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February 9, 2005 UFA Board Meeting - February 22-24, St. Ann's Parish Hall, 430 5th St, Juneau JuneauTown Hall Meeting on NOAA Aquaculture - Feb 23 TAA Technical Training Schedule- see Item # 38. Contents 1. ADFG Commissioner Selection Application Period Extended 2. Geoduck divers report strong prices 3. Alaska fish board finishes new plan for Cook Inlet salmon 4. Tulsequah forum packs Centennial (Juneau) 5. Workers speak out about time in Kodiak 6. Businessman seeks historic designation for old Kenai Wards Cove Packing Co. 7. Trust fund to restore oceans not likely, House chairman says 8. Alaska salmon are in some hot water - rising temperatures in lower Kenai Penin. 9. Mar Del Sud to pay civil penalty for fishing violations 10. My Turn: Continued trawling destruction is a disgrace 11. Ketchikan Assembly to take up cold storage issue again 12. Green causes called out of step 13. Subsistence Halibut Fishery Mail Survey 14. State land may end up with University of Alaska 15. Senator Lisa Murkowski introduces University lands bill 16. NOAA Researchers Gather Baseline Data in Shotgun Cove near Whittier 17. Cruise ship pollution plummets 18. NE Council ends rule keeping fishermen at sea 19. Bill's Corner: NOAA Director Bill Hogarth addresses issue of safety at sea 20. NOAA satellites play key role in 260 rescues in 2004 - More Emergency Beacons 21. Homeland Security agencies streamline maritime data submission requirements 22. IPHC extends Halibut, shoots down halibut bycatch for Alaska food banks 23. Laine Welch's Fish Radio, sponsored by VesselConnection / Wireless Matrix 24. NPFMC draft agenda for Feb 9-15 Seattle Meeting (revised 2/3) 25. MMRC From The Field: Steller Watch- A Year in the Life of a Sea Lion 26. Bush Plan Could Drain Effort to Clean Up Waters 27. Bush Reinforces Commitment To Cooperative Conservation In 2006 Budget 28. NOAA announces fiscal year 2006 budget request - 6% increase. 29. NOAA Comment Request on Alaska Saltwater Sport Fishing Economic Survey 30. IPHC posts 2004 Stock assessment survey data (all areas) 31. IPHC posts Charter Bid Info for 2005 SSA Charter, 2005 Gear Experiment 32. DCED Salmon Grants: Western AK Set Net & Upper Yukon Fish Wheel Grants 33. Business Still Binds Puget Sound with Alaska - Puget Sound Bus. Journal 34. Earth Gets a Warm Feeling All Over - 2004 was fourth warmest year… 35. USFS RAC meetings - Yakutat Feb 18 & Petersburg March 4 & 36. USCG Safety Alert on GPS manually-entered position offsets 37. BOF adds Sup. issues for March: Pollock, Alagnak gillnet, Taku & Stikine Kings 38. UAF MAP posts USDA TAA Technical Training workshop schedule: 39. DCED Regional Seafood Development Association regs. 40. Laine Welch Fish factor: For Alaska fishermen who want more control over marketing their own catch, the time is now… 41. AMSEA Winter newsletter 42. Help Wanted - ADF&G Commissioner position reposted 1. ADFG Commissioner Selection Application Period Extended Upon request by the governor, the Joint Boards of Fisheries and Game will extend the application period for the job of Commissioner of Fish and Game. The boards received a request from Governor Murkowski to entertain a wider range of applicants in the pool of candidates. The governor was clear that his request in no way speaks disparagingly against the current candidates.
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishgame/ (Want ad from Anchorage Daily News Feb 6 is reprinted below at item #42.) UFA Supports Doug Mecum for Commissioner of ADF&G. 2. Geoduck divers report strong prices Geoduck clams are commanding strong prices in a season that's gone well in Southeast Alaska despite several interruptions. The fishery is in its second season under a new system for testing geoducks for paralytic shellfish poisoning. "Quite a bit of our product is going out live and were extending the season - and getting even more for the product than we did last year," said Julie Decker, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020805/ 3. Alaska fish board finishes new plan for Cook Inlet salmon After two weeks of meetings, the Board of Fisheries wrapped up its session on upper Cook Inlet issues with several changes affecting the salmon fleet… Early concern over board member Mel Morris recusing himself from votes on the issues due to a conflict of interest did not appear to change the outcome of the voting, as sport and commercial interests worked out a plan in private to take before the board for a vote…
http://www.homernews.com/stories/020305/ BOF Road Map of Cook Inlet Actions:
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetsum/ 4. Tulsequah forum packs Centennial (Juneau) Canadian and U.S. officials spent more than an hour on Monday night describing regulatory hurdles for the Tulsequah Chief mine, but a large number of Juneau residents and tribal representatives told the officials they are still worried about the mine's impacts on the Taku River…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020905/loc_ Juneau officials still talking to Canadians about mine forum (Feb 8, Juneau)
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020105/loc_ Empire editorial: Time to speak out on Tulsequah Chief Mine
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020405/opi_ DNR Tulsequah Mine
Project page:
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/mining/largemine/ Public Comment deadline is Feb 18... Send all written comments with respect to the screening report by mail or courier to: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement Branch Major Projects Review Unit Suite 200 - 401 Burrard Street Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3S4 or by fax to 604-666-7907, or by email to tulsequahcomments@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. For info see:
http://www.juneau.org/clerk/misc/Tulsequah_Mine/ 5. Workers speak out about time in Kodiak …A visit to the Brother Francis Shelter Tuesday night revealed a cross-section of work-weary guests, some obviously down on their luck, some who came to Kodiak seeking adventure and some who simply came to work… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1045 6. Businessman seeks historic designation for old Kenai Wards Cove Packing Co. …the co-owner of Kenai Landing Inc. led an effort to get the old Wards Cove Packing Co. deemed a Recreational and Cultural Interest Area -- an official state of Alaska designation… http://www.adn.com/money/story/6119814p-6002389c.html 7. Trust fund to restore oceans not likely, House chairman says A $4 billion trust fund to protect and improve the nation's oceans is probably not going to happen, a key House committee chairman said Wednesday, casting doubt on a top recommendation of the president's ocean commission… http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/10800085.htm 8. Alaska salmon are in some hot water - rising temperatures in lower Kenai Penin. Warm water temperatures in Alaska's Lower Kenai Peninsula salmon streams have raised the red flag concerning the health risk to salmon habitat…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/fishing/ 9. Mar Del Sud to pay civil penalty for fishing violations Philip Twohy, operator of the Fishing Vessel Mar Del Sud, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $72,365 for fishing violations that occurred May 22, 2003, in the Alaska halibut and sablefish fishery… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1031 10. My Turn: Continued trawling destruction is a disgrace By Ben Enticknap of AMCC … But for all the ocean
bounty we can be proud of, it's a disgrace that fishery managers allow the
continued destruction of sensitive habitats and excessive waste by fisheries
that drag the sea floor with bottom trawls…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020305/ 11. Ketchikan Assembly to take up cold storage issue again The Ketchikan Borough Assembly on Monday will again consider transferring land at Ward Cove to the Ketchikan Cold Storage Association, but this time with new conditions attached…
http://ap.peninsulaclarion.com/pstories/state/ak/20050206/ 12. Green causes called out of step Leaders of the environmental movement were livid last fall when Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, two little-known, itinerant environmentalists in their 30s, presented a 12,000-word thesis arguing that environmentalism was dead…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/ 13. Subsistence Halibut Fishery Mail Survey The Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), Division of Subsistence, will soon mail a one-page survey form to everyone who has registered and received a Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Survey recipients will be asked to indicate if they subsistence fished for halibut in 2004, how many halibut they harvested, and to return the form to ADF&G. This will be the second
year of a project to estimate subsistence halibut harvests in Alaska…
http://www.sitnews.us/0205news/020105/ 14. State land may end up with University of Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski is asking the Legislature to approve the transfer of 260,000 acres of state land to the University of Alaska, intended to provide the school with a new source of income for the years ahead. None of the acreage currently produces any significant income, (DNR Director) Loeffler said. "There is an odd this and that," he said, such as a regional nonprofit hatchery at one of the Southeast Alaska sites, but no sizable rent or lease checks will immediately go to the university with the land transfers. http://www.adn.com/front/story/6123527p-6005810c.html Governor's press release: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1542 DNR University of Alaska Land Grant List 2005, University Land Transfer Factsheet http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/ualands/index.htm HB 130 will be heard
in House Resources today, Wed. Feb 9 at 1:00 For bill text and tracking see
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp? 15. Senator Lisa Murkowski introduces University lands bill In an effort to help expand its resources and help fund higher education, Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced legislation, the University of Alaska Lands Bill (S.293), to grant the University of Alaska system more federal lands. The bill grants the university 250,000 acres of federal land and the ability to select up to an additional 250,000 acres of federal land following a land grant match from the State of Alaska. This legislation seeks to remedy the discrepancy between the land the University has previously received from the federal government and that of other land grant universities across the country.Senator Murkowski's press release: http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=231646 16. NOAA Researchers Gather Baseline Data in Shotgun Cove near Whittier NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists are studying near-shore fish populations and their habitats in Shotgun Cove, which lies approximately six miles east of Whittier, Alaska
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/ 17. Cruise ship pollution plummets Air pollution infractions by cruise ships operating in Southeast waters have rapidly declined over the last four years, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation… http://www.adn.com/money/story/6134803p-6016539c.html 18. NE Council ends rule keeping fishermen at sea More than a month after five Massachusetts fishermen were lost at sea, fisheries regulators voted Tuesday to end a rule that critics said pressured boat crews to stay out in bad weather. The New England Fishery Management Council decided to scuttle a rule that penalized scallopers through reduced future catch allotments if they returned early from a fishing trip because of bad weather or other problems…
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp? & related items: NE: Fishermen suggest rigid law sank boat
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/ & Kerry asks probe by Coast Guard in deadly sinking of Scalloper Northern Edge http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/kerryasks28.htm 19. Bill's Corner: NOAA Director Bill Hogarth addresses issue of safety at sea Knowing the dangers of the profession, fishermen risk their lives every day to provide Americans with fresh and safe seafood. Increasingly, they have been harvesting in a sustainable manner while contributing billions to our nation’s economy. For this, we pay homage to our fishermen… 20. NOAA satellites play key role in 260 rescues in 2004 - More Emergency Beacons NOAA satellites played a key role in rescuing 260 people throughout the United States and its surrounding waters from potentially life-threatening emergencies in 2004. This year’s number of rescues is an increase from the 224 lives saved in 2003… http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2005/jan05/noaa05-010.html 21. Homeland Security agencies streamline maritime data submission requirements Beginning January 31, members of the maritime industry required to provide arrival and departure information to the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be able to do so through the submission of one report.
http://www.piersystem.com/external/index.cfm?cid= 22. IPHC extends Halibut, shoots down halibut bycatch for Alaska food banks
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/013105/fis_ 23. Laine Welch's Fish Radio, sponsored by VesselConnection / Wireless Matrix Recent topics: WED 02/09/05 Lent begins; always means a big upswing in seafood sales TUE 02/08/05 Gulf trawlers strive to better manage their own fisheries: Part 2 MON 02/07/05 Gulf trawl fleet is testing new ways to better manage their fisheries: Part 1 of 2 FRI 02/04/05 AK salmon featured in first organic certified pet food THU 02/03/05 Friday starts application period for Regional Marketing Groups WED 02/02/05 Simple blood test shows omega 3 levels ? 8% level reduces risk of heart attack. 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 24. NPFMC draft agenda for Feb 9-15 Seattle Meeting (revised 2/3) http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/205Agenda.pdf Meeting materials: BSAI Pacific cod Allocations Discussion Paper & Annotated Motion, January 21, 2005 - http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/analyses/pcod205.pdf NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/ 25. MMRC From The Field: Steller Watch- A Year in the Life of a Sea Lion A small but intrepid group of scientists is spending a year observing Steller sea lions on a small remote Island in Alaska. An early February update on their study and experiences is just in… http://www.vanaqua.org/aquanews/StellerWatch.html#Feb3 & Hazy Moves to the Open Water Watch "Hazy's Moving Day", our small movie that documents and discusses Hazy's contribution to Steller sea lion research as she joins the Open Water Research Project. http://www.marinemammal.org/2005/hazy.php 26. Bush Plan Could Drain Effort to Clean Up Waters For the second straight year, President Bush is proposing to slash federal assistance to modernize aging sewer plants and prevent polluted runoff from tainting rivers and beaches, despite the Environmental Protection Agency's own estimate that billions of dollars are needed to clean up the nation's waters. 27. President Bush Reinforces Commitment To Cooperative Conservation In 2006 Budget President Bush continued to build on the legacy of cooperative conservation established in his first term by supporting programs in the 2006 budget that promote partnerships with the American people to conserve our nation's land and water, wildlife and other natural resources… These projects range from wetlands restoration efforts … to the development and implementation of self-regulating strategies to mitigate the trend of declining marine populations in Kenai Fjords, Alaska…
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB? 28. NOAA announces fiscal year 2006 budget request - 6% increase. Retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, unveiled the proposed FY 2006 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA's request totals $3.6 billion, an increase of six percent or $205 million over the FY 2005 request… http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2386.htm 29. NOAA Comment Request on Alaska Saltwater Sport Fishing Economic Survey
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ 30. IPHC posts 2004 Stock assessment survey data (all areas)
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/survey/ 31. IPHC posts Charter Bid Information for 2005 SSA Charter, 2005 Gear Experiment Press release:
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/ Bid Information for 2005 Stock Assessment & Gear Experiment: http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/survey/charters.htm 32. DCED Salmon revitalization Targetd Grants: Western AK Salmon Set Net & Upper Yukon River Salmon Fish Wheel Improvement Program Grant Application due April 4, 2005
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization Grant Application Guide:
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization 33. Business Still Binds Puget Sound with Alaska - Puget Sound Bus. Journal …Total (Puget Sound) regional employment from the Alaska connection is pegged at about 103,500 currently, vs. 90,000 a decade ago and 57,000 two decades ago. "This is equivalent to adding a 1,000-employee company each year to the region," …
http://www.bizjournals.com/account/sign_in?uri=/seattle/ 34. Earth Gets a Warm Feeling All Over - 2004 was fourth warmest year… Last year was the fourth warmest year on average for our planet since the late 1800s, according to NASA scientists… Compared to the average temperatures from the 1951 to 1980 period, the largest unusually warm areas over all of 2004 were in Alaska, near the Caspian Sea, and over the Antarctic Peninsula…
http://www.sitnews.us/0205news/020905/ 35. USFS RAC meetings - Yakutat Feb 18 & Petersburg March 4 & Yakutat Feb. 18 (proposals due Feb 14) The agenda for this meeting is to review submitted project proposals and consider recommending projects for funding. Project proposals are due by February 14, 2005, to be considered at this meeting…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ &&&&&&&& Petersburg March 4: … The purpose of this meeting is to review, discuss and potentially recommend for funding proposals received pursuant to Title II…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ 36. USCG Safety Alert on GPS manually-entered position offsets GPS Receiver Manually-Entered Position Offsets May Cause Safety Hazard when Interconnected to Navigation Devices It has come to the attention of the U.S. Coast Guard that certain Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers do not provide a proper indication to other connected equipment when manually-entered position offsets are entered into the GPS receiver. Even a small offset could result in danger of collision or other navigation safety hazard when the receiver is interconnected to devices such as an automatic identification system (AIS), Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), integrated navigation systems (INS) or track control system (TCS)… http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/docs/1-05.pdf 37. BOF adds supplemental issues for March: Pollock, Alagnak gillnet, Taku & Stikine Kings The following supplemental issues have been added to the Board of Fisheries’ March 7-13, 2005 meeting: · Proposal 455: Revise walleye pollock closures for Steller sea lion protection in a portion of state waters of the Aleutian Islands, Western Gulf of Alaska, and Cook Inlet Management Areas…The board is tentatively scheduled to meet with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on this issue on February 25, 2005 in Anchorage. An announcement will be distributed… · Proposal 456: Allow a set gillnet fishery in the Alagnak River to harvest surplus sockeye salmon. Proposal 456 is the result of the board’s accepting an emergency petition concerning this fishery. · Proposal 457: Establish commercial and sport king salmon fisheries in the terminal harvest areas of the Taku and Stikine Rivers, depending on bilateral agreement…
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/news/ 38. UAF MAP posts USDA TAA Technical Training workshop schedule: MAP TAA home page: http://www.uaf.edu/map/taa/ 39. DCED Regional Seafood Development Association regs. … If an organization or person is considering applying as a Regional Seafood Development Association, that organization/individual is encouraged to provide written notice of the intent. Please visit the Department web site at: http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/rsda_home.htm to find out what is requested under the Application Development Period. Once the regulations are effective, the Department will be accepting applications to determine the associations. If you have any questions, email or call Glenn Haight at 907-465-5464. 40. Laine Welch Fish factor: For Alaska fishermen who want more control over marketing their own catch, the time is now… Twelve distinct Alaska regions got the go ahead from the state legislature last year to form marketing groups to promote their own seafood. The groups – called Regional Seafood Development Associations or RSDA’s - are to be funded by a tax on fishermen’s catches, ranging from 0.5 to two percent. http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html (story posted Feb 4) 41. AMSEA Winter newsletter Marine Safety Training Opportunities; Aluminum Corrosion; Why People Take Risks; Cold-Weather Concerns; Flotation Coveralls are among the topics… http://www.amsea.org/pdf/v20n3.pdf 42. Help Wanted - ADF&G Commissioner position reposted. Anchorage Daily News Classified Ads: Employment: Professional The State of Alaska is recruiting for Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game. The department's mission is to manage, protect, rehabilitate, enhance & develop fish & wildlife resources in the interest of the economy and general well-being of the state. The candidate shall be a qualified executive with knowledge of the requirements for protection, management, conservation & restoration of the fish & wildlife resources of the state. Applicants should provide a letter of interest, curriculum vitae with statement of resource management philosophy, a statement of personnel management philosophy & phone numbers & email addresses of three professional references. Application materials must be submitted no later than 5 pm, February 11, 2005, to: Diana Cote, Executive Director Alaska Department of Fish and Game P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802 Diana_Cote@fishgame.state.ak.us . Fax: 907-465-6094 Questions may be referred to Diana Cote at the above email address, or at (907) 465-4110.
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