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UFA Update January 3, 2006 UFA PRESIDENTS REPORT – by Bob Thorstenson Jr. Hello to the faithful. We have worked with some great folks in the past in regulatory and management agencies. Recently Doug Mecum retired from being ADFG Commfish Director and has gone to NMFS Alaska, sitting there in the #2 slot behind the great Jim Balsinger. Replacing Doug is Denby Lloyd from the Western Supervisor slot at the Kodiak office. Denby is a great one who will someday be Commissioner of the ADFG. Mr. Mecum was UFA’s Executive Man of the Year. Among the other folks running the shop over there are UFA past Vice President Sue Aspelund as ADFG Policy Advisor and UFA past National and Subsistence Chairman David Bedford who is the Deputy Commissioner on the fish side. And, of course, we were pleased last spring to see a new ADFG Commissioner in McKie Campbell when 2004’s UFA Executive Man of the Year, Kevin Duffy, retired to be Executive Director of APA (which puts him on the UFA board----you see, this can go both ways). Expect to see Mr. Duffy in the APA seat at our March 1st meeting. Being a past Council member and ADFG Commissioner from 2002-2004 oughtta give him great credentials to becoming a qualified UFA board member.
Thank you for your support and involvement in UFA – Bob Thorstenson Jr., UFA President To donate to Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission see www.akgulfhelp.org AFIRM is a 100% volunteer and fully tax deductible charitable organization of representatives of the Alaska fishing industry dedicated to helping the Gulf of Mexico fishing industry in the wake of this summer’s hurricanes –Mark Vinsel, AFIRM Chairman You can also help AFIRM by shopping Alaska Sea Grant this winter – Alaska Sea Grant home page at http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant/ Table of Contents: 1. Funds available for salmon boat upgrades Salmon fishing and tender boat owners can look to the state in 2006 for funds to help upgrade equipment to improve salmon quality, according to an Alaska Department of Commerce press release… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2487 DCCED Salmon Alaska Salmon Vessel Quality Upgrade Program (SAVQUP):
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/ DCCED Salmon
revitalization home page:
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/ 2. DCCED Salmon Quality Grants workshop – Wrangell, January 9… Geoff Whistler will be in the City Council Chambers in Wrangell 1/9/2006 starting at 3PM and staying untill everyone interested has had all their questions pertaining to grant applications answered. If enough interest is generated within the fleets SEAK Rainforest WILD will hold workshops in other communities. Pleased contact Paul Southland or Nedia Voltz with questions, or to pick up copies of the grant applications. 907-874-3400 3. Charter Halibut IFQs debate continues in Juneau Empire opinion columns: My Turn: Commercial use versus personal use in question, By Chuck Greeson
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/122305/opi_ My Turn: IFQ plan for charter boats needs to be shot down, By Jack Cadigan
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/122305/opi_ My Turn: IFQs a bad idea for sports anglers, worse for charters By Tom Dawson
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/122205/opi_ My Turn: Public won when council pulled back charter IFQs , By Robert C. Penney
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/122805/opi_ Empire Editorial: Charter IFQs need to be renegotiated
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/121805/opi_ 4. NPFMC seeks panelists for Charter Halibut Stakeholder Panel - Deadline Jan. 10 Contact NPFMC office at (907) 271-2809 or fax your letter to (907) 271-2817 From NPFMC December Newsletter: 5. Magnuson-Stevens - Senate bill updates fishery regs A U.S. Senate committee has discharged its version of a large-scale law governing the fishing industry, while the House of Representatives adjourned for the year without seeing another version of the bill. The senate
Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee put the finishing touches on
the bill -- a renewal of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act -- late this month.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? For current text of S2012 as passed by Senate Commerce see http://thomas.loc.gov/ select “BILL NUMBER” and enter “S 2012” 6. Congress Aims To Curb Overfishing – Enviros credit Senator Ted Stevens Sen. Ted Stevens (R) of Alaska has been driving environmentalists batty with repeated proposals to open the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, but some are sending him flowers for his position on fish…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/28/tech/ 7. DCCED Proposed changes to Seafood Processing and Inspection regulations Comment deadline March 2… The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposes to repeal, adopt, and amend regulations in Title 18 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with Chapter 34, the Seafood Processing and Inspection Regulations, including the following: Clarify what activities constitute processing; update requirements adopted by reference; clarify permit requirements, application and renewal, and prohibited activities; revise certain facility plan approval and facility requirements, including water supply, ice and toilet requirements; change labeling requirements for “export only” products; amend seafood product and product testing standard; establish provisions regulating direct market shore based processors and geoduck dive vessels; and clarify language regarding oil contamination procedures. DEC proposes to make other changes necessary to improve the regulations, including those changes that appear necessary after reviewing public comments. DEC strongly suggests anyone interested in the Seafood Processing and Inspection Regulations read the proposed regulation changes…
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c 8. Pebble ore find expands outlook, delays permit application A Canadian company hoping to develop the giant Pebble gold and copper deposit near Iliamna found so much more minerals there this year that executives are revamping the project and will delay seeking permits for at least a year… http://www.adn.com/front/story/7321334p-7233307c.html &&& Industry fears planned Alaska mine could hurt salmon catch Leaders of Puget Sound's salmon-processing industry are worried that a massive open-pit gold mine, proposed upstream from Alaska's most productive sockeye salmon waters, could undercut the reputation for purity that has become wild salmon's key selling point…
http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/ &&& Pebble Mine would destroy tradition – ADN Opinion by Frances A. Nelson If you go to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game you will see that of all the rivers in the Bristol Bay, Nushagak River harvests and escapements have remained strong over the last 20 years. Why? Maybe it is because of all those beautiful lakes and streams. You think? Now let's think about the proposed Pebble Mine. All I think is, "No more salmon." … http://www.adn.com/opinion/guest_columns/story/7296493p-7208170c.html 9. Debate continues on Kensington mine… My Turn: Correcting false claims about Lower Slate Lake - By Duff W. Mitchell, Kake Tribal Corp I am writing in response to the My Turn of Mr. Lindekugel of SEACC/Sierra Club to clarify some statements related to the mine tailings at Lower Slate Lake.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/010106/opi_ My Turn: Corps' responsibility is to protect clean water, by Buck Lindekugel, SEACC Here's a suggestion for a New Year's resolution for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Let's do things right. Let's protect clean water for the sake of the families that depend on it for the thousands of jobs that can last for generations, such as commercial fishing, and for the subsistence uses many Alaskans treasure…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/122605/opi_ My Turn: Attempts to explain away (Kensington) mine's problems are hollow, By Mark Rorick, Sierra Club
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/010206/opi_ 10. Mixing Zones: Seaton Bill targets proposed changes to DEC rules As the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation begins to analyze more than 200 public comments it received on a proposal that would loosen water quality standards, several Alaska representatives have submitted a bill that would keep most of the old rules in place. Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, along with representatives from Kenai, Palmer and Kodiak, announced Dec. 20 that they had pre-filed legislation that would continue to prohibit mixing zones in freshwater spawning areas.
http://www.homernews.com/stories/122905/news_ 11. Juneau trade group Marine Exchange probes oceans with vessel tracking system Program uses radio devices, satellite to monitor boat locations … With a combination of satellite tracking devices and radio signal stations, the Marine Exchange can track the progress of vessels - from tankers and tug boats to cruise ships and ferries - all over the world. "Some day, this system will save lives," Ed Page said Thursday in an interview at the Marine Exchange's command center near downtown Juneau…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/123005/loc_ 12. Fish and Game could get 10% boost Part of state spending would help get SE Alaska biologists off federal funding Some spending items tucked into the governor's recent state budget proposal are getting cheers from commercial fishermen. After many years of stagnant funding, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game could get an increase of nearly 10 percent, or an additional $10 million, in state general fund allocations during the next state budget cycle, beginning July 1..
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/122905/sta_ & ADF&G Draft Expenditure reports for 2005: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/budget/report.php 13. Fisheries shone in 2005 – A sampler of industry highlights from Laine Welch Going into the new year, commercial fishing in Alaska remains a vibrant industry that is the envy of every fish-producing country in the world. Alaska's fisheries' abundance is guarded with zeal by those entrusted with its care, and its management is regarded as a model for conservation and sustainability. Here is a sampler of industry highlights from 2005…
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/ 14. Federal Subsistence Board to Meet 1/10-12, Anchorage – Cook Inlet determination The Federal Subsistence Board will meet Jan. 10-12 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel, 401 E. 6th Avenue, Anchorage. The Board will consider proposals to change Federal subsistence fisheries regulations for the 2006-2007 regulatory year, including one that would establish a customary and traditional use determination for rural residents of the Cook Inlet area. The proposed change would enable rural residents, including those in Ninilchik, Cooper Landing and Hope, to harvest fish for subsistence use in Federal public waters on the Kenai Peninsula. The Board also will consider funding for subsistence-related research and monitoring projects for 2006 under the Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program. The public is welcome at this meeting. Questions about the meeting agenda or requests for reasonable accommodations should be directed to Larry Buklis at (800) 478-1456 or (907) 786-3822 or by e-mail, Larry_Buklis@fws.gov. http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news.cfm?gnr=1 (See link for December 22 news release) 15. Subsistence rights decision due soon UPPER KENAI: Federal board will rule whether the river qualifies next month. The grindingly slow federal process that could put nets in the upper Kenai River reaches a milestone next month, as the Federal Subsistence Board considers the subsistence fishing rights of residents of Cooper Landing, Hope and Ninilchik…
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7319306p- 16. Kodiak Local groups gathering subsistence information from Native Elders A pair of local projects looks to share traditional knowledge of life on Kodiak with future generations. The Sun’aq Tribe is mapping local subsistence land use, and the Woody Island Tribal Council is organizing a project to collect Elder interviews describing subsistence techniques, specifically regarding organic gardening, native plants and fishing… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2481 17. Yukon: Fears grow over small fish Tanana fisherman Charlie Campbell doesn't need scientific studies or empirical data to prove Yukon River chinook salmon--the mighty king of the species--are getting smaller. All he has to do is walk into his smokehouse… Campbell hasn't been alone in his hypothesizing. Dozens of fishermen along the middle and upper reaches of the 2,300-mile Yukon have been claiming for years that smaller kings are returning from the ocean to spawn… http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~3189214,00.html 18. Coast Guard to hold meeting, courtesy exams in Petersburg The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Southeast Alaska will host a town meeting in Petersburg at the city council chambers at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2006…
http://www.sitnews.us/1205news/122905/122905_ See also USCG & AMSEA schedule at bottom of this update (item # 53)… 19. USCG sea boardings reinforce safety One year ago, the people in the ports of New Bedford and Kodiak, Alaska, were mourning the loss of 10 fishermen who were swallowed up by the sea in two fishing accidents that each took the lives of five men. In both cases -- that of the Northern Edge, the New Bedford scallop vessel, and the Big Valley, the Alaskan crab vessel -- Coast Guard investigations later found that a lack of safety training was a major factor in the deaths of the fishermen. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/12-05/12-30-05/a14op770.htm 20. USCG Commissions New Rescue 21 System for Locating and Saving Distressed Boaters The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted and activated Rescue 21, a new command, control and communications system produced by General Dynamics C4 Systems that brings 21st century technology to its search and rescue mission. Through an advanced system of integrated wireless communications and location finding features, Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to quickly locate boaters in emergency situations, even if their "mayday" call is only seconds in length. Rescue 21 is currently installed in regions along the Eastern seaboard (from Manasquan, N.J., to Belle Haven, Va.). Once fully implemented, it will be the CoastGuard's primary system along the 95,000 miles of coastline for which it is responsible… http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-23-2005/0004239067&EDATE= 21. Should large areas of the ocean be off-limits to fishing? As this ScienCentral News video reports, that’s the hope of one leading scientist writing in the journal Nature…
http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3? 22. LeDoux says SB 113 will die in committee Senate Bill 113, a controversial fisheries management measure, is dead in the water, said Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux. LeDoux, co-chair of the House Fisheries Committee, suspended hearings on the bill last session when it became clear not everyone would have time to say their piece on Gulf of Alaska groundfish rationalization… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2475 23. Kodiak City Council hires UAA’s Knapp to study impact of crab ratz How has crab rationalization hurt Kodiak? This is the question the Kodiak City Council wants fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp to answer. At its regular meeting Thursday, the council hired the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage, headed by Knapp, to conduct an economic impact study of Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab rationalization on crab fishing employment, compensation and expenditures in Kodiak… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2461 24. Crab delivery increases to Kodiak, processor expects less in future A year-end report from the Alaska Crab Coalition (ACC) said Kodiak processors showed a slight increase in market share of the Bering Sea king crab harvest. The ACC reported 774,045 pounds of Bristol Bay king crab were delivered to Kodiak since the opening on Oct 15, equal to 4 percent of the 16.37 million pounds landed this season… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2493 25. Marine safety association opens doors in Kodiak The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) has placed a full-time safety instructor in Kodiak. Training coordinator Steven Campbell set up operations in mid-October and is currently offering fishing vessel safety courses to the community… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2498 See http://www.amsea.org for more info… 26. Tanner season opens despite closure request Tanner fishermen in Chignik, Sand Point, King Cove and Falls Pass will have a season despite their request for an emergency closure of the Chignik and South Peninsula management areas. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner McKie Campbell denied a request by ADF&G advisory committees from those areas to close down the 2006 fishery… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2480 27. Windy, wet, and wild – NY Restauranteurs visit Unalaska for Crab opener Some people will go to great lengths to find a good Alaskan king crab; a sweet, succulent shellfish for which folks will hike from restaurant to restaurant, drive town to town and plunk down plenty of cash…
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? 28. Aleutians shipping risks are being examined, but methodically The Anchorage Daily News editorial Dec. 12 demanded that the state and federal governments "skip the stalling and get going," on an Aleutian Islands risk assessment. The editorial claims the only thing that has been done is "talk." This is flat out wrong. The public deserves an accurate and fair characterization of the Selendang Ayu spill, its real impacts, the response, and a systematic and methodical assessment of the causes… http://www.adn.com/opinion/guest_columns/story/7321385p-7233343c.html 29. Shipwreck can provide valuable lessons By Frederick Chavalit Tsao, Chairman of IMC Shipping in Singapore One year ago, our ship, the Selendang Ayu, was lost in a fierce storm off Unalaska Island. We lost six of our colleagues when a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crashed during a heroic rescue attempt, and our ship spilled oil into the water off the coast of Unalaska Island. I am writing to Alaskans to let you know what IMC Shipping has done since then to respond to this incident. http://www.adn.com/opinion/guest_columns/story/7290622p-7202304c.html 30. US could ban imports of salmon from farms that shoot seals From the Seafood Intelligence web site: US COULD BAN IMPORTS OF FARMED SALMON FROM COMPANIES SHOOTING SEALS; NUTRECO ON HOT SEAT: A legal opinion by a Washington, DC law firm provides a "strong and directly applicable tool to address" seal culling (illegal in the U.S.) outside of the U.S. Under this opinion, foreign companies culling seals or sea lions in the vicinity of their fish farms could be banned from exports to the U.S. http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/122705_laine_welch.html (Scroll to bottom) 31. Seal killing concern at fish farm Scotland's leading fish farm operator has been accused of recklessly shooting seals near one of its sites at Kyle of Lochalsh in the west Highlands. Since the 1970s, seals have been a protected species but can be shot, under licence, to protect fish farms. There are concerns about the way Marine Harvest is carrying out the killings… See…http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/ 32. Push for more Puget Sound tanker traffic gets mixed reviews Most of the people in Washington state live near the shores of spectacular Puget Sound, a sheltered glacial estuary teeming with wildlife and vessel traffic that is tucked behind the forested Olympic Peninsula, its climate softened by mountain ranges to the east and west. Five busy refineries on its shores turn crude oil into fuels. Hundreds of tankers ply its waters every year, yet the sound has never seen a major oil spill. But a push to loosen a decades-old limit on tanker traffic in the sound has environmentalists and Washington politicians worried that record might be sullied…
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WST_Puget & Puget Sound faces
prospect of more oil tankers… 33. Study finds 'double whammy' harmed murrelet's population – timber & overfishing Researchers blame logging coupled with overfishing for the seabird's declining numbers ...Fleets that hauled sardines and other fish from the West Coast may have left murrelets to rely on poorer quality food, undermining their breeding, researchers from the University of California at Berkeley, reported. The same pressure also may affect other West Coast seabirds, a point the researchers are now beginning to examine…
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/ 34. Ukrainian slaves rescued from Russian crab ship MOSCOW, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A routine inspection of a fishing boat by the Russian coast guard found 25 exhausted and starving Ukrainian men who had been forced to work at gunpoint. "They discovered the Ukrainians locked in the hold with three tons of poached crab," said Tatyana Kutuzova, senior assistant to the Sakhalin state prosecutor. "They were forced to work 14 hours a day and were very poorly fed." The men said they had been lured into the job last year with an offer of easy work for a big company based in Russia's far east with wages of more than $1,750 a month, The Telegraph reported. They said once the Pervorechens vessel was at sea, the Russian crew pulled guns and enslaved them. None had seen land in more than year, the report said. http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051228-121823-7321r 35. Norway & Finland: Invasion of the giant crabs Monster crabs are invading Europe. Armed with a jar of mayonnaise, Stephen Bleach steps into battle… http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2100-1963294,00.html 36. Bird flu may be spread by farmed fish fed on poultry dung London: Bird flu may be spread by using chicken dung as feed in fish farms, a practice now routine in Asia, the world's leading bird conservation organisation believes. Fertilising fish ponds with poultry faeces, which can dramatically improve fish growth, may in fact set up major new reservoirs of avian influenza infection if the chickens providing the manure are infected themselves, according to BirdLife International, the Cambridge-based umbrella body for bird protection groups in more than 100 countries…
http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=272& 37. Around Japan/ Mashike Hokkaido: Alaskans fishing for local market Americans have never had much of an appetite for herring, but fortunately for Alaskan producers, Japanese consumers can't seem to get enough.. In fact, all of Alaska's herring and salted herring roe are exported to Japan. Now, as international competition in the herring market heats up and as local demand reaches fever pitch ahead of the New Year season, the U.S. fisheries industry and the Alaska state government are trying new marketing tactics to promote the fish.
http://www.asahi.com/english/Heraldasahi/ 38. What do you want to see on the Alaska Quarter? - (You need not be an artist) Alaska will soon join the rest of the nation and have its own state coin. Design ideas, submitted in writing instead of a drawing, are being accepted beginning January 1, 2006, according to the Commemorative Coin Commission whose members are appointed by the Governor. The deadline for submitting an entry is February 28, 2006, and all Alaskans are welcome to participate… Submissions will be accepted from January 1 through February 28, 2006.
http://www.sitnews.us/1205news/121405/121405_ Downloadable entry form:
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/alaska_coin/pub/ AK Commemorative Coin Commission Home page: http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/alaska_coin.htm 39. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week Tuesday 1/3/06 Longer fishery, slower landings boost processor costs for king crab; affect some markets Monday 1/2/06 Salmon skins yield heparin: prevent blood clots Friday 12/30/05 Fishing wishes for 2006: A Kodiak sampler Thursday 12/29/05 Bird flu may be spread by fish farms Wednesday 12/28/05 AK's annual fishing cycle begins anew See: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm ….& see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 40. Alaska OMB posts Missions and Measures for fishery and other agencies ASMI Missions and Measures: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/results/view.php?p=18 Board of Fisheries
Missions and measures: ADF&G Comfish ADF&G Sportfish ADF&G Subsistence Commercial Fisheries
Entry Commission: All departments Mission
and Measures reports for 2004: 41. NMFS Puget Sound Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan posted for comment… Proposed Recovery Plan for the Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon…Comment Deadline February 27, 2006…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan2005 42. NOAA notice of EIS on Impacts of Research on Stellers & Northern Fur Seals Scoping meetings in Seattle 1/20, Anchorage 1/23, comment deadline 2/13… Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on Impacts of Research on Steller Sea Lions and Northern Fur Seals Throughout Their Range in the United States… Public scoping meetings will be held: January 20, 2006, 4 - 7 p.m., Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Building 9, Seattle, WA; and January 23, 2006, 5 - 8 p.m., Hilton Anchorage, 501 West 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK… Comments will be accepted at these meetings as well as during the scoping period, and can be mailed to NMFS by February 13, 2006 NOAA announcement: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/steller.htm Federal Register Notice: 43. NOAA notice of EIS on Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program… Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the Activities of the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan2005 44. NOAA IFQ Cost Recovery (Fee) Program – deadline January 31, 2006 The 2005 cost recovery percentage is 1.6 percent. Fee summaries were mailed to IFQ permit holders late November 2005 . Payments are due by January 31, 2006. http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/ifqfees.htm 45. Deadline January 10 for MAFAC Stewardship Award nominations The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has established the Stewardship & Sustainability Awards to recognize outstanding performance, achievements and leadership by industries, organizations and individuals that promote best stewardship practices for the sustainable use of living marine resources and foster a stewardship ethic within their community… http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/mafac/award.htm 46. BOF: Deadline for Board of Fisheries comments on SE proposals - January 6 Proposals are available online at: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/fprop.php Instructions for submitting comments on proposals are at: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/bbs/process/fcommtips.php 47. BOF announces two changes to 2006 Meeting schedule State waters Pacific Cod fishery proposal 399 moved to February 20-26… Charter regs to be addressed at March meeting…
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/news/ 48. Board of Fisheries Call for Proposals for 2006-2007 – Deadline April 10, 2006 Bristol Bay, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim, and Alaska Peninsula/Aleutian Islands Finfish Areas and Statewide Finfish Regulations http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/fcall.php 49. CFEC Public Meeting Schedule 1/26, 2/16, 3/2, 3/23, 4/13
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605 50. USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service Value added grant applications The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces the availability of approximately $19.475 million in competitive grant funds for fiscal year (FY) 2006 to help independent agricultural producers enter into value-added activities. Of this amount, $1.5 million is set aside for applicants requesting $25,000 or less. Awards may be made for planning activities or for working capital expenses, but not for both. The maximum grant amount for a planning grant is $100,000 and the maximum grant amount for a working capital grant is $300,000…Deadline March 31
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800 51. NPFMC Motions & Documents from the December 2005 Council Meeting: CDQ motion Bering Sea Habitat
Conservation motion
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/efh/ P.cod allocations
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/ GOA Rationalization community provisions
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/ Council recommended specs for 2006-2007 BSAI and GOA groundfish fisheries
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/membership/plan_ Halibut Charter IFQ
motion
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/halibut & NPFMC December 2005 Newsletter http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/newsletters/NEWS1205.pdf NPFMC Home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/newsletters/NEWS1205.pdf 52. SMART GEAR: Wildlife-saving fishing concepts could net prizes …The best idea will net the winner $25,000; two runners up each will receive $5,000 cash prizes…
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/72560 See SmartGear home page at http://www.smartgear.org 53. USCG District 17 MSO & AMSEA Safety Trainings announcement: The Southeast Alaska tanner & golden king crab opener will occur on Feb. 10th this year vs. Feb. 15th opener of many years. MSO Juneau will be conducting a town meeting for commercial fishermen in Petersburg, on Fri. Jan. 20th. Topics of discussion will include stability concerns/ SCC's (Safety Compliance Checks) and the Dockside Safety Program. A port visit will commence in Petersburg, Feb. 1 thru Feb 10th. Teams will be conducting SCC's, monitoring vessel stability concerns, and they also will be conducting courtesy dockside exams. AMSEA Drill Instructor Classes Planned January 31 – February 1 – Kake 10 hour Feb 11 - 12 - Cordova February 5 – 7 Petersburg 10 hour, one for community and one for hs students Feb 22 - 24 - Bethel – 10 hour March 17 – Sitka 10 hour March 27 – Toksook – 10 hour March 28 – Tununak – 10 hour March 29 – Eek – 10 hour March 30 – Quinhagok – 10 hour February no date yet – Sitka MSIT class for SARDFA March 13-20, 2006 – Seward MSIT class Contact: Larry Snyder (907) 463-2448 or Tim Clepper (907) 225-4406
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