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UFA Update Top item: Deadline for Comment August 20 – Support Country of Origin and Wild/Farmed labeling of seafood. UFA Action Alert – http://www.ufa-fish.org/doc/COOL_Action_Alert_062907.pdf (see Item #1) Contents: 1. UFA ACTION ALERT: Country of Origin & Wild / Farmed Labeling needed for cooked, canned smoked seafood in addition to maintaining what is currently covered. 2. Chinese Fish Farming Under Scrutiny - & former FDA head executed for bribes 3. Senate Commerce Listening Session on the Safety of Chinese Imports: 4. Governor Palin Urges Feds to not list Belugas as Endangered 5. 'Billions' for Pebble mine, British company says 6. Nevadan (House Resources Chair) Rahall Joins Push for Mining Changes 7. Documents posted from House Resources Offshore Aquaculture hearing July 12, 2007 8. The Oscar Dyson to survey endangered Pacific right whales 9. Mat-Su Committee asks state to cut Cook Inlet harvest 10. NPDES for all vessels…EPA challenges court on wastewater permits 11. ASMI takes steps to protect Alaska wild salmon brand 12. Commerce Committee Approves Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill 13. Senator Stevens and Murkowski Introduce Resolution to Protect Arctic Fisheries 14. State reels in bounty of data on Alaska's seafood world 15. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week 16. Comment by August 20 on proposed rule BSAI LL CP non-Pollock Fee System 17. NMFS - BSAI Crab Rationalization Cost Recovery Notification of fee percentage 18. BSAI King and Tanner Crab Notice of Fee rate adjustment (Aug 6 Federal register) 19. Bitter Crab Workshop to Bring in International Experts – Sept 20-22, P.E.I., Canada 20. Comment by Sept 4 on Aleutian Islands Essential Fish Habitat & State waters VMS 21. NMFS Provides Support for the Free Seabird Streamer Line Program 22. NPFMC Ecosystem Committee to meet 8/22 in Juneau 23. NOAA to evaluate AK Coastal Management Program – Public Meeting 8/13, Juneau Repeats for those who were gone fishing: 24. CFEC Proposed Miscellaneous Regulations...eligibility for reduced permit fees 25. Southeast Salmon Quality Upgrade Grants – apply now 26. Southeast Fisheries Economic Development Grant Program 27. Coming soon: Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards – suggest topics by 8/24 28. NOAA omnibus notice - Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2008 29. 2007 Preliminary Alaska Salmon Catches - Blue Sheet & summaries updated 7/13 30. Board of Fisheries posts proposals for 2007-2008 cycle 31. Comment deadline August 13 on Federal Subsistence Fishery proposals for 2008 32. NMFS Comment deadline August 20 on Steller Sea Lion Draft Revised Plan 1. UFA ACTION ALERT: Country of Origin & Wild / Farmed Labeling needed for cooked, canned smoked seafood in addition to maintaining what is currently covered. – please make sure that your letter or email regarding expanded seafood coverage is received before August 20 deadline. Email comments to cool@usda.gov. UFA online Action Alert with relevant links: http://www.ufa-fish.org/doc/COOL_Action_Alert_062907.pdf 2. Chinese Fish Farming Under Scrutiny - & former FDA head executed for bribes China said Wednesday it will inspect fish farms across the country to guard against use of illegal drugs and chemicals, but insisted the majority of its seafood products were safe… …The former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration was executed last month for taking bribes and gifts in exchange for approving substandard medications for the domestic market, including an antibiotic blamed in the deaths of at least 10 people. Although Zheng Xiaoyu was investigated before the latest safety scandals, his punishment was swift and unusually harsh.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101085.html 3. Senate Commerce Listening Session on the Safety of Chinese Imports: Oversight and Analysis of the Federal Response, Senate Commerce full committee listening session, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 …For testimony & archived webcast see:
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction & Bill Hogarth on Seafood Safety Monitoring of Chinese-Origin Products, NOAA’s Role NOAA Testimony in above Senate Commerce hearing…
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/docs/final From: 4. Governor Palin Urges Feds to not list Belugas as Endangered Governor Sarah Palin has told the federal government that the state is extremely concerned about a proposal to list Cook Inlet beluga whales as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act, and urged the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) not to list the species… http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=525 5. 'Billions' for Pebble mine, British company says The debate over Alaska's controversial copper and gold Pebble prospect is surging to a new level with the world's third-largest mining company entering the project this week. Now there's money and know-how to push Pebble forward. London-based mining giant Anglo American said it has committed up to $1.425 billion to develop Pebble near Iliamna in Southwest Alaska. http://www.adn.com/front/story/9185868p-9102376c.html 6. Nevadan (House Resources Chair) Rahall Joins Push for Mining Changes Western sportsmen have new game in their sights: A 135-year-old mining law they say has allowed hardrock mining companies to pollute trout streams, damage wildlife habitat and leave abandoned mines throughout the West… http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/26/ap3956199.html && Rep. Don Young’s Statement on Rahall Anti-Mining Legislation http://donyoung.house.gov/PressRelease.aspx?NewsID=1820 & House Resources H.R. 2262 hearing August 21 – home page The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), will hold a legislative field hearing on the following bill: H.R. 2262: To modify the requirements applicable to locatable minerals on public domain lands, consistent with the principles of self-initiation of mining claims, and for other purposes. (The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007)
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option 7. Documents posted from House Resources Offshore Aquaculture hearing July 12, 2007
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option= 8. The Oscar Dyson to survey endangered Pacific right whales The NOAA research vessel Oscar Dyson will depart from Dutch Harbor, Alaska on July 31, 2007 to survey endangered North Pacific right whales in the Bering Sea. Scientists from NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center and from Russia, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and South Africa will track whales visually and acoustically to assess their abundance, distribution and use of habitat…
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2007/ 9. Mat-Su Committee asks state to cut Cook Inlet harvest FISH FIGHT: Mat-Su rivers are empty of salmon, group says. A borough-appointed committee in the Mat-Su is calling on the state to cut the commercial harvest of Cook Inlet salmon in the waning days of the sockeye gillnet season, predicting devastation for Susitna River guides and sportsmen if that doesn't happen… http://www.adn.com/front/story/9169956p-9086364c.html 10. NPDES for all vessels…EPA challenges court on wastewater permits Northern California District Court judge Susan Illston last fall ruled that the agency's 30-year-old blanket exemption for discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel violates the Clean Water Act. The judge set Sept. 30, 2008, as the date the exemption expires. The EPA is challenging the ruling and oral arguments before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals are expected next month…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/080507/hom_ The comment deadline to EPA was August 6 – UFA and many fishing groups submitted comments. We will continue to track this issue. 11. ASMI takes steps to protect Alaska wild salmon brand Alaska fish industry works to protect sustainable certification In light of the growing popularity of the international logo certifying sustainable fisheries, area seafood producers say the industry needs to do more to promote the Alaska brand… “The state is looking to us to decide whether we should go our own way,” Randy Rice, technical program director for ASMI, said in a presentation to the board. “We already have an eco-label.”… Harvester representative Kevin Adams recommended, and the rest of the board promptly agreed, that their best bet is to pursue a United Nations Food and Agriculture Program eco-label plan. This program would be established by industry associations for products produced by their members…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/080507/hom_2007 12. Commerce Committee Approves Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved the Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, legislation championed by Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). This bill, which includes key provisions for Alaska, would authorize $8.7 billion for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to fund much-needed renovations and the acquisition of new vessels and aircraft… Bill includes: Small Vessel Exemption from Definition of Fish Processing Vessel – This provision would provide new opportunities to salmon fishermen in Alaska by allowing each vessel to process and send up to five metric tons of salmon to market per week.
http://stevens.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction UFA requested the small vessel processor language and we appreciate the work of Senator Stevens on this 13. Senator Stevens and Murkowski Introduce Resolution to Protect Arctic Fisheries Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today introduced a joint resolution directing the United States to initiate international discussions and to negotiate with other nations an agreement for managing fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and a bipartisan group of 10 Senators are original cosponsors of the measure…
http://stevens.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction 14. State reels in bounty of data on Alaska's seafood world The average age of Alaska commercial fishermen is 47 years, compared to 38 for other state industries… …insights on Alaska's seafood industry work force now available from the state Department of Labor. Easy-to-read tables and charts provide information through 2005 on harvesting and processing jobs for every fishery in each region, even offshore. For the first time, labor data for the seafood work force are compared with those for other Alaska industries… http://www.adn.com/money/story/9150910p-9067293c.html DOL seafood labor site: http://almis.labor.state.ak.us/?PAGEID=67&SUBID=300 This story was also published in other publications not found online – and we think it interesting to note that in the version printed in Anchorage Daily News, the editors chose not to include the news that the seafood industry employment dwarfs the next closest industry, construction, by a whopping 30%. The Seafood industry is Alaska largest private sector employer whether the ADN wants you to know that or not… 15. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week Wednesday 8/8/07 America’s fishermen and farmers unite as Congress tweaks US Farm Bill Tuesday 8/7/07 USCG 217th birthday: Top 10 list of rescues? Monday 8/6/07 Subway expands salmon sandwiches in AK; made from Kodiak pinks Friday 8/3/07 AK Seafood may get its own 'green' label Thursday 8/2/07 Scared about seafood safety? The answer is simple: choose wild. Online at http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm & also see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html 16. Comment Deadline August 20 on proposed rule BSAI Longline Catcher Processor non-Pollock Groundfish, Industry Fee System SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations to implement an industry fee system for repaying a $35 million Federal loan financing a fishing capacity reduction program in the longline catcher processor subsector of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) non-pollock groundfish fishery. This action's intent is to implement a fee collection system to ensure repayment of the loan. … Comments on this proposed rule must be received by August 20, 2007.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 17. NMFS - BSAI Crab Rationalization Cost Recovery Notification of fee percentage SUMMARY: NMFS publishes a notification of fee percentages for cost recovery under the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program (Program). This action is intended to provide holders of crab allocations with the fee percentage for the 2007-2008 crab fishing year to calculate the required payment for cost recovery fees due by July 31, 2008. DATES: The Crab Rationalization Program Registered Crab Receiver permit holder is responsible for submitting the fee liability payment to NMFS on or before July 31, 2008…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 18. BSAI King and Tanner Crab Notice of Fee rate adjustment (Aug 6 Federal register)
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 19. Bitter Crab Workshop to Bring in International Experts – Sept 20-22, P.E.I., Canada United States and Canadian crustacean experts have set an international workshop focusing on bitter crab-related diseases worldwide. The Bitter Crab Workshop will run from September 20 through 22 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Participants will discuss bitter crab-related diseases and their impacts on crustaceans world-wide… http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2007/bcrab072307.htm 20. Comment by Sept 4 on Aleutian Islands Essential Fish Habitat & State waters VMS SUMMARY: On June 19, 2007, NMFS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to correct certain provisions of a June 28, 2006, essential fish habitat (EFH) rule for Alaska fisheries. The comment period deadline for written comments for the proposed rule was June 19, 2007. NMFS is reopening the comment period on this proposed rule because the E-mail account listed in the proposed rule for the submission of comments was in error and did not accept comments as intended. The proposed rule would clarify that portions of EFH management areas in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands are located in State of Alaska waters. The proposed action also would apply EFH vessel monitoring system and closure requirements to federally permitted vessels operating in State of Alaska waters adjacent to the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and Aleutian Islands subarea. This action is necessary to ensure federally permitted vessels operating in State of Alaska waters comply with EFH protection measures. DATES: Written comments must be received by September 4, 2007.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 21. NMFS Provides Support for the Free Seabird Streamer Line Program The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently contracted with Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) to continue a program that provides free bird streamer lines to Alaska longline fishermen, according to Robert D. Mecum, Acting Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS…
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/index/infobulletins/bulletin.asp 22. NPFMC Ecosystem Committee to meet 8/22 in Juneau The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Ecosystem Committee will meet at the Auke Bay Laboratory Lena Point facility, in Juneau, AK, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 22, 2007
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 NPFMC Home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/ 23. NOAA OCRM to evaluate AK Coastal Management Program – Public Meeting 8/13, Juneau The NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces its intent to evaluate the performance of the Alaska Coastal Management Program… Date and Time: The Alaska Coastal Management Program evaluation site visit will be held August 13-18, 2007. The public meeting will be held on Monday, August 13, 2007, at 4 p.m. at the Department of Natural Resources Office of Project Management and Permitting, 302 Gold Street, Suite 202, Juneau, Alaska. Members of the public may also participate in the public meeting via teleconference by calling 1-800-315-6338. The call-in code is 1111…
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800 24. CFEC Proposed Miscellaneous Regulations...eligibility for reduced permit fees …comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 7, 2007 for proposed regulations see online notice at:
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c1 & CFEC Meetings 8/22, 9/17, 10/11, 10/23, 11/13 & 12/6
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c1 CFEC Home page: http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/ &&&&&&&&&&&&m Repeats for those who were gone fishing: 25. Southeast Salmon Quality Upgrade Grants – apply now
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c1 26. Southeast Fisheries Economic Development Grant Program
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c15 27. Coming soon: Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards – suggest topics by 8/24
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c15 28. NOAA omnibus notice - Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2008
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071400 29. 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 30. Board of Fisheries posts proposals for 2007-2008 cycle
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/2007 31. Comment deadline August 13 on Federal Subsistence Fishery proposals for 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 32. 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 |