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January 21, 2005 UFA Action Alert - COOL needed for cooked, canned, fish and shellfish The interim final rule includes wild and farmed as well as country of origin, but it excludes cooked, canned, smoked, and cured seafood - a large proportion of the Alaska salmon harvest and virtually all king crab. Item #1 below illustrates that this is not just to protect our livelihoods, but to support responsible fisheries through informed consumer choices. Send an email today - and comment specifically to include canned, cooked, smoked and cured fish and shellfish. Refer to Docket No. LS-03-04 -Email to cool@usda.gov . -FAX to (202) 720-3499 For the Interim Final Rule, Q&A, and public comments see http://www.ams.usda.gov/cool/ Contents 1. Small crab legs in Juneau prompt Safeway recall 2. Crab Tragedy: Spokesman of survivor gives details of Big Valley tragedy 3. Gary Edwards was a special skipper 4. Discovery Channel Hypes 'Deadliest Catch' on Crab fisheries 5. Last great crab race - Open derbies to be eliminated in favor of catch quotas… 6. Kodiak leaders receive in-depth fisheries report from Joe Sullivan 7. 1st harvested crab untainted - Unalaska Bay fishery shows no oil contamination 8. Opilio season to end stroke before midnight (Thursday) 9. Tax legislation would boost revenue for fishing towns - HB25 10. Cook Inlet BOF: Fishermen, dipnetters want more net time 11. Fish board member recuses himself, changing voting numbers 12. Fish Board to tackle Kenai issues (Jan 14.) 13. Kenai salmon proposal needs support - resident vs. non resident sport 14. Fish board process open to all, even if not all are happy with decisions 15. BOF submits four names for Commissioner interviews 16. Skaugstad angles for post as head of Fish and Game 17. Pacific Star Seafoods to continue operating 18. New commerce chief must protect collapsing oceans 19. Kodiak Branding and Marketing Committee receives $80,000 20. Copper River / PWS Marketing Association debuts web page, prepares for vote 21. Hiding bycatch nets a big fine - $500,000 fine for illegally disposed of halibut 22. Pollock fishery shows commitment 23. Kodiak: Visiting seafood workers at loose ends 24. Alaska seafood to be touted by Disney figures 25. Proper steps must be taken to remain competitive in the salmon industry 26. Technology Transforms Once-Parochial Seafood Business Into Global Enterprise 27. Revamped dietary guidelines will buoy Alaska's fishing industry 28. Laine Welch's Fish Radio, sponsored by VesselConnection / Wireless Matrix 29. Anchorage's "Wild Salmon on Parade" proposal deadline Feb 25 30. Forwarded email - 6500 Atlantic salmon escape in BC last month: 31. UK: Flooded fish farms threaten wild species - up to one million escape in storm 32. Global Insights food collaborative highlights Sitka supply chain of food 33. Juneau fast ferry to be pulled from service Sunday 34. BOF posts Chignik, Lower Cook Inlet, Groundfish & salmon panel updates 35. NPFMC Crab Buyback info: Buyback Harvester Denominators and instructions 36. NPFMC Gulf Ratz Community Committee Meeting January 28, Anchorage 37. Federal Subsistence Board Approves Subsistence Fisheries Monitoring Plan 38. NOAA plans EIS on MMPA "take" as result of noise - comment by March 14. 39. NOAA Magazine: NOAA STUDIES SOUNDS IN THE SEA, effects on MMs 40. NOAA introduces nowCOAST web mapping portal 41. SWAMC Economic Summit and Membership Meeting Jan 27&28, Anchorage 42. Shrimp Group Says Tariffs Aid Tsunami Woes 43. MMRC studies Transient Killer Whales: Hunting With the Strong, Silent Type 44. IPHC posts bluebook for Victoria meeting Jan 18-21 45. ADF&G Sport Fish hatcheries at risk 46. Marine Science in Alaska: 2005 Symposium Jan. 24-26, 2005, Anchorage 47. AMSEA offers $50 each for safety tips 48. Alaska Marine Safety Education Association Winter Newsletter 49. Fishlines- Newsletter from Alaska Sea Grant 1. Small crab legs in Juneau prompt Safeway recall Safeway swiftly withdrew
a cache of small king crab legs for sale at its Juneau grocery store Friday
after local ocean activists accused the company of selling juvenile king
crab from Russia…http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/011605/loc_ King crab crisis in Russia touches down in Juneau Problems in fisheries continue despite recent efforts to crack down…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/011605/loc_ Empire editorial: Hold the juvenile crabs …Some may see labeling of seafood's origin as a pet project for Alaska lawmakers pandering to constituent fishermen. Perhaps as well as anything, the crab caper illustrates that it isn't so. Consumers have a right to know not just that they're supporting their own communities, but that they're not supporting unscrupulous fishing practices…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/012105/opi_ 2. Crab Tragedy: Spokesman of survivor gives details of Big Valley tragedy The Coast Guard ended its search Monday evening for three missing crab fishermen washed from the hull of the F/V Big Valley after she rolled Saturday morning 70 miles west of St. Paul… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=959
Names of more missing crabbers released http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=980
Official Coast Guard Video Release -- helicopter hoist of Big Valley survivor, and official press releases on this tragedy are online at: http://www.piersystem.com/external/index.cfm?cid=780 3. Gary Edwards was a special skipper …The Big Valley wasn’t the newest or cleanest boat in the fleet, but Gary made it the best boat to work on… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=982 4. Discovery Channel Hypes 'Deadliest Catch' on Crab fisheries The Discovery
Channel is hyping a "dramatic, 10-part series" documenting Alaska's risky
crab fisheries.
http://www.adn.com/business/story/6029942p- & a story on the California brothers who did the filming
http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005/ 5. Last great crab race - Open derbies to be eliminated in favor of catch quotas… … A revolution is due to sweep over the Bering Sea crab industry later this year, marking a new era for a hard-core calling that's made millionaires and widows alike over its 40-year history…
http://www.adn.com/front/story/v-pda/6029960p- 6. Kodiak leaders receive in-depth fisheries report from Joe Sullivan The North Pacific Fishery Management Council wants crab rationalization in full effect for the 2005 red king crab season, city of Kodiak fisheries consultant Joe Sullivan told a joint work session of the City Council and Kodiak Island Borough Assembly Tuesday. Sullivan called NPFMC’s timetable “an amazing piece of work, given the complexity of the program.” … http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=970 7. 1st harvested crab untainted - Unalaska Bay fishery shows no oil contamination Early deliveries of Tanner crab from the Unalaska Bay fishery show no signs of having been affected by oil spilled from the soybean freighter that broke apart when it ran aground last month.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/208639_ Selendang Ayu unified command center website:
http://www.state.ak.us/dec/spar/perp/response/sum_ 8. Opilio season to end stroke before midnight (Thursday) The Bering Sea District is scheduled to close to commercial fishing for opilio, or snow crab, tonight (Thursday Jan 20) at 11:59, according to a press release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. As of 6 a.m. Wednesday the projected harvest reached 13.06 million pounds. At the current rate, the general fishery guideline harvest level of 19.3 million pounds will be reached... http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=981 9. Tax legislation would boost revenue for fishing towns - HB25 More money could go to some Alaska fishing communities and a little less could go to others under a proposed bill to redistribute revenue from the state's raw fish tax…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/012105/sta_ For complete info on this
legislation see
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session= 10. COOK INLET BOF: Fishermen, dipnetters want more net time Commercial fleet, dipnetters vie for larger share of Kenai River salmon… With nearly two-thirds of all state recreational fishing activity centered in the Cook Inlet basin, the battle over shares of the region's prized salmon has waged for years. While the Fish Board will consider some 250 proposals to amend upper Cook Inlet fishing regulations during its two-week meeting, a handful that would drastically increase commercial fishing time received the most attention in Anchorage on Wednesday. http://www.adn.com/front/story/6042345p-5931407c.html 11. Sockeye votes may hit snag - Fish board member recuses himself, changing voting numbers Mel Morris of Kodiak announced he will not participate in discussions related to 26 proposals dealing with the Kenai and Kasilof River sockeye management plans. Morris is a fish broker who deals in inlet fish and thus said his business interest would conflict with decisions on the issues contained in the proposals.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/011805/news_ 12. Fish Board to tackle Kenai issues …when the state Board of Fisheries takes up Cook Inlet issues at a two-week meeting beginning today, the ascendancy of the sportfish industry will come under assault -- not only from commercial fishermen upset about lost fishing time, but from local anglers who say guides have taken over the river and run off the common man… http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/6021448p-5911903c.html 13. Kenai salmon proposal needs support - resident vs. non resident sport The allocation between commercial and sport harvesters of Kenai Peninsula salmon stocks is only half of the problem. In the case of the Kenai River, an equally serious in-river allocation disparity exists between guided anglers, who are primarily nonresident visitors and nonguided anglers, who are primarily Alaska residents… http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/6021436p-5911822c.html 14. Fish board process open to all, even if not all are happy with decisions Although meetings often are contentious and controversial, the fact that such a process exists at all is a testament to the overall strength of the state's fish resources.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/011905/news_ 15. BOF submits four names for Commissioner interviews The names are Wayne Regelin, Doug Mecum, Roland Maw, and Cal Skaugstad
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishgame/notice 16. Skaugstad angles for post as head of Fish and Game Cal Skaugstad, a Fairbanks fisheries biologist with the Division of Sport Fish at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is one of four candidates being considered for the agency's vacant commissioner's job… http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2655323,00.html 17. Pacific Star Seafoods to continue operating The death of Dan Foley two weeks ago left an empty spot in the hearts of his family and friends. But as the owner of Pacific Star Seafoods, it left many concerned about the fate of Foley's company, its employees and its impact on the seafood industry. According to Lynn Tree, a supervisor at the processor and close family friend, Foley's wife, Michele Foley, will continue to run the business this season and into the future.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/011905/news_ 18. New commerce chief must protect collapsing oceans Leon Panetta and Andrew Sharpless write in San Jose Mercury News …Fortunately, President Bush can address the crisis in America's oceans right now. The Senate just completed an initial hearing, last Wednesday, on his newly nominated secretary of commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez, and is expected to vote on confirmation shortly after reconvening Jan. 20. The new secretary will have the power to significantly change the way we protect and manage our ocean waters, wildlife and habitats…
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/ &&&& Will cornflakes king cure the oceans? Jo Knight of the Marine Fish Conservation Network on Commerce Secretary appointee Guitierrez 19. Kodiak Branding and Marketing Committee receives $80,000 The Kodiak Branding and Marketing Committee (KBMC) was awarded an $80,000 grant through the Alaska Regional Salmon Marketing Grant Program... http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=944 20. Copper River / PWS Marketing Association debuts web page, prepares for vote on regional marketing assessment 21. Hiding bycatch nets a big fine - $500,000 fine for illegally disposed of halibut A Seattle-based commercial fishing company has pleaded guilty and been ordered to pay $500,000 in penalties for illegally disposing of halibut while catching other types of fish off Alaska…
http://www.adn.com/business/story/6046911p- US Attorney's Office
press release:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/UNIMAK_ 22. Pollock fishery shows commitment Rupert Howes writes in Anchorage Daily News on the positive effects of MSC certification http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/6010927p-5902252c.html 23. Kodiak: Visiting seafood workers at loose ends About 80 cannery workers arrived on the ferry from Anchorage Wednesday to work for Western Alaska Fisheries. Work is expected to begin soon, but for the time being most of them are at loose ends with little cash and are depending on Kodiak’s resources to support them…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/012105/sta_ 24. Alaska seafood to be touted by Disney figures Disney has teamed with American Pride Seafoods, a subsidiary of American Seafoods Co., to produce lightly battered fish dishes that will be rolled out in major U.S. grocery stores at the end of February… http://www.adn.com/business/story/6024890p-5915185c.html 25. Proper steps must be taken to remain competitive in the salmon industry Kodiak Daily Mirror Guest Opinion by fisherman Theresa Peterson: In our confusion we have looked to other solutions but in reality the answer to our problems lie within the framework that already exists today. A very real solution that will have immediate positive benefits is the catching and delivering of salmon that is truly premium quality… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=930 26. Technology Transforms Once-Parochial Seafood Business Into Global Enterprise In the past three decades, the Internet and cell phones, the signing of international treaties, even simple innovations such as leakproof foam boxes for overseas flights have transformed the once-parochial fish trade into a more complex, cutthroat and global business. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A61833-2005Jan9?language=printer 27. Revamped dietary guidelines will buoy Alaska's fishing industry Early this year, the government is expected to advise Americans to eat fish two times a week. SeaFood Business magazine calls it "an unprecedented move" that, as part of new 2005 dietary guidelines, would force public institutions, such as schools and the military, to purchase more seafood…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/011705/fis_ 28. Laine Welch's Fish Radio, sponsored by VesselConnection / Wireless Matrix Recent topics: FRI 01/21/05 Some clams can neutralize deadly botulism toxin, Eating fish lowers risk of blindness THU 01/20/05 Seafood exports soar; Kraft launches salmon sandwiches; red meat boosts cancer risk WED 01/19/05 Disney characters promote Alaskan seafood TUE 01/18/05 Fish bills surface w/AK legislature; ADF&G Commissioner hopefuls narrowed to four MON 01/17/05 Halibut catch limits for 2005 set this week in B.C. FRI 01/14/05 Crabbers accept lower price for snow crab, Bering Sea & Gulf seasons begin on schedule http://www.vesselconnection.com/cgi-bin/fish_radio.pl Sponsored by www.vesselconnection.com (with weather and other useful links) Also see Laine's Fish factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 29. Anchorage's "Wild Salmon on Parade" proposal deadline Feb 25 Wild Salmon on Parade seeks proposals for the public art exhibit of fiberglass fish. Deadline is Feb. 25. (call 777-7248, or email - mtaylor@ibew1547.org ) Last year's examples:
http://www.anchorage.net/salmon/index.cfm?fuseaction= 30. Forwarded email to UFA re 6500 Atlantic salmon escape in BC last month: Original Message -------- Subject: Fish farm escape event Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 13:52:36 -0800 6500 Atlantic salmon ( avg wt 1.0KG) have been reported as escaped from a Fin fish AQ site in Okisollo Channel. The escape occurred on Dec 7, 2004. All media calls regarding this escape should be forwarded to: Andrew J. L. Thomson A/Senior Aquaculture Officer - Pacific Region Fisheries and Oceans Canada 200 - 401 Burrard St., Vancouver , BC Canada V6C 3S4 (604) 666-7009 31. UK: Flooded fish farms threaten wild species - up to one million escape in storm EXPERTS are warning that wild salmon and sea trout populations could be seriously affected after storms left fish farms devastated. Up to a million farmed fish are believed to have escaped from cages during the recent severe weather - and possibly made it out into the open sea. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=70542005 32. Global Insights food collaborative highlights Sitka supply chain of food It is fair to say that the handling and transportation link consistenly rates as the number one area that harvesters, stakeholders, processors and distributors of this region remark as the primary area of need for better solutions to their advanced development…
http://www.imakenews.com/networkdirect/e_article000 33. Juneau fast ferry to be pulled from service Sunday State transportation officials say the fast-ferry Fairweather will be taken out of service Sunday, two days ahead of a deadline set by negotiators to reach deals with the unions representing the vessel's crew. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/208647_ferry20.html Rep Bill Thomas writes Governor in Support of Continued ''Fairweather'' Service Representative Bill Thomas (R-Haines) has written a letter to Governor Frank Murkowski regarding the ongoing labor negotiations concerning the M/V Fairweather… "This deadlock is very disappointing. It is the public that suffers in this situation, and that's not acceptable.
http://www.akrepublicans.org/thomas/24/news/ 34. BOF posts Chignik, Lower Cook Inlet, Groundfish & salmon panel updates The Board of Fisheries website has been updated recently with summaries from recent regulatory meetings (Lower Cook Inlet and Chignik; watch for the Kodiak summary to be out soon). In addition, calendars have been updated with additional hearings noted, and the board’s committee activities, including the Salmon Restructuring Panel, all have new items for your information. BOF home page: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/index.php GOA Groundfish Rationalization Update: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/npfmc/news/goa011905.pdf Summary of Actions- Chignik finfish
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetsum/ Lower Cook Inlet finfish
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetsum/ Alaska Wildlife News feature on Salmon Industry Restructuring Panel
http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg= 35. NPFMC Crab Buyback info: Buyback Harvester Denominators and instructions
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/crab/ & NPFMC Comments to NMFS on Crab Rationalization proposed rule
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/crab/ 36. NPFMC Gulf Rationalization Community Committee Meeting January 28, Anchorage - Captain Cook Hotel, Voyager Room Agenda:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/groundfish NPFMC draft agenda for Feb 9-15 Seattle Meeting http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/205Agenda.pdf NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/ 37. Federal Subsistence Board Approves Subsistence Fisheries Monitoring Plan (we alerted the webmaster so hopefully this link may be fixed by the time you read this) http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news.cfm?gnr=1 38. NOAA plans EIS on MMPA "take" as result of noise - comment by March 14. NMFS will be preparing an EIS to analyze the potential impacts of applying new criteria in guidelines to determine what constitutes a ``take'' of a marine mammal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a result of exposure to anthropogenic noise in the marine environment. Comments must be received by March 14, 2005.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan2005 39. NOAA Magazine: NOAA STUDIES SOUNDS IN THE SEA, effects on MMs Over the past decade, increasing scrutiny has been directed toward "anthropogenic" (or human-induced) sound in the oceans because it may interfere with the ability of marine mammals to hear important natural signals. Surprisingly, however, very little is known about this issue… 40. NOAA introduces nowCOAST web mapping portal In a continuing effort to improve maritime safety and commerce and to monitor physical changes in weather, oceanographic and river conditions, NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, introduces nowCOAST. nowCOAST is a Web mapping portal providing the coastal community with real-time coastal observations and NOAA forecasts for major U.S. estuaries and seaports, coastal regions and the Great Lakes. http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/ (disable popup blockers to use this site) Press release: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2005/jan05/noaa05-007.html 41. SWAMC Economic Summit and Membership Meeting Jan 27&28, Anchorage At Captain Cook hotel. Agenda: http://www.swamc.org/conference/2005Agenda.pdf 42. Shrimp Group Says Tariffs Aid Tsunami Woes American shrimpers oppose easing trade sanctions against India and Thailand, saying new tariffs they fought for will actually help drive up prices in those tsunami-ravaged countries. The Southern Shrimp Alliance, an eight-state group of U.S. fishermen and processors, made its opposition public after the World Trade Organization called on its member countries last week to lift barriers on countries struck by the Dec. 26 disaster.
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section= Ease Trade Rules for Stricken Nations, Head of W.T.O. Urges
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/international/ or try
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php 43. MMRC studies Transient Killer Whales: Hunting With the Strong, Silent Type A research team set out to study the vocal communication of mammal-eating killer whales and found a powerful tool to study their predatory behavior. How do you know when a group has made a kill? Listen to the whales – they will usually let you know. 44. IPHC posts bluebook for Victoria meeting Jan 18-21 The Eighty-first Annual Meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission is scheduled for January 18-21, 2005 in Victoria, British Columbia
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/pubs/annmeet/ Deadline Jan 31 for
IPHC Survey Bait for Year 2005
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2004/ IPCH posts two job openings: Sea Sampler & Undergraduate Intern See http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/what.htm 45. ADF&G Sport Fish hatcheries at risk …hatcheries currently release over 7 million fish at more than 200 locations, over 80% of which are in Southcentral Alaska… … the Division of Sport Fish has been exploring options for the most cost-effective way to both support current production and to provide for growth and economic benefit over the next 20 years and beyond.
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/hatchery/ 46. Marine Science in Alaska: 2005 Symposium Jan. 24-26, 2005, Anchorage Agenda:
http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/events/2005_Symposium/ Participant Registration:
http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/events/2005_Symposium/ 47. AMSEA offers $50 each for safety tips AMSEA plans to produce a publication detailing how fishermen and other boaters can save money by maintaining the safety and other equipment aboard their vessels. To encourage suggestions from boaters, AMSEA is offering $50 for every new idea submitted…see newsletter below, front page for article 48. Alaska Marine Safety Education Association Winter Newsletter Marine Safety Training Opportunities; Aluminum Corrosion; Why People Take Risks; 5Cold-Weather Concerns; In Praise of Flotation Coveralls. http://www.amsea.org/pdf/v20n3.pdf 49. Fishlines- Newsletter from Alaska Sea Grant This months topics: Managing Fisheries—Empowering Communities Conference, April 21-23 Sea Grant Tsunami Video Used in National Media AMSEA Rallies Tsunami Aid Chilkat Sockeye Salmon Rockfish Symposium Sept 12-14
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