UFA Update

UFA Update

April 2, 2008

Action Alert - Washington state residents needed to contact Senators Cantwell and Murray to support S. 2645 for ballast water & routine discharge exemption for small fishing vessels.

A California district court ruling (currently under appeal) removed all exemptions from discharge permit requirement – even for routine operations such as deck runoff
Washington’s state’s delegation supports legislation for an exemption for all recreational boats but not the thousands of commercial fishing vessel owners that they represent.
They apparently are not hearing from, or not listening to fishermen.
Alaska’s senate delegation supports S. 2645, which would provide for research into types of discharges so meaningful regulations could be promulgated, and provides exemption for vessels under 75 feet.

We need the support of Washington’s Senators Cantwell and Murray - and for this we need Washington state residents to contact these Senators.

Key points:
-Meaningful regulations should address problem of ballast water transportation of invasive species without unduly burdening small vessels and operations that do not pose an invasive species risk.
-Exempt small commercial fishing vessels, not only recreational boats.
-Specifically support S. 2645 the Vessel Discharge Evaluation and Review Act.

To contact Senator Maria Cantwell:
If you only have five minutes use online email form: http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Or better yet, send a letter by Fax: (202) 228-0514
Do not use postal mail to congress – but use the following address heading:
Honorable Maria Cantwell
United States Senate
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4704

To contact Senator Patty Murray:
online email form: http://murray.senate.gov/email/
Fax: (202) 224-0238
Heading for Faxed letters:
Honorable Patty Murray
United States Senate
173 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

EPA Rulemaking Petition Related to Ballast Water – background info on court case:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/invasive_species/ballast_water.html

For Text of S. 2645, see www.thomas.gov & select Bill Number Search & enter S 2645.

Contents
1. AK Division of Investments offers Refinance of Commercial Fishing Program Loans
2. Alaska Ranger investigation enters fifth day of testimony in Dutch Harbor
3. Federal rules can hinder replacement of old boats
4. U.S. Coast Guard plans sweeping safety changes for commercial fishing fleet
5. USCG – evaluating effectiveness of crew endurance management system (CEMS) implementation.
6. Fishing Vessel safety committee meets May 28-30 in New Orleans
7. AMSEA class teaches onboard safety and survival training
8. USCG Navigation Notice: Reported GPS/AIS User Equipment Problems Involving PRN32
9. Despite dangers, fishing in Alaska is growing safer
10. NOAA: Ocean acidity threatening Pacific Ocean fisheries
11. EVOS essays in Kodiak Daily Mirror: How did we get here & How to Prevent
12. Exxon's Deadly Legacy Lives on for Fishermen - By John Platt, AlterNet.
13. Does Alaska need a $700 million port?
14. Charter boat crews barred from catching halibut
15. NPFMC, Board of Fisheries schedule joint meeting
16. BOF Salmon Industry Restructuring Committee meets April 7 on BB proposals
17. NPFMC April 1 – 7, Anchorage Hilton - Items for the April meeting
18. The Can it?' vs. Should it?' debate heats up offshore drilling
19. Industry, conservation reps discuss Bristol Bay drilling
20. AJOC Editorial: Don't let greed rule over common sense
21. Pebble Mine announces new partnership CEO – Ex-DNR Cmsr. John Shively
22. UAA Debate team posits Pebble
23. It's time to end mining industry welfare –Seattle P-I column by Joel Connelly
24. ADF&G head talks budget, salary concerns at Comfish
25. Pay scale makes state fisheries jobs tough to fill
26. Kodiak Chef Joel Chenet to attend California Seafood Show
27. ADN: Sitka herring seiners make millions in minutes
28. Alaskans to Testify at U.S. Senate Hearing on International Fisheries
29. Governor Palin Appoints Mark Saldi to Fishermen’s Fund
30. Palin Announces 2nd Best Year for Exports
31. NOAA to Study Ice Seals for Possible Listing Under Endangered Species Act
32. States Suing EPA Over Global Warming
33. NOAA Fisheries begins Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures EIS – comment by April 21
34. Marine Mammal Research: Tagging Transient Killer Whales in SE AK:
35. DEC posts topics for Triennial Review of Water Quality standards
36. Salmon of the Americas defends Chilean salmon industry
37. NY Times: Salmon Virus Indicts Chile’s Fishing Methods
38. Something fishy about Chile's salmon
39. Canada and Chile to co-operate on aquaculture development
40. B.C. suspends issuing licences for salmon farms
41. No Matter How You Sea Lice It - By Robert Wager
42. Norway’s richest Billionaire cashes in on offshore oil rush (& farmed salmon)
43. Comment by April 15 on Mexican tuna transport to aquaculture facility
44. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week
45. Magnuson Exempted Fishing proposed rule Comment Deadline extended to April 4
46. BSAI Crab Amendment 24 on overfishing – Comment deadline May 24
47. NOAA posts corrected Sablefish TAC West Yakutat and SE Outside Districts
48. Comment deadline May 20 on BSAI Crab Pan crew share exemption from PQ
49. NMFS seeks information on illegal fishing nations – by April 21
50. BLM posts Record of Decision on Ring of Fire land use plan
51. NMFS closes recreational fishery for red snapper in Gulf of Mexico Aug 5
52. USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service announces $10M
53. Sea Grant publications: Developing Cooperatives for the Alaska Seafood Industry
54. IPHC Solicits Applications for IPHC Merit Scholarship – deadline June 29.
55. Comment by May 6 on USFWS Sea Otter Stock Assessment Reports
56. Deadline April 10 for Board of Fisheries 2008 proposals – PSW, SE

1. AK Division of Investments offers Refinance of Commercial Fishing Program Loans
Effective April 01, 2008, the interest rates for loans made under the Commercial Fishing Loan Program are as follows:
Commercial Fishing Loans - 8.0%
Product Quality Improvement and Tender Vessel Product Quality Improvement Loans - 4.0%
Eligible borrowers may refinance existing loans at current interest rates.

Eligibility Criteria:
-You must have been an Alaska resident for at least two years prior to the date of your refinancing application.
-Your loan must be in good standing…
If you are interested and eligible, please contact the Division of Investments at
907-465-2510 or within Alaska at 800-478-LOAN (5626)
. http://www.dced.state.ak.us/investments/refi.cfml

2. Alaska Ranger investigation enters fifth day of testimony in Dutch Harbor
The Marine Board of Investigation began Tuesday's hearing by taking testimony from Makoto Oide, one of the technicians aboard the Alaska Ranger…
http://www.uscgalaska.com/go/doc/780/196972/
USCG reports from the hearings are online at http://www.uscgal
aska.c om/go/site/780/
&&
Alaska Ranger rescuers tell of perilous conditions
http://www.adn.com/626/story/356193.html

Unalaska - Under the Needle: The Bering Sea's town of saviors
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/356425_needle26.html

Karena Adler - The reclusive owner behind the doomed ship
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004
315543_fishingco30m.html

Marine Board of Investigation hears second day of testimony in Alaska Ranger casualty
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/780/196589/

3. Federal rules can hinder replacement of old boats
Federal rules designed to make Alaska fisheries safer and more efficient are preventing the replacement of aging boats such as the 35-year-old Alaska Ranger, industry leaders said a day after the Ranger's sinking.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/356309_shiplaw25.html

4. U.S. Coast Guard plans sweeping safety changes for commercial fishing fleet
On Monday, the Coast Guard introduced more new regulations designed to make sweeping safety changes in the commercial fishing fleet.
The majority of these new changes only apply to vessels 50 to 80 feet long. Many already apply to larger vessels, but some, such as crew training, will apply across the board…
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=6025

Federal Register Notice March 31:
The Coast Guard is developing a set of proposed amendments to its commercial fishing industry vessel regulations. The proposed changes would enhance maritime safety by adding new requirements for vessel stability and watertight integrity, stability training and assessments, vessel maintenance and self-examinations, immersion suits, crew preparedness, safety training, emergency preparation, safety and training personnel, safety equipment, and documentation. Miscellaneous conforming, clarifying, and other administrative changes are also contemplated…
DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management
Facility on or before July 29, 2008…
If you submit a comment, please include your name and address, identify the docket number for this rulemaking (USCG-2003-16158), indicate the specific section of this document to which each comment applies, and give the reason for each comment…
See Federal Register Notice at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6477.htm

Related sites:
USCG FishSafe: http://www.fishsafe.info/

USCG Fishing Vessel Safety home page: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/cfvs/

USCG Press Release: http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/786/196522/

5. USCG – evaluating effectiveness of crew endurance management system (CEMS) implementation. The US Coast Guard issued criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of crew endurance management system (CEMS) implementation. The guidance is intended to assist ship owners and operators in evaluating their programs to monitor and control fatigue experienced by crew members…
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/nvic/2008/NVIC_2-08.pdf

6. Fishing Vessel safety committee meets May 28-30 in New Orleans
The Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee (CFIVSAC) will meet in New Orleans, LA, to discuss various issues relating to commercial vessel safety in the fishing industry. This meeting will be open to the public.
DATES: CFIVSAC will meet on May 28-30, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6624.htm

7. AMSEA class teaches onboard safety and survival training
A 10-hour, hands-on safety and survival training for commercial fishermen and other boaters will be offered Friday, April 11, and Saturday April 12, at the Cordova Fire Hall by the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association…
http://thecordovatimes.com/news/show/1867

AMSEA home page: http://www.amsea.org/

8. USCG Navigation Notice: Reported GPS/AIS User Equipment Problems Involving PRN32
On February 27th, 2008 the GPS constellation increased to 32 satellites (PRN 32) thus providing a 5% increase in satellite availability and DOP (dilution of precision) world wide. It has come to our attention that some GPS equipment—particularly old equipment which is non-compliant with the GPS interface standard (IS-GPS-200)—cannot recognize this additional satellite and subsequently are unable to calculate a position (see listing below).
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/Saab_R3_AIS_prob.htm

9. Despite dangers, fishing in Alaska is growing safer
… Quota system and stricter safety rules are credited.
Commercial fishing in Alaska is a killer, but it's not as deadly as it used to be.
The recent sinking of the Alaska Ranger fishing boat off the Aleutian Islands killed five people, making it one of the worst accidents in an industry where crew members can fall overboard, get crushed by swinging crab pots or get dragged into the deep after becoming entangled in a line.
Despite the dangers, the industry showcased on the popular Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch" appears to be getting safer…
http://www.adn.com/money/story/360257.html

10. NOAA: Ocean acidity threatening Pacific Ocean fisheries
A federal fisheries scientist says a major threat to fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean in this century is coming from ocean acidity due to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean.
The addition of carbon dioxide into the water causes carbonates to break down into bicarbonates, inhibiting the growth of shells in shellfish, corals and other ocean life critical to the fisheries, said Robert J. Foy, director of the NOAA Fisheries Science Center in Kodiak…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/033008/hom_
20080330003.shtml
&&
“The Ocean Acidification Network, an information network for the international scientific community, has scheduled its second symposium on the ocean in a high carbon dioxide level world for Oct. 6-9 in Monaco. Details on this symposium are at
www.ocean-acidification.net “

11. EVOS essays in Kodiak Daily Mirror: How did we get here & How to Prevent

How did we get here?
Oil disaster works its way from Prince William Sound to Washington, D.C., where judgment awaits…
Essay by Ralph Gibbs in Kodiak Daily Mirror
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=5990

How can we help prevent this from happening again?
On one fateful day in 1989, the lives of countless Alaskans were torn apart by the loss of their livelihood. Even as cleanup began on the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, concern was growing for the future. What might have prevented the spill? And what could be done to prevent it from happening again?
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=5991

12. Exxon's Deadly Legacy Lives on for Fishermen - By John Platt, AlterNet.
…While all the fisheries were adversely affected by the spill, the most profoundly affected continues to be herring. When the ExxonValdez oil spill took place, the herring fishers had been preparing for the spring season to commence. As a result of the spill, the fishery was closed and we were entrenched in months and months of crisis management. Over the next several years the herring fishery fluctuated and then in 1993 there was a complete and unprecedented crash. Since that time, the herring population has not recovered and the fishery has remains closed to this day. Our herring permits and our gear are not only useless, they are worthless…
http://www.alternet.org/story/80476/

13. Does Alaska need a $700 million port?
Down at the docks, former Gov. Bill Sheffield is leading an expansion of Anchorage's port that is huge, controversial and increasingly expensive.
The latest price estimate: up to $700 million.
http://www.adn.com/front/story/353533.html

14. Charter boat crews barred from catching halibut
For the second consecutive year, sportfish charter captains and crew members cannot catch or keep any fish while guiding anglers in saltwater this season.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game ban is aimed primarily at halibut charters. In the past, boats in that fleet sometimes brought to shore limits for the crew in addition to paying customers.
Often the crew would donate its share to clients, boosting the amount of halibut paying anglers can bring home…
http://dwb.adn.com/outdoors/story/9706833p-9620386c.html

15. NPFMC, Board of Fisheries schedule joint meeting
The two main bodies that manage fisheries in all Alaska waters, the federal North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the state Board of Fisheries, will hold a joint meeting in Anchorage on April 8. The joint meeting follows a council-only meeting that begins April 1 and continues through April 7…
http://www.homernews.com/stories/032608
/seawatch_bu_005.shtml

BOF Notice: http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc5
2605f7c156e7a8925672a0060a91b/0ccd3741ca2bb204
892574180076d670?OpenDocument

16. BOF Salmon Industry Restructuring Committee meets April 7 on BB proposals
Notice is given that the Alaska Board of Fisheries Salmon Industry Restructuring Committee will meet Monday April 7, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel, 500 West Third Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Dillingham room.

The purpose of the meeting is to review additional information on three proposals deferred from the board’s 2006 Bristol Bay Finfish meeting. The proposals seek to allow a person to use two permits in the Bristol Bay set and drift gillnet fisheries, and to allow the use of fishing vessels over 32 feet in length in the Bristol Bay fishery…
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a89
25672a0060a91b/8ebdad48a30ca0b78925740f006760a4?
OpenDocument

17. NPFMC April 1 – 7, Anchorage Hilton - Items for the April meeting
…available at NPFMC home page at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

18. The Can it?' vs. Should it?' debate heats up offshore drilling
Another round in the debate over exploration for oil and gas in the North Aleutian Basin began March 18, with opponents asking if it should be allowed, while others discussed how exploration and fisheries could possibly co-exist.
The two-day North Aleutian Basin energy-fisheries workshop, for which Shell Oil contributed $25,000, got underway at a downtown Anchorage hotel. Meanwhile, a group representing residents, fishermen and environmental groups protested the event…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/032308/hom_2008
0323032.shtml

19. Industry, conservation reps discuss Bristol Bay drilling
Attendees at a Friday morning workshop at ComFish heard a proposal for oil and gas development in the North Aleutian Basin and asked questions of various organizations.
The U.S. Minerals Management Service made the 2007 proposal for lease sales to begin in 2011. The North Aleutian Basin includes part of the salmon-rich Bristol Bay.
Just days before the Kodiak workshop, a two-day Anchorage workshop on the same issue prompted criticism from some who said there was a lack of local involvement, and a strong influence by Shell Oil and other proponents of drilling…
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=6008

20. AJOC Editorial: Don't let greed rule over common sense
Bristol Bay is a rare gem. The region contains one of the few sustainable salmon fisheries left on the planet. It is among the most biodiverse areas in the world.
Given the riches of this area and the vital interests, both from a cultural and an economical standpoint, it is sure to be a robust conversation that surrounds two significant proposals currently gaining steam.
The Pebble mine project is well onto the radar, but another upcoming proposal may be every bit as controversial: The offshore lease sale for oil and gas in Bristol Bay.
Multiple interests converged at the ComFish conference held earlier this month in Kodiak. Folks from a variety of fields, including fishing groups, local chefs and international corporate suits, gathered there. Everyone engaged had a stake, some whose livelihoods hang in the balance of the decisions that will be made in the next few years…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/033008/hom_
20080330035.shtml

21. Pebble Mine announces new partnership CEO – Ex-DNR Cmsr. John Shively
(Published April 02, 2008)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Pebble Partnership - a group formed last summer to increase support for development of the Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska - has selected John Shively as its chief executive officer.
Shively is a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. He also was former Gov. Bill Sheffield's chief of staff. He most recently was vice president of government and community relations for Holland America Line.
"John shares our view that Pebble must go beyond compliance to ensure that the project can coexist with clean water and healthy fisheries,"
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/120567.html

22. UAA Debate team posits Pebble
The UAA debate team met to discuss the Pebble Mine on March 29.
The debate included an open forum between community members, UAA students and a panel of four UAA professors.
Community members included advocates from both sides of the issue: engineers, environmentalists, Bristol Bay locals, Alaskan natives and people from the Anchorage community…
Tom Crafford, the mining coordinator of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, said in an e-mail that if Pebble Mine became a reality, NDM would be granted water rights to remove all of the water in the Nushagak and Kvichak rivers…”
http://media.www.thenorthernlight.org/media/storage/
paper960/news/2008/04/01/News/Pebble.Mine.Debate
.Continues-3295879.shtml

We have emailed Mr. Crafford to verify this quote, and have not yet heard back.

23. It's time to end mining industry welfare –Seattle P-I column by Joel Connelly
…Two Northwest lawmakers, Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have set out to reform this relic of the Gilded Age. Appropriately, they've picked a time when America is enduring another era of lax regulation and the pillaging of public lands.
Cantwell and Wyden have invited colleagues to sign a letter to the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as the panel begins work to "update" the 1872 law…
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/356450_joel26.html

24. ADF&G head talks budget, salary concerns at Comfish
A town meeting with Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Denby Lloyd and other officials proved a popular event at this year’s ComFish Alaska.
Lloyd began the meeting with a briefing on the current status of various issues facing the department. He introduced the names of new and re-appointed members of the Board of Fisheries and North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and discussed budget and salary concerns.
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=5998

25. Pay scale makes state fisheries jobs tough to fill
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/033008/hom_2008
0330053.shtml

26. Kodiak Chef Joel Chenet to attend California Seafood Show
Mill Bay Coffee and Pastries chef Joel Chenet has been chosen to represent Kodiak and Alaska at a major seafood conference in Monterey Bay, California this coming May. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is sponsoring the event, called Cooking For Solutions, which promotes environmentally sustainable fisheries.
KMXT Radio Kodiak audio: http://www.kmxt.org/?q=node/4016

27. ADN: Sitka herring seiners make millions in minutes
Expecting healthy numbers of spawning fish this year, state biologist are allowing seiners to harvest a record-breaking amount of herring in Southeast Alaska's Sitka Sound this year - 14,723 tons…
http://www.adn.com/front/story/359197.html

28. Alaskans to Testify at U.S. Senate Hearing on International Fisheries
Three Alaskans have accepted an invitation from Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to testify at a hearing, “International Fisheries: Management and Enforcement.” It will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST this Thursday, April 3, 2008 in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

The hearing will focus on the current state of international fisheries management, monitoring, and enforcement, and explore ways the United States can make international fisheries conservation and management more effective.
Alaskans testifying will be
-Rear Admiral Gene Brooks, US Coast Guard 17th District Commander…
-Dr. Jim Balsiger, Acting Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)…
-David Benton, Executive Director, Marine Conservation Alliance
Live webcast of this hearing will be available at http://commerce.senate.gov
Senator Stevens Press release:
http://stevens.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuse
Action=NewsRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_
id=1065f3f4-9857-2dfc-671c-5dc24932e9e8&Region
_id=&Issue_id=

See also item # 49 below – NMFS seeks info on illegal fishing nations

29. Governor Palin Appoints Mark Saldi to Fishermen’s Fund
…Governor Palin appointed Mark Saldi of Skagway to the State Fishermen’s Fund Board. The six-member Council oversees the administration of the Fishermen’s Fund and consults with the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development regarding negative decisions on appeals filed in relation to care of sick and disabled fishermen…
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/print_news.php?id=973

30. Palin Announces 2nd Best Year for Exports
Governor Sarah Palin today announced that the value of Alaska’s exports for 2007 reached $3.9 billion, the second best year for exports…
In 2007, the value of Alaska’s annual seafood exports was the second highest ever at $1.98 billion, a 1.9 percent decrease from the previous year. Alaska seafood exports to Japan, still the state’s largest seafood export market, decreased 18.9 percent to $588 million, while exports to China increased 27.1 percent to $411 million. Exports to Korea decreased 14 percent to $306 million. The ratio of total value to total volume for seafood exports increased in 2007 over 2006…
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=969

Alaska Journal of Commerce story:
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/033008/hom_
20080330040.shtml

31. NOAA to Study Ice Seals for Possible Listing Under Endangered Species Act
NOAA’s Fisheries Service has accepted a petition from a California environmental group seeking protection under the Endangered Species Act for an ice seal called the “ribbon seal” that inhabits Alaska’s Bering Sea.
“In addition reviewing the ribbon seal, we are also preparing status reviews on bearded, spotted and ringed seals for possible listing,” said Doug Mecum, Acting Administrator for the Alaska Region of NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “While the four species of ice seals in Alaska all utilize various types of sea ice habitats, they use the ice in different ways. Therefore, careful status reviews of each species is warranted.”
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2008/
ribbonseal032608.pdf

32. States Suing EPA Over Global Warming
Officials of 18 states are taking the EPA back to court to try to force it to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that rebuked the Bush administration for inaction on global warming…
"The EPA's failure to act in the face of these incontestable dangers is a shameful dereliction of duty," Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said.
The petition asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to require the EPA to act within 60 days…
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iqGMrzmNKuHg8
Hmz_YBFYQvY4J4AD8VPSQP00

33. NOAA Fisheries begins Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures EIS – comment by April 21
The Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council are planning to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the impacts of possible changes to Steller sea lion protection measures for the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries has opened a scoping period to collect public input for the EIS…
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2008/ssleis031808.htm

Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on Revisions to the Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustain
ablefisheries/seis/sslpm/2008/

Federal Register Notice Dec. 26, 2007:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-24951.htm

34. Marine Mammal Research: Tagging Transient Killer Whales in SE AK:
Part II: Night-time Follow and Tag Recovery
Killer whale researcher Volker Deecke reports from Southeast Alaska on his study of the nocturnal hunting habits of transient killer whales. In the second of two instalments, Deecke describes the challenges of tracking a group of killer whales through the fjords to recover a valuable data tag.
http://www.marinemammal.org/2008/kw_pt2.php
MMRC home page: http://www.marinemammal.org/

35. DEC posts topics for Triennial Review of Water Quality standards
ADEC went to public notice with a list of 15 potential WQS revision topics in June 2007 and sought feedback on those and other standards that the state should review for potential revisions. ADEC received 68 public comments. After reviewing the public comments and consulting with other state resource agencies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the ADEC Division of Water has selected the following priority topics for review and potential revision: Antidegradation Policy Implementation Guidance, Groundwater Standards, Dissolved Inorganic Substances/Total Dissolved Solids, Toxics Manual Revisions, and other WQS On-Going Projects. Fact sheets for each of these topics are linked below.
http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wqsar/trireview/

36. Salmon of the Americas defends Chilean salmon industry
Published: 01 April, 2008
US-BASED trade association Salmon of the Americas (SOTA) has this week moved to defend the management methods used by the Chilean salmon farming industry.
The move comes following an article that appeared in the New York Times, 'Salmon virus indicts Chile's fishing methods' by Alexei Barrionuevo, and amid reports that major US retailer Safeway is reducing the volumes of Chilean farmed salmon it stocks.
Issuing a statement in response to the New York Times article, SOTA said it felt it must "clarify some of the issues incorrectly raised regarding the salmon anaemia virus [Infectious Salmon Anaemia] and the boldly erroneous reference to the lack of sanitary controls as contributing factors".
http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/
10489/Trade_grouping_defends_Chilean_salmon_
industry_.html

37. NY Times: Salmon Virus Indicts Chile’s Fishing Methods
PUERTO MONTT, Chile — Looking out over the low green mountains jutting through miles of placid waterways here in southern Chile, it is hard to imagine that anything could be amiss. But beneath the rows of neatly laid netting around the fish farms just off the shore, the salmon are dying…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/world/americas
/27salmon.html?hp

38. Something fishy about Chile's salmon
PUERTO MONTT, Chile — A spreading plague is killing millions of salmon beneath the rows of neatly laid netting around the fish farms off Chile's southern shores.
A virus called infectious salmon anemia, or ISA, is dooming fish destined for export to Japan, Europe and the United States and sending shivers through Chile's third-largest industry…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004
311397_salmon28.html

39. Canada and Chile to co-operate on aquaculture development
Published: 01 April, 2008
CANADA and Chile have pledged to work together on sustainable aquaculture development.
…The Canada-Chile MOU will strengthen the two countries' commitment to sustainable aquaculture development. Through a joint committee on bilateral cooperation, this agreement commits Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Chile's Undersecretary for Fisheries to work collaboratively in areas of mutual interest on technical, scientific and economic issues…
http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/
10497/Canada_and_Chile_to_co-operate_on_aquaculture
_development.html

40. B.C. suspends issuing licences for salmon farms
British Columbia will not issue new licences and tenures for finfish aquaculture, including salmon farms, on the central coast while it examines a new approach to managing the controversial industry…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080327.
waqualculture0327/BNStory/National/?cid=al_gam_nletter_newsUp

41. No Matter How You Sea Lice It - By Robert Wager
“I have watched and occasionally participated in the salmon farming debate for the better part of the last 15 years. Two things have happened over that time period. The industry has greatly improved its environmental impact and the scare stories get more press but are still based on poor science…
Without a doubt my biggest complaint about those who claim fish farms threaten wild stocks is how they completely refuse to acknowledge every alleged problem with fish farms is multiplied ten to one hundred times just north of the border where the state of Alaska “ranches salmon.” If these critics truly believe fish farming is a threat to wild salmon then it is very difficult to understand their silence on salmon ranching just north of the border. Not only are the feed, disease and PCB issues identical, the intentional release of over one Billion pink salmon after rearing in net pens definitely should concern these groups. Still the Suzuki Foundation has never spoken or printed anything against salmon ranching…
http://www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=3926

More articles by Robert Wager on Food Biotechnology are online at ht
tp://web.mala.bc.ca/wager/

42. Norway’s richest Billionaire cashes in on offshore oil rush (& farmed salmon)
As a buccaneering oil trader, John Fredriksen shipped crude from trouble spots like Iran and used hardball tactics to build up the world's biggest tanker fleet. The son of a welder, this modern-day Onassis is now Norway's richest man, worth at least $7 billion…

His company Marine Harvest is the world's biggest producer of farmed salmon…
http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/
page94?oid=201297&sn=Detail

Marine Harvest is traded under the symbol MNHVF –price of this writing 54 cents per share.

43. Comment by April 15 on Mexican tuna transport to aquaculture facility
NMFS has received an application requesting authorization for five Mexican vessels to receive, within the Pacific waters of the U.S. EEZ south of 34[deg]00' N. lat. and east of 121[deg]00' W. long., transfers of live tuna from U.S. purse seiners for the purpose of transporting the tuna alive to an aquaculture facility located in Baja California,
Mexico. Interested U.S. vessel owners and operators may obtain a copy of
the complete application from NMFS…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6698.htm

44. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week

Wednesday 4/2/08 Off kilter ocean carbon dioxide levels affect food webs
Tuesday 4/1/08 Herring haul at Sitka, April Fool’s Day has fish origin
Monday 3/31/08 Policy makers know more about the fish than the fishermen.
Friday 3/28/08 Pesticide ‘cocktail’ could be causing West Coast salmon collapse
Thursday 3/27/08 Greenpeace explains why AK pollock is on retail ‘red list’
Online at: http://www.marineconservationalliance.org
/fishradio.htm
& also see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html

45. Magnuson Exempted Fishing proposed rule Comment Deadline extended to April 4
NMFS extends the public comment period on the proposed rule containing revised definitions for certain regulatory terms, and procedural and technical changes to the regulations addressing scientific research activities, exempted fishing, and exempted
educational activities under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. NMFS has received a request to extend the comment period for the proposed rule beyond its current 90-day comment period. The extension of the comment period for an additional 15 days is intended to ensure that NMFS provides adequate time for fishery management councils, stakeholders and members of the public to comment
on the proposed revisions. The comment deadline is extended from March 20, 2008, to April 4, 2008.
Comments must be received on or before April 4, 2008.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-5425.htm

46. BSAI Crab Amendment 24 on overfishing – Comment deadline May 24
NMFS proposes Amendment 24 the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP) to: specify a five-tier system for determining the status of the crab stocks managed under the FMP, establish a process for annually assigning each crab stock to a tier and for setting the overfishing and overfished levels,
and reduce the number of crab stocks managed under the FMP. Amendment 24 is necessary to establish new overfishing definitions that contain objective and measurable criteria for determining whether each managed stock is overfished or whether overfishing is occurring and to remove several crab stocks managed by the State of Alaska from FMP management…
DATES: Comments on Amendment 24 must be submitted on or before May 19,
2008.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-5562.htm

47. NOAA posts corrected Sablefish TAC West Yakutat and SE Outside Districts
Final 2008 Sablefish TAC Specifications in the Gulf of Alaska and Allocations to Hook-and-Line and Trawl Gear
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/08-1053.htm

48. Comment deadline May 20 on BSAI Crab Pan crew share exemption from PQ
NMFS proposes regulations implementing Amendment 26 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and TannerCrabs (FMP). These proposed regulations would amend the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program. Amendment 26 would amend the FMP to exempt permanently quota share issued to crew members, and the annual harvest privileges derived from that quota share, from requirements for delivery to specific processors, delivery within specific geographic
regions, and participation in an arbitration system to resolve price disputes…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6584.htm

&& Federal Register Notice March 21: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/
2008/E8-5789.htm

49. NMFS seeks information on illegal fishing nations – by April 21
NMFS is seeking information regarding nations whose vessels are engaged in illegal, unregulated, or unreported (IUU) fishing or engaged in bycatch of protected living marine resources (PLMRs). Such information will be reviewed for the purposes of the identification of nations pursuant to the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium
Protection Act (Moratorium Protection Act)…
Information must be received by April 21, 2008

50. BLM posts Record of Decision on Ring of Fire land use plan
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) management policies, the BLM announces the availability of the RMP/ROD for the Ring of Fire planning area, located in southeast and southcentral Alaska, Kodiak Island, and the Aleutian Islands.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Ring of Fire RMP/ROD are available upon request from the Field Manager, Anchorage Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 6881 Elmore Road, Anchorage, AK 99507, or via the Internet…
Fedreal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/
2008/E8-5646.htm
BLM Ring of Fire home page
http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning/ring_of_fire_rod.html

51. NMFS closes recreational fishery for red snapper in Gulf of Mexico Aug 5
NMFS closes the recreational fishery for red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). NMFS has determined this action is necessary to prevent the recreational fishery from exceeding its quota for the fishing year. This closure is necessary to prevent overfishing of Gulf red snapper.
DATES: The closure is effective 12:01 a.m., local time, August 5, 2008,
through December 31, 2008, the end of the current fishing year. The
recreational fishery will reopen on June 1, 2009, the beginning of the
2009 recreational fishing season.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-5939.htm

Although this item does not directly affect Alaska fishermen, it is worth noting that NMFS has closed some recreational fisheries to prevent them from overfishing their quota. Cheers!

52. USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service announces $10M
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces the dollar amount available for grants is up to $300,000 per application for Rural Economic Development Grants with the aggregate amount of grant funds not to exceed $10,000,000 during fiscal year 2008… http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6322.htm

Alaska Rural Development office:
USDA Rural Development State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201,
Palmer, AK 99645-6539, (907) 761-7705/TDD (907) 761-8905.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-2001.htm

Alaska USDA Rural Development business programs: http://www.rurdev.u
sda.gov/ak/business%20&%20industry.htm
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ak/business%20&
%20industry.htm

53. Sea Grant publications: Developing Cooperatives for the Alaska Seafood Industry
By Glenn Haight, Andrew Crow and Hans Geier
Booklet 45 page download: http://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore/pdfs/mab-61.pdf
Or order by contacting Alaska Sea Grant at http://seagrant.uaf.edu/

Repeated items still relevant:

54. IPHC Solicits Applications for IPHC Merit Scholarship – deadline June 29.
The International Pacific Halibut Commission funds several Merit Scholarships to support University and Technical College education. The scholarship fund has been established to assist the further education of Canadian and U.S. students connected to the halibut fishery and its industry… Applications are available through the Commission offices and must be received by June 29, 2008.
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/
2008/nr20080311.htm

55. Comment by May 6 on USFWS Sea Otter Stock Assessment Reports
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan2008
1800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/08-498.htm

56. Deadline April 10 for Board of Fisheries 200
8 proposals – PSW, SE
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a8925672a006
0a91b/f4442c5f5abb4654892573b70007443c?OpenDocument