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UFA Update July 18, 2007 Top item: UFA Action Alert – Support Country of origin & Wild / Farmed seafood labeling http://www.ufa-fish.org/doc/COOL_Action_Alert_062907.pdf (see Item # Other important items: NPDES permits may be required for ALL vessels – item #2 Southeast Salmon Quality Upgrade & Economic Development Grants – item #32 & 33 NOAA Omnibus notice of grants –item #39 Board of Fisheries Proposals –item # 48 Subsistence Fishery proposals – item #49 Contents: 1. UFA ACTION ALERT: Country of Origin & Wild / Farmed Labeling 2. NPDES EPA Vessel Discharge Permits may be required for all vessels 3. Halibut fisheries pack large economic punch for coastal communities 4. Forums On Alaskans’ Health Insurance Coverage:Local And Regional Perspectives 5. House Resources Subcommittee Hearing on H.R. 2010 –National Aquaculture Act of 2007 6. Duncan Fields, Sam Cotton appointed to NPFMC 7. BP says Exxon might seek spill payments from other producers 8. Governor Palin appoints Wes Keller to fill Kohring House seat. 9. Ocean acidification – Ocean Blues 10. NPR: Alaska Senator Scrutinized in Corruption Probe 11. Murkowski Land Deal with Stevens Biz Associate Bob Penney Raises Questions 12. Quota system seen on the horizon for halibut charter fleet 13. Fish board member Jeremiah Campbell won't resign despite no-contest plea 14. ASMI responds to salmon misinformation in Chicago Tribune 15. ASMI Sustainable Summer BBQ - Alaska King Crab Takes Center Grill 16. Governor Palin wants more fish processors 17. Bristol Bay waters are all about fish (ISER report) 18. China's factory closures may help Alaska fish 19. Salmon spawning strong runs, prices after holiday catch 20. Seafood industry insiders predict a bright future - By Laine Welch 21. Merger of Japanese seafood titans worries Alaskans 22. Picking a mean pin bone 23. At long last, Bristol Bay sockeye for Dillingham students 24. Dutch Harbor/Unalaska nation's #1 port for seafood deliveries for 18th year 25. MSC Assessment of Alaska Salmon Fisheries Final Report 26. MSC Annual Surveillance - US Halibut Fishery Advisory 27. Cheney Invited to Testify on Klamath Salmon Kill 28. Conservation groups voice concerns about offshore leasing 29. Kenai - Local group says outsiders decide river's fate 30. AMSEA Safety Training Saves Lives of Alaska's Fishermen 31. MCA’s Dave Benton: They held a concert, now what 32. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week 33. Southeast Salmon Quality Upgrade Grants – apply now 34. Southeast Fisheries Economic Development Grant Program 35. Coming soon: Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards – suggest topics by 8/24 36. CFEC Meetings 8/22, 9/17, 10/11, 10/23, 11/13 & 12/6 37. Comment deadline August 27 on MMPA 2008 List of Fisheries 38. Comment deadline Sept 26 on Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports (SARs) 39. Comment deadline July 30 on IFQ, CDQ recordkeeping & Sitka Pinnacles reserve 40. NOAA omnibus notice - Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2008 41. NOAA posts final rule on groundfish observer program 42. BSAI Crab Economic Data Collection Program Meetings - Kodiak 7/25 & Seattle 8/2 43. NPFMC Crab Committee meets July 31, Anchorage on B shares 44. NPFMC SSC & Plenary session, Anchorage Aug 1-3 45. Research Vessels Continue NOAA Gulf of Alaska Biennial Bottom Trawl Survey 46. Alaska Salmon Price Report for Calendar Year 2006 47. 2007 Preliminary Alaska Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet & summaries updated 7/13 48. 2007 Halibut Landing Report No. 4 - Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update 49. Board of Fisheries posts proposals for 2007-2008 cycle 50. Comment deadline August 13 on Federal Subsistence Fishery proposals for 2008 51. MMRC Sound Science: Using Sound Playback to Study Marine Mammals in the Field 52. NOAA Fisheries Schedules Fourth Public Hearing on Cook Inlet Belugas 53. Vital Choices Newsletter: NY Times Runs Two Enlightening Fish Stories, China Catfish, & more 54. USDA FSA County Committee Nominations Open - deadline Aug 1. 55. Deadline July 30 for USDA Small Minority Producer Grant Program 56. NMFS Comment deadline August 20 on Steller Sea Lion Draft Revised Plan 57. Deadline July 26, 2007 on Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fisheries… 1. UFA ACTION ALERT: Country of Origin & Wild / Farmed Labeling needed for cooked, canned smoked seafood in addition to maintaining what is currently covered. Scientific American: Americans support use of meat-origin labeling (92%) U.S. consumers overwhelmingly support stricter food labeling laws, with 92 percent of Americans wanting to know which country produced the food they are buying, a consumer magazine said on Tuesday.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=americans-support & FDA Detains Imports of Farm-Raised Chinese Seafood http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01660.html & Sen. Stevens Applauds FDA Ban on Farm-Raised Seafood from China:
http://stevens.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction= & Know Thy Diet: Chinese Food Scares Revive Stalled Labeling Law… Among its most ardent proponents was Alaskan senator and environmental grinch Ted Stevens, who understood that labeling Alaskan seafood was a way of promoting it -- and the same goes for other American meats. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/07/know-thy-diet-c.html & In China, dubious ways of raising fish
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/ By these numbers, the USDA should receive about 275 million comments – please make sure that your letter or email regarding expanded seafood coverage is received before August 20 Email comments to cool@usda.gov. 2. NPDES EPA Vessel Discharge Permits may be required for ALL vessels – comment deadline August 6 EPA is seeking
information as it considers how to develop a water permit program for
pollutant discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial
vessels and recreational boats. Vessel owners or operators whose discharges
previously have been exempt from Clean Water Act requirements will require a
permit beginning September 30, 2008. Regulated discharges may include
ballast water, bilge water, deck runoff, and gray water. Approximately
143,000 commercial vessels and potentially more than 13 million
state-registered recreational boats and more than 25 different types of
vessel discharges could be affected. Comment deadline August 6, 2007 http://epa.gov/owow/invasive_species/ballast_water.html EPA Press release - Deadline August 6 for comments on all-vessel NPDES discharge permits
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/e87e8bc7fd0c11 EPA website fed Reg notice June 21: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/2007/June/Day-21/w12022.htm Fact Sheet on District court ruling: http://epa.gov/owow/invasive_species/VesselFactSheet.pdf Marine Exchange of Alaska: “…Although the Government is appealing, this court ruling has great potential for causing a monumental train wreck and nightmare for anyone who operates any kind of watercraft from a 950 foot containership to a 14 ft outboard…” http://www.mxak.org/default.cfm?res=617&id=193 3. Halibut fisheries pack large economic punch for coastal communities A new research report by the McDowell Group, conducted for the Halibut Coalition, shows that 40 million pounds of commercially harvested halibut, valued at $83 million, were delivered to ports in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska in 2006. Those deliveries represented 80 percent of a total of 52.2 million pounds of halibut harvested commercially statewide last year…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/061007/coa_2007 UFA helped fund the Halibut Coalition economic study. 4. Forums On Alaskans’ Health Insurance Coverage:Local And Regional Perspectives Do You Have Health Insurance – Do You Know Someone Who Doesn’t? You are invited to share your experiences and perspectives and to help develop strategies to enable more Alaskans to have health insurance. The Health Planning and Systems Development Unit within the Department of Health and Social Services, through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, is holding a series of regional forums, one in each of Alaska’s economic regions, to discuss and share information on access to health insurance for the uninsured in our state. The Departments of Labor and Commerce, Community & Economic Development are also participating in the forums. The forums are part of an ongoing effort that includes surveys, focus groups, interviews with key individuals and organizations, and other forums on the challenges of providing affordable health insurance for all Alaskans… Remaining scheduled forums: Northern Region – Nome, Thursday July 19, 2007, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. Interior Region – Fairbanks, Tuesday July 24, 2007, 1:30 – 5:00 p.m. Southwest Region – Bethel, Wednesday July 25, 2007, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. Gulf Coast Region – Valdez, Thursday July 26, 2007, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
http://www.hss.state.ak.us/COMMISSIONER/health 5. House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2010 – the National Aquaculture Act of 2007 UFA staff attended the subcommittee hearing in House Resources on NOAA’s offshore aquaculture legislation. At the hearing, NOAA administrator Admiral Lautenbacher agreed to allow standards similar to California’s to be included in the bill, which was surprising to Representative Capps of the central California coast. Sue Aspelund testified on behalf of the State of Alaska. For written testimony and transcripts (when ready) see: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=116 Related links: US H.R. 2010: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2010.IH: Or visit http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search for HR 2010. California SB 201 (2006): http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/sen/sb_0201-0250/sb_201_bill_20060526_chaptered.pdf News items: ADN: Hearing on fish farms Thursday A congressional subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for Thursday on the National Offshore Aquaculture Act. The legislation, being promoted heavily by the Bush administration, would set up a regulatory structure to encourage development of fish farms in federal waters along the U.S. coast. The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries will convene its hearing in Washington, D.C., beginning at 6 a.m. Alaska time. For more information, go to resourcescommittee.house.gov… http://www.adn.com/money/story/9123552p-9039842c.html Palm Beach Post: FISH FIGHT: Congress mulls expansion, regulation of offshore farming
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business & The Ledger: Imports Fuel Push for U.S. Ocean Fish Farms
http://www.theledger.com/article/20070715/NEWS/ & US should embrace offshore aquaculture, says organisation Open ocean aquaculture is both an "economic opportunity and a moral obligation", according to a new trade organization (Ocean Stewards Institute)
http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/8113/US & Scotsman: Concern over threat to wild salmon as 30,000 farmed fish escape cages More than 30,000 fish have escaped from Scottish farms in the first four months of this year - sparking fears they could harm wild stocks… http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1097822007 & Something fishy about aquaculture summit Blog & NOAA public affairs response.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/ 6. Duncan Fields, Sam Cotton appointed to NPFMC Veteran Alaska fishermen Sam Cotton and Duncan Fields were appointed June 25 to represent the state of Alaska on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/070107/hom_2007 NPFMC vote count improving for crews Kodiak Letter to the editor By John Finley http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=4974 7. BP says Exxon might seek spill payments from other producers Exxon Mobil Corp.
might try to force other oil companies to pay part of the court costs and
damages arising from the 1989 Valdez oil spill, and if it does the company
can expect a fight, one of Exxon's rivals said in a recent financial
disclosure…
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9120067p- 8. Governor Palin appoints Wes Keller to fill Kohring House seat. … Keller has worked as a teacher, building contractor, oilfield hand and pilot in the Alaska National Guard, and serves as Chief of Staff to Alaska State Senator Fred Dyson… http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=495 9. Ocean acidification – Ocean Blues Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s oceans have swallowed nearly half of all fossil-fuel carbon emissions. Damage could be reaching the tipping point, threatening the entire marine food web…
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/june07/content 10. NPR: Alaska Senator Scrutinized in Corruption Probe Powerful, often-abrasive Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), 83, is enmeshed in a federal corruption probe that has implicated his son Ben. The Justice Department is investigating ties between a fishing co-op that paid Ben Stevens $500,000 and a federal bailout passed by the senator… for NPR Audio report see:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId= 11. Murkowski Land Deal with Stevens Biz Associate Bob Penney Raises Questions Late last year, Alaskan real estate developer Bob Penney testified before a grand jury about his cozy relationship with Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK). But it looks like Penney also has financial ties with Alaska’s other senator: Lisa Murkowski (R). At around the same time, she quietly bought a prime piece of property along the bank of the Kenai River from Penney… http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003649.php 12. Quota system seen on the horizon for halibut charter fleet The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has confirmed this season's Southeast bag limits for charter boat halibut anglers and set out a schedule of work to establish a system that would allow rights to harvest the high-value fish to be sold or leased between the commercial and charter fleets…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/062407/hom_20070 13. Fish board member Jeremiah Campbell won't resign despite no-contest plea Board of Fisheries member Jeremiah Campbell said he has no plans to resign his seat on the regulatory panel despite pleading no contest June 20 to a criminal misdemeanor charge of improperly signing a big game commercial services transporter report.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/071507/hom_2007 14. ASMI responds to salmon misinformation in Chicago Tribune … As indicated in your article, much salmon in Alaska is harvested using net methods. However, your readers should be clear on the point that none of these net methods for catching salmon involves dragging a net on the bottom. Also a salmon caught commercially by hook and line would have been harvested by the troll method (where single hooks and lines are towed below the surface); no salmon are caught by the long-line method. That method is used in the Alaska fisheries for halibut and black cod (sablefish), and these fisheries are also success stories when it comes to environmental responsibility… Source of the confusion: Chicago Tribune: Opinions oceans apart on wild salmon vs. farm-raised “…Fishing nets often catch creatures other than the ones they're meant for, according to the Cetacean Bycatch Resource Center, a World Wildlife Fund project. Dolphins, whales and porpoises, as well as unmarketable fish varieties, sea turtles, sea birds and other animals, often end up in gill nets… Troll, or line-caught, salmon may seem a better choice. But this method also poses dangers to other animals, especially if "line-caught" means "longline caught," a process in which miles of baited hooks unreel into the ocean behind a boat…”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-salmon_ii_27jun27,1,7696804.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorth 15. ASMI Sustainable Summer BBQ - Alaska King Crab Takes Center Grill The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) announces the newest trend in seafood grilling, wild and sustainable Alaska king crab.
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/about/pressreleases/sustain 16. Palin wants more fish processors …The peak of this year's Bristol Bay salmon run is occurring and commercial fishermen strike while it's hot. Already, close to 17 million fish have been caught… But in Dillingham, where there is only one processor, it's been too much of a good thing. Norman Van Vactor, the Bristol Bay manager for Peter Pan Seafoods, puts out an order: a halt to buying more fish. The plant was at capacity… Gov. Palin wants something done about it…
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=6772483&nav= & Bristol Bay fisherman enjoy huge run
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=6766541&nav= 17. Bristol Bay waters are all about fish (ISER report) Commercial salmon industry a boon to region's economy Bristol Bay is the most productive wild salmon fishery in the world. Last year the bay had a harvest of more than 170 million pounds, mostly reds and kings, worth nearly $100 million to commercial fishermen. It's Alaska's most valuable salmon fishery - nearly one-third of all earnings from Alaska salmon come from Bristol Bay. And it has the most permit holders, topping 2,800 people. Those are just a few of the findings in a report by the University of Alaska's Institute for Social and Economic Research. It concludes that the entire region is ecosystem dependent, with salmon accounting for 52 percent of the region's subsistence harvests and 64 percent of all jobs…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/070807/fis_2007 For the UAA ISER report
see:
http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/greatsalmon 18. China's factory closures may help Alaska fish U.S. Food and Drug Administration to examine imports of farm-raised seafood from China. More on UAA ISER’s Gunnar Knapp’s trip to China
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/070807/hom_200707 19. Salmon spawning strong runs, prices after holiday catch Commercial harvesters in Bristol Bay took no holiday break, raising their catch total to 16.6 million sockeye salmon by the time most other folks ended the Independence Day weekend…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/071507/hom_2007 20. Seafood industry insiders predict a bright future - By Laine Welch Increasing worldwide demand combined with higher seafood prices has boosted the bottom line of major suppliers. Industry insiders predict a bright future, saying seafood companies are more efficient, better capitalized and more liquid than five to 10 years ago… http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/062507_fish_factor.html 21. Merger of Japanese seafood titans worries Alaskans Governor wants federal regulators to look into Maruha-Nichiro deal. Gov. Sarah Palin has asked federal antitrust regulators to closely scrutinize a pending merger of two giant Japanese seafood companies with major operations in Alaska…
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/9086 22. Picking a mean pin bone Fish lovers know the pin bone well… “They want a boneless, skinless piece of fish,” said Laura Fleming with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. “Traditionally, that is not the main products we’ve produced.” Enter the Pinbone Wizard, created by the four engineers who run the machine shop at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks… http://newsminer.com/2007/07/15/7920 23. At long last, Bristol Bay sockeye for Dillingham students DONATION: Peter Pan helps put wild salmon on school lunch trays. Bristol Bay sockeye salmon has seldom, if ever, appeared on school lunch trays in Dillingham. Over the years, this has troubled Patty Luckhurst, the school's lunch chief. Yet getting locally produced food on the school lunch menu is a cumbersome process. There are U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, and logistics, too: a product's arrival must be timed just so…
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9135539p- 24. Dutch Harbor/Unalaska nation's #1 port for seafood deliveries for 18th year Ketchikan's deliveries drop by more than half Dutch Harbor/Unalaska broke its own record for seafood landings last year, and held onto its ranking as the nation's #1 port for the 18th year in a row. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service annual report on U.S. fisheries, 911.3 million pounds crossed the Dutch Harbor docks in 2006, an increase of nearly 24 million pounds from the previous year. Ports in Louisiana and Virginia ranked #2 and #3 for seafood deliveries. Kodiak held onto 4th place for fish landings at 332.8 million pounds, down just slightly from 2005. Other Alaska ports making the top 50 list were Naknek/King Salmon at #12 with 105.7 million pounds, a slight increase from the previous year… http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/071307_fish_factor.html 25. MSC Assessment of Alaska Salmon Fisheries Final Report The Final Re-Assessment Report of Commercial Alaska Salmon Fisheries can now be downloaded from the MSC web site”. The final report is
online at:
http://www.msc.org/assets/docs/Alaska_Salmon/Advisory MSC Alaska salmon home page, last updated April 11, is at: http://www.msc.org/html/content_485.htm 26. MSC Annual Surveillance - US Halibut Fishery Advisory
http://www.msc.org/assets/docs/AK_halibut_and_sablefish/ & Canadian Pacific Halibut Fishery assessment update
http://www.msc.org/assets/docs/Canadian_PacificHalibut/
Announcement: 27. Cheney Invited to Testify on Klamath Salmon Kill U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, today confirmed that Vice President Dick Cheney, a former Member of the Committee, has been invited to testify at a July 31 oversight hearing on his apparent role in influencing scientific and policy decisions at the Department of the Interior. As reported in The Washington Post on June 27, 2007, Cheney’s intervention in the development of a 10-year water plan for the Klamath River resulted in the 2002 die-off of an estimated 77,000 salmon near the California-Oregon border – and the subsequent collapse of the West Coast salmon-fishing industry.
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx? & Rahall to Continue Probe of Politicization of Endangered Species Act Klamath River Basin to be on agenda…
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx & Washington Post on Cheney & the Klamath: Leaving no Tracks Because of Cheney's intervention, the government reversed itself and let the water flow in time to save the 2002 growing season, declaring that there was no threat to the fish. What followed was the largest fish kill the West had ever seen, with tens of thousands of salmon rotting on the banks of the Klamath River. Characteristically, Cheney left no tracks. The Klamath case is one of many in which the vice president took on a decisive role to undercut long-standing environmental regulations for the benefit of business.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving 28. Conservation groups voice concerns about offshore leasing An oil and gas industry spokeswoman says a federal decision to open the North Aleutian Basin to exploration is good news, but fishermen and conservation interests say it poses a grave risk. “Very disappointing,” said Robin Samuelsen, head of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp., speaking by cell phone from his fishing boat, near Clark's Point. “It doesn't surprise me, with this (Bush) administration, but a lot can happen between now and 2011…”
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/070807/hom_2007 29. Kenai - Local group says outsiders decide river's fate While national power brokers partied and trolled for king salmon in the annual fundraising and educational Kenai River Classic on Friday, local anglers complained they've lost the river to outsiders. A new organization, the Kenai Area Fisherman's Coalition, ran a half-page attack ad in the Peninsula Clarion labeling the fishing event co-hosted by Sen. Ted Stevens divisive and ultimately bad for the river. Members, including former state biologists who managed the river, said paid access to policymakers helps corporations and commercial guides, not fish or local fishermen. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/kenai/story/9112328p-9028544c.html 30. AMSEA Safety Training Saves Lives of Alaska's Fishermen …To counteract the challenges of this deadly environment, the Coast Guard and the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) provide mariners educational instruction on how to improve their chances of survival during a maritime accident…
http://www.uscg.mil/d17/AlaskaBear/BearJune07/Fea1 AMSEA home page: http://www.amsea.org 31. MCA’s Dave Benton: They held a concert, now what On the heels of the global Live Earth Concert, people all over the world are asking themselves "what can I do?" in the face of seemingly overwhelming problems such as climate change and our growing concerns about the world's oceans. As Americans flock to our coasts and waters for summer, it's a good time to consider how we relate to the sea for jobs, recreation and a healthy environment for future generations to enjoy. The watchword is "sustainability”…
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID 32. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week Wednesday 7/18/07 - Be on the lookout for marine invasive species Tuesday 7/17/07 - New AK seafood labor data includes average wages, ages, towns losing/gaining fishermen and much more Monday 7/16/07 - Dutch Harbor #1 fishing port for 18th straight year Friday 7/13/07 - Seafood still a tough sell at fast food restaurants Thursday 7/12/07 - AK waters on high alert for red tides: clammers beware! Online at http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm & also see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 33. Southeast Salmon Quality Upgrade Grants – apply now The Alaska Department of
Commerce, Community & Economic Development is making available Southeast
Salmon Quality Upgrade grants. Applications and instructions are available
at
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization DCCED online notice:
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156 34. Southeast Fisheries Economic Development Grant Program The Alaska Department of
Commerce, Community & Economic Development is making available Southeast
Fisheries Economic Development Program grants. Applications and instructions
are available at
http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/seafood/revitalization or by contacting Debbie Maas at 465-2023 or debbie.maas@alaska.gov. Applications must be postmarked by September 10, 2007.
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156 35. Coming soon: Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards – suggest topics by 8/24 Every three years, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) conducts a comprehensive review of the Water Quality Standards (WQS) in 18 AAC 70. This review helps to keep the pollution limits for Alaska's waters up to date by integrating the latest science and technology and federal requirements into how the State regulates water quality. ADEC is requesting public comment on topics that should be considered during the Triennial Review...
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7 36. CFEC Meetings 8/22, 9/17, 10/11, 10/23, 11/13 & 12/6 Under the Open Meetings Act (AS 44.62.310), notice is given that the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission will meet in public meetings on August 22, September 17, October 11 and 23, November 13 and December 6, 2007 at 3:30 PM, in the Commission’s Conference Room in Juneau…
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7 CFEC Home page: http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/ 37. Comment deadline August 27 on MMPA 2008 List of Fisheries The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is publishing its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2008, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)… Comments must be received by August 27, 2007…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 38. Comment deadline Sept 26 on Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports (SARs) NMFS reviewed the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regional marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). SARs for marine mammals in the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions were revised according to new information. NMFS solicits public comments on draft 2007 SARs. … Comments must be received by September 26, 2007.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 39. Comment deadline July 30 on IFQ, CDQ recordkeeping & Sitka Pinnacles reserve NMFS issues a proposed rule for substantial revisions to recordkeeping and reporting (R&R) requirements. This proposed rule would also change a variety of fisheries permits provisions. Several definitions would be changed. Further, this proposed rule also revises a Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve closure provision and a groundfish observer provision regarding at-sea vessel-to-vessel transfers. This proposed rule would change certain crab provisions, including fee calculations…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 40. NOAA omnibus notice - Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2008 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes this notice to provide the general public with a consolidated source of program and application information related to its competitive grant and cooperative agreement (CA) award offerings for fiscal year (FY) 2008. This Omnibus notice is designed to replace the multiple Federal Register notices that traditionally advertised the availability of NOAA's discretionary funds for its various programs…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071400 41. NOAA posts final rule on groundfish observer program NMFS issues a final rule to amend regulations supporting the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program (Observer Program). This action is necessary to revise requirements for the facilitation of observer data transmission and improve inseason support for observers...
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 42. BSAI Crab Economic Data Collection Program Meetings - Kodiak 7/25 & Seattle 8/2 The Alaska Fishery Science Center, Economic and Social Science Research Program will hold public meetings in Kodiak, AK (July 25) and Seattle, WA (August 2) to review the BSAI Crab Economic Data Collection Program…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 43. NPFMC Crab Committee meets July 31, Anchorage on B shares The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Crab Committee will meet in Anchorage, AK…July 31, 2007, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m…Anchorage Hilton Hotel The agenda will include the following issues: (1) the current uses of B shares (those shares exempt from the processing share landing requirements) and whether those uses are consistent with the Council's original intent for the use of B shares, and (2) regulatory issues related to administration of the harvest share and processing share allocations and the arbitration program... Federal Register Notice:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/ 44. NPFMC SSC & Plenary session, Anchorage Aug 1-3 Council Plenary Session: The agenda for the Council's plenary session and SSC meeting will include the following issues: (1) Review and comment on the Steller Sea Lion (SSL) Recovery Plan; (2) Review Bering Sea Atka Mackerel Maximum Retainable Amount with intent to amend action previously taken. The agenda is subject to change, and the latest version will be
posted at
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 45. Research Vessels Continue NOAA Gulf of Alaska Biennial Bottom Trawl Survey Three vessels chartered by NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center are engaged in more than two months of scientific bottom trawl surveys in the Gulf of Alaska, continuing data-gathering that has gone on every two or three years since 1984. http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2007/research070607.htm 46. Alaska Salmon Price Report for Calendar Year 2006 - Alaska Department of Revenue - Tax Division, July 16, 2007
http://www.tax.state.ak.us/programs/fisheries/reports/2007 47. 2007 Preliminary Alaska Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet & summaries updated 7/13 Bluesheet: http://csfish.adfg.state.ak.us/BlueSheets/BLUEWebReport.php Harvest summaries:
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/finfish/salmon/ For harvest timing charts
and other reports see:
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/finfish/salmon 48. 2007 Halibut Landing Report No. 4 - Quota Share Commercial Fisheries Update
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2007/nr & IPHC Halibut Landing report #6 Non-treaty Commercial Fishing Period Limits in Area 2A for the July 25th Opening
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2007/nr & IPHC Halibut Landing report #5 Non-treaty Commercial Fishing Period Limits in Area 2A for the July 11th Opening
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2007/nr2007 IPHC Home page: http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/ 49. Board of Fisheries posts proposals for 2007-2008 cycle
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/2007 50. Comment deadline August 13 on Federal Subsistence Fishery proposals for 2008 Comments invited on proposed changes to Federal subsistence fisheries regulations The Federal Subsistence Board is accepting written comments through August 13, 2007 on proposed changes to Federal subsistence fisheries regulations. These proposed changes would affect existing Federal subsistence seasons, harvest limits, methods for the taking of fish and shellfish, and customary and traditional use determinations for the regulatory year beginning April 1, 2008… See press release of July 11 at http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news.cfm?gnr=1 For proposals see http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/law.cfm?fp=1 Subsistence Fishery News releases: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news.cfm?fnr=1 51. MMRC Sound Science: Using Sound Playback to Study Marine Mammals in the Field Sound is king in the murky world beneath the waves. But how do marine mammals use sound to communicate, find food, and avoid danger? A recent study reviews dozens of experiments that played back recorded sounds to marine mammals in their natural habitat, in order to better understand their response to predators, prey, and each other. http://www.marinemammal.org/2007/deecke_soundscience.php Marine Mammal Research Consortium home page: http://www.marinemammal.org/ 52. NOAA Fisheries Schedules Fourth Public Hearing on Cook Inlet Belugas http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2007/beluga071107.htm CI Beluga ESA listing – public meeting Soldotna, July 27, comment deadline 8/3/07
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/ Previously announced meetings - Homer 7/19, Anchorage 7/20
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/13jun20071800 Related story at Far North Science: http://www.farnorthscience.com/2007/06/18/marine-mammals/beluga-whale-hearings-set/#more-805 NOAA Fisheries Cook Inlet Beluga Whale home page:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/protectedresources/whales 53. Vital Choices Newsletter: NY Times Runs Two Enlightening Fish Stories, China Catfish, & more http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com 54. USDA FSA County Committee Nominations Open - deadline Aug 1. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced farmer and rancher candidate nominations begin today for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees. The nomination period continues through Aug. 1, 2007. Elections take place this fall. http://www.usda.gov/2007/06/0168.xml 55. Deadline July 30 for USDA Small Minority Producer Grant Program http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/ Federal Register Notice:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 56. NMFS Comment deadline August 20 on Steller Sea Lion Draft Revised Plan NOAA Press release: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2007/sslrp052107.htm Federal Register Notice:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 NOAA Steller Sea Lion
Recover Plan home page:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/protectedresources/stellers 57. Deadline July 26, 2007 on Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fisheries…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 NOAA
Presentation: Proposed Certification Procedures to Address Illegal,
Unreported, or Unregulated Fishing and Bycatch of Protected Living Marine
Resources
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/msa2007/docs/ANPR_public_ |