|
UFA Update January 25, 2006 Update on Valdez Travelift and Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM): Critical Equipment Ready To Transport To Help Stranded Gulf Fishing Boats
http://www.sitnews.us/0106news/012506/012506_travel & Valdez community helps Gulf Coast fishermen http://www.ktuu.com/cms/anmviewer.asp?a=3269&print=yes Have you contributed to this important effort towards a strong and unified domestic seafood industry? To contribute via Paypal or to download a contribution form see… AFIRM webpage at www.akgulfhelp.org You can also help AFIRM by shopping Alaska Sea Grant this winter – Alaska Sea Grant home
page at
http://www.uaf.edu/ Table of Contents: 1. (Misinformation abounds as) Debate over mixing zones moves to the legislature 2. Halibut Charter IFQ NPFMC stakeholders committee announced 3. Without IFQs, Fish and Game mulls other restrictions on halibut catch 4. BBEDC buys barge for fisherman during sockeye season 5. Opening date for halibut announced 6. Alaska communities adjust to reality of crab rationalization 7. Reports of crab harvesters 'high-grading' spur concern 8. Unsold stock drives down prices for 2006 snow crab harvest 9. Bering Sea cod commanding higher prices as demand grows 10. Southeast fishermen reach compromise on Taku fish 11. Former USCG admiral, Kodiak commander slated for pipeline oversight 12. Fishermen must record participation -Kodiak Letter by Steve Branson 13. Kodiak and Borough Local governments create fisheries task force 14. New format separates gear sectors for Gulf ratz 15. Kodiak tanner season to close in Eastside 16. Kodiak Canneries short staffed during slow start to cod season 17. Kodiak filmmaker markets Alaska salmon at film festivals 18. Big legacy - Friends, family remember Big Valley crewmen and their dreams 19. Pike play havoc with Kenai Peninsula fish stocking 20. Kenai Fish and Game advisory committee comes up 1 seat short 21. Yukon King Seafoods gets the prize in Las Vegas AK Symphony of Seafood 22. Ketchikan Area Herring Action Group writes in support of SE BOF Herring closures 23. Number of workplace deaths jumped in '05 –but commfish reduced 24. Fishermen's new catch: safety at sea 25. AMSEA offering mini-grants for marine safety 26. Magnuson Reauthorization: Senate entwined in debate over fishing quotas 27. Fisheries Improvement - Opinion on NS-1 withdrawal (from Bangor ME): 28. Kodiak Opinion: Poor management, too much government eroding fishing industry 29. ABC News: Is Overfishing Changing the Gene Pool? 30. Alaskan salmon finds market in Europe 31. High Outside prices drive up salmon costs in Alaska 32. Panel weighs prohibiting krill fishing in open seas 33. Laine Welch: Halibut skippers sought for study on decision-making 34. NOAA Proposed rule on Seafood Marketing Councils – Comment Deadline Feb 23 35. USCG continues temporary security zone regulations for Valdez 36. NW: Bush Administration Pitches New Salmon Policy 37. Oregon Coast Coho Avoids ESA Listing Deemed Not Likely to Become Endangered 38. Oregon Fishermen catch on to net recycling 39. NE: The Dogfish Follies – dogfish up, down and up again 40. A disaster waiting to happen: Preparing for oil spills in Norway’s Arctic waters 41. Global fishiness: How can Wal-Mart sell Chilean salmon for $4.84 a pound? 42. BC Fish Farms 2001 report on seal shooting raises question of US sales 43. Farmed Salmon's Diet Yields Unhealthful Cardiovacular Effects 44. Will Washington cork Alaska with salmon quarter? 45. What do you want to see on the Alaska Quarter? 46. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week 47. USFS posts notice of intent for Navy Timber Sale project on Etolin Island 48. 2005 Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Population Estimate Completed 49. NOAA posts correction to halibut and sablefish standard cost recovery price 50. NOAA posts Record of Decision on AK Coastal Management Program EIS 51. NPFMC Halibut Charter GHL Committee meets in Anchorage Feb 1-2 52. NPFMC/BOF to meet on Adak Cod, February 3, Anchorage 53. NPFMC Observer Advisory Committee to meet Jan 30-31, Seattle AFSC 54. NPFMC agenda for February 6-14 Meeting, Seattle, & Three Meeting Outlook 55. ADF&G posts Fishery Management reports: 56. NPS posts Proposed Ten Percent Increase in Glacier Bay Cruise Ship Quota 57. Halibut Commission Completes 2006 Annual Meeting 58. Petersburg Council approves fish revenue resolutions and cold storage facility lease 59. Wanted - Cold Storage efficiency analysis and info on RFID use for seafood 60. NPRB releases 2006 list of projects 61. Future Imperfect: Steller Sleuths Predict Probability of Extinction Repeated Items due to continued requests: 62. DCCED Salmon Alaska Salmon Vessel Quality Upgrade Program (SAVQUP): 63. NOAA Offers Free Navigational Charts on Web 64. Board of Fisheries Call for Proposals for 2006-2007 – Deadline April 10, 2006 65. CFEC Public Meeting Schedule 1/26, 2/16, 3/2, 3/23, 4/13 66. USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service Value added grant applications 67. SMART GEAR: Wildlife-saving fishing concepts could net prizes 68. DCCED Proposed changes to Seafood Processing and Inspection regulations 69. BBEDC & MAP sponsor seafood workshops in Naknek, February 13-16 70. USCG District 17 MSO & AMSEA Safety Trainings announcement 1. (Misinformation abounds as) Debate over mixing zones moves to the legislature The debate over mixing zones has moved to the Legislature. A House Special Committee on Fisheries heard a bill today that would prohibit pollution dilution zones in freshwater spawning streams… (OOPS – that’s misinformation- the bill addresses spawning areas not entire streams, as did the previous regulations and the newly enacted regulations. The meaningful discussion, continuing in House Fisheries committee, is in the definition of spawning areas. Written clarification from ADF&G & DNR Habitat Division is expected in this Friday’s Fisheries committeehearing – M.V.) http://www.ktva.com/local/ci_3422552 & ADN: Debate over mixing zones moves to Legislature … The House Special Committee on Fisheries heard a bill last week that would prohibit mixing zones in freshwater spawning streams…(OOPS, same mistake)..
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7381343p Mixing-zone change fuzzy for fishermen …The United Fishermen of Alaska declined to comment Friday, citing a need for more analysis… &
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/011506/sta For text of HB 328 see http://www.legis.state.ak.us/PDF/24/Bills/HB0328A.PDF For current newly
adopted regulations see
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wqsar/trireview/ and DEC Mixing Zones home
page:
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wqsar/trireview/ ADN Op Ed by Larry Persily: Protect our streams Alaska shouldn't risk mixing zones in fish streams at any time or place ..
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/7375123p 2. Halibut Charter IFQ NPFMC stakeholders committee announced
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/membership/ Background Info –
December 2005 Council motion that formed this stakeholder panel, with GHL &
IFQ alternatives:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/ See Items # 50-54 below for other NPFMC info, and agenda for February meetings 3. Without IFQs, Fish and Game mulls other restrictions on halibut catch Halibut anglers that are being led to believe they are the winners in the rescind of the charter boat IFQ plan are not being told about all the restrictions that will now be placed on the fishery. Without IFQs, restrictions will have to be implemented to keep the catch below the guideline harvest level. http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/7383936p-7296211c.html (Scroll to bottom of ADN Letters for this piece by Mel Erickson, a Charter boat organization board member) 4. BBEDC buys barge for fisherman during sockeye season The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation is spending close to a million dollars to buy a barge and outfit it to provide ice to area fishermen during the coming sockeye season… http://www.ktva.com/local/ci_3422415 5. Opening date for halibut announced Halibut fishermen will hit the water on March 5 this year - a Sunday opening date that will get the fish to market early during the first week of Lent. Harvesters will also take home a slightly lower catch during the halibut fishery which will last through mid-November… http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/012306_fish_factor.html 6. Alaska communities adjust to reality of crab rationalization Residents of small Alaska fishing communities are dealing with the hard economic realities that have come with the first wave of federal crab rationalization.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/012306/sta_ 7. Reports of crab harvesters 'high-grading' spur concern Crab industry officials riding the high tide of a new management program are facing the reality of an ugly new issue: high-grading. From King Cove to Dutch Harbor and Kodiak to Seattle, a number of fishermen are talking openly about extensive high-grading, the practice of harvesting only high-valued king crab while discarding those flawed with barnacles, missing limbs or scuffed old shells… "It's very possible that this is happening," Arni Thomson, executive director of the Seattle-based Alaska Crab Coalition, said Jan. 5. "We don't condone it. We don't know what the extent of this problem is, but we are going to head it off. We have got to get to full retention."
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/011506/hom_ 8. Unsold stock drives down prices for 2006 snow crab harvest The allowable harvest is up for one region, but prices are expected to be down for the state bairdi crab fishery in Kodiak, Chignik and the South Alaska Peninsula, due to abundant stocks of unsold 2005 snow crab harvests.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/012206/loc_ 9. Bering Sea cod commanding higher prices as demand grows Pacific cod harvested in the icy waters of the Bering Sea is garnering harvesters 43 cents a pound, an increase of about 15 cents a pound compared to a year ago, thanks to growing demand and shrinking supplies.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/012206/loc_ 10. Southeast fishermen reach compromise on Taku fish Southeast Alaska fishermen are getting down to the fine points on how to split up a lucrative fishery for Taku River king salmon. Their new action is prompted by recent healthy runs of Taku kings and the related 2005 decision by
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/011906/sta_ 11. Former USCG admiral, Kodiak commander slated for pipeline oversight The Bush administration plans to nominate a retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral with strong Alaska connections to run the federal government’s oversight of pipelines, including the trans-Alaska system from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2576 12. Fishermen must record participation -Kodiak Daily Mirror Letter by Steve Branson It’s imperative that skippers and crew document their participation in fisheries harvests. The lack of evidence of engagement is an excuse for their exclusion in the privatization of our nation’s fisheries resources… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2557 13. Kodiak and Borough Local governments create fisheries task force The size, make-up and mission of a local Gulf of Alaska rationalization task force dominated Tuesday’s City Council and Borough Assembly joint work session… The list of 15 task force members — pared down to nearly one-third of its original size — includes representatives of fishing groups, processors, elected officials and the city’s fisheries consultant. .. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2553 14. New format separates gear sectors for Gulf ratz The conundrum of rationalization for groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska may begin to clear at the February meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Seattle when members get a reformatted version of the original 26-page motion… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2547 15. Kodiak tanner season to close in Eastside The Eastside Section of the Kodiak District closes to Tanner crab fishing at noon Thursday, according to an Alaska Department of Fish and Game news release. Voluntary catch reports indicate the total guideline harvest level of 1.3 million pounds will be reached by the time of the closure. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2578 & Kodiak Tanner season closes in sections of island, others continue strong The Southwest Section of the Kodiak District closed to Tanner crab fishing at 6 p.m. Friday. In the South Peninsula District, the waters of Cold Bay inside of a line from Bold Cape to Thin Point also closed to Tanner crab fishing 6 p.m. Thursday… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2567 16. Kodiak Canneries short staffed during slow start to cod season A lack of workers for local canneries in January for the cod and pollock seasons has been the norm in Kodiak for years, said Job Services consultant Maureen Butler. Local cannery officials agree… Alaska Fresh Seafoods co-owner Dave Woodruff said they are always looking for help this time of year… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2563 17. Kodiak filmmaker markets Alaska salmon at film festivals The Kodiak Branding and Marketing Committee may have a new venue to promote Kodiak salmon — film festivals. Dave Kaplan, the Kodiak filmmaker who helped produce “Deadly Passion — The Timothy Treadwell Tragedy” was at Wednesday’s KBMC meeting to tell committee members how well Kodiak salmon went over at his recent visits to film festivals… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2560 18. Big legacy - Friends, family remember Big Valley crewmen and their dreams Plans sank, too, with the Big Valley last January, plans for marriages and babies, for budding careers and retirements. This Sunday, friends and families of the five fishermen who died when the 92-foot crabber went down Jan. 15, 2005, will pause to remember the men they knew and imagine what might have been… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2535 19. Pike play havoc with Kenai Peninsula fish stocking Fish fingerlings that would have been used to stock Scout Lake will be withdrawn for use in other central Kenai Peninsula lakes now that northern pike have been discovered there, leaving the lake to become little more than a pike fishery, said Patty Berkhahn, a fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game…
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/011306/outdoors 20. Kenai Fish and Game advisory committee comes up 1 seat short The Kenai-Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee is trying to lure in new candidates after last week’s elections left the committee’s membership incomplete. Last week’s elections filled eight seats, including three of four available designated seats, but the fourth designated seat, the subsistence seat, remains vacant…
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/011906/news 21. Yukon King Seafoods gets the prize in Las Vegas AK Symphony of Seafood Most of the winners at the Alaska Symphony of Seafood's gathering at Las Vegas remain secret until after the Anchorage soiree takes place next month. The new-products contest was Friday. .. One winner from the desert was announced, however: People's Choice Award went to Yukon King Seafoods in Marshall, which produced smoked Cajun king salmon. http://www.adn.com/life/story/7389233p-7301495c.html 22. Ketchikan Area Herring Action Group writes in support of SE BOF Herring closures An expose on the history and controversy surrounding commercial herring management in Southeast Alaskan fisheries (excluding Sitka Sound) Herring have been considered by scientists as the "backbone of the ocean vertebrae food chain," and the "ice cream of the ocean". These rich, oily fish provide essential nutrition to virtually every predator fish, as well as marine mammals, from seals and stellar sea lions, to humpback, mink, and blue whales, along with a host of sea birds. What would happen if we lost this resource? …Although this question is hypothetical, in light of events currently happening up and down the Pacific Coast, it must now be asked…
http://www.sitnews.us/0106Viewpoints/011706_andy 23. Number of workplace deaths jumped in '05 –but commfish reduced Commercial fishing is listed as the nation's most dangerous occupation…. The industry has moved to reduce those numbers, according to the Economic Trends. Congress enacted the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act, which took effect in the early 1990s, requiring fishing vessels to carry safety, survival and firefighting equipment, and required crewmembers to train in first aid and do emergency drills. Industry groups in Alaska also offer safety education programs. Some fisheries now operate under individual fishing quotas, which aimed to allow fishermen more flexibility in choosing when they want to fish. Before, fishermen had specific, short openings in which to fish, regardless of weather conditions. Fisherman in 2004 made up 20 percent, or eight, of the state's total 40 fatalities…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/012206/hom For January edition of Alaska Economic Trends, the basis for this story, see: http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/ 24. Fishermen's new catch: safety at sea … Long resistant to government efforts to tighten safety laws, fishermen are embracing safety, organizing and attending training classes in unprecedented numbers, and inviting more Coast Guard inspectors on board their boats for safety checks…
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/ 25. AMSEA offering mini-grants for marine safety For the fourth year in a row, the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association is offering mini-grants to help fund marine and boating safety training and education projects in Alaska. These grants are intended to increase or enhance safety training and education for high-risk groups such as commercial fishermen or children, and are available only to AMSEA-trained educators and instructors who are actively teaching or supporting boating or cold-water safety…
http://www.homernews.com/stories/010506/seawatch_ 26. Magnuson Reauthorization: Senate entwined in debate over fishing quotas A Senate spat over relaxed fishing quotas could snag the renewal of the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Reauthorization of Senate Bill 2012, which governs offshore ocean fisheries, is expected by late spring, but differences remain over whether it should permit relaxed enforcement of annual catch limits for each fishery or impose strict limits. "Aside from the issue of catch limits, [the bill] is pretty non-controversial," said Lee Crockett, executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, a coalition of 175 organizations that includes a mix of commercial and recreational fishermen as well as environmentalists… http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060122-120550-9528r.htm & Senate Commerce Committee Approves Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill NOAA press release: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/docs/msareauth.pdf 27. Fisheries Improvement - Opinion on NS-1 withdrawal (from Bangor ME): Federal Regulators last week withdrew a proposal to rewrite guidelines aimed at ending over fishing in the nations oceans… …NOAA received more than 250,000 comments on its updates to National Standard 1. Most of them were negative. http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=127183 28. Kodiak Opinion: Poor management, too much government eroding fishing industry Kodiak Daily Mirror Guest Opinion By Lu Dochterman There were once few cops (nice ones) in our coastal communities. Few folks worked for the government, not 1.379 out of four. Kodiak, “The King Crab Capitol of the World” had 14 fish plants that operated nearly around the clock, year round. Then came more government regulations, and a slow enslavement. Shrimp stocks slowly declined, then collapsed for 70 boats… Recalling such past glory and follies, I conclude there are too many regulations and licenses, and too much government to administer and enforce it all. Market forces should have determined the survivors in this commerce… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2556 29. ABC News: Is Overfishing Changing the Gene Pool? Fish have been harvested so vigorously around the world that a resource that once seemed limitless is now threatened on a global scale, and new research indicates that severely depleted stocks may be only the tip of the iceberg. There is reason to believe that fishing practices have actually changed the gene pool for numerous species, leaving them less likely to survive and poorly equipped to rebound from overfishing… http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1514544 30. Alaskan salmon finds market in Europe Wild salmon may have finally found the edge in the competition with farmed fish.. The prospects for wild salmon in European markets is picking up according to information gathered by the Alaska Salmon Marketing Institute... http://ktva.com/topstory/ci_3422386 31. High Outside prices drive up salmon costs in Alaska Somewhere, somebody is paying $30 a pound for Alaska king salmon, and the result of that is that we are paying a premium here, if Alaskans are buying it at all. http://www.adn.com/life/story/7369769p-7281980c.html 32. Panel weighs prohibiting krill fishing in open seas Now federal fish managers are wrestling with a question they plan to settle this spring: Should commercial operators be able to fish for krill in U.S. waters? Currently, there is no krill fishing on the West Coast, and the practice is banned in near-shore waters off Washington, Oregon and California. The reason: Krill are susceptible to dramatic changes in climate that which can cause wild swings in population levels, and krill are critical to ocean health…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/ 33. Laine Welch: Halibut skippers sought for study on decision-making How do fishermen make risky decisions out on the water? Researchers are hoping Alaska halibut skippers will help them find out… http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/011606_fish_factor.html or see study at: http://cssm.iastate.edu/srs/halibut/ 34. NOAA Proposed rule on Seafood Marketing Councils – Comment Deadline Feb 23 In 1989, NMFS issued a final rule enacting the Fish and Seafood Promotion Act of 1986 (Act), as it pertains to Seafood Marketing Councils (Councils) for one or more species of fish or fish products. That rule, along with a large number of other rules and regulations unused or little used, was stricken from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as part of a government-wide Presidential regulatory reform effort. Although the implementing regulations were withdrawn from the CFR, the Act remains in effect. In response to renewed industry support for marketing and promotion-related activities, NMFS proposes regulations implementing the Act governing the establishment and operation of marketing Councils… Comment Deadline February 23, 2006
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 35. USCG continues temporary security zone regulations for Valdez The Coast Guard is continuing temporary security zones encompassing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (TAPS) Valdez Terminal Complex, Valdez, Alaska and TAPS Tank Vessels and Valdez Narrows, Port Valdez, Alaska, and is reducing the size of one of these zones. These temporary security zones will remain effective until February 12, 2006, while we complete a separate rulemaking to create permanent security zones in these locations…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 36. NW: Bush Administration Pitches New Salmon Policy Conceding that using hatcheries to supplement dwindling salmon populations is harming wild salmon species in some cases, the Bush administration plans to move away from the practice in favor of a more direct solution: Catch fewer fish… "Hatcheries were intended to replace habitat behind dams," said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents California commercial fishermen. "If they close all the hatcheries, we want some dams down, too."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/26/ap/tech/ This article is running across the country, with no mention of Alaska’s huge runs of recent years… 37. Oregon Coast Coho Avoids ESA Listing Deemed Not Likely to Become Endangered Following a two-year collaborative process with the state of Oregon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) today announced that Oregon Coast coho are not likely to become endangered and will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/docs/06-R100%20Coho%20Salmon.pdf 38. Oregon Fishermen catch on to net recycling A gillnet will last a fisherman two or three years, Jon Westerholm estimated. Maybe four if he doesn’t fish too hard, maybe one if he does… For the last six years, they’ve had an option to put those old nets to use, through the Columbia River Fishermen’s Protective Union web recycling program.
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&Sub 39. NE: The Dogfish Follies – dogfish up, down and up again According to on-the-water observations by a multitude of commercial and recreational fishermen, there are so many spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in the coastal waters from Cape Hatteras to Canada that they are significantly interfering with many of our major fisheries… You don't need an advanced degree in biology to know that competing species can't all be present in a given area at maximum population levels, yet that's what modern fisheries management - at least as it is practiced in the United States - demands. And if any management body attempts to recognize this fact, the guaranteed result is an immediate lawsuit funded by one or another of the "charitable" foundations supporting the various anti-fishing organizations… http://www.fishnet-usa.com/dogfishfollies.html 40. A disaster waiting to happen: Preparing for oil spills in Norway’s Arctic waters So far there has not been a major accident, but as more and more ships appear on the horizon, the risks of the Arctic having its own major oil spill, like the Prestige in Spain or the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, are growing…
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm 41. Global fishiness: How can Wal-Mart sell Chilean salmon for $4.84 a pound? An excerpt from "The Wal-Mart Effect." By Charles Fishman… Salmon for $4.84 a pound is a grocery-store showstopper…It is a price so low that it inspires not happiness but wariness… Part of the reason Wal-Mart can sell a salmon fillet for $4.84 is that, as Leape puts it, "they don't internalize all the costs." Pollution ultimately costs money -- to clean up, to prevent, to recover from. But right now those costs aren't in the price of a pound of Chilean salmon. Salmon-processing facilities that are run with as much respect for the people as the hygiene of the fish also cost money -- for reasonable wages, for proper equipment, for enough workers to permit breaks and days off. Right now those costs aren't in the price of a pound of Chilean salmon either…
http://www.salon.com/tech/books/2006/01/23/ NOTE: this Salon webpage has a nuisance popup ad that takes the place of your browsers menu bar, and to read the article for free you will first see another ad. I’d normally not readers through that trouble, but I find the article well worth it. –MV. && Follow up comments to Salon make pitch for Alaska salmon:
http://letters.salon.com/tech/books/2006/01/23/ 42. BC Fish Farms 2001 report on seal shooting raises question of US sales Page 8 states: "It should be noted that US legislation and regulations may have implications for fish farms in Canada. The US MMPA of 1972 as Amended, Sec. 102 (c) (3) states that: '[It is unlawful to import into the US] any fish, whether fresh, frozen, or otherwise prepared.......This would seem to indicate that fish harvested from fish farms in a manner that would not be permitted in the US (by shooting seals and sea lions) might not be able to be sold in the US markets, but a legal interpretation is required to evaluate this" p42, p45, p47-8, p56-7 gives specific numbers of seal and sea lion kills See the report online at: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/Csas/DocREC/2001/RES2001_142e.pdf Thanks to Canadian Sablefish Association. 43. Farmed Salmon's Diet Yields Unhealthful Cardiovacular Effects Fish doctors find plant oils in standard feed regimen may slash heart benefits of farmed salmon
http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article000518607. For complete Vital Choices latest newsletter see: http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/ 44. Will Washington cork Alaska with salmon quarter? Seattle Times: Two bits for an apple Quick: Name the symbols that most clearly represent the state of Washington. We'd pick salmon and Mount Rainier…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/ 45. 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 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 I am honored to serve on the volunteer Alaska Commemorative Coin Commission that is conducting the design selection process. I encourage all fishermen to submit their ideas – the more entries we receive, the better. Please don’t tell me– submit them so they can be considered! – Mark V. 46. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week Wednesday 1/25/06 Feds propose Nat'l Seafood Marketing Councils; comments taken thru Feb 23 Tuesday 1/24/06 Smoked Yukon king salmon (from far away Marshall AK) the favorite in Las Vegas Monday 1/23/06 Shopping for Shellfish by the numbers Friday 1/20/06 Fish Wives Cookbook a Favorite Thursday 1/19/06 Fishing, flying deadly stuff See: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm ….& see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 47. USFS posts notice of intent for Navy Timber Sale project on Etolin Island The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to harvest timber in the Navy Timber Sale project area on the Wrangell Ranger District, Tongass National Forest. The Proposed Action for this project is to harvest 70-80 million board feet from approximately 2,900 acres in one or more offerings and would construct approximately 33 files of new temporary and classified road to facilitate access for logging. The Proposed Action includes harvest units and road construction within Inventoried Roadless Areas, as identified in the Forest Plan SEIS… …Comments on this project would be most helpful if received by February 17, 2006. Additional opportunities for comment will be provided after release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 48. 2005 Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Population Estimate Completed NOAA Fisheries biologists have completed analysis of data from an aerial survey of beluga whales in Cook Inlet near Anchorage, Alaska. The latest abundance estimate is 278 individual belugas whales in Cook Inlet…
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/beluga 49. NOAA posts correction to halibut and sablefish standard cost recovery price The National Marine Fisheries Service publishes IFQ standard prices for the Individual Fishing Quota(IFQ) Cost Recovery Program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. NMFS published a standard price notice for 2005 on December 15, 2005. NMFS subsequently discovered calculation errors in the published standard prices. This notice corrects the calculation errors and replaces the December 15, 2005, Federal Register document…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 50. NOAA posts Record of Decision on AK Coastal Management Program EIS Notice of Availability of Record of Decision and Final Findings on Approvability for the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management's Review of Amendments to the Alaska Coastal Management Program Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 51. NPFMC Halibut Charter GHL Committee meets in Anchorage Feb 1-2 North Pacific Research Board Conference Room, 1007 W. 3rd Avenue, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 52. NPFMC/BOF to meet on Adak Cod, February 3, Anchorage February 3, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Fourth Avenue Theatre, 630 West 4th Avenue, Lathrop Room, Anchorage, AK 99501. Agenda: Discuss proposal for State waters cod fishery near Adak.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 53. NPFMC Observer Advisory Committee to meet Jan 30-31, Seattle AFSC The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Observer Advisory Committee will meet at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. DATES: The meeting will be held on January 30-31, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Alaska Fishery Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Bldg 4, Room 1055, Seattle, WA 98115. Federal Register Notice of Meeting:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ NPFMC Observer Program
page:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/observer/ 54. NPFMC agenda for February 6-14 Meeting, Seattle, & Three Meeting Outlook http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/206Agenda.pdf And three meeting outlook: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/threemeetingoutlook.pdf NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/ 55. ADF&G posts Fishery Management reports: North AK Peninsula Salmon Management Plan http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/fmr05-70.pdf BSAI Area State waters Groundfish Fisheries and Harvest from Parallel seasons in 2004 http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/fmr05-71.pdf Takotna River Salmon Studies, 2004 http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/fds05-71.pdf 56. NPS posts Proposed Ten Percent Increase in Glacier Bay Cruise Ship Quota Beginning in Year 2007 – Deadline Feb 21. The Superintendent of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve proposes to increase the number of cruise ships allowed to enter Glacier Bay during the summer visitor season by ten percent beginning in 2007. The current cruise ship limit is a seasonal quota of 139 visits during June, July and August. The proposal, if implemented, would increase the seasonal cruise ship quota to 153. Comments on the proposal must be received no later than February 21, 2006.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 57. Halibut Commission Completes 2006 Annual Meeting The International Pacific Halibut Commission completed its Eighty-second Annual Meeting in Bellevue, Washington, with Dr. James Balsiger of Juneau, Alaska presiding as Chair. The Commission is recommending to the governments of Canada and the United States, catch limits for 2006 totaling 69,860,000 pounds, a 5.37% decrease from the 2005 catch limit of 73,819,000 pounds.
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2006/ 58. Petersburg Council approves fish revenue resolutions and cold storage facility lease The City Council met Tuesday night to … discuss resolution #1788, a resolution setting fiscal policy on the expenditure of raw fish tax proceeds and the consideration of the final lease agreement with Petersburg Economic Development Council on the cold storage facility…
http://www.petersburgpilot.com/www/stories/2006/ 59. Wanted - Cold Storage efficiency analysis and info on RFID use for seafood The Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership is seeking a person who has experience identifying ways that cold storage facilities can save money by doing efficiency analyses, energy audits, and implementing changes…. Also, post some comments about your experiences on the value of such activities. Our organization has an interest in cold storage efficiency, and we want to put our resources where it will get some return for the industry.
http://www.globalfoodcollaborative.com/forum/ & Anyone know of seafood companies that are using RFID to manage inventory and quality control? Is it worth the investment? What are the hassles?
http://www.globalfoodcollaborative.com/forum/ AK Manufacturers Association home page: http://www.ak-mep.org/ 60. NPRB releases 2006 list of projects The Board released the 2006 Request For Proposals (RFP) October 7, 2005 for approximately $5.15 million in Environmental Improvement and Restoration Funds and other funds available to NPRB for research projects starting in 2006. The 2006 priorities relate directly to the Board’s Science Plan and encourage proposals with the use of Local and Traditional Knowledge (LTK)…. http://www.nprb.org/research/res_2006.htm 61. Future Imperfect: Steller Sleuths Predict Probability of Extinction As professions go, scientists and detectives are close cousins: both attempt to divine answers to complex problems, based (more often than not) on imperfect evidence. Such is the nature of the mysterious decline of western Alaska’s Steller sea lions over the past 25 years. Any number of possible causes might explain the plummeting population, and so dozens of scientific sleuths are examining past and present clues to identify and hunt down the ecological perpetrators… http://www.marinemammal.org/2006/probablility.php Marine Mammal Research Consortium home page: http://www.marinemammal.org Repeated Items due to many requests: 62. DCCED Salmon Alaska Salmon Vessel Quality Upgrade Program (SAVQUP): The Department is holding an open application period from January 1 through May 1, 2006…
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization According to an article published in the Wrangell Sentinel but not available online, Rainforest Wild has offered help or guidance to salmon fishermen with the application process. For more info contact Rainforest Wild at (907)874-3400. DCCED Salmon
revitalization home page:
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/ 63. NOAA Offers Free Navigational Charts on Web http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2006/jan06/noaa06-001.html User agreement & Chart download page: http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/download.htm 64. 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 65. CFEC Public Meeting Schedule 1/26, 2/16, 3/2, 3/23, 4/13
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156 66. USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service Value added grant applications …Deadline March 31
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/ 67. 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/7256059p-7167755c.html See SmartGear home page at http://www.smartgear.org 68. DCCED Proposed changes to Seafood Processing and Inspection regulations Comment deadline March 2…
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e 69. BBEDC & MAP sponsor seafood workshops in Naknek, February 13-16 Questions about the workshops should be addressed to Liz Brown in Dillingham at 842-1265. 70. USCG District 17 MSO & AMSEA Safety Trainings announcement: 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
|