UFA Update

UFA Update
August 25, 2008

Vote Fish in the Alaska primary election tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug 26.
If you have not made arrangements to vote absentee you can still vote at airports and select locations – see list at http://www.elections.alaska.gov/avo08_primary.php

UFA Board meeting fast approaching: September 24-26, in Anchorage. All UFA members are invited. A reception will be held at the Captain Cook on the evening of Sept 24 –all Anchorage area commercial fishermen are invited to attend.

Table of Contents
1. ADN Editorial: Measure 4 for Cleaner mining
2. State: Web site on Ballot Measure 4 did not violate election laws
3. 'Governor's hat' off, Palin blasts Clean Water initiative
4. Redfern mine submits new Taku barge plan
5. Supreme Court Justices decline to decide on Exxon interest payment – back to 9th
    Circuit
6. MMS – Aleutian Oil & Gas Public Meetings Schedule… and scoping comments
    deadline October 17
7. Westward transfers crab shares to Pribilof
8. Ocean dead zones become a worldwide problem
9. Canadian firm looks to reopen Bokan POW Uranium mine
10. USDA awards $4.5 million for 23 rural cooperative development centers (No AK)
11. MSC replies to state on 'client' status - by The Highliner
12. Bottom trawling off-limits in parts of Bering Sea
13. Trawl fishing gets publicity campaign
14. Smithsonian Magazine - Seafood driving force in human history
15. ASMI Launches New Web-Based Video Starring Alton Brown
16. Time Magazine on Bush & ESA- Endangered Species: In More Danger
17. Comment deadline Sept 15 on ESA amendments
18. Wild Salmon Endangered by Pesticides
19. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Draft Biological Opinion: EPA
      Registration of Pesticides Containing Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, and Malathion.
20. Fishing continues to be the deadliest livelihood in the US
21. Feds sentence men for selling halibut
22. Interior Alaska Fish Processors of Fairbanks recalls salmon
23. Gunnar Knapp offers Economics A294 - Introduction to Fisheries Economics and
      Markets – online course
24. Coast Guard Cutter Munro Conducts First-Ever WCPFC High-Seas Boarding
25. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week
26. NMFS OKs Small Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Beaufort Seismic
27. IPHC Releases Electronic Archival Tags in British Columbia - $500 Reward
28. NMFS posts BSAI Crab Notification of fee percentage.
29. NMFS posts final rule on Amdnement 79 other species overfishing in Gulf
      groundfish fisheries
30. NPFMC workshop on trawl sweep gear modifications – Seattle Sept 8
31. NPFMC Bering Sea Canyon habitat mapping workshop Sept 11-12, Seattle
32. NPFMC Joint Protocol committee meeting 9/12/2008, 9 to noon, Anchorage Hilton
33. ``Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes'' NOAA
      Draft Report 1.2 Posted for Comment:
34. North Slope Subsistence RAC Meets in Barrow, August 26, 2008; 9:00 a.m.–6 p.m.
35. Subsistence RAC Meetings Scheduled
36. Slow Food Nation 08 Aug 29 – Sept 1, San Francisco
37. Offshore Aquaculture in the Northwest Forum September 9-10, 2008, Newport OR
38. Comment deadline Sept 12 on CFEC misc. regulations, meeting Sept 17 in Juneau
39. AK Sea Grant - Critical Issues Survey Deadline August 30
40. USCG F/V Safety comment deadline extended to Dec 15, meetings planned for
      Pacific Marine Expo
41. NPAFC Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Surveys Symposium Nov 23-25,
      Seattle
42. ADF&G PCSRF Expert Panel Meeting Sept 2-3, Anchorage
43. Comment deadline Sept 8 on NS1 Overfishing guidelines, MSY and Optimum Yield
      in Fishery Management Plans
44. Comment deadline October 6 on Cook Inlet Oil & Gas special-interest sales

1. ADN Editorial: Measure 4 for Cleaner mining
Prop. 4 protects salmon areas from new mining pollution
Ballot Measure 4 says no new, large-scale metal mines will be permitted to pollute streams or to dispose of mining wastes in a way that could harm humans or salmon spawning.
If voters approve it, Ballot Measure 4 will send a strong message to the Legislature and state government that Alaskans wants to keep salmon streams unpolluted.
We want mining in the state to continue and grow, but we want it done in an environmentally sound manner…
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/503423.html
&
Pebble is wrong mine at wrong place – ADN Compass by Bruce Switzer
Ballot Measure 4, "An Act to Protect Alaska's Clean Water," is focused on preventing the certain disaster threatening the world's largest salmon run -- the Pebble Mine. Nothing more, nothing less.
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/497998.html
&
Ballot Measure 4 poses threat to Alaska - by Cynthia Toohey And Jim Whitaker
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/497996.html

2. State: Web site on Ballot Measure 4 did not violate election laws
FAIRBANKS — A state commission ruled late Friday evening that a Department of Natural Resources Web site launched this week to educate voters on Ballot Measure 4 can remain in place.
However, the state has to make extensive changes in the content and language in order to keep the site, the Alaska Public Offices Commission ordered. The debate opened a new question in whether it has the power to restrict public officials on the job from taking sides on election issues. The commission rescinded a cease and desist order preventing DNR from taking a public position on the ballot measure.
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/23/state-web-site-ballot-
measure-4-did-not-violate-el/

3. 'Governor's hat' off, Palin blasts Clean Water initiative
“…It is against the law for the governor to officially advocate for or against a ballot measure; however, Palin took what she calls "personal privelege" to discuss one of this year's most contentious initiatives, which voters will decide Tuesday…
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8885438

While the Governor’s hat is off, is Sean Parnell the Governor?
The link to the official State Information on initiative #4 is online at http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/opmp/mining/mining_initiatives.htm

4. Redfern mine submits new Taku barge plan
State permitter expects to have questions for mine operator
Mine operator Redfern Resources Ltd. reapplied to the state this week to operate a barge with amphibious tow vessels on the Taku River in icy months…
"Just from what I've looked at, I don't think it's complete," said Joe Donohue of the Alaska Coastal Management Program, who is coordinating the permit review…

Juneau Empire article 8/15/08: http://www.juneauempire.com/
s tories/081508/loc_319011613.shtml

See DNR Coastal Project Questionnaire and other Tulsequah Chief documents online at www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/mining/largemine/tulsequah/
publicnotice.htm

Why would Redfern’s new towing tug have needed a good looking at last week on the grid at Harris harbor? If you saw it on the grid and have any information on the condition of the bottom that they had to look at, please give the UFA office a call at 586-2820. And you might want to inform the Habitat division - as the operators are not supposed to be touching bottom with tugs in the Taku.

5. Supreme Court Justices decline to decide on Exxon interest payment – back to 9th Circuit
OIL SPILL: High court tells 9th Circuit to do "housekeeping."
Once again, plaintiffs who have been waiting for a payout in the Exxon Valdez lawsuit will have to continue their wait.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to decide whether Exxon Mobil Corp. should pay interest on punitive damages, which would nearly double the $507 million award punishing the company for its role in the tanker spill that leaked 11 million gallons of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound…
http://www.adn.com/exxonvaldez/story/492071.html
The ruling document is online via ADN Highliner Blog at
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/128913

6. MMS – Aleutian Oil & Gas Public Meetings Schedule… and scoping comments deadline October 17
Notice of scoping meetings and extension of scoping period to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
SUMMARY: As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping process for the EIS on the proposed North Aleutian Basin OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 214, MMS has scheduled seven scoping meetings for August and September of 2008 to provide opportunity for public participation in the scoping process from communities within the vicinity of the North Aleutian Basin Planning Area. In addition, the MMS is announcing an extension of the deadline for submission of written scoping comments along with this public scoping meeting schedule.

DATES: The MMS has extended the deadline for submission of written scoping comments for the EIS to October 17, 2008…

Text of Federal register Notice:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18709.htm

MMS Alaska home page: http://www.mms.gov/alaska/

Calendar online – be sure to check for any changes before you travel…
http://www.mms.gov/alaska/cproject/conf_meet/cm.htm

Remaining scheduled meetings:
Sept. 2, 2008, Dillingham, 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., City Council Chambers

Sept. 15, 2008, Sand Point, Aleutians East Borough Offices

Sept. 16, 2008, Nelson Lagoon Alaska Nelson Lagoon Community Building

Sept. 16, 2008, Cold Bay, Cold Bay Community Center

Sept. 17, 2008, King Cove, City Council Chambers

7. Westward transfers crab shares to Pribilof
In an emergency meeting, Unalaska Crab Inc. — a board of directors established in 2005 consisting of the City Council members — approved of seafood processor Westward’s transfer of a quota of 163,000 pounds of eastern brown crab to the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association.
The development association will use the quota to process crab in Atka and hopes the influx will help build a stronger economy…
http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/news/show/3086

8. Ocean dead zones become a worldwide problem
WASHINGTON (AP) — Like a chronic disease spreading through the body, "dead zones" with too little oxygen for life are expanding in the world's oceans.
"We have to realize that hypoxia is not a local problem," said Robert J. Diaz of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. "It is a global problem and it has severe consequences for ecosystems."
"It's getting to be a problem of such a magnitude that it is starting to affect the resources that we pull out of the sea to feed ourselves," he added.
…Pollution-fed algae, which deprive other living marine life of oxygen, is the cause of most of the world's dead zones. Scientists mainly blame fertilizer and other farm run-off, sewage and fossil-fuel burning…
A portion of Big Glory Bay in New Zealand became hypoxic after salmon farming cages were set up, but began recovering when the cages were moved…
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-9/1218737352117240.xml&storylist=national&thispage=1

9. Canadian firm looks to reopen Bokan POW Uranium mine
Bokan Mountain mine near Ketchikan could provide up to 1,000 jobs
The Associated Press
KETCHIKAN - A company is spending $4 million this year on an exploration program at Bokan Mountain, the Prince of Wales Island site where Alaska's only producing uranium mine was in operation from 1957 to 1971.
Cliff Hanson, general manager for Landmark Alaska, said there is potential for permitting and construction to occur between 2011 and 2013 for a mine to target uranium and rare earth metals at the site above Kendrick Bay, about 40 miles from Ketchikan.
The Bokan Mountain mine could provide up to 1,000 direct jobs, he said….
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/081808/
sta_319989802.shtml

10. USDA awards $4.5 million for 23 rural cooperative development centers (No AK)
EPES, Alabama, August 15, 2008 – Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today
announced that more than $4.5 million in grants will go to 23 Rural Cooperative
Development Centers to improve rural economic conditions throughout 22 states.
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/2008/
8-15-2008-RCDG.pdf

USDA Secty Schafer announces $547 million for 232 rural infrastructure projects
USDA Investments To Fund Projects in Towns Nationwide (but not Alaska)
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama, August 15, 2008 — Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today
announced the investment of $547 million in loans and grants to provide safe drinking water and improved wastewater treatment systems for rural towns and communities.
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/2008/
FBWWFR-Release-8-15-2008.pdf

11. MSC replies to state on 'client' status - by The Highliner
Here's the Marine Stewardship Council reply to Alaska officials, who want someone other than the state to be the MSC's "client" on salmon certification (The Highliner, July 23).
MSC chief executive Rupert Howes suggests maybe a nonprofit representing "the entire fishery" could succeed the state as client and manage costs.
"The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation is fulfilling a similar role for the current Pacific cod assessment and would be a good model," Howes wrote.
The Highliner still would like to know what triggered the state's move to split with the MSC less than a year after reaching a new five-year deal with the London-based organization.
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/128920

ADF&G Letter of July 23, 2008
http://community.adn.com/sites/community.adn.com/
files/Denby_MSC_letter.pdf
MSC Reply:
http://community.adn.com/sites/community.adn.com/
files/MSC_reply.doc

12. Bottom trawling off-limits in parts of Bering Sea
Conservation groups say it's harmful; industry group worries…
Large portions of the Bering Sea off Alaska's coast will soon be off-limits to bottom trawling, in which fishing vessels drag huge, weighted nets across the ocean floor…
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which advises the federal government on fisheries, unanimously voted in favor of the northern Bering Sea regulation.
In Alaska, bottom trawlers will be allowed to continue to work in about 150,000 square miles where they now fish, mostly around the Aleutian and Pribilof islands.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/504398.html

13. Trawl fishing gets publicity campaign
Ocean issues can generate ripples, underlying riptides, or ripping waves of controversy, and commercial fishermen often get caught in the middle of these controversies. The trawl fishing industry, in particular, has what many supporters believe is an “image problem” in terms of how others view them and the impact of their fishing methods on ocean habitat.
Using a grant from the Bandon Submarine Cable Council located in Charleston, Ralph Brown, a Brookings-based trawl vessel owner with 25 years of commercial fishing and fisheries management experience, and Shelly Eaton, a marketing and communications specialist, have teamed up to promote the West Coast trawl industry.
http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2008/08/20/
news/news03.txt

14. Smithsonian Magazine - Seafood driving force in human history
“...seafood may have served as a nutritional trigger at a crucial point in human history, providing the fatty acids that modern humans needed to fuel their outsize brains: “This is the evolutionary driving force,” says University of Cape Town archeologist Johon Parkington…
See The Great Human Migration - Why humans left their African homeland 80,000 years ago to colonize the world, By Guy Gugliotta, Smithsonian magazine, July 2008 h
ttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/human-
migration.html?c=y&page=5
&
A link for the whole article text in one site is at:
http://sci.tech-archive.net/Archive/sci.archaeology/
2008-06/msg00544.html

15. ASMI Launches New Web-Based Video Starring Alton Brown
Watch Alton Brown entertain and educate about Alaska's sustainable seafood
JUNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) and Food Network's Alton Brown have joined forces to help clear up consumer confusion on what sustainability really is, and explain how this concept has guided the Alaska seafood industry for more than 50 years. The five-minute video can be viewed online at http://www.alaskaseafood.org/sustainability/index.html
Biz.Yahoo News Item:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080821/aqth031.html?.v=66

16. Time Magazine on Bush & ESA- Endangered Species: In More Danger
…The White House on Aug. 11 proposed a sweeping regulatory overhaul of the ESA, virtually eliminating the independent scientific evaluation of the environmental impact of federal actions…
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,
1832164,00.html?imw=Y

17. Comment deadline Sept 15 on ESA amendments
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) propose to amend regulations governing interagency cooperation under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Services are proposing these changes to clarify several definitions, to clarify when the section 7 regulations are applicable and the correct standards for effects analysis, and to establish time frames for the informal consultation process.

DATES: We must receive your comments by September 15, 2008 to ensure
their full consideration in the final decision on this proposal.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18938.htm

18. Wild Salmon Endangered by Pesticides
Fisheries agency opposes EPA’s reckless re-registration of common farm pesticides
Now, a new federal report says that current pollution of rivers and coastal waters by three pesticides used commonly in west coast agriculture pose substantial risks to wild Pacific Salmon.
http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article001179766
.cfm?x=bbVV2P3,b7b1jv7h,w
&
Vital Choices current newsletter:
http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article00117976
6.cfm?x=bbVV2P3,b7b1jv7h,w

19. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Draft Biological Opinion: EPA Registration of Pesticides Containing Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, and Malathion. July 31, 2008.
(377 page report on effects on salmon)
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/pesticide_biologica
l_opinion_draft.pdf

Related reading:
February 2008 Science Magazine study: Pesticide Brew Spells Trouble for
Salmon
http://www.nwsteelheaders.org/news/2008/02/Pesticide%20Brew
%20Spells%20Trouble%20for%20Salmon%20--%20Stokstad%20
2008%20(216)_%202%20--%20ScienceNOW.pdf

20. Fishing continues to be the deadliest livelihood in the US
Commercial fishing is still America's most dangerous occupation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's new annual report. In 2007, fishermen had the highest on-the-job death rate at nearly 112 per 100,000 workers -- 36 times greater than the rate for all other occupations. One-third (327) of all work-related deaths that took place in Alaska during 1990-2007 were fishermen…
Fishing-related deaths represented less than 1 percent of last year's 5,488 total occupational fatalities, down 6 percent from the previous year…
The 2007 occupational fatality rate of 3.7 per 100,000 workers was the lowest since the U.S. Labor Department began collecting statistics in 1992…
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/503439.html

21. Feds sentence men for selling halibut
Two Sitka residents have been sentenced for illegally selling subsistence halibut in 2004.
Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Jesse Rivera was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $40,000…
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/501768.html

22. Interior Alaska Fish Processors of Fairbanks recalls salmon
Interior Alaska Fish Processors of Fairbanks is recalling about 150 pounds of its Santa’s Smokehouse smoked keta salmon because of potential contamination…
The company also recalled 163 pounds of smoked silver salmon in June for listeria contamination…
Interior Alaska Fish Processors owner Virgil Umphenour said the company has participated in the recalls, but said independent tests have shown the fish is not contaminated. He said DEC officials have been unwilling to consider outside tests as valid…
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/20/interior-alaska-fish
-processors-fairbanks-recalls-/

FDA Recall Announcement: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls
/interioralaska08_08.html

Previous Listeria recall story: http://www.newsminer.com/news/2
008/jun/06/contamination-forces-fish-recall/

23. Gunnar Knapp offers Economics A294 - Introduction to Fisheries Economics and Markets
An internet-based distance education course taught by Gunnar Knapp, Professor of Economics, University of Alaska Anchorage
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? You will learn about the seafood industry and how economics can help you understand fisheries management, fish prices, fish marketing, and current Alaska fisheries policy issues
WHO SHOULD TAKE THE COURSE? Anyone interested in fisheries and the seafood industry--particularly students majoring in fisheries programs and anyone working in the seafood industry or fisheries agencies.
HOW WILL THE COURSE BE TAUGHT? This is a distance education course, taught entirely over the internet using the “Blackboard” system. All course materials will be posted online—there are no required textbooks. There will be weekly readings and homework assignments as well as online class discussions and games which simulate fisheries and markets. Work for the course should take about 5-10 hours per week..

More information is online at:
http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/iser/people/knapp/ECONA294.htm

24. Coast Guard Cutter Munro Conducts First-Ever WCPFC High-Seas Boarding
Coast Guardsmen aboard the cutter Munro, homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, conducted the first-ever high seas boarding and inspection of a fishing vessel Tuesday under the authority of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
The WCPFC is a regional fisheries management organization whose objective is to ensure, through effective management, the long-term conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. This convention area stretches across the WCPO from the south coast of Australia to the Bering Sea…
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/780/221658/

25. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week
Monday 8/25/08          Fisheries Economics & Marketing: after 15 years, Gunnar Knapp brings back popular class via internet
Friday 8/22/08            Commercial fishing still ranks as America’s most dangerous occupation
Thursday 8/21/08        Low US dollar values favor seafood exports
Wednesday 8/20/08    Rising costs could crunch U.S. crab prices
Tuesday 8/19/08         Seismic shocks from offshore oil/gas development harm fishing, say Norway fishermen

Listen Online at:
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm
& also see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at
h ttp://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html

26. NMFS OKs Small Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Beaufort Seismic
Survey in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, Summer and Early Fall 2008
ACTION: Notice; issuance of an incidental take authorization.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to PGS Onshore, Inc. (PGS) to take, by harassment, small numbers of six species of marine mammals incidental to an exploratory three-dimensional (3D) marine seismic survey in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, utilizing an ocean bottom cable/transition zone (OBC/TZ) technique in summer and early fall 2008…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18104.htm
(See Laine Welch’s item of Tuesday 8/19 above)

27. IPHC Releases Electronic Archival Tags in British Columbia - $500 Reward
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) will be tagging halibut in Regulatory Area 2B using externally-mounted electronic archival tags. A total of 162 halibut will be tagged in three general regions: near Langara Island in the Queen Charlottes, south of Cape St. James, and west-central Vancouver Island…
A $500 reward will be given for the return of tag body. In addition, fishers who hold fishing quota should be aware that the weight of archivally-tagged fish should NOT be deducted from the fisher's allotted halibut quota
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2008/
nr20080818.htm

28. NMFS posts BSAI Crab Notification of fee percentage.
NMFS publishes a notification of a one and five one-hundredths (1.05) percent fee 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 2008/2009 crab fishing year so they can calculate the required payment for cost recovery fees that must be submitted by July 31, 2009…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18197.htm

29. NMFS posts final rule on Amdnement 79 other species overfishing in Gulf groundfish fisheries
NMFS announces the Commerce Secretary's approval of Amendment 79 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). Amendment 79 amends the FMP and requires the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to recommend an aggregate overfishing level and acceptable biological catch for the ``other
species'' category in the Gulf of Alaska as part of the annual groundfish harvest specifications process. The ``other species'' category in the Gulf of Alaska consists of sharks, sculpins, squid, and octopus. Amendment 79 is necessary to allow the Council and NMFS to incorporate the best and most recent scientific and socioeconomic information for the specification of the ``other species'' total allowable catch, acceptable biological catch, and overfishing level…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-19665.htm

30. NPFMC workshop on trawl sweep gear modifications – Seattle Sept 8
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will host a public workshop on proposed gear modifications to trawl sweeps used in the BSAI flatfish fisheries, at Dantrawl, in Seattle.
Dates: The meeting will be held on September 8, 2008, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Addresses: Dantrawl, 1121 NW 52nd, Seattle, WA 98107….
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18161.htm

31. NPFMC Bering Sea Canyon habitat mapping workshop Sept 11-12, Seattle
Informal workshop on Bering Sea canyon habitat mapping studies being held by the NPRB on September 11-12 at the AFSC in Seattle –
Agenda http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/BScanyons908.pdf
Prospectus http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/BScanyons908.pdf

32. NPFMC Joint Protocol committee meeting 9/12/2008, 9 to noon, Anchorage Hilton
Agenda: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/JointPtrl908.pdf

33. ``Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes'' NOAA Draft Report 1.2 Posted for Comment:
U.S. Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product Draft Report 1.2 ``Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes''
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comments.
SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes this notice to announce a 45-day public comment period for the draft report titled, U.S. Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.2
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18405.htm

34. North Slope Subsistence RAC Meets in Barrow, August 26, 2008; 9:00 a.m.–6 p.m.
Dr. Tom Albert Conference Hall, Barrow, Alaska
Meeting materials:
http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/pdf/meetingbooks/nsfall08/NS%20
Fall%202008%20Meeting%20Book.pdf

35. Subsistence RAC Meetings Scheduled
Meeting dates and locations are subject to change.
Meeting materials will be posted as they become available at:
ht tp://alaska.fws.gov/asm/deadline.cfml

Sep 23-24 Kodiak/Aleutians Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Kodiak

Sep 23-25 Southeast Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Juneau

Oct 2-3 Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Bethel

Oct 2-3 Seward Peninsula Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Nome

Oct 6 Bristol Bay Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Naknek

Oct 7-9 Southcentral Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Glennallen

Oct 14-15 Eastern Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets - location to be announced

Oct 16 Northwest Arctic Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in Kotzebue

Oct 28-29 Western Interior Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council meets in McGrath

Jan 13-15 Federal Subsistence Board meets in Anchorage to consider proposed changes to subsistence fishing regulations

36. Slow Food Nation 08 Aug 29 – Sept 1, San Francisco
http://slowfoodnation.org/

37. Offshore Aquaculture in the Northwest Forum September 9-10, 2008, Newport OR
Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2030 SE Marine Science Dr. Newport, Oregon 97365
http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/aquaculture2008/
Alaska troller Paula Terrell is among the presenters

38. Comment deadline Sept 12 on CFEC Miscellaneous regulations, meeting Sept 17 in Juneau
The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 20, Chapter 05 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with miscellaneous regulations…
(See CFEC Notice link below for 11 regulation changes)
Under the Open Meetings Act (AS 44.62.310), the Commission will conduct a public meeting in the Commission’s Conference Room, 8800 Glacier Highway, Suite 109, Juneau, Alaska, on September 17, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. to consider action upon the proposed regulation. You can contact Susan Haymes for a copy of the agenda on the Friday before the scheduled meeting. No public testimony will be accepted at this meeting…
CFEC Notice: http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/notices/2008miscnotice.pdf

39. AK Sea Grant - Critical Issues Survey Deadline August 30
The Alaska Sea Grant College Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences invites your advice on what the critical issues are regarding the conservation, use, and management of Alaska's coastal and ocean resources. We also invite your suggestions on what we can do through university research, education, and community advisory services to address needs and issues connected with the wise use and conservation of Alaska's seas and coasts.
Survey respondents who provide contact information will be entered in a prize drawing, including a grand prize of $100 worth of Alaska Sea Grant books, posters, and videos
See survey online at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=
145c80UKOQIZEMZFoewxLg_3d_3d

40. USCG F/V Safety comment deadline extended to Dec 15, meetings planned for Pacific Marine Expo
SUMMARY: The Coast Guard will hold public meetings to let members of the public present comments on the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) for commercial fishing industry vessels and reopen the previously announced public comment period. Two public meetings will be held at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, WA, on November 21 and 22, 2008. This proposed rulemaking would consider several changes to the current regulations.
DATES: The Coast Guard will hold the public meetings on Friday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, except that the meetings may close early if all business is finished. Other comments and related material must reach the Docket Management Facility on or before December 15, 2008. The comment period is reopened from August 12, 2008 to December 15, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The Coast Guard will hold these public meetings in conjunction with the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, WA, at the Qwest Field Event Center, 800 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18532.htm

Previous item:
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…
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/

Pacific Marine Expo: http://www.pacificmarineexpo.com/08/public/enter.aspx

41. NPAFC Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Surveys Int’l Symposium Nov 23-25, Seattle
NPAFC International Symposium on Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Surveys (BASIS): Climate Change, Production Trends, and Carrying Capacity of Pacific Salmon in the Bering Sea and Adjacent Waters
The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) announces the International Symposium on the Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Surveys (BASIS) to be held at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel in Seattle, USA on November 23-25, 2008… http://www.npafc.org/new/basis_home.html

42. ADF&G PCSRF Expert Panel Meeting Sept 2-3, Anchorage
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is convening the multi-agency Expert Panel to review its gap analysis in order to identify priority information issues/needs related to salmon sustainability for the regions west of Cape Suckling (the areas of the state outside of Southeast Alaska). The Sustainable Salmon Strategy Framework utilized includes Habitat, Wild Stocks, and Salmon Management Systems goals. The Expert Panel’s recommendations will result in a call for proposals for the AYK, Southcentral, and Westward regions of the state by early to mid-October for allocation of federal Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Funds (PCSRF) administered by the ADF&G.
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE: The Expert Panel will convene at the Courtyard Marriott (4901 Spenard Road) in Anchorage, AK at 1011 E. Tudor Road from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3, 2008.
Agenda and meeting materials are available at: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/sssf/sssf.php .
Panel recommendations: http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/
sssf/docs/2008/capesuckling_recommendations.pdf
Questions may be directed to Sue Aspelund, PCSRF program manager, at 907.465.6139 or sue.aspelund@alaska.gov.

43. Comment deadline Sept 8 on NS1 Overfishing guidelines, MSY and Optimum Yield in Fishery Management Plans
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/08-1328.htm
Background info is online at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
msa2007/catchlimits.htm
NOAA Press release: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/
stories2008/20080605_catchlimit.html

44. Comment deadline October 6 on Cook Inlet Oil & Gas special-interest sales
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-15444.htm