|
May 12, 2005 UFA thanks Alaska fishermen for their support and participation in the legislative process. See bottom of page for status of fishery-related legislation - Contents 1. Board of Fisheries passes regulations allowing Chignik co-op to fish 2. Cost of fuel hits boaters 3. EPA Releases 2003 Toxics Release Inventory, DEC puts it into perspective: 4. Taku kings start slow, but catch will pay bills 5. Copper River kings to again net high prices 6. Kodiak Herring fast, then slow 7. Those opposed to SB 113 are not thinking of fishing industry (& other views) 8. Non-Economic Benefits of Rights-Based Management and Fisheries Self-Governance - UAF School of Fisheries - Juneau Center Friday seminar 9. Kodiak Daily Mirror: More salmon could be caught in 2005 season 10. Governor Signs Bill To Encourage Mariculture Industry 11. Governor expands special session -adds University Lands bill 12. Pebble Mine developers face mountain of logistical issues 13. Bill requires labeling genetically altered fish 14. SB147 Hatching the Hatchery (sportfish) 15. Kensington mine obtains state permits 16. Stevens aide Lisa Sutherland on political fast track 17. Loving NEPA to Death at Spokane public hearing 18. Endangered Species: Contesting extinction 19. WA: Puget Sound in declining health 20. WA: Hatcheries may be releasing pollutants along with fish 21. BC Fish Minister: Ottawa Biased against Fish farms 22. University of BC Sablefish Farm Study: high risk to environment 23. CA: Environmental sirens in Delta are screaming 24. Norway moves forward on Red King Crab market - farmed and invasive wild 25. Norway: Wild salmon run into farm menace 26. UK: Global warming driving fish northward 27. Laine Welch's Fish Radio, sponsored by Marine Conservation Alliance 28. Action Item - S.786 would limit NOAA weather reports 29. Coastal Zone Management regs posted for comment - deadline May 23 30. Coast Guard extends comment period on SE AK Cruise ship security zones 31. Comment on Federal Subsistence Fisheries proposals - Deadline June 30 32. AMSEA seeks AK fisherman for board seat 33. Limited Entry Permits - Notice of sale - Alaska Division of Investments 34. Stellers & Pollock Prop 455: NPFMC & BOF Joint Protocol Meeting May 25, Anchorage 35. NPFMC Non-Target species committee to meet May 31, Girdwood 36. NPFMC Meeting June 1 (AP and SSC) June 3-9, Alyeska Prince Hotel, Girdwood, AK 37. North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program: Training Schedule 38. Central Bering Sea Pollock Workshop on Allowable Harvest Level and Stock Identification 39. NOAA Fisheries Invites Boat Captains to Seattle Crab Workshop May 25 40. NOAA releases second volume of manual on coastal habitat restoration monitoring 41. NOAA Orca documentary wins Emmy 42. Alaska Sea Grant HAACP workshop schedule May - September 43. Fishlines, the newsletter of the Alaska Sea Grant College Program 44. UW MPA News for May 45. Global Food Collaborative looks at Valdez Fisheries Development Association 46. NMFS proposed rule on W. AK CDQ Halibut area 4C/4D - Comment by June 6 47. Status of AK Fishery Legislation 1. Board of Fisheries passes regulations allowing Chignik co-op to fish The Alaska Board of Fisheries says it's cleared up legal concerns, which allows the Chignik Sockeye Salmon Cooperative to catch fish this summer. The board recently passed an emergency set of regulations in response to an Alaska Supreme Court ruling made in mid-March. The court ruling declared the Chignik fishery illegal. To fix the problems, the board says it better defined what active participation in the fishery means and tightened rules for recording the number of fish caught.
http://www.ktuu.com/CMS/templates/master.asp? Board of Fisheries
Notice:
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/news/ Online Public Notice:
http://notes4.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c1 2. Cost of fuel hits boaters Gas, diesel prices could eat up 20 percent of fishermen's profits… Some fishermen say they are resigned to the fact that rising fuel prices will take some of the shine off the improved markets for wild Alaska salmon of the last few years…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/050805/loc_ 3. EPA Releases 2003 Toxics Release Inventory, DEC puts it into perspective: ...This year's Report will again list Alaska as having the greatest weight of toxic "releases" in the nation… "The total pounds of 'releases' do not at all reflect an accurate picture of Alaska's environmental quality. The waste rock from Alaska mines is well engineered, contained and regulated by state and federal agencies," (said DEC Commissioner Kurt Fredrikkson)…
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/press_releases/2005/final% EPA 2003 Toxics Inventory home page: http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri03/index.htm 4. Taku kings start slow, but catch will pay bills Regulators say Juneau gillnetters average 30 kings per boat.. State regulators estimated Wednesday that Juneau-area gillnetters caught about 1,500 kings in the inlet on Monday and Tuesday, with an average of 30 per boat. The troll catch was insubstantial…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/050505/loc_ & Market fresh: Salmon trickle in; more next week http://www.adn.com/life/story/6477979p-6358214c.html 5. Copper River kings to again net high prices Although Copper River salmon harvesters won't learn when their season will open until May 9, one major buyer has already said it will match 2004 opening prices of $5.50 a pound for kings and $3.25 a pound for red salmon…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/050805/hom_
ADF&G Announcement: 24 Hr Copper River opening May 16
http://csfish.adfg.state.ak.us/mariner/announceedit/ 6. Kodiak Herring fast, then slow The Kodiak herring season got off to a fast start but slowed down after the first few days, Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials said… “The seiners had to look a little more carefully to find good quality herring because we had a lot of fish spawn right in the beginning,” ADF&G fisheries biologist Kevin Brennan said. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1478 7. Those opposed to SB 113 are not thinking of fishing industry Guest Opinion by Jay Stinson Sen. Ben Stevens has taken enough heat on Senate Bill 113. All this bill does is allow the Commercial Fishery Entry Commission (CFEC) and the Board of Fish (BOF) the tool for fishery limitation through a dedicated access privilege (DAP), if sought by fishermen. SB 113 does not presuppose any allocation between fishermen or gear types. When you read the bill, processors are not even mentioned, yet everyone seems to think there is some devious plot to create processing quotas. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1482 &&& Kodiak weighs in on SB 113 in House Fisheries Hearing http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1462 && SB 113 will pave way for Gulf IFQs http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1458 CSSB113 - Read it for yourself: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/PDF/24/Bills/SB0113B.PDF & bill tracking:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session= 8. Non-Economic Benefits of Rights-Based Management and Fisheries Self-Governance - UAF School of Fisheries - Juneau Center Friday seminar Friday, 13 May, 12:00 pm Dr. Ralph Townsend, Candidate for Ted Stevens Distinguished Chair of Marine Policy Juneau—221 Anderson Also may be seen by teleconference at Kodiak - FITC Seward – REA Bldg Rm 101 http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/events/index.php?id=133 9. Kodiak Daily Mirror: More salmon could be caught in 2005 season Changes in escapement goals for salmon systems in the Kodiak Area could lead to more fishing time this season, Kevin Brennan, salmon biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said last week… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=1474 10. Governor Signs Bill To Encourage Mariculture Industry Governor Frank H. Murkowski signed into law House Bill 198, which is intended to foster the growth of Alaska’s mariculture industry. The bill responds to a recent Alaska Supreme Court decision regarding the allocation of shellfish to shellfish farmers… This bill amends existing statutes to clarify that ADF&G may allocate “insignificant” numbers of wild stocks of shellfish to aquatic farmers and is a compromise between the Alaska Shellfish Growers Association and the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association. The department now must issue regulations implementing the bill, which has an immediate effective date… http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1715 ADF&G Shellfish
mariculture home page:
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/enhance/ 11. Governor expands special session -adds University Lands bill The amended special session proclamation will include a bill to add to the University of Alaska system up to 250,000 acres of land to fulfill its status as a land grant institution… http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1730 UFA supported the
removal of Neets Bay and Kodiak Rocket Launch facility from the House and
Senate University lands bills…other parcels have also been removed…to track
HB130 see:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session= 12. Pebble Mine developers face mountain of logistical issues …The logistics of access and supply and the responsibility of protecting a sensitive environment require a slow, deliberate and costly process toward mine development, an official with Northern Dynasty Mines Inc. told a large Homer Chamber of Commerce audience Tuesday…
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/051105/news_ 13. Bill requires labeling genetically altered fish Genetically altered fish will need to be labeled as such when products are to be sold in Alaska. That's the effect of Senate Bill 25, sponsored by Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau. The Alaska House approved the measure unanimously Monday. It had previously won unanimous support in the Senate… http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=3844 SB 25 Text: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/PDF/24/Bills/SB0025Z.PDF 14. SB147 Hatching the Hatchery (sportfish) It took a little longer than people thought it would, but final legislative approval of a measure to build a fish hatchery in Fairbanks and make vital fishery-related upgrades elsewhere in the state came on Monday. 15. Kensington mine obtains state permits Company official: State's decision puts project on track for July construction The state of Alaska announced Monday it has issued all 12 of its authorizations for the Kensington gold mine, now leaving final decisions on the mine up to federal regulators…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/051005/loc_ && Coeur Reports Improved First Quarter Results
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May 16. Stevens aide Lisa Sutherland on political fast track …She spent most of the last eight years handling home-state requests at the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Now, Sutherland is the new staff director of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology, where Stevens became committee chairman earlier this year…Sutherland's new position with the Commerce Committee has a much more national scope. But issues of great interest to Alaskans, such as renewal of the Magnuson-Stevens fisheries management act, will remain a prominent part of her work… Sutherland shares Stevens' approach to the job, which the senator briefly sums up as "to hell with the politics and just do what's right for Alaska." http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2859814,00.html 17. Loving NEPA to Death at Spokane public hearing No one at the hearing on reforming the National Environmental Policy Act attacked the law, although Republicans noted repeatedly that it needed to be reformed. "We want to improve the environment,'' insisted U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, at the beginning of the April 23 meeting in Spokane, Wash. "But people are so wedded to bureaucratic inefficiency, they don't want to see change.''
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/05/09/ 18. Endangered Species: Contesting extinction The odds are stacked against endangered species. By the time we realize they are in trouble, many creatures are down to their last shots at survival… http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/223229_hcped.asp 19. WA: Puget Sound in declining health Pressures from population growth have taken a 50-year toll on Puget Sound, as they have on other major water systems, including the Everglades, Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes. "They're all facing generally the same sets of issues," says Don Boesch, president of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science. "We make these efforts to clean up, but we don't contain the basic driving force of population growth and development. So you have to run faster to stay in one place." http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-10-puget-sound_x.htm 20. WA: Hatcheries may be releasing pollutants along with fish Tipped by news reports of a Montana hatchery that had polluted a local stream with paint from the walls of concrete fish tanks, Washington regulators tested paint chips from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. They discovered the paint contained PCBs, once-ubiquitous industrial chemicals now banned because they are toxic in minute levels and stay around for years…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/ 21. BC Fish Minister: Ottawa Biased against Fish farms In the midst of controversy over aquaculture expansion, B.C. Fisheries Minister John van Dongen wrote an irate letter to his federal counterpart charging Ottawa was biased against B.C. fish farmers, according to documents leaked to the Times Colonist…
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story. 22. University of BC Sablefish Farm Study: high risk to environment "From an ecological perspective, the potential for negative interactions between wild and farm stocks is high. Further, because the sablefish knowledge base is narrow relative to that of salmon aquaculture, itself plagued with serious challenges, it is clear that timely diagnoses and successful remediation of the inevitable emergent problems is unlikely. We conclude that sablefish aquaculture development in BC is destined to proceed on a trial and error basis with coastal communities and BC's marine environment exposed to undeterminable risk…"
http://www.fisheries.ubc.ca/publications/reports/ See lead story in Laine Welch's Fish Factor, May 6 - http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 23. CA: Environmental sirens in Delta are screaming The (Sacramento-San Joaquin) Delta's open-water fish populations are mysteriously collapsing in a crisis that threatens to unravel the food web of the West Coast's largest estuary… The EPA biologist, Bruce Herbold, said it was the sudden decline of threadfin shad, a previously common baitfish, that caught his attention. "To have it going from really abundant to scarce, it's scary," Herbold said. "Something is really, really wrong. It is not just the sensitive fish. The cockroaches are dying off." Herbold said one of two things has happened: either the Delta has degraded so badly that conditions have passed a "pivot point" and are in a general collapse, or some unknown factor has changed. The suspected culprits that could have quietly changed the Delta environment over the last three years or so fall into three broad categories, and scientists say it is most likely that a combination of factors is causing the problems: Toxins… Invasive species… Giant pumps…
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/ &&& Despite spending billions, CalFed can't fix Delta
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/ 24. Norway moves forward on Red King Crab market - farmed and invasive wild Farmed: King crab gets special feed
http://en.fiskforsk.norut.no/fiskeriforskning/aktuelt/ Crabs on Land
http://en.fiskforsk.norut.no/fiskeriforskning/aktuelt/ Farming King Crab - More profitable than cod
http://en.fiskforsk.norut.no/content/download/ Wild: WWF: Norway’s management of the invasive Red King Crab constitutes a direct violation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity http://www.wwf.no/pdf/CBD_king_crab.pdf Norway King Crab for sale in Anacortes:
http://www.seabear.com/showsubprod.cfm?SingleItem= Giant Crab 'Red Army' Invades Norway http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0309 25. Norway: Wild salmon run into farm menace A quarter of salmon in seas off Norway are escapees from fish farms, threatening the survival of their wild cousins in a cautionary tale for fish farmers worldwide, said the WWF conservation group.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/World/ & 5% salmon deformed: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L10721230.htm 26. UK: Global warming driving fish northward Nearly two-thirds of fish species in the North Sea have moved further north in search of colder waters because global warming is driving sea temperatures higher. Scientists have compiled the first unequivocal evidence linking a major northward shift of North Sea fish species with rising ocean temperatures…
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story. 27. Laine Welch's Fish Radio, sponsored by Marine Conservation Alliance Recent topics: Wednesday 5/11/05 Halibut & black cod prices around the state: High! Tuesday 5/10/05 Copper River salmon prices could be higher; salmon patties to food banks Monday 5/9/05 Observers to eyeball Kodiak setnet sites for marine mammal interactions Friday 5/6/05 Economists give big thumbs down to black cod farming in B.C. Thursday 5/5/05 Salmon outlook: Value should increase for 3rd year running! http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm & see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 28. Action Item - S.786 would limit NOAA weather reports -
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050512 && New Bill Would Ban Public NOAA Weather Data - with bill text http://www.eham.net/articles/10794 For- profit companies drop unprofitable services and go out of business every day. Virtually every recipient of this email would be at serious risk without access to free broadcast NOAA weather reports. I expect that Senator Stevens is well aware but it doesn't hurt to remind him… Webform for message to Senator Stevens: http://stevens.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm 29. Coastal Zone Management regs posted for comment - deadline May 23 The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 11 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with the Alaska coastal management program (ACMP) implementation, the statewide standards of the ACMP, and the district coastal management plan requirements…
http://www.alaskacoast.state.ak.us/OCRM/PN/Notice% Home page:
http://www.alaskacoast.state.ak.us/OCRM/ 30. Coast Guard extends comment period on SE AK Cruise ship security zones In response to public comments on the proposed Regulated Navigation Area and Security Zones; High Capacity Passenger Vessels in Alaska, the Coast Guard is re-opening the public comment period an additional 30 days… Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or before May 27, 2005.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ 31. Comment on Federal Subsistence Fisheries proposals - Deadline June 30 The Federal Subsistence Board is accepting written comments, through June 30, 2005, on proposed changes to Federal subsistence fisheries regulations… Copies of the proposal book can be found at http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/home.html or by contacting the Office of Subsistence Management at (800) 478-1456 or (907) 786-3888… The proposals are available at http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/law.cfm?fp=1 32. AMSEA seeks AK fisherman for board seat The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) is in the process of recruiting a commercial fisherman for its Board of Directors…More information on AMSEA’s programs can be found at www.amsea.org. Prospective applicants should be:
Before May 16, applicants should send an emailed document to AMSEA at fishmember@amsea.org with information on their commercial fishing background and how they feel they can make AMSEA’s mission more effective. AMSEA can also be contacted in Sitka at 907 747-3287. 33. Limited Entry Permits - Notice of sale - Alaska Division of Investments The Alaska Division of Investments (ADI), offers for sale the limited entry permits listed below. Complete information regarding the permits, sale procedures, financing information and loan application packages may be obtained by contacting ADI at 1-800-478-LOAN (5626) within Alaska, or (907) 465-2510, or e-mail: investments@commerce.state.ak.us, or ADI’s web site:
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/investments/pdf/ 34. Stellers & Pollock Prop 455: NPFMC & BOF Joint Protocol Meeting May 25, Anchorage The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Joint Protocol Committee of the Alaska Board of Fisheries and Council will meet on May 25, 2005 in Anchorage at the Hawthorn Suite, Ltd, Ballroom B. Date: May 25, 8;30am - 4:30pm. The meeting will be to discuss the Board of Fisheries proposal 455 (state water pollock fisheries within Steller Sea lion critical habitat). This will be an initial organizational meeting to discuss information needs, process and timing relative to potential actions by the Board of Fisheries or Council.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ 35. NPFMC Non-Target species committee to meet May 31, Girdwood The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Non-Target Species Committee will meet at the Alyeska Prince Hotel, May 31, 2005, in Ballroom C, 2 pm - 6 pm… The Non-Target Species Committee will meet on May 31 to review a template for a planned discussion paper on rockfish management. The committee will determine whether the template should be expanded for use in preparing the full discussion paper.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ 36. NPFMC Meeting June 1 (AP and SSC) June 3-9, Alyeska Prince Hotel, Girdwood, AK Draft Agenda: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/605Agenda.pdf Observer Program: Discussion paper:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/observer/ Preliminary Draft - Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review for a Fishery Management Plan Amendment to Establish a New Program for Observer Procurement and Deployment in the North Pacific:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/observer/ Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rationalization Community Committee Recommendations on the February 2005 Council Motion on GOA Rationalization Community Provisions
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/ NPFMC Home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/ NPFMC Newsletter for April: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/newsletters/NEWS405.pdf 37. North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program: Training Schedule Seattle and Anchorage groundfish training schedule for May through August 2005…
http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/refm/observers/training_ 38. Central Bering Sea Pollock Workshop on Allowable Harvest Level and Stock Identification June 6-9, 2005, Seattle, Washington USA http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/refm/cbs/Seattle_workshop_05.htm 39. NOAA Fisheries Invites Boat Captains to Seattle Crab Workshop May 25 NOAA Fisheries is hosting a workshop in Leif Erickson Hall in Seattle May 25 for Bering Sea and Aleutian Island crab boat captains. The meeting concerns the new crab fishery management system in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/crabwrkshp050605.htm 40. NOAA releases second volume of manual on coastal habitat restoration monitoring NOAA released another useful tool for scientists and coastal managers to monitor and restore the environment in the coastal zone. Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, Volume Two: Tools for Monitoring Coastal Habitats is the second in a series of books focusing on important information that can be used in coastal habitats nationwide. NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…
http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2005/may05/ 41. NOAA Orca documentary wins Emmy The NOAA documentary
“Saving Springer: Orphan Orca” received an Emmy award from the Boston/New
England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences…
http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2005/may05/ 42. Alaska Sea Grant HAACP workshop schedule May - September http://www.uaf.edu/map/haccp/index.html 43. Fishlines, the newsletter of the Alaska Sea Grant College Program http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant/Fishlines/2005/may05.html 44. UW MPA News for May
http://depts.washington.edu/mpanews/issues.html# 45. Global Food Collaborative looks at Valdez Fisheries Development Association As markets have grown in sophistication for high quality, Alaskan Wild Salmon, Alaskan fishermen have become increasingly engaged in meeting the demands of buyers. As a result, they are inviting new technologies for harvesting and handling, harvesting new species, processing new product forms, developing new business models and collaborating in somewhat pioneering ways…
http://www.imakenews.com/networkdirect/e_article000395357 46. NMFS proposed rule on W. AK CDQ Halibut area 4C/4D - Comment by June 6 NMFS proposes an amendment to the Pacific halibut regulations for waters in and off Alaska. This proposed action modifies the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program and the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program by allowing quota share holders in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) Regulatory Area (Area) 4C to fish their Area 4C IFQ in Area 4D… http://www.regulations.gov/freddocs/05-09003.htm
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||