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UFA Update February 6, 2006 Contents: 1. KPFA, UCIDA present Exxon Valdez Update 2/8 (Kenai) & 2/9 (Anchorage) 2. 9th Circuit Fishes for Punitive Fix in Exxon Case 3. Gounding: Seabulk Pride arrives safely in Homer, inspection under way 4. Rep. Holm Considers Budget Improvements for Fish and Game Management 5. BBNC harbors salmon, ponders resource development 6. Pebble's resource estimates surge 7. My turn: Resolve mixing zones with a new law, not regulations, By George Matz 8. Southern AK peninsula streams heating up, may cause problems for salmon 9. Halibut Charter IFQ NPFMC stakeholders committee announced 10. Rationalization tops list of issues to discuss at fisheries (NPFMC) meeting 11. SE BOF: Fishermen vie for northern Panhandle sockeye 12. Changing herring take debated 13. Commercial, personal-use crabbers spar over access 14. ATA’s Dale Kelley at SE BOF: The Clarence Darrow of fishermen 15. NOAA Scientists Scrutinize Bitter Crab Syndrome 16. Panel moves bill (HB251) for more fishing opportunities 17. Coast Guard rescues fisherman near Craig as boat sinks 18. Governor: Revise Tongass Land Management Plan 19. Ranting and raving, Kodiak home publisher starts own rag 20. Bill Hogarth’s Corner: On Seafood Marketing Councils 21. Bush plan cuts wild salmon harvest 22. Bush’s Columbia River Salmon Recovery - A Comprehensive and Collaborative Management Strategy 23. Alaska fish net Wal-Mart top billing 24. Lab helps ensure safety of food supply 25. Rationalization is detrimental to fishing communities by Shawn C. Dochtermann 26. ADF&G Subsistence Division Conducts Halibut Fishery Mail Survey 27. DCCED Salmon Vessel Quality Upgrade Program funding exhausted 28. Homer: the town at the end of the road 29. He's got a shot – BB Fisherman Hakkinen has never been closer to achieving dream of an Olympic medal 30. Bipartisan commission gives U.S. ocean effort a failing grade 31. Stevens, Inouye Comment on Progress on Ocean Issues 32. Skate, now targeted species, assumes bigger market role in E. Asia 33. Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Welcomes Bob Pawlowski As Executive Director 34. Biologist attempts to explain why rocks are found in cod stomachs 35. Northern Air Cargo sold to Seattle-area business 36. Symbol Mobile Computers Selected by ADF&G for Electronic Sampling 37. UAF Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program Business Resource Guide for Alaska Fishermen… 38. Alaska Economic Trends: Fisheries Employment Picture Improves 39. Processor Pacific Seafood Group on a quest for fishing quota 40. Seattle Fishermen put Sustainable Seafood on America's Table 41. WA Building Group to challenge Puget Sound orca protection 42. Hearing The Whales: NOAA Tracks Whale Calls Over Large Distances 43. Global Oceans Conference Finds Progress Slow 44. Processors sourcing more seafood from outside EU 45. Canada: The Need to Defend Our New Northwest Passage 46. Federal food label law would trump California's Prop. 65 & Alaska’s farmed labeling 47. Scientist Statement on the Aquaculture Industry’s Impact on Marine Ecology and Human Health 48. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week 49. Right Whale ESA - Notice of 90-day Finding on a Petition to List the North Pacific Right Whale as an Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act 50. NOAA posts corrections to Amendment 19 Proposed Rule 51. ADF&G Report to The Board of Fisheries on Miscellaneous Dive Fisheries. 52. DEC Supplemental Notice of Proposed Regulation Changes dealing with Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance Program 53. DEC Proposed changes in the Regulations dealing with Chapter 75, Oil and Other Hazardous Substances Pollution Control – Comment by March 3 54. NPFMC Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee to meet Feb 23 55. NPFMC amendments for BSAI & GOA Groundfish, Crab, Scallop & Salmon EFH 56. NPFMC agenda for February 6-14 Meeting, Seattle, & Three Meeting Outlook 57. Alaska Fisheries Science Center Internships for 2006 1. KPFA, UCIDA present Exxon Valdez Update 2/8 (Kenai) & 2/9 (Anchorage) Kenai Peninsula Fisherman’s Association, United Cook Inlet Drift Association and Faegre & Benson present: Exxon Update for Commercial Fishermen February 8, 2006, 5:30PM to 9:00PM, Cook Inlet Aquaculture, 40610 Kalifornsky Beach Rd., Kenai & February 9, 2006, 6:00PM to 9:00, Alaska Native Heritage Center, 8800 Heritage Center Dr., Anchorage For info Contact Chris at (907) 262-2492 ADN Article: http://www.adn.com/money/story/7413662p-7325354c.html 2. 9th Circuit Fishes for Punitive Fix in Exxon Case … for the third time since an Alaska jury hit Exxon with $5 billion in punitive damages in 1994, the 9th Circuit panel is facing the question of whether that award is appropriate. The judges have been uncomfortable with the $5 billion award in the past, but they didn't reveal much Friday; Kleinfeld was skeptical that a large punitive award was appropriate in light of Exxon's pretrial cleanup efforts, while Chief Judge Mary Schroeder seemed somewhat more inclined toward the plaintiffs. Senior Judge James Browning was silent through the arguments… http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1138628119469 & Sierra Club, Alaska Fishermen Call on ExxonMobil to Pay What They Owe; Despite Record Profits, ExxonMobil is Still Not Paying Valdez Damages
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index. 3. Gounding: Seabulk Pride arrives safely in Homer, inspection under way The Seabulk Pride arrived safely in Kachemak Bay at about 5:30 p.m., Friday, February 3. The vessel is anchored and inspection work continues with a team of divers. The response vessels Seabulk Nevada and Resolution are standing by with response equipment, including skimmers, boom and storage capacity. The barges 141 and Responder are in Seldovia Bay and available if needed. The tug Sea Voyager is also standing by… http://www.uscgalaska.com/go/doc/780/110329/ & Grounded Tesoro tanker freed from Nikiski beach Tugboats with help from a high tide succeeded this morning in refloating an oil tanker that went aground Thursday near the Tesoro refinery at Nikiski…
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7414412p- & On-duty tugs not present in Cook Inlet The grounding of the tanker Seabulk Pride is sure to reignite a long-running debate: Should powerful tugboats be on standby in icy, tide-turbulent Cook Inlet to ward off shipwrecks?
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7414411p- & Cook Inlet shipwrecks date to 1871 The Thursday morning grounding of the Seabulk Pride oil tanker north of the Tesoro loading dock in Nikiski is just the most recent in a long list of Cook Inlet mishaps dating back as far as 1871…
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/020306/news_ 4. Rep. Holm Considers Budget Improvements for Fish and Game Management As Chairman of the House Finance Subcommittee for the Department of Fish and Game, Representative Jim Holm (R- Fairbanks) yesterday heard testimony from the Department regarding proposed budget increments that will serve to improve the management of fish and game resources across all Alaska, and especially in the Interior…
http://www.akrepublicans.org/holm/24/news/holm 5. BBNC harbors salmon, ponders resource development Oil and gas exploration, and the development of a massive gold and copper mining operation are all looming prospects in Southwest Alaska. But fish still rule in the 40,000-square-mile span that is home to the Bristol Bay Native Corp. "Fish are where it's at in Bristol Bay," said Tom Hawkins, senior vice president and chief operating officer for BBNC, the regional Native corporation representing some 7,600 shareholders of Eskimo, Indian and Aleut descent. "If you are proposing something that may impact fish, you are challenging the existing economy."…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/012906/hom_ 6. Pebble's resource estimates surge The estimated copper and gold resources in the massive Pebble mineral deposit just took a giant leap upward - to the tune of nearly 50 percent… At this point, expectations are that the project will integrate production from high-volume, low-cost, open-pit and underground mines," the company press release said. The company said recently the Pebble East find has led the company to push back applying for mining state and federal permits until 2007 while further drilling and assay work in Pebble East is conducted…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/020506/hom_ & Pebble’s Problems – Alaska magazine Whether fur, gold, fish, timber or oil, resource extraction has driven Alaska’s economy since it was a Russian territory… Now a proposal to develop the Pebble mine in the Iliamna country is testing our live-and-let-live attitude toward development.
http://www.alaskamagazine.com/stories/0206/ & See HCR29
“Requesting the commissioner of natural resources to complete a management
plan for the area encompassing the Pebble copper deposit and requesting a
report to the legislature.”
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session 7. My turn: Resolve mixing zones with a new law, not regulations, By George Matz During his Jan. 12th State of the Budget address, Gov. Frank Murkowski said that "the state will retain the current regulatory prohibition on mixing zones in salmon spawning areas," the same day the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) adopted new regulations to this effect, exempting situations where salmon now spawn in a permitted mixing zone that was previously a nonspawning area - a noncontroversial issue. At a Jan. 20 hearing by the House Special Committee on Fisheries, Department of Fish and Game Commissioner McKie Campbell said that DEC regulations protect fish and urged the committee to "consider declaring victory." Is this a victory or political doublespeak? As Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story. Alaska's water quality regulations currently prohibit, without exception, mixing zones in rivers and streams where anadromous or resident fish (e.g., trout and whitefish) spawn. DEC's adopted (but not yet in effect) regulations add lakes to this list, which is good. But they also remove the mixing zone prohibition for fish other than anadromous salmon, providing certain conditions are met…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/013106/opi_ & ‘Mixing zones' bad idea for Alaskans – Frontiersman opinion by Myrl Thompson
http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2006/01/31/news/ 8. Southern AK peninsula streams heating up, may cause problems for salmon While lower Kenai Peninsula streams may be frozen over now, their increasingly warm temperatures during the summer may cause problems for fish spawning, scientists say. According to a joint study released Monday by the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District and Cook Inlet Keeper, stream temperatures in local streams have exceeded Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation standards for salmon protection in each of the last six years. These increases also are occurring earlier in the year and more often, the report says…
http://www.homernews.com/stories/020106/news_ & Study finds warming trend in Kenai Peninsula salmon streams Salmon stream temperatures on the lower Kenai Peninsula have increased steadily over the past six years to levels considered unhealthy for the state's most popular sport and commercial fish, a study has found.
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=18&path=A/AK_ 9. Halibut Charter IFQ NPFMC stakeholders committee announced
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/membership/committees/ Background Info –
December 2005 Council motion that formed this stakeholder panel, with GHL &
IFQ alternatives:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/current_issues/halibut_ See Items # 50-54 below for other NPFMC info, and agenda for February meetings 10. Rationalization tops list of issues to discuss at fisheries (NPFMC) meeting The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Advisory Panel meets in Seattle Feb. 6-14 at the Doubletree Hotel. A total of 52 hours will be spent in discussion. One significant issue is Bering Sea crab rationalization, said Alaska Draggers Association director and panel member Al Burch. “That one will be real important to the crab vessels that are still in the fisheries because that is the final action on the arbitration timing,” Burch said… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2587 11. SE BOF: Fishermen vie for northern Panhandle sockeye Fisheries panel votes 4-0 to give more opportunities to seiners Juneau gillnetter Jev Shelton is worried about seine fishermen picking off the sockeye salmon headed for northern Panhandle spawning grounds. "It's a very basic and disturbing issue to the gillnet fleet," Shelton said Tuesday. The Alaska Board of Fisheries decided Tuesday that seiners are entitled to more of those fish than before…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020106/sta_ 12. Changing herring take debated Alaska Board of Fisheries, fishermen share ideas, information on Sitka sac roe. The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery took center stage at the second day of the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting. One idea that got a lot of attention was to change the competitive fishery to one in which each of the 51 permit holders gets an equal share…
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/ 13. Commercial, personal-use crabbers spar over access Juneau residents ask state to reserve popular waters for their own pots Some Juneau residents who relish catching Dungeness crab for their own dinner tables are getting a bit grouchy lately. It's not the crabs that are bothering them. It's their close proximity with commercial crabbers - who also catch Dungeness in the small bays north and south of Juneau and in Admiralty Island's Funter Bay - that makes them snappish. And they're asking the state to reserve the popular waters for their own crab pots…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020506/loc_ 14. ATA’s Dale Kelley at SE BOF: The Clarence Darrow of fishermen Letter to the editor by Chris Carroll Having just returned from the Board of Fish meeting in Ketchikan, I just wanted to let those Juneau (and Sitka) trollers who maybe aren't otherwise aware of what an intelligent, hardworking and persuasive group of representatives we have on our own board of the Alaska Trollers Association. In particular, Dale Kelley's testimony before the BOF was precise, cogent and clearly the work of a professional arguing the case for all trollers in a manner that Clarence Darrow would envy…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020106/let_ 15. NOAA Scientists Scrutinize Bitter Crab Syndrome This summer, a team of Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologists continued their scrutiny of bitter crab syndrome (BCS), a disease affecting a variety of crab species worldwide… In Alaska, the disease is known to occur in Snow crab, Chionoecetes oplio, in the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Norton Sound, and in Tanner crab, C. bairdi, in Southeast Alaska, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Bering Sea. BCS is not dangerous to humans, but renders crab flesh unappetizing. Heavily diseased crab, when cooked, takes on a chalky texture and tastes bitter. BCS is fatal to crabs… http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/bittercrab.htm 16. Panel moves bill (HB251) for more fishing opportunities The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Samuels, R-Anchorage, would allow the fishermen to apply for more time, gear and areas to fish for salmon. Only 44 Alaska fishermen take advantage of the law that allows them to have two permits in a commercial salmon fishery, according to state records.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/013106/sta_ HB251 Bill
tracking and text:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session 17. Coast Guard rescues fisherman near Craig as boat sinks Craig fisherman John Cessnun said was sorry to lose his 50-foot troller and its load of fish but grateful to the Coast Guard for a prompt rescue. The 56-year-old skipper was plucked from the sea Tuesday as his troller, the Hermes II, sank near Cape Decision 80 miles south of Sitka. Cessnun was not injured. "You've got to hand it to these guys," he said of the Coast Guard. "They did a super job." For their part, Coast Guard safety officials said Cessnun was well prepared and had practiced evacuation skills…
http://ap.peninsulaclarion.com/pstories/state/ak/20060203 18. Governor: Revise Tongass Land Management Plan The state has signed two agreements with the U.S. Forest Service to cooperate in revising the Tongass Land Management Plan to satisfy a Ninth Circuit Court decision and to find a long-term supply of economic timber for the state’s timber industry… http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=2178 19. Ranting and raving, Kodiak home publisher starts own rag Kodiakans who need to vent have a new venue… This month Nick Barshay has published the first edition of Kodiak Perspective. Its motto: “Wake up and smell the fishmeal.” The publication is a platform for reactions to news stories. “The first issue is just me ranting and raving,” he said… The headline editorial decries fisheries rationalization as un-American, offering a “layman’s” guide to the fish management scheme… http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2612 20. Bill Hogarth’s Corner: On Seafood Marketing Councils I’d like to announce our new proposal to help the U.S. fishing industry set up seafood marketing councils. These councils would provide a way to educate consumers about the human health aspects of eating fish, the importance of sustainable fishing, and the value of premium fish products. NOAA would provide oversight of the councils to ensure that marketing campaigns reflect and promote sustainable fishing practices and are based on accurate and truthful claims, backed by credible science… http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/features/billscorner/index.htm Previous: NOAA Proposed rule on Seafood Marketing Councils – Comment Deadline Feb 23
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800 21. Bush plan cuts wild salmon harvest 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: Catching fewer fish…
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060126/ Capital Press Agriculture Weekly: Bush Salmon policy finally hooks common sense… … “In the past, salmon recovery policy rode on the backs of farmers and ranchers, who spent time and money on habitat improvements, and on the management of the region’s hydroelectric dams. Combined, taxpayers and ratepayers have footed the bill — estimated to be in the billions of dollars — for efforts to save the salmon… By ending or replacing outdated hatchery programs and reducing harvest levels, the administration hopes to help the salmon recover…
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=75&Sub 22. Bush’s Columbia River Salmon Recovery - A Comprehensive and Collaborative Management Strategy Remarks as Written by James L. Connaughton, Chairman White House Council on Environmental Quality… “So here is what we intend to do. We will initiate efforts to reduce the overall allowable harvest level of threatened and endangered wild salmon through the various processes by which harvest levels are set. Over the next 12 months, we will propose a reduction in harvest levels and work with the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, the Treaty Tribes, and Canada to find the most appropriate ways to sensibly and effectively tackle this challenge…”
http://www.salmonrecovery.gov/reports_and_papers/ Salmon 2100 project: http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/projects/salmon2100.htm 23. Alaska fish net Wal-Mart top billing Alaska seafood will soon take center stage at Wal-Mart grocery stores. The world's largest retailer has pledged that over the next three years it will seek to source all wild-caught fresh and frozen fish for its North America stores from fisheries proven to be well-managed. And Wal-Mart is wasting no time putting its purchasing plan into action. In a recent news report that seemed to catch the industry off-guard, Intrafish announced that this year Wal-Mart will begin stocking its shelves with seafood that has already merited an eco-label based on strict standards of the international Marine Stewardship Council.
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/ 24. Lab helps ensure safety of food supply A cardboard box was rushed to Anchorage's new Environmental Health Laboratory on Thursday. It's urgent cargo: nine geoducks. Divers on Wednesday had plunged 40 feet down near Sitka to harvest the giant clams with bulging brown bodies. They packaged the mollusks, refrigerated them and shipped them by air to Anchorage. Here, a team of lab technicians went to work to determine if they were contaminated by the toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. http://www.adn.com/life/story/7405220p-7317344c.html 25. Rationalization is detrimental to fishing communities –Kodiak Daily Mirror opinion by Shawn C. Dochtermann http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2611 26. ADF&G Subsistence Division Conducts Halibut Fishery Mail Survey In early February, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), Division of Subsistence, will mail a one-page survey form to everyone who has registered and received a Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate (SHARC) from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Survey recipients will be asked to indicate if they subsistence fished for halibut in 2005, how many halibut they harvested, and to return the form to ADF&G… http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/news/2006/1-31-06_nr.php 27. DCCED Salmon Vessel Quality Upgrade Program funding exhausted Funding for the SAVQUP grant program is currently exhausted. The Department will continue to accept applications should additional funding become available. The Department is pleased to announce the first preliminary award winners under the SAVQUP grant program. SAVQUP program home page:
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/ List of Preliminary Award Winners:
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization DCCED Salmon
revitalization home page:
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization 28. Homer: the town at the end of the road HOMER, Alaska — Here, in what locals call the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, the motel rooms have freezers and rental-car agencies charge extra for returning a vehicle with a "fish smell."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/ 29. He's got a shot – BB Fisherman Hakkinen has never been closer to achieving dream of an Olympic medal Aside from a brief stint slaughtering salmon in the family Bristol Bay fishing business, the best Alaska athlete no one knows spent his summer knocking down targets at a homemade rifle range, running the rolling hills of the lower Kenai Peninsula and looking for smooth pavement on which to roller ski… It was all part of his carefully calculated pursuit of an Olympic dream. Within weeks we'll know how the plan worked… http://www.adn.com/sports/story/7400974p-7313102c.html 30. Bipartisan commission gives U.S. ocean effort a failing grade The bipartisan Joint Ocean Commission Initiative gave American government efforts to develop a coordinated national ocean policy a failing grade on its second annual ocean report card in Washington, D.C. today, a serious slide from the A- assigned last year. "We were excited about the expectation of moving rapidly" to implement plans to manage U.S. oceans, said Admiral James D. Watkins, a co-chair of the initiative. "It's no secret our nation's oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes are in serious trouble." Commissioners said that thorough and potentially effective plans created over the last few years had not been implemented and assigned official overall progress a grade of D+. The report card, a product of the 2004 U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and a Pew Foundation study, called on officials to act quickly or further risk damage to the American economy and way of life.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking Joint Oceans Commission home page http://jointoceancommission.org/ & report card press release:
http://www.jointoceancommission.org/press/press/ 31. Stevens, Inouye Comment on Progress on Ocean Issues In response to concerns raised in the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative’s report card released Friday regarding progress on ocean issues, U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, commented on the Commission’s scrutiny and expressed their shared commitment to improve America’s ocean policies. In the first session of the 109th Congress, the Senate has approved 6 Commerce Committee bills on ocean policies, and the Committee has approved another 4 that are awaiting Senate consideration.
http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable 32. Skate, now targeted species, assumes bigger market role in E. Asia …The recent cold weather has some canneries dealing with totes of skates, frozen fast to each other and hard to pry apart, one cannery worker said. Skate is now a targeted fishery. It used to be part of a larger group called “other species,” before a fishery developed in 2003 and fishermen caught a lot of skates in the Central Gulf, said National Marine Fisheries Service fisheries biologist Tom Pearson. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2617 33. Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Welcomes Bob Pawlowski As Executive Director For those around the seafood industry, Bob has been a frequent participant in most discussions, events and activities related to Alaska's seafood and marine fisheries…
http://www.imakenews.com/networkdirect/e_article000 34. Biologist attempts to explain why rocks are found in cod stomachs Finding rocks in the stomachs of codfish is a fact of life for cannery workers, but failure to find and remove them can ruin expensive fillet knife blades… A number of published studies cite rocks in cod stomachs. But the question nobody has really answered is, Why do they do that? http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=2606 35. Northern Air Cargo sold to Seattle-area business Anchorage-based Northern Air Cargo Inc. has been sold to Saltchuk Resources... Saltchuk is a privately held company based in the Seattle area. It owns Totem Ocean Trailer Express, one of the two major at-sea shippers that carry groceries, building materials, clothing, cars and other goods from Tacoma to Anchorage…
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=18&path=A/AK 36. Symbol Mobile Computers Selected by ADF&G for Electronic Sampling Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: SBL) , The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), today announced that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is using Symbol mobile computers for capturing and managing data collected from fish caught and tracked off the coast of Southeast Alaska. The project is aimed at improving efficiency and reducing the potential for error in sensitive data collection. The Symbol rugged mobile computing solution -- which includes software created in-house at ADF&G -- has improved operational efficiencies, replacing a complex paper-based system and allowing sample data to be available in real-time instead of 10 days later. Since implementing the Symbol solution, ADF&G data samplers have collected information more accurately and improved their productivity. http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20060130/NYM00530012006-1.html 37. UAF Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program Business Resource Guide for Alaska Fishermen… http://www.uaf.edu/map/fishbiz/pubs/guideforweb.pdf 38. Alaska Economic Trends: Fisheries Employment Picture Improves Since the late 1980s, much of the news about Alaska’s fisheries has been negative. Gross earnings fell 63 percent from 1988 to 2002 and the number of active permit holders fell 35 percent over the same period. The good news is that fisheries data from 2003 and 2004 – including the employment estimates that are the subject of this article – suggest that the tide may have changed. Among the reasons for cautious optimism are a 19 percent increase in gross earnings from 2002 to 20042 and a 3 percent increase in active permit holders. Employment in the fisheries also recovered some of the lost ground, adding 265 jobs after losing nearly 1,500 over the previous two years… http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/feb06.pdf (article begins on page 4) 39. Processor Pacific Seafood Group on a quest for fishing quota Whiting - Pacific Seafood Group plies the political waters as it presses for a perpetual share of the catch In a two-decade climb from lowly prey to the food chain's peak, Frank Dulcich transformed his small Clackamas business into the West Coast's dominant seafood supplier. Resolved to stay on top, Dulcich has turned his money and drive toward Congress. In coming weeks, his Pacific Seafood Group and other West Coast processors hope to win a political test that will guarantee them shares of fish and shut out competitors…
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/ 40. Seattle Fishermen put Sustainable Seafood on America's Table Seattle is considered a “green” city; its fishing industry is no exception. The Seattle-based fleet of fishermen now in the Bering Sea harvesting one of the most commonly consumed seafoods, is celebrating the one year anniversary of its sustainability certification and the fishery’s record high level of abundance. The Alaska pollock fishery is the largest commercial fishery in the US, the largest food fishery in the world and is widely recognized as one of the best managed fisheries in the world. In 2005, after an extensive, four year scientific review, the fishery became one of only a dozen in the world to be awarded certification under the international Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) program for sustainable and responsibly-managed fisheries…
http://seattle.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid 41. WA Building Group to challenge Puget Sound orca protection Before the practical effect of the federal decision to list the region’s orcas as an endangered species has even been outlined, the Building Industry Association of Washington is challenging the November listing. The region’s orcas don’t qualify for federal protection, the BIAW said in filing a 60-day notice of its intention to sue the government over the Endangered Species Act listing.
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060128 42. Hearing The Whales: NOAA Tracks Whale Calls Over Large Distances NOAA researchers and their partners have developed passive listening devices designed to record the calls of the Earth's great whales. These moored autonomous hydrophones record sounds in the water, but do not actively emit sounds themselves. The new technology can be applied world-wide to investigate the populations and ranges of the great whales. Locating calling whales enables researchers to identify apparent seasonal shifts in distribution. Correlating these data with current field observations and an extensive historical database of species distributions may help answer critical population and stock management questions. The new technology can be used in all the worlds oceans, but the pioneering program began in the North Pacific. To date, more than 20 listening devices have been deployed in the waters off Alaska. http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag190.htm 43. Global Oceans Conference Finds Progress Slow The international goal of eliminating illegal fishing and fishing overcapacity by 2004 and 2005 has not been met, and 75 percent of the world’s fish stocks and either being fully exploited of overfished said ocean experts as a UN conference last week. A study presented at the conference forecast that the goal of establishing representative networks of marine protected areas by 2012, will only be met in 2085 at the present rate of designation…
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2006/ 44. Processors sourcing more seafood from outside EU With less seafood being reaped from the EU's rapidly depleting stocks, processors are sourcing more imports from outside the bloc for their supplies… Strong EU demand for cod and domestic supply constraints have spurred US imports, which have rose by about 300 per cent since 1996. The increased acceptance by EU processors of US Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) is one of the drivers behind the import growth, the USDA stated… http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/ng.asp?n=65592-seafood-fish-ices For USDA FAS Reports that this article is based on, see: http://www.fas.usda.gov/ffpd/Fish-Circular/Market_News/market.html U.S. Seafood Exports to EU Climbing: Records Set for High-Value Products January 2006 2005 U.S. Fishery Product Exports of $3.7 Billion Exceed 2004 Exports January 2006 Germany Fishery Products Annual 2005 January 2006 Norway Fishery Products Annual 2005 45. Canada: The Need to Defend Our New Northwest Passage Global warming will open the path. Harper has made arctic sovereignty a hot button. The stakes for Canada… … Canada's Arctic waters could eventually become a valuable fishery as reduced ice cover and warmer waters enable plankton and fish species from more temperate latitudes to move north. Indeed, Pacific salmon and Atlantic cod are already invading Arctic waters, with likely dire consequences for smaller, slower-growing indigenous species… Any new fishery will be highly susceptible to over-exploitation, particularly because of the difficult-to-police location, rapid declines in fish stocks elsewhere and the consequent, excess fishing capacity that now exists worldwide…
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2006/01/30/Defend 46. Federal food label law would trump California's Prop. 65 & Alaska’s farmed labeling An enduring food fight now pits California's Central Valley lawmakers against California's attorney general… The lawmakers are allied with the nation's largest food and beverage companies, in a bid to establish uniform national standards governing food warning labels. A majority of House members already back legislation that could be served up any time by the Capitol Hill kitchen… It also would block myriad other state rules, like Alaska's requirement that farm-raised salmon be specially labeled…
http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action= The article is referring to HR 4167, the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 – to see the legislation go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ , select search by Bill number and enter HR4167. 47. Scientist Statement on the Aquaculture Industry’s Impact on Marine Ecology and Human Health Posted January 25, 2006 From providing a primary source of protein for a large portion of the world’s population to regulating climate and weather patterns, the world’s oceans and marine systems underpin critical global ecological processes. As scientists in marine biology, public health, life sciences, and related fields, we are deeply concerned about any activity—such as over-fishing and pollution—that contributes to the decline of important marine systems and their value to people who depend on them. By replacing wild-caught fish with farmed fish, aquaculture has the potential to reduce the pressure on marine systems and limit the overall human impact on the marine environment. Unfortunately, prevailing practices used in the rapidly growing carnivorous fish farming industry are currently having the opposite effect… http://puresalmon.org/pdfs/scientist_letter.pdf Pure Salmon Home page: http://puresalmon.org/ 48. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week Monday 2/6/06 Naknek Workshop: marketing, processing, omega oil extraction, using fish as fuel Friday 2/3/06 Superbowl seafood favorites Thursday 2/2/06 Slow start for fish bills with Alaska Legislature Wednesday 2/1/06 US seafood exports soar in 2005; interesting per capita stats Tuesday 1/31/06 Chefs tell how to get more AK seafood to Las Vegas See: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm & also see Laine Welch's Fish Factor Radio at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 49. Right Whale ESA - Notice of 90-day Finding on a Petition to List the North Pacific Right Whale as an Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act NMFS announces a 90-day finding regarding a petition to list the North Pacific right whale, Eubalaena japonica, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). After review, NMFS finds that the petition presents substantial scientific information indicating that this action may be warranted. NMFS is initiating a review of the status of the North Pacific right whale, and is soliciting data, information, and comment on the subject action. DATES: To be considered in the 12-month finding, information and comments should be submitted to NMFS by April 26, 2006.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 50. NOAA posts corrections to Amendment 19 Proposed Rule On January 12, 2006, a proposed rule to implement Amendment 19 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) was published in the Federal Register. The proposed rule was published with an incorrect RIN. Also, this proposed rule contained a number of errors in the Prohibition section and the different lists of coordinates. This document corrects those errors…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan200 Original Jan 12 Proposed Rule post in Federal Register:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan200 51. ADF&G Report to The Board of Fisheries on Miscellaneous Dive Fisheries. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Management Report No. 06-01, Anchorage. Walker, S., Z. Hoyt, M. Pritchett. 2006... http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/fmr06-01.pdf 52. DEC Supplemental Notice of Proposed Regulation Changes dealing with Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance Program The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 18 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with Chapter 69, Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance Program, including the following: DEC is proposing to clarify the discharge information that DEC will seek in a vessel specific sampling plan. There are also changes based on Chapter 153, SLA 04 which was passed by the Alaska Legislature during the 2004 legislative session. DEC is proposing changes to allow for best management plans and the requirements of those plans. DEC proposes to make other changes necessary to improve the regulations, including those changes that appear necessary after reviewing public comments… The comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 6, 2006.
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c1 53. DEC Proposed changes in the Regulations dealing with Chapter 75, Oil and Other Hazardous Substances Pollution Control – Comment by March 3 The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 18 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with Chapter 75, Oil and Other Hazardous Substances Pollution Control, including the following: Amending 18 AAC 75 to recognize the substantial advances in oil spill prevention since the regulations were first drafted and to remove outdated standards. The proposed changes include new regulations regarding flow lines associated with oil production facilities and a significant revision of the facility piping regulations. The changes proposed replace 87 standards currently identified in regulations with 21 updated industry consensus standards. The proposed changes also clarify the regulatory intent and the level of compliance that is required, making compliance requirements clearer, and improve the consistency and predictability of regulations. You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Craig Wilson., Division of Spill Prevention and Response, 410 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 303, Juneau, Alaska 99801, by fax at (907) 465-5245, or by e-mail at Craig_Wilson@dec.state.ak.us. The comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 3, 2006.
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156 54. NPFMC Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee to meet Feb 23 The PNCIAC will convene a meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2006, in Seattle, WA. The meeting is open to the public. Dates: Thursday, February 23, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For further information contact: Dr. Diana Stram, Council Staff, (907) 271-2809. Agenda 1. Discussion and recommendation on the Alaska Crab Coalition (ACC) proposal before the Board of Fisheries to review and consider adjusting or eliminating the minimum total allowable catch (TAC) for reopening the Eastern District (Bristol Bay) bairdi fishery and fisheries. 2. Discussion of Bristol Bay king crab harvest strategy and 2005 season management concerns. 3. Discussion of Bering Sea opilio crab harvest strategy and management concerns…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan2006 55. NPFMC amendments for BSAI & GOA Groundfish, Crab, Scallop & Salmon EFH Announcement of availability of proposed amendments to fishery management plans; request for comments… Comments on the amendments must be received by close of business on April 7, 2006. SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendments 78 and 65 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI), Amendments 73 and 65 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), Amendments 16 and 12 to the FMP for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs, Amendments 7, 9, and 11 to the FMP for the Scallop Fishery Off Alaska, and Amendments 7 and 8 to the FMP for Salmon Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone Off the Coast of Alaska. These amendments, if approved, would revise the FMPs by identifying and authorizing protection measures for essential fish habitat (EFH) and habitat areas of particular concern (HAPCs) in all five FMPs and update the biological and management information in the scallop FMP…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/ 56. 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/ See Home page, lower right corner for Items for the February 06 meeting: 2/8/06 SSC Workshop on Biophysical Modeling AGENDA Halibut PSC Allocations under BSAI Amendment 80 and Amendment 85 BSAI Crab AM 21-Crab Arbitration GOA Rationalization motion from December 05 Halibut Stakeholder committee appointed GOA Groundfish Rationalization Alternatives Observer Program AM.86/76 Amendment 80/IRIU EA Halibut GHL Amendment 85: Pacific Cod Allocations 57. Alaska Fisheries Science Center Internships for 2006 The AFSC accepts applications for a variety of internships (mostly summer) in the biological sciences, marine sciences and other disciplines. Internships for 2006 are available with an application deadline of March 3rd. A few paid internships are available… http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/internships/overview.htm
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