environmental Protection Agency. We’re asking that the EPA use its authority under section 404c of the Clean Water Act, which allows the agency to deny the disposal of perpetually toxic mine waste into salmon rearing waters if it finds that this type of development would pose unacceptable risks.

Bristol Bay’s commercial salmon fishery just celebrated its 125th year, and is the largest remaining sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Like any fishery, we’ve experienced our ups and downs, but thanks to refined management – and most critically, an intact and pristine ecosystem – there is no doubt that the fishery is on an upswing. Salmon consumers are increasingly recognizing the value of a sustainable fishery based clean environment.

Last year, when EXXON finally settled the lawsuit resulting from the 1989 oil spill in Prince William Sound, many local Bristol Bay residents received checks in the mail. While the amounts were not large, they were still a testament to whims of fish price and markets. Most of these Bristol Bay fishermen were nowhere near Valdez when the oil spilled – the checks that fishermen received here were for the impact the spill had to an “un-oiled fishery.” The mere perception consumers had on learning there was a major oil spill in Alaskan waters caused the ex-vessel price of Bristol Bay salmon to drop more than 40 percent the year after the spill!

With large scale mineral development hovering on Bristol Bay’s horizon, commercial fishermen are seeking a process with the EPA that can provide the assurance that not only will the environment we depend on be protected, but that assures the continued marketability of our salmon. Through this public process, fishermen and processors can continue to invest in modernizing our industry with the assurance that Bristol Bay salmon remains wild, clean, and sustainable and that that the waters we depend on are protected.

This spring, the EPA began a Scientific Assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed and the potential threats to our fishery. The review process will provide objective information on the value of the fishery, and what could be lost if attention isn’t paid to the compatibility of future large-scale development in the region.

Announcing the assessment, EPA Regional Administrator Dennis McLerran said that gathering data before development occurs “just makes sense. Doing this we can be assured that our future decisions are grounded in the best science and information and in touch with the needs of these communities.“

I think the entire Alaskan fishing community would say, “We couldn’t agree more.”

Robin Samuelsen
F/V Robyn Darleen
Bristol Bay, Alaska

Printed from Fishermen's News: The Advocate for the Commercial Fisherman – June 2011
(no longer found online so I have included the complete column - -MV)

18. Pebble Partnership suit could stifle Bristol Bay residents
Shannyn Moore – ADN Comment
In April, a group of concerned Bristol Bay citizens filed a petition with the Lake and Peninsula Borough. The Save our Salmon initiative is designed to give locals a voice in decisions about large-scale industrial development. If the petitioners are successful, the borough's permitting code will change to give residents the final word on any major resource extraction activity that could harm waters with salmon…
http://www.adn.com/2011/05/28/1888109/pebble-
partnership-suit-could.html

19. Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas Draft Mgmt Plan Comment Extended to August 12
Online extension notice:
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/d60b466aab9ccc1a892578be0003cf8f?
OpenDocument

The draft plan is available for public review and comment through July 8, 2011. Copies are available on the department website at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bristolbay.draftplan

ADFG Press Release (June 1):
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/lands/protectedareas/bristolbay
/pdfs/bb_press_release_06_01_2011.pdf

20. Pebble - Hardrock Exploration Permit Applicaiton in the Bristol Bay Mining District 
The Mining Section of the Division of Mining, Land and Water proposes to issue a Miscellaneous Land Use Permit pursuant to 11 AAC 96.010 for mining and/or exploration activity on state mining claims as well as reclamation approval on state or private lands. Winter cross country travel on state lands not within state mining claims may also be authorized.
A Water Right or a Temporary Water Use Permit may be issued and state land use beyond the mining claims will be adjudicated by DNR.
A copy of the application may be obtained from DNR...
DNR reserves the right to waive technical defects in this publication…

DNR Online Public Notice:
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/d3cebe8ada5757c1892578c4008034d4
?OpenDocument

DNR Pebble Large Mine home page: http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/largemine/pebble/index.htm

21. Congressman Young and Congressman McDermott Introduce CCF Legislation
Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) have introduced H.R. 2241, bipartisan legislation that would make changes to Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program for those accounts held by fishermen.  The CCF was initially established to provide a method of putting fishing earnings toward new fishing vessel construction at a time when the United States policy was to replace the foreign fishing fleets which had dominated many fisheries right off the U.S. coast.  However, many domestic fisheries are fully capitalized and incentive programs to increase fishing capacity like the CCF are no longer necessary.

This legislation would allow fishing vessels owners who have existing Capital Construction Fund accounts to retire those accounts.  While those who decide to participate in the voluntary retirement of their CCF account will be required to pay the necessary taxes, they will not be penalized for this action...
http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?Docu
mentID=247492

22. Senators Introduce Bill to Secure NOAA Presence in Ketchikan
U.S. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill late Thursday which would help ensure the long term presence of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Ketchikan.  The bill would authorize NOAA to sell the port facility it currently owns at 1010 Stedman Street, which used to be a Tesoro fuel dock, and utilize the proceeds of the sale towards a new facility located elsewhere in Ketchikan.
The current facility, which serves as the homeport for the NOAA Ship Fairweather, was condemned as unsafe in 2008, and the ship has been without an Alaska homeport facility since.  With its multi-beam sonars and suite of specially-equipped launches, the technologically-advanced Fairweather is one of the most productive platforms in the world for making nautical charts…
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressRelease
s&ContentRecord_id=b89b9bb6-b965-4858-a932-e33f50ec67
c6&ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4
&Group_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624

23. Fish fight isn't fair -- just ask river folks
Shannyn Moore – ADN Comment
This week, the state shut down the subsistence fishery on the Yukon. Folks on the river need about 50,000 salmon. Treaties with Canada require escapement to the headwaters of the river and the fish have been either slow coming in or not coming at all this year.

Last October, during a 17-day period, the pollock trawler fleet reported a bycatch of 24,878 king salmon. That's not pounds, that's fish. Another 11,896 kings were wasted in the same month. The entire year's tally of accidentally caught king salmon was 53,336 -- more than what is needed for our Alaska brothers and sisters who live on the Yukon…
http://www.adn.com/2011/06/25/1936150/fish-fight-isnt-fair
-just-ask.html

24. Fishery Council Limits Chinook Bycatch in Gulf of Alaska
the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the first-ever limit on Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska Pollock fishery. The council voted for a 25,000-fish cap on the bycatch.

If the Pollock fleet in the Gulf of Alaska bypasses the 25,000-fish bycatch limit, the fishery will be shut down…
http://articles.ktuu.com/2011-06-13/gulf-of-alaska-pollock_
29655246

25. Items from the June NPFMC meeting:
June Newsletter
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/newsletters/NEWS611.pdf

Non-Chinook PSC motion
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/bycatch/
ChumBycatchMotion611.pdf

GOA Chinook bycatch motion
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/bycatch/
GOAChinookBycatchMotion611.pdf

NBSRA motion
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/ecosystem
/NBSRA_files/NBSRA_motion611.pdf

Research Priorities 2011-2015
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Research_priorities11.pdf

NPFMC Home  Page:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

26. NPFMC Salmon FMP Workshop  - September 14, 2011, Anchorage
At its April meeting, the Council passed a motion providing direction for staff on the analysis and revisions to its Salmon FMP.  
The Council requested that staff develop Alternative 3 as its preliminary preferred   dernative (PPA) and continue to expand the discussion of FMP provisions for Council consideration…
Under Alternative 3, management in areas where the Salmon FMP applies would be deferred to the State of Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
The full Council motion and specific analytical requests are available at:
  http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/fmp/salmon/Salmon
FMPmotion411.pdf

From NPFMC News and Notes, June 2011 - http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/newsletters/NEWS611.pdf

NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

27. Alaskans not keen on trade assistance grant programs (Dept. of Commerce TAA)
From seafood businesses to lumber companies to ulu makers, trade assistance grants and programs help American businesses and entrepreneurs compete with cheaper, foreign imports. But it's been tough to find takers in Alaska.

"It's a good program, but our biggest problem is finding people to take advantage of it," said Gary Kuhar, director of the Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, which administers funds for five Northwest states through the Economic Development arm of the U.S. Commerce Department. "This is a very independent part of the country and unlike other places where they line up for this program, we have to go out and actually find people who are interested."

Matching grants of up to $75,000 are available to mid- or large-sized companies, and other provisions apply to smaller businesses, co-ops or associations.

"They only have to pay 25 percent but the ceiling of assistance is capped at $30,000. So the federal share would be $22,500," Kuhar said…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/061711/fis_ankotag.shtml

NW TAA Center: http://www.nwtaac.org/

28. Deadline August 29 for USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Applications
Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-28/html/2011
-16121.htm

USDA Value Added Producer program home page: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm
Alaska USDA Rural Development office: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/

29. ABSC offers Free DVD for Bering Sea crab boat skippers and crew    
            Crew members who want to invest in the Bering Sea crab fisheries will benefit from a DVD available for free from the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, a harvester trade group.  
The DVD is a videotape of a May 3 workshop on financing and purchasing options for skippers and crew who want to buy catch shares of Bering Sea king and snow crab.  

The workshop was held in Seattle and video conferenced to Kodiak and Anchorage. It attracted over 100 participants, said Edward Poulsen, director of the Crabbers group, which organized the workshop.

Eligible skippers and crew can benefit from an $8 million federal loan program that will finance up to 80% of the cost of purchasing crab quota shares, and can be repaid over 25 years. 
            Poulsen said crab vessel owners also are working on other options to help their crews become invested in the Bering Sea crab fisheries.
            The crab workshop power point presentations are available at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council home page.
 Get free copies of the entire crew workshop DVD via email by contacting alaskaberingseacrabbers@gmail.com.

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers is an alliance that represents all crab fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.     www.alaskaberingseacrabbers.org

30. AKCRRAB ships juvenile red king crabs to Juneau
AKCRRAB scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences are increasing their research into factors that may affect competency of hatchery-raised juveniles in the wild.
In June 2011, researchers shipped 4,400 juvenile red king crabs from the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward to the Juneau Center of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The juveniles were hatched and reared from ovigerous females collected in the Juneau area during the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 2010 fall crab survey…
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/research/projects/kingcrab/newsflash/
1106akcrrab.html

31. Nat’l Oceans Council CSMP sessions: N.E. Fishing industry blasts exclusion
Goethel: Fishermen not being taken seriously
EXETER (NH) — In July 2010, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that established the first comprehensive national policy for the stewardship of the ocean, coasts and Great Lakes. Last week members of the National Ocean Council, which was established under this order, held a public listening session at Exeter High School to get input on the nine strategic plans developed by the council.

While virtually everyone who spoke praised the initiative, several voiced warnings and concerns about what was and was not included in the plans. Hampton resident Ellen Goethel, representing local and regional commercial fishermen, questioned why those she represented were not included on the council.

"What are you thinking, leaving out the fishermen and the (national and regional Fisheries Management) councils?" Goethel asked. "This executive order circumvented the will of Congress," as expressed in the 1996 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which established the fishery councils to manage the nation's fisheries…
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110705-NEWS-107050318

National Oceans Council home page:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans

32. ASMI radio interview - sustainability & Alaska's place in the global marketplace
On Monday, June 27, ASMI Communication Director, Tyson Fick had an hour long radio interview on the show "Focus on Community" on Juneau radio station KTOO, 104.3 FM.  Host Adrien Lopez and Tyson discussed a wide range of topics from sustainability to the Alaska's place in the global marketplace.  To hear the interview listen at http://ktoo.org/audiofile.cfm?clip=5466

33. F/V Tordenskjold  - Boat of the Century – film by John Sabella debuts tonight
Television Premiere, Wednesday at 8:00 pm- - 360 North TV in Alaska

The historic halibut schooner Tordenskjold has steamed into her second century.

As she celebrates her centennial, she is neither relic nor museum piece. The Tordenskjold leads a small fleet of hard working commercial fishing schooners that compete head to head with modern boats on the Alaska fishing grounds.
http://360north.blogspot.com/2011/06/tordenskjold-boat-of
-century.html

34. Rep. Young’s Frankenfish Amendment Passes
Congressman for All Alaska Don Young’s amendment to H.R. 2112 (Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012), banning the FDA from considering genetically modified salmon as an animal drug, passed the House by a voice vote last night.   This amendment blocks an integral step in the path to approval and comes in response to a proposal by AquaBounty Technologies, currently under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?
DocumentID=247046

35. DOC and NOAA Issue Final National Aquaculture Policies
The Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today released national marine aquaculture policies that will help the U.S. meet increasing demand for healthy seafood, create jobs in coastal communities, and protect vital ecosystems…
http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/news/welcome.html#finalpolicies

NOAA Aquaculture Policy page: http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/us/aq_policies.html
NOAA's press release: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110609
_aquaculture.html

36. Sen. Murkowski: “More Questions Than Answers” in Federal Water Fish Farms
Murkowski Concerned About Proposal, May Push Back on Poor Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Obama Administration recently announced plans to create policy that allows fish farms in federal waters, in an attempt to cut the nation’s dependence on imported fish.  Today, Senator Murkowski responded with serious reservations:

“While I recognize the motivation to increase aquaculture production in the United States, NOAA’s new Marine Aquaculture policy raises far more questions than answers. My first question would be whether NOAA even has the jurisdiction to do this. Beyond that, can they provide the oversight this policy requires, involve the public and do a thorough environmental review.

“I am strongly supportive of the expansion of shellfish farming in Alaska, but farming of salmon, halibut and other finfish is prohibited in our state waters for a number of reasons.  Any attempt to develop this industry in neighboring federal waters will be opposed.  While NOAA seems to have a rough idea of some potential environmental drawbacks, there are also the financial ones that should be considered – namely what expanded fisheries would do to the Alaskan economy, which provides the majority of seafood to the United States…
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases
&ContentRecord_id=57f48a94-d247-4447-9219-1eb5499d389
a&ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&
Group_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624&Month
Display=6&YearDisplay=2011

37. New offshore aquaculture bill seeks to protect oceans
Representative Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, has introduced the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2011 (House Resolution 2373). This bill would unprecedentedly set a thorough regulatory structure for offshore fish farming development while adopting a balanced approach to address environmental, social and economic issues.

Moreover, the legislation would institute a research programme to tackle significant data gaps and make sure offshore aquaculture development is ecologically sustainable…
http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=
&day=7&id=44199&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=

To see the bill go to http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php , enter HR 2373 and select to search by bill number.

38. Forbes: They engineered a better salmon, so why is Congress blocking it?
What happened to genetically modified salmon? A few months back I was looking forward to my first taste of the new AquaBounty salmon, which grows to maturity twice as fast as wild salmon. Will it taste just as good? Better? I thought I'd know soon. But then politics intervened …
http://blogs.forbes.com/stevensalzberg/2011/07/04/they-engineered
-a-better-salmon-so-why-is-congress-blocking-it/

39. Clock’s ticking on U.S. aquaculture
28 June, 2011 - Dave Conley is passionate about aquaculture and its potential to feed America’s growing appetite for fish, provide Americans with jobs and reduce a U.S. seafood deficit of around USD 9 billion.

But he’s also a realist.
Time is running out on the U.S. aquaculture industry. Some may even argue that it has already expired…
http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=10843&
utm_source=NewsLinks&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=
InformzNews

UFA has eight Alaska salmon aquaculture associations among our 38 member groups, and most if not all are doing well with ocean ranching programs that provide salmon for the common property – available for subsistence and recreational as well as commercial fishing.

40.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
7/6/11 Scallop fishery underway 2011‏
7/5/11 Consumer awareness of sustainability low
7/4/11 Biofuels from algae, sea grass eels and electricity‏‏‏‏‏
7/1/11 Consumers want healthier choices at fast food
6/30/11 Whale thieves on video, Arctic fish, fish oils and cancer
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?page_id=846

41. US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Photo Contest.  The goal is to build a great collection of photos that can be used in educational materials to celebrate the diversity of Alaska’s native fishes, their seasonal movements and behavior, and their importance to people and ecosystems in Alaska and beyond...
Contest info and entry form located here: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/fish/index.htm

42. Federal Subsistence Board Executive and Work Sessions July 11-12, Anchorage
The Federal Subsistence Board will meet on July 11-12 in executive sessions and work sessions. On July 11, beginning at 10:00 a.m., the Board will meet in executive session to discuss the nonrural determination that was made regarding Saxman during the rural/nonrural review that followed the 2000 Census. The Board has heard concerns from community members on the impact this determination will have on the residents of Saxman.

Beginning at 1:00 p.m. on July 11, the Board will meet in a work session to discuss the Saxman nonrural determination…

On July 12, starting at 8:30 a.m., the Federal Subsistence Board will hold a work session to discuss the status of the Tribal consultation protocol, review wildlife hunting and trapping closures, and consider whether to accept a request for reconsideration submitted by the State of Alaska on the Ninilchik customary and traditional use determination for all fish in the waters north of and including the Kenai River drainage, within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest within the Kenai Peninsula district. Other issues related to Federal subsistence management may also be discussed at this work session.

An executive session will also take place on the afternoon of July 12 to review applications for Regional Advisory Council membership. The Federal Subsistence Board will recommend Regional Advisory Council member appointees to the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture. The Secretaries make the final appointments.

Executive sessions are not open to the public; however, the Board will provide a summary of the executive sessions. The public is welcome to attend the Board’s work sessions.

The work session will be held in the Gordon Watson Conference Room in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska. Photo identification, such as a driver’s license, must be presented at the building reception desk…

A meeting agenda and other materials will be available approximately one week prior to these sessions on the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s website: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/board.cfml

Announcement: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/newsrel/r062711.pdf

43. NMFS Posts Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports
As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS
has incorporated public comments into revisions of marine mammal stock
assessment reports (SARs). The 2010 reports are final and available to
the public.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of SARs are available on the Internet as
regional compilations and individual reports at the following address:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/

Alaska 2010 report (9.5 mb): http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/ak2010.pdf

Federal Register Notice: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-10/html/2
011-14451.htm

44. Comment deadline July 28 on 2011 MMPA List of Fisheries
Federal Register Notice – pdf with charts:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-28/pdf/2011-16209.pdf

45. National Science Foundation PEIS on Marine Seismic Research
Notice of Availability of Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS/OEIS) for Marine Seismic Research Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) or Conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)…
Home page: http://www.nsf.gov/geo/oce/envcomp/index.jsp

Final PEIS: http://www.nsf.gov/geo/oce/envcomp/usgs-nsf-
marine-seismic-research/nsf-usgs-final-eis-oeis-with-appendices.pdf

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-30/html/2011-
16337.htm

46. NPRB RFP for Data Management for the Gulf of Alaska Project – deadline Aug 22.
The North Pacific Research Board announces a special request for proposals (RFP) for Data Management for the Gulf of Alaska Project, a $9.5 million program launched in September 2010 to study ecosystem processes that influence survival of young-of-the-year fish in the Gulf of Alaska.

Proposals to this special RFP are requested to provide data management and communication services from October 1, 2011 to April 2015. Proposals cannot exceed $400,000, and must be submitted by 22 August.  Download the full special RFP announcement for further details and proposal instructions.

RFP: http://www.nprb.org/documents/SpecialRFPforGOAIERPD
atamanagement-6-23-11_released.pdf
NPRB Home page: http://www.nprb.org/

We welcome new NPRB Executive Director Cynthia Suchman to the Alaska fishing community.

47. SALMONSTOCK  - AUGUST 5, 6 & 7th  - Ninilchik, Alaska
http://www.salmonstock.org/

48. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee Meeting July 26, Anchorage
… from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the EVOS office, 441 W 5th Ave, Ste 500, Anchorage. Public comment is at 10:15 a.m.
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/2beea721de4bd546892578bd007b9e26
?OpenDocument

&&&

EVOSPAC meets on September 15, 2011
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/9145d29fe17a7fdc892578bd007f464c?
OpenDocument

49. Juneau Docks and Harbors Seafood Direct Market Planning Study
http://www.juneau.org/harbors/documents/SeafoodDirect
MarketStudy-Draftreport03-24-2011.pdf

UFA dues for Alaska Individual members are $150 and are now open to holders of Alaska commercial crew licenses, in addition to CFEC permit holders and IFQ holders.
We also welcome crew/supporter nonvoting members at $50 per year.
To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm
We encourage you to support UFA Business members  - see list at http://www.ufa-fish.org/bm.htm

June 7, 2011

To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Fishing fleets, processors and others in the seafood industry have stepped up to the plate in fundraising to help Japan’s fishing communities with over a third of a million dollars raised so far, and we’re just getting started. Please contact AFIRM through UFA at 907-586-2820 if you would like to coordinate a fundraising event in your fishing community with our help.

AFIRM, others in seafood raising thousands for Japan relief  - Juneau Empire:
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-05-24/
afirm-others-seafood-raising-thousands-japan-relief

Dutch Harbor Fisherman:
http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/1121
fishing_industry_donates_to_aid_earthquake

Fish Radio: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/
?page_id=846%22

AFIRM Home Page: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG 
To go directly to donation by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE

CONTENTS
1. Global Food Alaska 2011 - Soldotna hosts global buyers, suppliers June 8-10
2. ADF&G Provides New System for Fishery News Releases
3. Port Moller dock boss discovers incorrect tide predictions
4. Bristol Bay regional Seafood Development Association Summer Newsletter (May) 
5. Comment Deadline July 8 on Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas draft management plan
6. South Peninsula Commercial Fishermen Sit Out First Salmon Fishery Opening
7. BOF 2011 – 2012 Tentative Meeting schedule posted, except PWS:
8. USCG Admiral Papp: Coast Guard needs greater Arctic presence
9. Oceans Month Kicks Off with Presidential Proclamation, Events
10. NIOSH Budget cut could be deadly for fishermen
11. Fishing Safer – But Still Deadly
12. Lessons in survival: One crew prepared for worst and lived; not so the other
13. AMSEA Safety Training Calendar with links: http://www.amsea.org/calendar.html
14. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Dockside Safety Exam Today
15. Fishery council to take bite out of bycatch in Nome
16. Items for the June NPFMC meeting in Nome, Alaska June 6-14
17. Olson and Henderson reappointed to North Pacific Council
18. Sen. Begich: Trash Free Seas Act of 2011 Introduced in Senate (S.1119)
19. Forest Service concerned about Sealaska bill
20. Chairman Young Holds Hearing On Sealaska Land Entitlement Bill
21. Murkowski Supports Bill to Complete Sealaska Lands Exchange
22. Six more leave Tongass Futures Roundtable just before spring meeting
23. New State Timber Task Force Announced –AK out of Tongass Roundtable
24. My Turn: Timber Task Force vs. Tongass Roundtable
25. State policy leads beluga ESA recovery team to remove Alaska scientists
26. WDFW & AK Scientists review of Steller Sea Lion BiOp:
27. State's coastal zone management authority to expire this month
28. Alaska Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Areas meets June 22
29. House Resources Fisheries Subcommittee considers bill to help Salmon vs. Sea Lions
30. Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act in Senate Hearing June 8
31. Oceana & press target intentional, fraudulent mislabeling of seafood
32. NFI forms Better Seafood Board (BSB) to stamp out fish fraud
33. With no labeling, few realize they are eating genetically modified foods
34. Gov. Announces Best Year for Alaska Exports
35. Alaska Seafood Chain of Custody Standard Now Complete
36. UK - QR codes tell you where your crabs come from
37. Bleeding fish results in high quality, price – Izetta Chambers in Dutch Harbor Fisherman
38. Montana Hutterite colonies diving into contained commercial salmon farming
39. Canada: PEI Company sees bright future in farmed halibut
40. Comment deadline June 14 on WWF “Standards for Responsible Salmon Aquaculture”
41.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
42. Comment deadline July 20 on NS-10 regarding consideration of safety in fisheries
43. FDA - HSCCP Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, 4th Ed.
44. Comment Deadline July 5 on BSAI Crab FMP Amendments 38 & 39
45. Navy reaches training alternative for Gulf of Alaska
46. Comment Deadline August 2 on National Forest Invasive Species Mgmt Directive
47. Comment deadline August 2 on NMFS Alaska Saltwater Sportfishing Economic Survey
48. AK DEC APDES Permit Issuance Plan for 2011-2012 posted
49. Comment Deadline July 1 for guidance on waters covered by EPA Clean Water Act
50. NOAA seeks information from public on marine mammal deaths near Skagway
51. Deadline July 22 for USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grants
52. Federal Money Available to Businesses Impacted by Imports – Commerce TAA
53. NPRB Seeks Nominations for Advisory Panel with Bering Sea Expertise
54. Federal Subsistence Board Discusses Status of Secretarial Review Action Items

1. Global Food Alaska 2011 - Soldotna hosts global buyers, suppliers June 8-10
By Andrew Jensen, Alaska Journal of Commerce
Robin Richardson is on a mission to make markets for Alaska manufacturers.
The Soldotna Sports Center will host the third biennial Global Food Alaska event June 8 and 9, bringing together commercial buyers from around the world with Alaska's food, beverage and agri-product sectors…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/060311/loc_shgb.shtml

Global Food Alaska's 2011 Award Semi-Finalists – (AK Journal of Commerce)
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/060311/loc_gfasf.shtml

2011 Global Foods Alaska Event Agenda
 http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/060311/loc_ggaea.shtml

Global Food Alaska home page: http://www.gfc-connect.com/?page=GlobalFoodAlaska

2. ADF&G Provides New System for Commercial, Subsistence, and Personal Use Fishery News Releases
 (Juneau) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is providing a new online system for distributing and subscribing to news releases for commercial fishery openings, closings, fishing areas, times, and non-regulatory updates about specific fisheries. This system will also allow users to find announcements about subsistence fisheries and those personal use fisheries managed by the Division of Commercial Fisheries. 

Starting on May 31, all fishery news releases and announcements will be available in the new system and subscribers will automatically receive their news releases and announcements via email.

The new system, instructions for use, and subscription sign up is available at: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main

3. Port Moller dock boss discovers incorrect tide predictions
By Laine Welch | Capital City Weekly
…Fishermen and other mariners are being warned that the tide information for Port Moller is off by 8 to 10 hours. The error was first noticed a few weeks ago by Richard Lovano, dock boss for 30 years at Peter Pan Seafoods at Port Moller, when he was planning the best time to work under the company dock…
"It's not only a situation with our book, but the official tides published by NOAA include the same data," … "So anyone who is buying a tide product based on NOAA's predictions has these incorrect tides."…
http://capitalcityweekly.com/stories/052511/new_838171556.shtml

4. Bristol Bay regional Seafood Development Association Summer Newsletter (May) 
Contents include:
New Website
Board Election Results
A Board Member’s Perspective
2011 Project Report
Ice Barge Update
Pebble Mine Q & A
Annual Membership Meeting
http://www.bbrsda.com/layouts/bbrsda/files/documents/
bbrsda_reports/BBRSDA%20Newsletter,%20Summer%202011.pdf

5. Comment Deadline July 8 on Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas draft management plan
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) seeks public comment on a Bristol Bay Critical Habitat Areas draft management plan. The management plan addresses five critical habitat areas; Egegik Critical Habitat Area (CHA), Pilot Point CHA, Cinder River CHA, Port Heiden CHA, and Port Moller CHA located on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. The management plans will apply to state lands and waters and private lands within the CHA boundaries. The management plan and subsequent regulations will be used by department staff to authorize appropriate activities in the critical habitat areas through Special Area Permitting…
The draft plan is available for public review and comment through July 8, 2011. Copies are available on the department website at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bristolbay.draftplan

ADFG Press Release (June 1):
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/lands/protectedareas/bristolbay
/pdfs/bb_press_release_06_01_2011.pdf

6. South Peninsula Commercial Fishermen Sit Out First Salmon Fishery Opening
Sand Point, AK – June 5, 2011 – For the second year in a row, the South Peninsula fishing fleet has decided that the seiners should stand down during the first opening of this year’s salmon fishery. Last night, the fleet held a meeting in Sand Point, with teleconference sites in False Pass and King Cove. Subsistence fishermen have noted that the chum-to-sockeye ratios are still high.  Given this information, the fishermen unanimously decided that the seiners should stand down during this opening, which begins at 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 7th and ends at 10 p.m. on Friday, June 10th.

Fishermen will meet again at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8 to determine whether further measures are advisable.

Salmon fishermen from these villages realize that chum salmon catches during the June fishery are politically dangerous. For decades, Area M fishermen have been plagued by accusations that they are affecting commercial and subsistence chum salmon runs in the A-Y-K (Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim). In 2001, the Alaska Board of Fisheries implemented severe restrictions which nearly bankrupted the entire Area M fishing fleet. In 2004, the Board of Fisheries lifted the restrictions to pre-2001 levels after finding no evidence that previous chum salmon fishing restrictions made any improvement in chum runs in the A-Y-K. 

The South Peninsula fishing fleet hopes that by taking voluntary measures like this purse seine stand down, they can maximize their sockeye harvest without stirring up the controversy that accompanies large chum catches.

"We'll keep monitoring subsistence catches, and look at our options on Wednesday," said Sand Point Mayor and seiner Glen Gardner, Jr.

For background info and last year's press release, visit:

http://www.aleutianseast.org/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC=
{4625D388-43A1-4E17-A354-F5F12E4E7205}&DE={D119
9631-A137-466C-A3FB-D9879A6CDC89}

7. BOF 2011 – 2012 Tentative Meeting schedule posted, except PWS:
The Alaska Board of Fisheries has posted its schedule for the 2011-2012 meeting season - except PWS: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/regprocess/
fisheriesboard/pdfs/2011-2012/2011-2012-bof-schedule.pdf

BOF News page: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=
fisheriesboard.main

8. USCG Admiral Papp: Coast Guard needs greater Arctic presence
…New shipping lanes, increasing tourism, new access to fish stocks and especially the promise of oil and gas drilling have set off something of an Arctic gold rush, and the Coast Guard's presence in the region is a far cry from what it needs to be, he said.

"There's 49 states that don't really consider us to be an Arctic country," Papp said. "But if there's a cruise ship sinking, or an oil tanker spill — I know who they're going to point the finger at if there's a problem up there and we're unable to respond."

To that end, the Coast Guard is reviewing what it needs for Arctic operations, including the possibility of an at-least-seasonal air base in northern Alaska…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/060311/bus_agcnga.shtml

9. Oceans Month Kicks Off with Presidential Proclamation, Events
Featured Events Include Capitol Hill Oceans Week and Smithsonian Seafood Festival; & Ocean Council Listening Sessions Begin June 9
Today, the Obama Administration proclaimed June as National Oceans Month, recognizing that healthy oceans matter to all Americans. In part, the President's proclamation states:

"During National Oceans Month, we celebrate the value of our oceans to American life and recognize the critical role they continue to play in our economic progress, national security, and natural heritage. Waterborne commerce, sustainable commercial fisheries, recreational fishing, boating, tourism, and energy production are all able to contribute to job growth and strengthen our economy because of the bounty of our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes."

Washington, D.C-based events:
June 7, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco will deliver the keynote address at CHOW.
June 9, Dr. Lubchenco will participate in a Smithsonian-sponsored panel discussion of sustainable seafood with an emphasis on the Gulf of Mexico. 
June 9 in Washington, D.C. and Alaska, the National Ocean Council will take another important step to implement the nation's first comprehensive ocean policy by launching a series of 12 public listening sessions aimed at gathering public input from the communities and economies that depend on and care for our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes.

AK & WA Listening Sessions:
June 9, 4:00pm-9:00pm
Barrow, AK, North Slope Borough Offices           

June 10, 4:00pm-9:00pm
Anchorage, AK, Wilda Marston Theatre, Z. J. Loussac Library

June 27, 8:30am-5:00pm
Ocean Shores, WA, Quinault Beach Resort and Casino

For more information on the National Ocean Council activities, go to: www.whitehouse.gov/oceans .
To comment on the strategic action plans, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/sap .
To find a National Ocean Council regional listening session near you, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/26/sh
are-your-ideas-national-ocean-council-listening-session-near-you  

NPFMC comments to National Ocean Council on nine priority objectives:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/NOC_letter411.pdf

10. NIOSH Budget cut could be deadly for fishermen
ADN COMPASS: Other points of view By GUNNAR KNAPP (4/7)
…I was stunned to learn that the administration's FY 2012 budget would eliminate the NIOSH fishing safety program -- a cut which would save the federal government at most a few hundred thousand dollars. Unbelievably, the stated rationale was a review of NIOSH programs by a National Academy of Sciences panel which had specifically praised the fishing safety program as an "exemplary" program which had "executed its research according to how an ideal program would operate."…
ADN: http://www.adn.com/2011/04/07/1798673/budget-cut-could-be
-deadly-for.html#ixzz1Ixw1NEnJ

Fishing safety research threatened by budget cuts
Jacob Resneck/KUCB (2011-06-06)
UNALASKA, AK (kucb) - Commercial fishing remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the country. So safety experts are crying foul over the Obama administration's proposal to cancel a program run by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that's working to reduce fisheries-related deaths and injuries.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kial/news.newsmain/article/1/0/
1812273/Local.News/Fishing.safety.research.threatened.by.budget
.cuts

11. Fishing Safer – But Still Deadly
By Margaret Bauman, National Fisherman online
…Interventions developed by the Coast Guard in Alaska for stability checks on the Bering Sea crab fleet have helped, but on an overall basis, commercial fishing continues to be the state’s most dangerous occupation, a new report confirms….
http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/fishing-safer-
but-still-deadly.html

New safety video aims to prevent drownings at sea
Man overboard!
Got your attention?
It could happen, so take a look at "Man Overboard: Prevention and Recovery," a new training video produced by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Alaska Pacific regional office. It's designed to help prevent work-related deaths from drowning in commercial fisheries.

DVD copies of the video area available free from NIOSH. Just visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing

Bristol Bay Times story:
http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/1119new_
safety_video_aims_to_prevent_drownings_at

CDC NIOSH F/V Safety home page:
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing

12. Lessons in survival: One crew prepared for worst and lived; not so the other
The contrast is as clear as life and death. The crew of the 60-foot boat Nordic Mistress that sank 85 miles north of Kodiak on Sunday was prepared. They radioed their mayday, gave an exact position to the Coast Guard, got into immersion suits and a covered raft and fired a red flare to alert a rescue helicopter to their position…
http://www.adn.com/2011/05/24/1880721/our-view-
lessons-in-survival.html
&
Boat sinks north of Kodiak; Coast Guard rescues five
http://www.adn.com/2011/05/22/1876406/boat-sinks-
north-of-kodiak-coast.html
&
After clam digger deaths, company targeting safety
http://www.adn.com/2011/05/24/1880514/after-clam-digger-deaths-company.html
&
Search suspended for man overboard 110 miles west of Togiak (5/25)
http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/1121search_suspended
_for_man_overboard_110_miles

13. AMSEA Safety Training Calendar with links: http://www.amsea.org/calendar.html
Alaska Marine Safety Education Association home page:  www.amsea.org .

14. FISHSAFE.INFO - - Schedule Your FREE 'No Fault' Commercial  Fishing Vessel Dockside Safety Exam Today http://www.fishsafe.info/contactform.htm

15. Fishery council to take bite out of bycatch in Nome
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is in Nome this week with plans to take a bite out of salmon bycatch.

The council is scheduled meet June 8 through June 14 with the bulk of its time — four days — to take final action on a hard cap for chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska and select a preliminary preferred alternative to control chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/060311/fis_fctbob.shtml

16. Items for the June NPFMC meeting in Nome, Alaska June 6-14
GOA Halibut PSC Catch limit action plan
NBSRA Research Plan
Methods for Establishing Maximum Size Limits for the Charter Fishery

Chum Bycatch: Executive Summary, EA, RIR/IRFA, Outreach Report;
GOA Chinook Bycatch EA/RIR/IRFA

Draft Crab SAFE Chapters:  Intro; Ecosystem; Adak RKC; AIGKC; BBRKC; NSRKC; PIBKC; PIGKC; PIRKC;  SMBKC; Snow; Tanner;
NPFMC comments to National Ocean Council: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/NOC_letter411.pdf

NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

17. Olson and Henderson reappointed to North Pacific Council
The appointees for 2011 fill obligatory seats for Alaska and Washington.
John J. Henderschedt (Washington)
Eric A. Olson (Alaska)
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/
councilappoint060211.pdf

18. Sen. Begich: Trash Free Seas Act of 2011 Introduced in Senate (S.1119)
Legislation designed to clean up and prevent ocean trash from washing ashore and destroying marine ecosystems was introduced in the Senate today, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Senator Mark Begich and Senator Lisa Murkowski announced.

The Trash Free Seas Act of 2011, a bill to Re-authorize the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (MDRPRA) of 2006, was introduced today. The MDRPRA’s term of authorization expired at the end of 2010.
http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=
a38867b1-6f4a-4a79-a2b4-e524edc9dd92

For full text and tracking of S.1119, see http://thomas.loc.gov/ , and search by bill number.

19. Forest Service concerned about Sealaska bill
By MARY PEMBERTON, Associated Press, in Bloomberg Business Week

A bill allowing a private Native corporation to pick choice lands in the nation's largest national forest is crucial to saving Southeast Alaska's timber industry, Sen. Lisa Murkowski told a Senate committee.
Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Wednesday that her bill conveying about 80,000 acres in the Tongass National Forest to Sealaska Corp. has seen 150 changes since 2008, and it's time to act on it.

"The timber industry in Southeast Alaska is hanging by a thread," Murkowski told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where she is the ranking member. "Without passage of this bill, Alaska will likely be forced out of the timber industry."

Sealaska is owed the acreage under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. What makes the Murkowski-sponsored bill controversial is that it would allow Sealaska, which has nearly 20,000 shareholders, to choose lands outside areas designated by the act.

Harris Sherman, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told the committee that the Forest Service, which now manages the lands, remains concerned about the bill. Some of the lands that Sealaska wants are vital to the future direction of the forest as it moves away from old-growth cutting and toward sustainable second-growth, he said…
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9NFD3J80.htm

UFA has adopted the consensus points from our Southeast member groups, calling for 100 foot stream buffers and better clarity on allowable uses of futures sites. One man’s “ecotourism” is another man’s stack of fish boxes to sell back home to pay for their Alaska vacation, and that has to stop.

20. Chairman Young Holds Hearing On Sealaska Land Entitlement Bill
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Don Young held a hearing today on H.R. 1408, the Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Jobs Protection Act.  This bipartisan legislation will allow the Sealaska Native Corporation to receive its remaining land conveyance under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971.  Rep. Young first took the lead on this legislation in the 110th Congress.

“I have traveled to Southeast Alaska many times since I last introduced this legislation, gathering input from all stakeholders including local communities and local businesses,” said Rep. Young. “This year marks 40 years since ANCSA was signed into law, and Sealaska is still without their full land entitlement. It’s long past time that this issue is finalized and I intend to do just that.”
Rep Don Young Press release:
http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?
DocumentID=243439

21. Murkowski Supports Bill to Complete Sealaska Lands Exchange
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following comments in favor of legislation that would allow Southeast Alaska’s Sealaska Native Regional Corp. to complete the land selection promised to its shareholders nearly 40 years ago under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA):

“This legislation is important not only to keep the legal promise the federal government made in ANCSA, but also to ensure the survival of the remaining timber operations in Southeast Alaska,” Murkowski said. “Without access to private timber, the remaining mills will disappear and an important part of the region’s economy will be forever lost.”

The Sealaska bill (S.730) was one of six lands bills the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony on Wednesday.

http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases
&ContentRecord_id=cc89dc1f-b5a7-4d6f-afe1-d3f1cf7483d2&C
ontentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&Group
_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624

For full text and tracking of the Senate and House versions of the Sealaska lands bill, S.730 and H.R. 1408, see http://thomas.loc.gov/ , and search by bill number.

22. Six more leave Tongass Futures Roundtable just before spring meeting
Posted: May 17, 2011 - 8:44pm
Advertisement
 By Jonathan Grass Copyright 2011 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 
JUNEAU EMPIRE
The Tongass Futures Roundtable has lost six members just before its spring meeting. Those that left say the Roundtable has not progressed in stabilizing timber sales and the bureaucratic process has been too slow.

A press release states those leaving include Coffman Cove City Administrator Elaine Price, Wrangell Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, Wrangell Borough Manager Tim Rooney, Petersburg City Manager Scott Hahn, Petersburg Community Development Director Leo Luczak and former Craig Mayor Dennis Watson…
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-05-17/6-leave-
tongass-futures-roundtable-just-spring-meeting

23. New State Timber Task Force Announced – Gov Parnell pulls AK out of Roundtable
May 5, 2011, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sean Parnell has issued an Administrative Order creating a new state timber task force. The task force will focus on developing recommendations that will lead to new jobs in the timber industry, particularly in traditional timber harvesting from federal, state, and private lands…
While we will continue to pursue federal timber sales for traditional harvest, I look forward to receiving task force recommendations that will focus more on state efforts. In order to focus limited state resources on efforts that will lead to new jobs, the state will also be withdrawing from the Tongass Futures Roundtable. Any roundtable proposals that benefit traditional timber harvests and new jobs should certainly be presented to the new task force.”..
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-press-
release.html?pr=5772

24. My Turn: Timber Task Force vs. Tongass Roundtable
Posted: May 11, 2011 - 8:30pm By BRUCE BAKER Copyright 2011
On May 5, Gov. Sean Parnell announced a new state timber task force to focus on creation of new timber industry jobs on federal, state and private lands. The governor also announced that the state will withdraw from the Tongass Futures Roundtable (TFR), a privately sponsored, non-governmental forum.
http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2011-05-11/my-
turn-timber-task-force-vs-tongass-roundtable

25. State policy leads beluga ESA recovery team to remove Alaska scientists
INDEPENDENCE: Beluga recovery team must continue without two Alaska experts.
By RICHARD MAUER, Anchorage Daily News

A Parnell administration rule that requires state scientists to adhere to official policy and not the principles of independent science when they work outside their agencies continues to fuel debate more than a month after two biologists were removed from a federal beluga whale recovery team.

The state biologists were kicked off the beluga panel because the rule compromised the scientific integrity of the team, federal officials said.

"The situation is unfortunate," said Leslie Cornick, an associate professor of marine biology and policy at Alaska Pacific University. "What you have is the politicians silencing their state-employed biologists, and the politicians, who don't know anything about interpreting scientific data, are interpreting scientific data in a way that fits their agenda."

The policy could have the long-term effect of chilling participation of state scientists in independent research and journal activity that scientists in academia have long enjoyed, said Cornick, who said she was speaking for herself and not her university.

Doug Vincent-Lang, the acting deputy commissioner of Fish and Game and an advocate of the new state rule, said in a recent interview that scientists are encouraged to engage in vigorous debate inside their agencies, but that once a position is established, the state has a right to demand adherence to it.

On April 25, as the issue simmered for months, the top official of the National Marine Fisheries Service in Alaska decided the state gag rule on its scientists was in direct conflict with federal policy.

James Balsiger, the Juneau-based NMFS regional administrator, said he had no choice but to remove two Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists, Bob Small and Mark Willette, from the scientific panel of the Cook Inlet beluga whale recovery team, even though both are experts in their fields.

The 13-member panel of unpaid volunteers, now down to 11, is in the middle of drafting a plan designed to get Cook Inlet beluga whales, thought to number about 350, off the endangered species list. The panel is to determine how many belugas represent a sustainable population -- when victory can be declared -- and figure out a strategy to get there. The plan, due in rough form in about a year, would be subject to public comment and final approval by federal officials.

But the whole matter ran afoul of state policy because officially, Alaska's government says there's no distinct, isolated population of belugas in Cook Inlet, and in any event, they aren't facing extinction. The state sued the National Marine Fisheries Service last year in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to have belugas delisted. Motions for summary judgments are now being argued by the two sides and numerous intervenors.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/06/04/1899734/state-policy
-leads-beluga-panel.html#ixzz1OWM4DIjP
or
http://www.adn.com/2011/06/04/1899734/state-policy-leads-
beluga-panel.html

26. WDFW & AK Scientists review of Steller Sea Lion BiOp:
Fish and wildlife scientists from Washington and Alaska met June 2 in Seattle to discuss the scientific basis of new federal fishing restrictions designed to protect Steller sea lions in the A second public meeting is scheduled Aug. 1 in Anchorage, after the four-member scientific panel is scheduled to release a draft report and recommendations…
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/release.php?id=may1711a

27. State's coastal zone management authority to expire this month
By Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce

Unless something dramatic happens, like another special legislative session, Alaska will lose its clout over offshore leasing and some other federal actions June 30.

That's when the Alaska Coastal Management Program expires. State legislators failed to approve a required extension of the program during their regular 2011 session ending April 17 and again disagreed on it during a special session that ended May 14…

Coastal management dates from the 1970s and gives coastal communities a voice in state decisions on projects in the coastal area, and gives the state a say in federal permit and program decisions on federal actions in the coastal zone or offshore in federally owned waters beyond the state's three-mile territorial limit…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/060311/loc_sczm.shtml

28. Alaska Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Areas meets June 22
Notice of Public Meeting - Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Areas (CACFA) will be meeting on Wednesday, June 22, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and Thursday, June 23, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office; 3rd Floor, Alaska USA Financial Center
1292 Sadler Way, Suite 308, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Local phone: (907) 452-4448

The meeting is open to the public. Periods of public comment are scheduled at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22 and 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Thursday, June 23. The toll free number to call to participate in public comment (outside Juneau) 1-855-463-5009; (in Juneau) 463-5009.

Any person may present oral or written comments to the Commission on any agenda item or other issue related to federal public lands in Alaska. No advance notice is required. Please note that any written comments received are public records and subject to inspection…

Meeting Notice:
http://notes4.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/fc5d8ab5d8fa39f98925789d00768100?
OpenDocument
CACFA home page: http://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/cacfa/

29. House Resources Fisheries Subcommittee considers bill to help Salmon vs. Sea Lions
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Legislative Hearing on H.R. 946, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 10:00 AM

H.R. 946 (Hastings), To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to reduce predation on endangered Columbia River salmon, and for other purposes.  "Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act."
http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?
EventID=244930

For full text and tracking of HR 946, see http://thomas.loc.gov/ , and select the button to search by bill number.

30. Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act in Senate Hearing June 8
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces an executive session scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in 253 Russell Senate Office Building.

The following legislation and nominations were scheduled for the Commerce Committee’s consideration:
·         S. 50, Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act
·         S. 158, Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2011
·         S. 179, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection
·         S. 183, Deepwater Horizon Survivors’ Fairness Act
·         S. 911, Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act
·         S. 962, a bill to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to promote the protection of the resources of the Northwest Straits, and for other purposes
·         Nomination for Promotion in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps
·         Nominations for Promotion in the U.S. Coast Guard
Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid or service, including closed captioning service for webcast hearings, should contact Collenne Wider at 202-224-5511 at least three business days in advance of the hearing date.

For full text and tracking of S.50 and HR1210, see http://thomas.loc.gov/ , and search by bill number.

31. Oceana & press target intentional, fraudulent mislabeling of seafood
    Oceana report: Bait and Switch: How Seafood Fraud Hurts Our Oceans, Our Wallets and Our Health. May 25, 2011. Online at http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/reports/Seafood
FraudReport_2011.pdf
    Oceana. Oceana Launches New Campaign in U.S. to Stop Seafood Fraud: New Report Describes How Seafood Fraud Hurts Our Oceans, Wallets and Health. May 25, 2011.
    Online at http://na.oceana.org/en/news-media/press-center/press-
releases/oceana-launches-new-campaign-in-us-to-stop-seafood-fraud
    Oceana. Seafood Fraud: Overview. Online at http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work/promote-responsible-fishing/seafood-fraud/overview
    Rosenthal E. The New York Times (NYT). Tests Reveal Mislabeling of Fish. May 26, 2011
    Online at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/science/e
arth/27fish.html

Snapper or rock cod on a menu in Alaska is usually rockfish. That is what these hundreds of species are called here.  I look for it and consider it a higher value than its namesake species.  I also enjoy American football, which is also considered mislabeled to the rest of the world, but that’s what it’s called here. 
The tricky part is to catch the crooks and educate the public and fishmongers to using correct names. -MV

32. NFI forms Better Seafood Board (BSB) to stamp out fish fraud
Members of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) have taken a pledge to stamp out economic fraud in the seafood industry.
The Better Seafood Board (BSB) was formed in 2007 to support the commitment of NFI members to abide by industry principles of economic integrity by not selling seafood that is short in weight or count, that has the wrong name, or that has been transshipped from one country to another to circumvent duties and tariffs.
http://www.aboutseafood.com/about/about-nfi/better-seafood-board

33. With no labeling, few realize they are eating genetically modified foods
When a team of activists wearing white hazmat suits showed up at a Chicago grocery store to protest the sale of genetically modified foods, they picked an unlikely target: Whole Foods Market.

Organic foods, by definition, can't knowingly contain genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs. But genetically modified corn, soy and other crops have become such common ingredients in processed foods that even one of the nation's top organic food retailers says it hasn't been able to avoid stocking some products that contain them.http://www.latimes.com/health/
ct-met-gmo-food-labeling--20110524,0,3802216.story

34. Gov. Announces Best Year for Alaska Exports
May 12, 2011, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell announced that Alaska’s annual exports hit their highest mark ever, $4.2 billion in 2010, an increase of 26.95 percent over 2009.

“Alaskans can be proud that our hard work and rich resources have brought us to this record breaking year for exports,” Governor Parnell said. “We must continue our promotion efforts around the world to successfully market our state’s wonderful seafood, minerals, forest products and energy.”
…The value of Alaska’s seafood exports was $1.8 billion in 2010, up 12.2 percent, buoyed in part by the best salmon harvest in 18 years.
Two countries accounted for more than a billion dollars of the seafood export: Japan and China. Japan has long been the state’s largest seafood export market and was the largest market again in 2010 at $523.4 million, followed closely by China at $516.9 million. China has been steadily growing in importance in Alaska’s seafood exports and in 2010 was up 23.1 percent…
Governor Parnell Press release:
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-press-release.
html?pr=5779

Alaska 2010 Export Update: http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell_media/resources_files/alaska
exportcharts2010.pdf

35. Alaska Seafood Chain Of Custody Standard Now Complete

Juneau, Alaska. May 31, 2011 – The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has completed its Chain of Custody Standard, and is now accepting applications for Chain of Custody Certification. This is part of ASMI’s ongoing Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-Based Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Program.
The Chain of Custody Standard ensures that only Alaska seafood products bearing a statement “sourced from a certified Alaska fishery” can make this claim. It will ensure that all certified Alaska seafood can be traced back through the supply chain to the fishery that was certified as part of the Alaska Certification Program. To date, both Alaska Salmon and Alaska Halibut have received the FAO-based certification, and applications have been submitted for Alaska Black Cod, Alaska Pollock, and Alaska Crab.
This Chain of Custody Certification is required for any applicant that buys seafood from a certified fishery and wishes to make the certified claim on any of their packaging. Certified seafood handlers will be able to demonstrate effective traceability and have systems in place to ensure that the certified seafood product is not mixed with non-certified seafood.
If an applicant buys seafood from a certified fishery, but does not wish to make the certified claim on any of their packaging, they will not require certification. A certification to the Chain of Custody Standard takes from one to three months and includes a number of distinct steps.

• To learn more about the Alaska Chain of Custody Standard, and to download the Standard (PDF file), click here.

• To learn more about the Alaska Chain of Custody Application Process, click here.

ASMI Alaska Chain of Custody home page:
 http://sustainability.alaskaseafood.org/chain-of-custody

ASMI Press Release:
http://pressroom.alaskaseafood.org/alaska-seafood-chain-of-
custody-standard-now-complete/

36. UK - QR codes tell you where your crabs come from
By George Wong - 05/22/2011 22:41 PDT
If you’re a fan of eating crabs from a certain location because you have a certain preference for the flavor or texture of the crabs there, it’s going to be a lot easier to locate them in the future. The Really Interesting Crab Company and Scan and Go Code service have teamed up together to bring folks in the UK a more interesting way to find out where your crabs came from – with the use of technology.

The companies plan to implement QR codes in restaurant menus that people can just whip out their smartphones to scan…
 http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/05/qr-codes-crabs/

37. Bleeding fish results in high quality, price – Izetta Chambers in Dutch Harbor Fisherman
Several years ago, when our family-owned company, Naknek Family Fisheries, began asking fishermen to bleed their fish as soon as they were caught, many fishermen didn't know what this meant…
http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/1121bleeding
_fish_results_in_high_quality_price

38. Montana Hutterite colonies diving into contained commercial salmon farming
BYNUM, Mont. — In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, miles from salt water, salmon are growing in Montana's first commercial fish farm…
In December, batches of 10,000 and 12,000 tiny salmon eggs arrived at the Miller Colony, just outside of Bynum, and the East End Colony north of Havre…
The Hutterite colonies rely on cutting-edge technology to filter the waste from the water and to essentially re-create a stream in a 30-foot-in-diameter steel tank…
Farm-raised salmon traditionally are grown in open-net ocean pens. The practice has come under fire as the nonnative species escape into the wild, polluting the water with sea lice and spreading disease to other fish…
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/f3c502cff8174784b
3ac08eb47c501d0/MT--Hutterites-Salmon-Farming/

39. Canada: PEI Company sees bright future in farmed halibut
VICTORIA - Early success in supplying up-scale restaurants with farmed halibut has prompted a P.E.I. company to look at the feasibility of growing its fish even bigger.

Halibut P.E.I. Inc. has been raising halibut at the former Morning Star lobster pound in Victoria since the fall of 2008. They take in thumb-sized juvenile fish, weighing between five and 10 grams from a hatchery in Nova Scotia, and grow them to around two kilograms…
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-05-24/
article-2531742/Company-sees-bright-future-in-farmed-halibut/1

40. Comment deadline June 14 on WWF “Standards for Responsible Salmon Aquaculture”
The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue is pleased to present the final draft of its standards for responsible salmon aquaculture. The standards, which address the seven main environmental and social impacts of salmon farming, are a product of the consensus-building process used by the Dialogue. We encourage you to provide feedback on the draft standards…

http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/aquaculture/
salmon-aquaculture-dialogue-draft-standards.html

41.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
6/6/11 Tenders expand use of tLandings
6/3/11 Bycatch to food banks program expands to Gulf of AK
6/2/11 Undates on halibut, salmon, herring
6/1/11 Alien invaders alert!
5/31/11 Sablefish tags tell wanderings
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/?page_id=846

42. Comment deadline July 20 on NS-10 regarding consideration of safety in fisheries
NMFS issues this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to provide background information and request public comment on potential adjustments to the National Standard 10 Guidelines.
DATES: Written comments regarding the issues in this ANPR must be
received by 5 p.m., local time, on July 20, 2011…
National Standard 10 states: ``Conservation and management measures shall, to the extent practicable, promote the safety of human life at sea.'' http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-9718.htm

43. FDA announces HSCCP Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, 4th Ed.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled ``Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Fourth Edition.'' The updated guidance supports and complements FDA's regulations for the safe and sanitary processing and importing of fish and fishery products using hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) methods.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on Agency guidances
at any time.

Federal Register Notice:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-10234.htm

FDA Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance home page:
http://www.fda.gov/food/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation
/guidancedocuments/seafood/fishandfisheriesproductshazardsand
controlsguide/default.htm

44. Comment Deadline July 5 on BSAI Crab FMP Amendments 38 & 39
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council submitted Amendments 38 and 39 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP) to NMFS for review. If approved, Amendment 38 would establish a mechanism in the FMP to
specify annual catch limits and accountability measures for each crab stock. This action is necessary to account for uncertainty in the overfishing limit and prevent overfishing. If approved, Amendment 39 would modify the snow crab rebuilding plan to define the stock as
rebuilt the first year the stock biomass is above the level necessary to produce maximum sustainable yield…
DATES: Written comments on the amendment must be received on or before 5 p.m., Alaska local time, on July 5, 2011.
Federal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-10798.htm

45. Navy reaches training alternative for Gulf of Alaska
By Jonathan Grass JUNEAU EMPIRE
The Department of the Navy has decided on an alternative training method in the Gulf of Alaska. This decision follows the results of an environmental impact statement (EIS) conducted as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The preferred alternative, which is Alternative 2, involves continuing current training activities while increasing certain ones from current levels to support fleet exercise requirements, includes active sonar use and accommodates new training requirements associated with force structure changes and the introduction of new weapons and systems to the fleet.
http://juneauempire.com/state/2011-05-18/navy-reaches-training-alternative-gulf-alaska

Notice of Availability of Record of Decision  - Federal Register Notice: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-05-19/html/2011-12283.htm
US Navy Gulf of Alaska Training home page:
www.gulfofalaskanavyeis.com

46. Comment Deadline August 2 on National Forest Invasive Species Mgmt Directive
The Forest Service is seeking comment on it's proposal to establish an internal directive to Forest Service Manual (FSM) 2900 for invasive species management. The proposed invasive species management directive will provide foundational comprehensive guidance for the
management of invasive species on aquatic and terrestrial areas of the National Forest System (NFS)…
This directive will increase Forest Service effectiveness when planning and implementing invasive species management activities; using a collaborative and holistic approach for
protecting and restoring aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems from the impacts of invasive plants, pathogens, vertebrates, and invertebrates.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing by August 2, 2011…

Federal Register Notice:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-03/html/2011-13800.htm

U.S.F.S. Invasive Species home page: http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/

47. Comment deadline August 2 on NMFS Alaska Saltwater Sportfishing Economic Survey
    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plans to conduct a survey to collect data for conducting economic analyses of marine sport fishing in Alaska. This survey is necessary to understand the factors that affect the economic value of marine recreational fishing trips and improve estimates of fishing trip value.
    The Federal Government is responsible for the management of the Pacific halibut sport fishery off Alaska, while the State of Alaska manages the salmon sport fisheries (chinook, coho, sockeye, chum and pink), as well as several other saltwater sport fisheries. The survey's scope covers marine sport fishing for Pacific halibut, salmon, and other popular marine sport species in Alaska (e.g., lingcod and rockfish). The data collected from the survey will be used to estimate the demand for and value of marine fishing to anglers and to analyze how the type of fish caught, fishery regulations, and other factors affect fishing values and anglers' decisions to participate in Alaska marine fishing activities…
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-03/html/2011-13811.htm

48. AK DEC APDES Permit Issuance Plan for 2011-2012 posted
The Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program, now has available on our web pages the 2011-2012 Permit Issuance Plan. You can access the Plan via any of the web links below.
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wwdp/index.htm
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/npdes/index.htm
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/TribalCommunication/tribes.html

49. Comment Deadline July 1 for guidance on waters covered by EPA Clean Water Act
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) are publishing for public comment proposed guidance that describes how the agencies will identify waters protected by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (Clean Water Act or CWA or Act) and implement the Supreme Court's decisions on this topic (i.e., Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC) (531 U.S. 159 (2001)) and Rapanos v. United States (547 U.S. 715 (2006)) (Rapanos)). The agencies believe that under this proposed guidance the number of waters identified as protected by the Clean Water Act will increase compared to current practice and this improvement will aid in protecting the Nation's public health and aquatic resources…
Comments must be received on or before July 1, 2011.
Federal Register Notice: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/wetlands/upload/signed
_epa-hq-ow-2011-0409_frn.pdf

Correction
Please note that the email address in the FR notice on page 24480 "E-mail: owdocket@epa.gov" is incorrect. The correct email to submit comments to the docket is
ow-docket@epa.gov . As before, please include EPA–HQ–OW–2011–0409 in the subject line of the message.

EPA page http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/wetlands/CWAwaters.cfm

50. NOAA seeks information from public on marine mammal deaths near Skagway
Juneau, AK — It has been a deadly 2011 for marine mammals in the Skagway area. Since January, the carcasses of two Steller sea lions and three harbor seals have been discovered.

Of the five deceased mammals, four showed signs of head trauma, and a bullet was recovered from one harbor seal skull during a necropsy.

NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement is asking the public for help in determining exactly what is causing these deaths…
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/mammal
deaths060611.htm

51. Deadline July 22 for USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grants
USDA Rural Development is seeking applications for the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) Program pursuant to section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) (Act). As provided in the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 (H.R. 1473), approximately $7.4 million in competitive grant funds is available. The intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 and award grants on or before September 15, 2011. The maximum award per grant is $225,000 and matching funds are required. In accordance with section 310B(e)(6)(B) of the Act, the Secretary has determined that a grant period of one year is in the best interest of the program at this time…
Grants may be made to nonprofit corporations and accredited institutions of higher education…
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-07/html/2011-13927.htm

52. Federal Money Available to Businesses Impacted by Imports – Commerce TAA
If your company has seen sales and/or production decline, and been forced to lay off workers or reduce work hours, and you have lost some domestic sales to imports, the Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center may be able to qualify your company for the funding.
With assistance from the Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, U.S. Economic Development Administration grants are available to businesses that are struggling to compete with imports. NWTAAC is one of eleven nonprofit organizations in the nation that administer EDA grants to help American firms become more competitive.

According to Client Development Manager Patrick Meuleman, NWTAAC has money available and is actively pursuing interested businesses. Eligible companies can receive up to $75,000 in matching grant funding for projects of their choice aimed at improving competitiveness. Examples might include website design, industry certifications, export assistance and other types of technical assistance.

Visit nwtaac.org for detailed information and testimonials, or contact Meuleman at 208-343-6855, 800-667-8087, or patrick@nwtaac.org.

53. NPRB Seeks Nominations for Advisory Panel with Bering Sea Expertise
The North Pacific Research Board is seeking nominations for its Advisory Panel with expertise in the Bering Sea.
The Advisory Panel members advise the Board on accomplishing its overall mission of fielding a high caliber, comprehensive research program that will improve our understanding of the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, and Arctic Ocean ecosystems and their fisheries, and help to sustain and enhance the living marine resources.
Read the full nomination description: http://s3.nprb.org/ann/NPRB_AP_Solicitation_June-2011.pdf

http://www.nprb.org/

54. Federal Subsistence Board Discusses Status of Secretarial Review Action Items
The Federal Subsistence Board met on May 3-4 to discuss the progress that has been made on action items identified during the Secretarial review of the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The Board also discussed the development of a draft Tribal consultation protocol and considered how to express to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council its position on Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery and chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands pollock fishery…

Announcement with meeting results: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/newsrel/r050611.pdf

Office of Subsistence management home page:
http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/index.cfml

UFA dues for Alaska Individual members are $150 and are now open to holders of Alaska commercial crew licenses, in addition to CFEC permit holders and IFQ holders.

We also welcome crew/supporter nonvoting members at $50 per year.
To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm
We encourage you to support UFA Business members  - see list at http://www.ufa-fish.org/bm.htm

March 30, 2011

Note to members and fishing community supporters:
We have re-activated AFIRM , the Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission, for Tsunami relief in Japan and the US West Coast. See item #1 for information and to donate.

To support UFA by becoming a member see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm

Contents
1. Alaska Fishing Industry Announces Assistance to Fishing Communities Affected by Japanese Earthquake
2. Governor to Lead Anchorage Choose Respect
3. Governor Appoints to Boards of Fish/Game
4. Cook Inlet BOF: Changes made by fish board are out of balance
5. National Seafood Marketing Coalition looks to shore up U.S. seafood marketing
6. Fisheries chief sees end to overfishing
7. U.S.CG Proceedings Magazine: Fishing Vessel Safety &  AMSEA FV Drill courses
8. Halibut Stock Decline Forces Increased Management Measures for Southeast Alaska Charter Fleet
 9. NOAA posts Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Management Measures
10. Nearly 200 urge protection of Bristol Bay salmon in Save Bristol Bay Week in D.C.
11. Rep. Austerman thanks Fish Caucus presenters, provides links to archived video
12. Parnell proposes increase to Southeast State Forest
13. NPFMC meets March 28- April 5, Anchorage
14. State addresses nonresident worker issues
15. Alaska Delegation Introduces Maritime Lien Reform Act
16. Sen. Patty Murray fights ‘Frankenfish’
17. Hawaii: Towed aquaculture fish pens break free
18. Comment Deadline April 11 on NOAA Draft Aquaculture Policy
19.  Laine Welch's Fish Radio –topics from this week
20. Voices from the Waterfront - Meet Commercial Fisher Linda Behnken
21. Federal Subsistence Board to Discuss Rural Determination Process – April 6
22. Federal Subsistence fish and shellfish regulations posted
23. Comment by April 11 on C/P BSAI Parallel Fishery
24. Comment by May 13 on BSAI Crab plan Amendment 34
25. NOAA Policy on Prohibited and Approved Uses of the Asset Forfeiture Fund
26. Call for Innovative NEPA Pilot Project Proposals – Deadline June 15
27. Identification of Nations Whose Fishing Vessels Are Engaged in Fishing in Waters Beyond Any National Jurisdiction That Target or Incidentally Catch Sharks
28. NMFS posts correction to 2011 BSAI harvest specifications
29. Comment by April 27 on Exempted Fishing Permit for Salmon Excluder
30. 2011 American Water Resources Association - April 4-6 at Chena Hot Springs
31. Southwest Alaska Salmon Science Symposium  -April 13-14, Anchorage
32. Sailing for Salmon - 125 Years of Commercial Fishing in Bristol Bay
33. Comfish Kodiak – April 14-16 Kodiak Harbor Convention Center - Kodiak, Alaska
34. Kodiak Area Marine Science Symposium, April 9–12, 2011 Kodiak, Alaska
35. National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meets in Seattle April 26 - April 29
36. Comment Deadline April 12 on Federal Subsistence Board Two Rural User Seats
37. Comment Deadline April 29 on Ocean Policy - Nine Priority Objectives
38. Comment by May 16 on USFS Planning Rule
39. Boards of Fisheries Call For Proposals – SE, PWS; PCod; and Statewide Misc Shellfish...
Surveys – input from fishermen wanted:
40. Alaska Sea Grant Survey on Training for Fishermen
41. Alaska Ocean Observing System survey on Weather info through AIS

1. Alaska Fishing Industry Announces Assistance to Fishing Communities Affected by Japanese Earthquake
The Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission, Inc. (AFIRM) has reactivated to respond to Fishing Communities impacted by the Japan Earthquake and Tsunamis. AFIRM includes fishermen, processors, transportation and financial segments of the seafood industry from Alaska, the West Coast and their respective offshore federal waters.  AFIRM donations are fully tax deductible.

• AFIRM has zero overhead given its volunteer board/staff, so 100% of all contributions go directly for assistance.

• AFIRM efforts are applied directly and specifically to fishing communities most severely impacted.

AFIRM Press release: http://www.akjapanhelp.org/doc/AFIRMPress
ReleaseTsunamiAid032511.pdf

AFIRM Home Page: WWW.AKJAPANHELP.ORG  (and to donate by credit card)

To go directly to donation by credit card through PayPal CLICK HERE

2. Governor to Lead Anchorage Choose Respect
More Than 50 Communities to Hold Events
March 17, 2011, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell and First Lady Sandy Parnell will lead the Anchorage “Choose Respect” march and rally on Thursday, March 31, beginning at noon at the Delaney Park Strip. The governor has challenged Alaskans to step up and in this generation end the epidemic of domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA) that plagues our state…
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-press-release
.html?pr=5687

Choose Respect home page:
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/priorities/choose-respect.html

For March 31 Rally details in your community:
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/priorities/choose-respect/
the-march.html

3. Governor Appoints to Boards of Fish/Game
March 26, 2011, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell today appointed Susan Jeffrey and reappointed Bill Brown and John Jensen to the Board of Fisheries. He also appointed Nick Yurko and reappointed Stanley “Stosh” Hoffman and Ted Spraker to the Board of Game.
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/full-press-
release.html?pr=5698

UFA supported Mike Bowen, Mike Heimbuch, John Jensen, Dwight Kramer, Mel Morris, Victoria O’Connell, John Renner, John Scoblic, and Paul Shadura. 
Thanks to so many well-qualified fishermen volunteers this year.

4. Cook Inlet BOF: Changes made by fish board are out of balance
Peninsula Clarion
Upper Cook Inlet salmon are, from a user-group allocation perspective, the most hotly contested salmon in the state. Commercial fishermen, personal-use fishermen, sport fishermen, subsistence fishermen -- all have legitimate claims to the resource.

It would be impossible to try to make every user group happy. There just aren't enough fish in the sea. But, a good management plan should strike a balance that at least leaves everyone feeling like they have adequate opportunity and access to their respective fisheries. And it should address biological concerns without creating new ones.

In its deliberations this week, the Board of Fisheries has ignored that balance…
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/030611/ope_
795553259.shtml

Board of Fisheries Summary of Upper Cook Inlet

BOF News page: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.main

5. National Seafood Marketing Coalition looks to shore up U.S. seafood marketing
By Richard Gaines – Gloucester Times
The U.S. maintains a $9.36 billion trade deficit in seafood, according to government reports for 2009, the last full year of published figures by the US Commerce Department…
But a dedicated fund for marketing domestic seafood products that Congress ordered drawn from the hundreds of millions of dollars collected in import tariffs on fish products has never materialized.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x1623043669/Coalition-
looks-to-beef-up-U-S-seafood-marketing
&
Feds ignore law on fishing fund
A mid-20th century law written by legends of Massachusetts politics and American history, creating a multi-million dollar superfund to help promote and market domestic seafood, has been largely ignored, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Over the last decade, roughly $400 million that should have been spent on fishing industry projects — as mandated by the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act of 1954 — was instead diverted into the operating budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to government figures…
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x1623045930/Feds-
ignore-law-on-fishing-fund?mobRedir=false 
&
Report: Congress ate away at seafood promo dollars
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x106231105/Report-
Congress-ate-away-at-seafood-promo-dollars

6. Fisheries chief sees end to overfishing
By Richard Gaines Staff Writer The Gloucester Daily Times Wed Mar 23, 2011, 12:06 AM EDT The administrator of federal fisheries has reportedly declared restoration efforts of overfished stocks — now in their fourth decade under Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates — have succeeded in making sustainable the nation's last great wild food resource.
In informal remarks during a private meeting with a seafood marketing group on the first day of the International Boston Seafood Show, Eric Schwaab, administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service, was applauded not only for his optimistic assessment of the long struggle to end overfishing, but for his commitment to marry government resources with U.S. industry efforts at increasing the domestic share of the global seafood market, according to multiple audience sources.
Schwaab spoke to about 70 members of the National Seafood Marketing Coalition on Sunday, during the first day of the three-day seafood show, considered an apex event on the global fisheries calendar…
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x977558597/Fisheries
-chief-sees-end-to-overfishing

NOAA: U.S. “Turning a Corner” in Ending Overfishing
At a hearing today in front of the Senate Commerce Committee on the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Assistant NOAA Administrator for Fisheries Eric Schwaab said that the U.S. is making good progress toward meeting the mandate to end domestic overfishing.
“We know that nearly $31 billion in sales and as many as 500,000 jobs are lost because our fisheries are not performing as well as they would if all stocks were rebuilt,” Schwaab said. “While we are turning a corner toward a brighter future for fishermen and fishing communities, many fishermen are struggling in part as a result of years of decline in fishing opportunity.”
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/msa_schwaab
_testimony0311.pdf

NOAA Testimony: http://www.legislative.noaa.gov/112
testimony.html

Senate Commerce March 8 Hearing: Implementation of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

7. U.S.CG Proceedings Magazine:  - Fishing Vessel Safety Edition     
Current Issue: Winter 2010-11 
 In This Issue:
-New Federal Requirements-  
-Commercial Fishing Industry Reports-   
-Lessons Learned from Casualty Reports-  
Click here to view contents
- Fishery-Specific Risk Factors
byMr. Devin Lucas and CDR Jennifer Lincoln, Ph.D.

Download 4 mb. pdf file for color magazine:
http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/Winter2010-11/Winter
_2010-11.pdf

USCG fishsafe.info:

Dr. Lincoln’s work applies to all U.S. Fisheries – and funding is in jeopardy.
If you are outside of Alaska, your help is needed to contact your Congress and Senators.
“The President’s proposed FY12 budget eliminates funding for all Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AgFF) Research at NIOSH ($23 million). The fishing program’s budget is only approximately $1.5 million. The program's track record shows practical attention to identifying problems and solving them through cost-effective methods by working directly with fishing fleets…
HR 3619 calls for Alternate Compliance programs to be developed and implemented by 2020, for fishing vessels from 50 to 79 feet, built before July 1, 2010, and 25 years of age or older, and that these programs may be developed for specific regions and fisheries. Without a continuation of NIOSH's successful research programs, we predict little will be gained in actual safety improvements, and much will be lost (including human life) if these programs are to move forward in a national "one size fits all" scattershot approach.”
-UFA Letter to Alaska delegation.
Contact your Congress at USA.gov - : http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
Support 1.5M or more for Fishing Vessel Safety Research at NIOSH.

NIOSH/CDC Fishing Vessel Safety page: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fishing/

AMSEA FV Drill Conductor Courses Scheduled Nationwide
Thanks to funding from the U.S. Coast Guard, commercial fishing vessel drill conductor training continues to be offered FREE to commercial fishing vessel owners, skippers and crewmen!
Courses are currently scheduled for:
Tues. Mar. 29 & Wed. Mar. 30 (two-day class) – Newport, OR
Wed. Mar. 30 – Pascagoula, MS
Thurs. Mar. 31 & Fri. Apr. 1 – Ventura, CA - THIS COURSE IS FULL
Sat. Apr. 2 – Juneau, AK - CANCELLED
Tues. Apr. 5 & Wed. Apr. 6 (two-day class) – San Pedro, CA
Sat. Apr. 9 – Juneau, AK
Mon. Apr. 11 & Tues. Apr. 12 (two-day class) – San Diego, CA
Tues. Apr. 12 – Seward, AK
Sat. Apr. 16 – Murrells Inlet, SC
Sat. Apr. 23 – Anchorage, AK
Sat. Apr. 30 – Homer, AK
Mon. May 2 – Galveston, TX
Thurs. May 5 – Cordova, AK
Sat. May 7 – Cordova, AK
Sat. May 7 – Anchorage, AK
Sun. May 8 – Craig, AK
Thurs. May 12 – Valdez, AK
Wed. May 18 & Thurs. May 19 (two-day class) – Haines, AK
Tues. May 24 – Sitka, AK
May date TBA – Dillingham, AK
Thurs. June 9 – Naknek, AK
Fri. June 10 – Naknek, AK
Sat. June 11 – Naknek, AK
Calendar with links: http://www.amsea.org/calendar.html
Alaska Marine Safety Education Association home page:  www.amsea.org .

8. Halibut Stock Decline Forces Increased Management Measures for Southeast Alaska Charter Fleet
NOAA’s Fisheries Service today (March 11) announced it is implementing the regulatory recommendations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) due to concerns over declining halibut stocks. These regulations include limiting the maximum size of a halibut caught by charter anglers in southeastern Alaska to 37 inches, and retaining the one-fish-per-person-per-day rule that began in 2009.
       
The halibut stock is declining due to reduced numbers of fish reaching a catchable size range, lower growth rates, and higher than target harvest rates. The stock remains at risk of further declines. Conservation of the halibut resource is the primary concern and management objective of the measures.
       
…Even with the one fish bag limit in 2010, charter halibut operators exceeded their harvest limit by 491,000 pounds, or 62 percent. Each year that the charter fleet exceeds its harvest limit, it leads to a lower fixed quota for the commercial fishery the following year. The commercial catch limit in area 2C is 73 percent lower in 2011 than it was in 2003.
       
… The harvest limit was adopted by the NPFMC and implemented by NOAA Fisheries in 2003. It is expected to be replaced by a catch sharing plan in 2012, which would establish management measures designed to prevent overharvesting of the halibut resource and result in a sustainable fishery.
       
For more information: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/halibut/sport.htm
       
 To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, visit  alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or www.afsc.noaa.gov.

NOAA Press release: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/
halibut031111.htm

9. NOAA posts Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Management Measures
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA AA), on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), publishes annual management measures promulgated as regulations by the IPHC and approved by the Secretary of State governing the Pacific halibut fishery…

The IPHC held its annual meeting in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, January 25-28, 2011, and adopted regulations for 2011. The changes to the previous IPHC regulations (75 FR 13024, March 19, 2010) include:
    1. New halibut catch limits in all regulatory areas;
    2. New commercial halibut fishery opening dates;
    3. Removal of option to use LORAN coordinates in logbook entries;
    4. Adoption of the revised Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for Area 2A;
    5. New maximum size limit on the halibut retained on board a charter vessel fishing in Regulatory Area 2C measuring no more than 37 inches; and
    6. New retention requirement of the entire carcass of a halibut filleted on board a charter vessel fishing in Area 2C until all filets are offloaded.
Federal Register notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-6133.htm
IPHC home page: http://www.iphc.int/home.html

10. Nearly 200 urge protection of Bristol Bay salmon in Save Bristol Bay Week in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Chefs, restaurateurs and food lovers from across the country called on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska's wild salmon fishery from the dangers of the proposed Pebble Mine.
Nearly 200 people – including Chefs Tom Colicchio, Alice Waters, Mark Bittman, Barton Seaver and Nora Pouillon – sent a letter on Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, urging her to use the agency's authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from large-scale mining and development. More wild salmon come from Bristol Bay than any other place on earth.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/celebrity-chefs-
retailers-and-leaders-in-nations-food-community-call-on-
white-house-and-epa-to-save-bristol-bay-and-stop-pebble-
mine-118870999.html

11. Rep. Austerman thanks Fish Caucus presenters, provides links to archived video
Forwarded from Representative Alan Austerman’s staff Steve Ricci:
“Thank you all for your participation in the 2011 Fish Caucus.  I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to provide information in your field of expertise and your attendance. Below is a link to Representative Austerman’s blog which you will find a post that contains links to all of the archived Gavel to Gavel video.  A special thanks to Representative Thompson for chairing the Caucus for the session, and to Representative Kawasaki for chairing the last meeting.  I would also like to thank all of the staff that helped formulate ideas, round up attendees, and helped setup the meetings. We look forward to more informative Fish Caucus meetings next session.   

For archive of the 2011 presentations, see:
http://www.alanausterman.com/

UFA thanks representative Austerman for helping inform the legislature about Alaska fisheries.

12. Parnell proposes increase to Southeast State Forest
By Pat Forgey | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Gov. Sean Parnell wants to double the size of the Southeast State Forest in an effort to boost the region’s timber industry.
The move wouldn’t actually increase the amount of logging, but could double the land’s productivity and help ensure the region’s struggling mills have a future, said Rick Rogers, forest resource program manager with the state Division of Forestry.
Juneau Empire: http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/031011
/sta_797290866.shtml

HB 105: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=
HB%20105&session=27
SB 44: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=
SB%20%2044&session=27 

Maps of the parcels, and briefing docs are online at