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UFA UPDATE Federal Assistance for Fishermen: TAA and NEG Update Deadline for Technical Training for AK residents is June 30. If you have not yet attended the TAA technical training, contact the Marine Advisory Program at 1-888-788-6333, or visit the workshop web site at www.taaworkshops.org . In Anchorage call 786-6328. More assistance is available for Fishermen, Crew, Tendermen, Cannery workers and Family: National Emergency Grant Program: http://www.jobs.state.ak.us/neg/index.html Table of Contents: 1. Alaska Fishermen’s Memorial Juneau Blessing of the Fleet May 1 2. Cook Inlet: DCED Targeted Fisheries Assistance Program 3. Scientists try to improve taste of preserved salmon 4. Whole Foods to operate Yakutat fish plant 5. Salmon cheesecake takes off, plans for production plant in Sitka 6. CIAA officials look at alternatives for Tutka Bay Lagoon 7. Alaska makes major progress after Exxon spill, says EVOS Director Gail Phillips 8. Valdez Council Rethinks Fish Meal Plant 9. Two million Cook Inlet acres slated for federal lease sale 10. ADF&G: Togiak Herring Arrive 11. Criticism Deep-Sixes Senate Vote on Law of the Sea Treaty 12. Fishy Advice -- Risk-Free at What Cost? 13. UK: Anger on fish farms licenses to use toxins on sea lice 14. Alien Species overrun bugged-out ports in U.S. 15. Documents posted from MPA Federal Advisory Committee Apr 6-8 Meeting- 16. USDA $1.6M Ocean Beauty Canned Salmon Purchase ends program 17. NOAA Posts Final Rule on AK EEZ Recordkeeping and Reporting 18. Rep. Young announces search for page program –Deadline May 7 19. DCED Fisheries Economic Development Grant Program Preliminary Awards 20. CFEC Public Meetings 5/13, 6/15, 7/15, 7/19, 8/17, 9/9, 9/23, and 10/5 – 3:30 pm. 21. ADF&G sablefish test fishery open for bids – Deadline May 3. 22. Submit Public Comment on U.S. Oceans Commission Report by May 21 23. AK Journal of Commerce: The future of AK seafood depends on Quality 1. Alaska Fishermen’s Memorial Juneau Blessing of the Fleet May 1 The annual Blessing of the Fleet and Dedication of Names will be Saturday, May 1, 20043 at 10 in the morning at the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial in Juneau, near the Tram. The names that will be engraved on the Memorial this year are: William E. Smith, Gary Dabney, Paul Mangold, and former CBJ port director and fisherman Joe Graham. Fishing vessels participating in the Blessing should gather in front of the Memorial, at 10 a.m. sharp, and tune to VHF Channel 10 for directions. Flowers will be available to lay on the water or the Memorial. The Twisted Fish will host a Community reception immediately following the Blessing. For more information, contact Bruce Weyhraich, 463-5566 or Tom Gemmell, 586-4016. 2. Cook Inlet: DCED Targeted Fisheries Assistance Program The State of Alaska is making grants to qualifying communities, non-profit organizations and small businesses directly related to the fishing industry for Cook Inlet salmon fishery chilling infrastructure. Applications must be postmarked by May 4, 2004.
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization/ 3. Scientists try to improve taste of preserved salmon With a few phone calls and e-mails, Ketchikan fisherman Johnny Rice may have helped Alaska's wild salmon out of the metal can and into a new niche market… The 40-year-old fisherman is known in fishing circles for seining the Internet on his laptop for the latest in fisheries news. That's how he noticed a snippet two years ago about a new technology called microwave food processing… http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2107668,00.html Johnny Rice runs the excellent website www.alaskareport.com –a great home page for Alaska fishermen. The other key person mentioned in getting this going was Bill Woolf, now resources aide for Senator Lisa Murkowski. 4. Whole Foods to operate Yakutat fish plant Laine Welch reports: Just a few days ago, Whole Foods signed a five year lease with the city to operate for nine months each year out of the former North Pacific Processing plant that pulled out of Yakutat last year. Since then, the city has owned, re-equipped and operated the plant… http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 5. Salmon cheesecake takes off, plans for production plant in Sitka From Laine Welch: After taste testing it at Safeway, he entered the cheesecake in this year’s Symphony of Seafood contest and came away a big winner in Chicago and Anchorage . That won him a trip to the International Boston Seafood Show in March, where the response was overwhelming. “It scared me there. The first one who wanted it was Wal-Mart. The next one was QVC (shopping network) and they wanted 3,000 cakes right now,” Jones said. http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 6. CIAA officials look at alternatives for Tutka Bay Lagoon The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association has suspended year-round operations at its Tutka Bay Lagoon hatchery south of Homer, citing low salmon prices and a need to conserve funds for other projects…
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/042604/new_042604 7. Alaska makes major progress after Exxon spill, says EVOS Director Gail Phillips Fifteen years after the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, spilling nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil that contaminated more than 1,300 miles of shoreline in the Gulf of Alaska, the effects of the worst spill in United States history still are being felt. However, much work has been done since the March 1989 accident in cleanup, research, habitat restoration and spill prevention and response planning, according to Gail Phillips, executive director of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/042504/new_ 8. Valdez Council Rethinks Fish Meal Plant Two weeks ago, the Valdez city council spurned the idea of a fish meal plant on The Spit, saying it wouldn't pass the smell test. Now, the city fathers aren't so sure. On Monday night, the council heard from Terry Bertoson, owner of Sea Hawk Seafoods, who said modern-day fish meal grinding plants don't have to stink to the high heavens… 9. Two million Cook Inlet acres slated for federal lease sale A month from now, the U.S. Minerals Management Service will put 2 million acres of offshore Cook Inlet territory on the auction block hoping Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 191 will attract bids from the oil and gas industry. While the lease area is large, the federal lease sale is not expected to result in a great deal of actual production activity, according to an MMS spokes-person. Meanwhile, a Kenai Peninsula watchdog group continues to express concerns that environmental protection stipulations written into the sale's bid documents don't go far enough to ensure protection of water quality, habitat and valuable fisheries resources.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/042504/new_ 10. ADF&G: Togiak Herring Arrive “We believe that herring are now present in the Togiak District and expect biomass to increase over the next few days. Department staff will probably set-up the field office at the Togiak Fisheries shore plant on Sunday or Monday. “ http://www.bbna.com/herring04/no4.htm 11. Criticism Deep-Sixes Senate Vote on Law of the Sea Treaty After decades of debate and setbacks, proponents this spring appeared within grasp of Senate ratification, which would add the United States' name to the treaty signed by 145 nations. With President Bush's support, and a unanimous Foreign Relations Committee endorsement, only a full Senate vote was needed. Then the conservatives stepped in. Phyllis Schlafly, Paul Weyrich, Frank J. Gaffney Jr. and other staunch conservatives with Web sites and followers began denouncing the treaty as a dangerous sop to those who prefer a one-world government to muscular U.S. sovereignty… The United Nations-sponsored treaty establishes rules on ocean navigation, seabed mining, commercial fishing, pollution control and other issues. The State Department's Web site says that "the United States will benefit, perhaps more than any other nation" from joining the convention. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A39937-2004Apr24?language=printer 12. Fishy Advice -- Risk-Free at What Cost? …not a single mother in America has ever eaten so much fish she's put her baby anywhere near harm's way. Yet the terminology being used by the government and the media certainly leads us to think that. http://www.techcentralstation.com/042604F.html 13. UK: Anger on fish farms licenses to use toxins on sea lice http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=468522004 14. Alien Species overrun bugged-out ports in U.S. …The new National Invasive Species Council, an interagency group created by executive order in the waning days of the Clinton administration, is trying to orchestrate federal efforts here, but with a minuscule staff and a budget to match, it's overburdened. Indeed, science and management resources across the country are strained. "The people working on this issue, their dance cards are full," says Jamie Reaser, the NISC's former international affairs specialist…& Ted Stevens asks for $1.5M for Mitten Crab research
http://www.newsjournalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/ 15. Documents posted from MPA Federal Advisory Committee Apr 6-8 Meeting- Guidelines for Advisory Committee, Subcommittee Focus Areas , and Decision Pathway for Federal Advisory Committee Recommendations are posted at: http://www.mpa.gov/fac/fac_meetings.html 16. USDA $1.6M Ocean Beauty Canned Salmon Purchase ends program http://www.ams.usda.gov/lscp/fish/7i09fpr.txt 17. NOAA Posts Final Rule on AK EEZ Recordkeeping and Reporting
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/ 18. Rep. Young announces search for page program –Deadline May 7 http://www.house.gov/donyoung/press/p20040423_1.htm 19. DCED Revitalization Program Fisheries Economic Development Grant Program Preliminary Awards posted
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization/ 20. CFEC Public Meetings 5/13, 6/15, 7/15, 7/19, 8/17, 9/9, 9/23, and 10/5 – 3:30 pm. Meetings are held in the Commissioner’s Conference room -8800 Glacier Hwy, Juneau. The meetings are open to the public but do not provide for public testimony. For more info call Susan Haynes at CFEC –(907) 789-6160. 21. ADF&G sablefish test fishery open for bids – Deadline May 3. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will conduct a sablefish survey in Clarence Strait and Dixon Entrance area beginning May 20, 2004 and continuing for 7-9 days depending on weather. The Department is soliciting bids from area processors to purchase the fish caught during the survey…
http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/0/169ec9a616 22. Submit Public Comment on U.S. Oceans Commission Report by May 21 http://www.oceancommission.gov/publicomment/welcome.html We are still reading the report – feel free to let us know what you think by email –send to ufa1@ufa-fish.org 23. AK Journal of Commerce: The future of AK seafood depends on Quality There is no question that the market for Alaska wild salmon has been damaged greatly in the last 10 years. But there is disagreement over the why this has occurred and what can be done about it… We cannot beat the fish farmers on price and they will solve any other problems such as PCB contamination that is reducing demand at the moment. We should start looking for ways to wind down commercial fishing, because soon all that will be left is sport fishing.
There is an alternate view, however. This view says that Alaska salmon has many unique properties that make it valuable. But that value has been reduced in the market by poor and inconsistent quality. In this view, wild salmon is viewed by buyers as a similar, but not identical product. It is a substitute product. The market research we and others have done has convinced me that this is the correct alternative…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/042604/wea_ |