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UFA & Salmon Task Force Update March 31, 2004
Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force meeting results from March 28, 2004: Scope of work for Board of Fisheries - to examine elements that need to be considered when evaluating salmon restructuring proposals: http://www.ufa-fish.org/taskforce/Doc/TFProposalforBOFScopeofwork.pdf Task Force Main page: http://www.ufa-fish.org/taskforce/index.htm
Table of Contents: 1. Seekins' bill on fish, game use stalls in Senate (SB 318) 2. UFA President & VP Select Commissioner Duffy Exec. Man of the Year 3. Fish and Game responds to Behm Canal herring concerns 4. H-2b Visa cap threatens Alaska Ikura – Congressional relief may be in sight 5. Regional Marketing Bill passes House Finance (HB 419) 6. Sitka hosts meeting on offshore fish farms 7. Ridge calls fish farming a national security matter 8. Oceana petitions for trawl closures in coral areas 9. Conservation-minded foundations spend strategically 10. State changes in coastal law hit roadblock 11. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Missions – A pictorial 12. Wing & Ground effect flying vessels proposed for SE service 13. Governor appoints Robert Heyano, Reappoints Art Nelson to Board of Fisheries 14. NSRAA cuts $62,000 from Haines projects 15. Native corporation forges ahead with herbicide plan 16. New USDA Salmon habitat restoration program- $535K to AK 17. Wards Cove Cannery building sold 18. Fed Subsistence regulations prompt POW Steelhead sport harvest closure 19. Gillnet herring quota doubled in Unalaska to 14 percent of total catch 20. PEW Fellowship awarded for seabird avoidance researcher 21. Nanoparticles Toxic in Aquatic Habitat, Study Finds 22. Fisherman in Oregon, Washington, complain about mammal predators 21. Seattle Times Guest Editorial -How will we know when the kings come back? 22. Bonneville Power releases plan for balancing power, salmon 23. Hawaii longline operations resume after 3 year closure for turtles 24. International Green Groups Seek Protections for Alaska Loon 25. NOAA seeks more time for NW salmon ESA evaluation 26. OR: Ads to feature 'wild caught' salmon 27. Canadian company plans Cook Inlet gold development – biggest in N. America 29. FL: Net ban lacks scientific basis 30. New Ways of Raising Saltwater Fish Explored 31. LA Seafood Pavilion at Louisiana Food Service Expo July 2004 in New Orleans 32. Stars & biologists turn out for Santa Monica Ocean Night – Part 1 of a series 33. Some Canadian consumers switching to wild salmon, but finding it unavailable 34. NFI hires D.C. lobbying firm to boost political profile 35. US Oceans Commissions Report coming April 20 36. Subsistence Board to hold public meeting on Area M Fishery 37. Comments extended to April 16th on ESA Joint Counterpart Consultation Regs 38. NMFS workshop on BSAI Crab catch-monitoring - May 4, Seattle 39. GAO on IFQs: Methods … Require Periodic Evaluation 40. NPFMC Revised Agenda for March 29 – April 6 41. CDFU seeks Executive Director
1. Seekins' bill on fish, game use stalls in Senate (SB 318)
Members of a state Senate committee balked on
Monday at moving forward a proposal by Sen. Ralph Seekins, R-Fairbanks,
to make personal consumption the highest use of fish and game, saying they
were unsure of the ramifications of the bill…. Seekins, a longtime proponent of consumptive use of fish and game, argues that personal use should trump other uses, such as wildlife viewing or commercial fishing, when there is a conflict.
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2050934,00.html
The original bill is at:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session= (A committee substitute is in Senate resources but not yet passed so not yet online electronically).
…In 2003 Commissioner Duffy oversaw the first Executive Order allowing increased harvest of Cook Inlet Surplus Sockeye as well as a marked increase in pink salmon harvested in Prince William Sound whish would have been impossible without quick, decisive action.” http://www.alaskareport.com/news/2004/2004-1%20Duffy%20Exec%20Man%20of%20year.pdf
3. Fish and Game responds to Behm Canal herring concerns “I recognize that the Behm Canal herring fishery authorized by the Board of Fisheries is troubling to some residents in the Ketchikan area,” said Fish and Game Commissioner Kevin Duffy in the Friday announcement. “So I sent a representative of my office, Deputy Commissioner David Bedford, to meet with residents of Ketchikan and listen to their concerns.”… http://www.ketchikandailynews.com/news1.shtml#1080586967
4. H-2b Visa cap threatens Alaska Ikura – Congressional relief may be in sight
Alaska’s Ikura products for Japan - and
the salmon fishermen that depend on those products in the price of their
salmon – were threatened by the lowering of the cap on H-2b visas. The cap
was reached before the Japanese-certified workers destined for Alaska had
their visas for this season… “word came on Tuesday that a Senate vote is expected today or tomorrow, Friday, on a bill to increase the number of H2B visas allowed for temporary, unskilled foreign workers this year. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins with Sen. Edward Kennedy, proposes to increase the cap from 66,000 to 106,000 visas for 2004…It is expected to pass handily and then go to the House for a vote on Monday, landing on President Bush's desk Monday night for signing…”
http://boothbayregister.maine.com/2004-03-25/labor_shortage.html We wrote to our delegation in DC and hope this passes promptly.
5. Regional Marketing Bill passes House Finance (HB 419)
Rep. Dan Ogg, R-Kodiak, who is sponsoring the
bill, said the regional branding groups currently depend on a mix of state
and federal grants for funding.
Jerry McCune of United Fishermen of Alaska
said that funding is drying up. Under House Bill 419, fishermen could vote to form regional seafood development associations and tax themselves to provide marketing and development dollars. The tax could range from .5 to 2 percent of what fishermen are paid for their catch.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/032404/ This bill passed the house floor Wednesday 3/31, but may be held for reconsideration.
6. Sitka hosts meeting on offshore fish farms
It was standing room only at Centennial Hall
in Sitka , where residents turned out in droves to hear the latest moves by
the U.S. government to allow Open Ocean Aquaculture (OOA) in federal waters
from three miles to 200 miles offshore…. A policy drafted in 1999 by the U.S. Commerce Department calls for “a fivefold increase in the value of domestic aquaculture production from $900 million to $5 billion by 2025…NOAA Fisheries is taking the lead by drafting an offshore aquaculture bill that will be presented to Congress this year. Laine Welch’s Fish factor: http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html
Anne Mosness and John Volpe also presented to the Legislature’s Fish Caucus. The report Open Ocean Aquaculture: The Future of U.S. Fish Farming? from the Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy is online at their website: http://www.iatp.org/ (scroll down)
7. Ridge calls fish farming a national security matter
…Volpe said offshore fish farming's newest
disciple is Tom Ridge, director of Homeland Security, who calls it "a matter
of national security… Seafood ranks third in terms of trade deficit, after oil and cars. "Ridge has stated that the U.S. cannot be dependent on unstable foreign governments for our seafood (mostly shrimp, America's most popular seafood item)," Volpe said at the Sitka presentation. http://www.adn.com/business/story/4894333p-4829391c.html
8. Oceana petitions for trawl closures in coral areas The group Oceana has requested that the Commerce Department bar bottom-trawling fisheries not only in all areas where the ancient coral and sea sponges have been found in abundance, but areas where they might possibly be discovered in the future. Huge areas off the Alaskan coast and the Aleutian Islands could be among those cited for restrictions…
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/
Seafood industry's defense paltry compared to
Pew and Packard coffers Both organizations say they have used a science-based process to determine that fishing methods, like some bottom trawling and pelagic longlining, and aquaculture practices, such as salmon farming, represent the greatest harm to marine ecosystems. Reichert acknowledges other marine environmental problems, such as agricultural runoff, industrial pollution and coastal development. http://www.seafoodbusiness.com/issue.html
10. State changes in coastal law hit roadblock The U.S. Department of Commerce has ruled that proposed changes to the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program are comprehensive. The determination could spark a lengthy environmental impact review… http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~26794~2048696,00.html
11. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Missions – A pictorial Aids to Navigation Team Sitka services navigational aids with the assistance of an Air Station Sitka helicopter crew, because the aids are located in isolated areas not easily accessible or too dangerous to approach by boat… http://www.uscg.mil/d17/allnews/news04/atnm_pictorial.htm
12. Wing & Ground effect flying vessels proposed for SE service The vessel would operate in 12-foot seas, can travel in limited visibility and avoids problems with turbulence by staying close to the water, said Romey, who learned to operate boats as a kid in Petersburg and was an aircraft technician in the U.S. Army.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/033104/
13. Governor appoints Robert Heyano, Reappoints Art Nelson to Board of Fisheries
http://www.alaskareport.com/news/2004/
14. NSRAA cuts $62,000 from Haines projects The Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association is slashing funding for salmon research and enhancement projects in Haines this year by $62,000.
http://www.chilkatvalleynews.com/stories/story-1.html
15. Native corporation forges ahead with herbicide plan Long Island Trust, created in 1997 by Haines-based Klukwan Inc., has asked for a state permit to spray chemicals on 2,000 acres on Long Island near Hydaburg. The permit application follows new state regulations that allow aerial herbicide spraying for forestry purposes…http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2043361,00.html
16. New USDA Salmon habitat restoration program- $535K to AK The new initiative, administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will help landowners with projects that restore habitat for Pacific and Atlantic salmon. Projects may include providing shade along streams, restoring gravel spawning beds, removing barriers to fish passages and reducing agricultural runoff….
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040330-014723-5395r.htm
USDA Press release:
http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0127.04.html
Additional information on Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program (WHIP) and the Salmon Habitat Restoration Initiative is
at
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip Rep. Don Young Press release: http://www.house.gov/donyoung/press/p20040330_1.htm
17. Wards Cove Cannery building sold
Wards Cove Packing has struck a deal with
Boyer Towing to sell the Wards Cove Cannery in Ketchikan. As Deanna Garrison
reports, Boyer says it is not sure what it is planning to do with the
historic cannery building. Hear the audio story on KRBD radio: http://www.krbd.org/NewsReports/032404_wardscove.html
18. Fed Subsistence regulations prompt POW Steelhead sport harvest closure
The State Department of Fish and Game is
closing steelhead sport fish harvests in all streams on Prince of Wales and
Kosciusko Islands. As Deanna Garrison reports, fishery managers say new
federal subsistence regulations prompted the closure. Hear the audio story on KRBD radio: http://www.krbd.org/NewsReports/032604_steelhead.html
19. Gillnet herring quota doubled in Unalaska to 14 percent of total catch
The Alaska Board of Fisheries has doubled the
gillnet herring quota in Unalaska, according to small boat fisheries
advocate Bobby Storrs. Storrs represented the Unalaska Native Fisherman's Association at the fish board's meeting in Anchorage in February… http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/032204/
20. PEW Fellowship awarded for seabird avoidance researcher
Ornithologist Graham Robertson, Ph.D., has won
a coveted fellowship from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science for his work
to help save seabirds from becoming entangled in commercial fishing lines.
Robertson is the principal research scientist in seabird ecology for the
Australian Antarctic Division of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Program, which operates within the Australian Department of the Environment
and Heritage.
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1366D000000FB5A229311B050635B
Full story of all five 2004 Pew fellowships:
http://www.pewtrusts.org/ideas/ideas_item.cfm?
21. Nanoparticles Toxic in Aquatic Habitat, Study Finds “…the findings underscore the growing recognition that the hot new field of nanotechnology, which federal officials have said will be at the heart of America's "next industrial revolution," may bring with it a number of old-fashioned trade-offs in terms of potential environmental damage and health risks…” http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31881-2004Mar28?language=printer
22. Fisherman in Oregon, Washington, complain about mammal predators "You've got a major predator problem," Crookshanks said at Thursday's hearing. "The states need to raise Cain with the feds. You've got these critters going hog-wild."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?
21. Seattle Times Guest Editorial -How will we know when the kings come back? The fact is, most wild salmon runs, including prized chinooks, are on the rebound. From the Skagit River to the Columbia and beyond, biologists are recording dramatic increases. Scientists believe this has less to do with our rescue efforts, and more to do with Mother Nature — lots of food in the ocean, moderate rains and terrific spawning conditions.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/
22. Bonneville Power releases plan for balancing power, salmon Hoping to earn up to $45 million more in electricity sales, the Bonneville Power Administration proposed reducing the amount of water it spills over Columbia Basin hydroelectric dams to help young threatened salmon migrate to the ocean.
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2004/03/31/news/
23. Hawaii longline operations resume after 3 year closure for turtles
After a three-year shutdown, federal officials
Tuesday reopened commercial swordfish operations off Hawaii, providing all
U.S.-flagged boats use experimental fishing gear designed to reduce the
inadvertent catch of endangered sea turtles.
A coalition of U.S. and Russian environmental
groups petitioned the U.S. federal government on Tuesday for new protections
for a species of loon that breeds in an area of Alaska targeted for new oil
development.
"This is not some strategic move on our part
to try to hinder oil and gas development," said Mike Frank of petitioner
Anchorage-based Trustees for Alaska. "There is a genuine concern that this
species is seriously threatened, and that's why the petition was filed." In Russia, there are threats to the species from commercial fisheries…
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=science
25. NOAA seeks more time for NW salmon ESA evaluation The demands of overhauling its policy on hatchery fish, prompted by a landmark court ruling dissolving threatened species status for Oregon coastal coho, has left NOAA Fisheries unable to meet today's court-approved deadline for reviewing threatened and endangered species listings for nine populations of salmon and steelhead, said spokesman Brian Gorman. http://www.tribnet.com/news/local/story/4907102p-4841844c.html
26. OR: Ads to feature 'wild caught' salmon "Truth in advertising means you can't be calling hatchery salmon 'wild' salmon for marketing purposes," said Bill Bakke, director of the Native Fish Society of Oregon. "They aren't wild salmon." So the ads, scheduled to start April 26, have shifted to say, "Oregon wild caught salmon." http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/
27. Canadian company plans Cook Inlet gold development – biggest in N. America
"It's not without its challenges," he told the
Peninsula Clarion. "There are several major stream systems in the area. We
won't just let the engineers go in and (plan the mine) independent of the
environmental concerns." Cook Inlet Keeper is closely watching the project, said Bob Shavelson, executive director of Homer-based environmental watchdog. http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~26794~2050579,00.html
29. FL: Net ban lacks scientific basis As an estuarine fisheries ecologist for 43 years, I am not aware of a scientific justification for banning commercial fishing near shore, as per the net ban amendment to the Florida Constitution in 1994… http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 20040326/OPINION/403260592/1029
30. New Ways of Raising Saltwater Fish Explored “The technology would allow the marine fish business to move away from the expensive coastline, giving more farmers across the country a chance to expand or convert their farms…
“Fish farming could help stabilize the
struggling commercial fishing market. Commercial fisherman have been hurting
since the state's 1995 net ban, which has sharply limited the amount of
pompano and other fish they can catch. "The two industries complement each other," said Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. "Pompano is the gold fish. We just don't catch that many, so it would be good to have them reared and put on the market for us."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/
31. LA Seafood Pavilion at Louisiana Food Service Expo July 2004 in New Orleans
"Exhibiting in the Gulf Pavilion is very
straightforward," says Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana
Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. "If your seafood is harvested from
U.S. waters, you're in."… The Expo already provides one stop shopping for over 16,000 qualified buyers and the 2004 show is expected to break records… To reserve exhibit space for the Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion, seafood producers are contacting Sandy Riddle, LRA vice president of conventions and exhibitions at 800-256-4572 and visiting www.GulfCoastSeafoodExpo.com. http://www.louisianaseafood.com/news_article.cfm?ID=49
32. Stars & biologists turn out for Santa Monica Ocean Night – Part 1 of a series
“Actor Ben Stiller asked, “Do we really have
to stop eating those fish? Because I love shrimp.”…to assuage Stiller’s
immediate hunger pangs, Pauly offered this piece of advice about shrimp:
“Just look at them — they look like insects.” http://www.smmirror.com/volume5/issue42/marina_biologists.asp
33. Some Canadian consumers switching to wild salmon, but finding it unavailable
'When I asked at my supermarket if they would
be having wild salmon from B.C., the manager replied that they don't carry
it on a regular basis,' she says.
Grant Snell, general manager of the B.C.
Salmon Marketing Council, says he hears from some retailers in other parts
of Canada that their customers don't like the flavour of wild B.C. salmon.
'They say that it is too strong versus Atlantic farmed salmon. 'Some store purchasing agents do make that decision (to stock farmed salmon) because they have a signed contract with the farm source.'
34. NFI hires D.C. lobbying firm to boost political profile “The organization has realized the need for additional lobbying muscle for many years, says LeBlanc. "We've already engaged our new relationship with regard to some of the big issues affecting the seafood industry: country of origin labeling, the mercury issue and other contaminant issues."… http://www.seafoodbusiness.com/news.html#0
35. US Oceans Commissions Report coming April 20 http://oceancommission.gov/newsnotices/mar25_04.html
36. Subsistence Board to hold public meeting on Area M Fishery The Federal Subsistence Board will hold a public meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 27, at the Egan Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage to take public testimony on requests that the Federal government intervene in management of the Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian Islands (Area M) commercial salmon fisheries. If necessary, the meeting will continue on Wednesday, April 28. Written comments must be received by April 23 to be included in the public meeting materials. Comments should focus on how changes in the Area M fishery would, or would not, affect the subsistence priority in Federal waters. http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news04/r032504.html Subsistence Board newsletter: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/pdf/newswin04.pdf
37. Comments extended to April 16th on ESA Joint Counterpart Consultation Regs http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/ edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/04-7284.htm
38. NMFS workshop on BSAI Crab catch-monitoring - May 4, Seattle The workshop will be held at the Nordby Center, located in Fishermen's terminal, 1711 W. Nickerson Street, Seattle, WA. Details:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800
39. GAO on IFQs: Methods … Require Periodic Evaluation http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04277.pdf
40. NPFMC Revised Agenda for March 29 – April 6
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/0404Agenda.pdf MPFMC Main Page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/
41. CDFU seeks Executive Director Cordova District Fishermen United seeks an Executive Director. Applicants should have excellent communication (oral and written) and organizational skills, and the ability to work with a diverse Board of Directors and constituency. Applicants should also possess some knowledge about and be a strong advocate for Alaska's renewable resource industries and the management of those resources. Specific knowledge of the commercial fishing industry is desirable but not mandatory.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to, staff supervision,
office management, and interacting in the
political, statutory, and regulatory processes impacting Area E fisheries.
For details call Melissa at CDFU Office (907)424-3447 or email cdvfva@ctcak.net
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