UFA Update

UFA Update
December 8, 2008

Thanks to the many UFA rejoining members that have responded to our recent mailing, and to those who visited out booth at Pacific Marine Expo to discuss our work. UFA’s paper newsletter has been mailed to members, and details the many current topics we have been working on, including Aleutian Oil and Gas protections, a proposal for funding U.S. Seafood Marketing, Fishermen’s Health Care, federal fishing vessel safety regulations, and a special note on “How to Misuse Economics”.

Table of Contents
1. First Exxon Valdez payments made
2. State reveals data on fishing labor trends
3. New Taku Mine Proposal – Comment deadline Dec. 22 Public meeting Dec 11.
4. Alaska is battleground for Endangered Species Act – Bristol Bay Times
5. NOAA fisheries exec Balsiger upbeat about Obama administration
6. Commercial fishing frenzy criticized – AK & Quotas praised
7. Commission proposes cuts for Southeast halibut catch
8. Halibut industry braces for more limits on their catch
9. Fish & Game releases preliminary summary of 2008 salmon season
10. ADN: Our view: Ted Stevens
11. Governor Appoints Karl Johnstone to Board of Fisheries
12. Governor Palin Announces Board Appointments – Forestry, BSFAB & NPAFC
13. NPFMC Agenda and Items for meeting Dec 8 - 16
14. ADF&G 2008 Fish Expo Presentations on Bristol Bay Capacity posted
15. Alaska Sea Grant releases results of statewide fuel survey
16. Kodiak: Court OK for Navy sonar does not affect Gulf
17. Bush Coal Mining Debris Rule Is Approved
18. Beluga Chuitna strip coal mine calls out foes
19. Alaska Water Permit Program Approved
20. Staking a Claim: The Battle for Bristol Bay
21. Bristol Bay: BLM Bay Plan and Record of Decision released to public
22. NY Times Profiles Fisheries advocate Alexandra Morton
23. NY Times Opinion: The Protein Pyramid
24. Organic Standards - USDA Panel Approves Labeling Farmed Fish 'Organic'
25. Kodiak area cod harvest at or above expectations
26. Marine biologist Lee Alverson looks back
27. Gunman picks poor choices in Alaska robbery try – Fisherman & Hockey player
28. Global Food Alaska Recognition of Achievement Awards seeks nominations
29. Greenpeace airs TV ad targeting pollock fishery
30. NOAA Fisheries Fish Stocks Sustainability Index (FSSI) 2008 3rd Quarter Update
31. MSC reiterates Alaska Pollock sustainable
32. NOAA Finds Decline in Pollock; Recommends Catch Cut to Council
33. Alaskan Steller Sea Lion Count Reported
34. Friend of the Sea becomes main aquaculture sustainability standard
35. ASMI shares tips on sourcing sustainable seafood
36. NOAA Fisheries draft on Chinook salmon bycatch –Comment by Feb 3, 2009
37. Pesticide restrictions challenged
38. Critical Habitat Revisited - Researchers Develop Predictive Model
39. A Feast of Fur Seals - Studying killer whale predation in the Pribilof Islands
40. Fishing Company of Alaska to Pay Nearly $450,000 Settlement for Violations
41. Klamath announcement signals major progress in dam fight
42. NOAA Releases an Additional $70 M in Disaster Aid to West Coast Salmon Industry
43. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week
44. NOAA posts National MPA System Framework
45. BSAI Crab Program – comment by Jan 26 on post delivery quota transfer
46. NOAA Science Advisory Board Draft report: Integrating Social Science
47. Deadline January 23 for Nominations – NOAA Enviro. Info Services Working Group
48. Comment by December 15 on SE AK Transportation Plan
49. Ocean Acidification - Online Survey for Cordova Ocean Sciences Bowl Team
50. Applications for Alaska Fishermen’s Memorial in Juneau. Applications for
51. Deadline January 30 for NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program
52. IPHC posts Halibut Staff Preliminary Catch Limit Recommendations: 2009
53. NMFS posts Halibut and Sablefish IFQ cost recovery fees for 2009
54. NMFS – MMS List of Fisheries for 2009
55. NMFS posts 2009-2010 GOA Groundfish harvest specs – Comment by Jan 2, 2009
56. NMFS posts final rule requiring boarding ladders if freeboard exceeds four feet.
57. NMFS corrects Subsistence Halibut area for Village of Kanatak
58. Federal Subsistence Board to Meet in Anchorage January 13-15
59. Deadline Jan. 9 for Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Nominations
60. NPRB call for Pre-Proposals for 2009 – focus on GOA – deadline January 28.
61. 2009 Pacific Salmon Commission Post Season Meeting: January 14, 2009
Previous items, still with time to comment
62. Alaska Board Of Fisheries 2009 Call For Proposals – deadline April 10, 2009
63. Deadline Dec 15 on DNR Call for New Information – AK Peninsula Oil and Gas
64. USCG F/V Safety comment deadline extended to Dec 15

1. First Exxon Valdez payments made
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The first round of punitive damage payments from the ExxonMobil oil spill in Alaska have been paid, officials said…
The oil company was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court this year to pay $507.5 million, ending a lengthy court battle in which Exxon appealed a $5 billion jury award. The payments now will average about $15,000

"My heart's not into receiving this money because, in reality, we're getting nothing," said fisherman Mike Webber. "Even if we got the full $5 billion, we still wouldn't come close to what we would have made in 20 years of fishing."
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/06/First_Exxon_Valdez
_payments_made/UPI-85631228594197/

Be sure that your accountant knows about the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Tax Treatment provisions that were passed by Congress – Thanks to Senator Murkowski!

2. State reveals data on fishing labor trends
LAINE WELCH, Anchorage Daily News
KODIAK -- An average of 7,260 commercial fishermen in Alaska are plying their trade each month. The commercial fishing population hits 20,137 at the salmon-season peak each summer. Add jobs in seafood processing, transportation, management and other support services and fishing industry-related jobs rise to at least 54,000 on average during the year.
Those are just a few of the findings revealed by the state Labor Department in the November issue of it "Alaska Economic Trends," which tracks employment in the fishing industry from 1988 through 2007…
http://www.adn.com/money/story/614496.html

&
Alaska still top fishing state, but crab jobs drop dramatically
By Margaret Bauman , Alaska Journal of Commerce
Alaska continues to hold its own as the nation's No. 1 fishing state, with salmon fisheries providing the most jobs. However, employment in the crab fishery has dropped substantially in part because that fishery was privatized, state economists say.
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/120708/hom_
20081207009.shtml

&
AK DOL Economic Trends Nov 2008: -Employment in Alaska's Fisheries
Alaska is still the No. 1 fishing state in the nation, a position it's held since 1975, based on the state's 2007 catch.
The catch was Alaska's third-highest in value since statehood and it's sixth-largest in volume…
http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/nov08.pdf

3. New Taku Mine Proposal – Comment deadline Dec. 22 Public meeting Dec 11.
On December 5, 2008 the State of Alaska released for public review and comment the following public notice, application materials and ACMP Start-up Packet relating to the Tulsequah Chief Taku River Barging Proposal. …
Redfern has proposed a transportation option that would use air cushion barges, towed by shallow draft tug during the aquatic season, and by amphibious tractors travelling over frozen gravel bars and ice during the non-aquatic (winter) season. There would be no barge operations during the freeze-up and break-up periods…

PUBLIC MEETING - Juneau
Thursday, December 11, 2008
6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Project Presentation and Discussion
Centennial Hall, Ballroom 3
101 Egan Dr.

Public Notice:
http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/largemine/tulsequah
/publicnotice.htm

Redfern submits Taku hoverbarge permits for mine
Company finishes access road to Tulsequah Chief site, expects production in late 2009
By Kate Golden | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Tulsequah Chief mine operator Redfern Resources Ltd. finished building a key road this week. And a year after first applying, the company is making progress on Alaska permits to travel on Taku River ice…
Redfern needs permits from Alaska only for barge operations in the winter, when the Taku's ice protects the juvenile fish underneath and acts as a corridor for wildlife…
A formal 30-day review clock is expected to start soon, during which the public can comment…
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/120408/loc_363531655.shtml

Alaska DNR Tulsequah Chief Mine home page: http://dnr.alaska.gov/m
lw/mining/largemine/tulsequah/index.htm

4. Alaska is battleground for Endangered Species Act – Bristol Bay Times
At the Resource Development Council’s annual conference in Anchorage, Denby Lloyd, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, projected a large map of the state on an overhead screen.
One at a time, swathes of red marking the habitat of Cook Inlet beluga whales, Steller’s sea lions, spectacled eiders, polar bears, Kittletz’s murrelet, bowhead whales, Aleutian shield fern, Lynn Canal herring and other species protected by the Endangered Species Act were layered on top of one another, encroaching further and further in on Alaska’s familiar coastline until all but a small bubble in the Interior remained…
In a session entitled “The Endangered Species Act: Should Alaska’s Natural Resource Economy be Listed as Endangered?” state, environmental and industry officials weighed in on the impact that new ESA regulations would shape Alaska’s future in resource development. It was perhaps appropriate that what loomed largest in the panel discussion was the Arctic’s most massive land-based predator, the polar bear.
http://thebristolbaytimes.com/news/show/4088

5. NOAA fisheries exec Balsiger upbeat about Obama administration
SEATTLE — With the presidential inauguration just weeks away, national fisheries officials are talking with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team and expressing optimism…
Balsiger made note of an exclusive interview Obama gave to Sport Fishing magazine in September, in which the president-elect said his administration “would place the emphasis in fishery management where it belongs: in ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of stocks through the use of effective and appropriate conservation measures. Balsiger said that American fisheries are in crisis particularly on the East Coast. “You need to know when to stop fishing. You need a hard cap” (on the harvest), he said…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/113008/hom
_20081130005.shtml

We read the Sport Fishing Magazine piece by Obama and we applaud President-Elect Obama on this passage – though is shows he’s not familiar with the situation here in Alaska:
“…Given sufficient management controls and data, a fishery can meet conservation objectives througha variety of catch controls and habitat-protection measures, including gear restrictions, bag limits, or closures. In some cases, additional conservation measures may need to be taken to ensure a positive recreational marine-fishing experience for future generations of Americans. Recreational fishermen have not shirked from embracing such measures when needed to achieve long-term stock sustainability…”

Seems like our next president never heard of Alaska’s charter industry –suing at every opportunity to block bag limit reduction despite drastically exceeding their harvest limits - at the same time we see drastic cuts in allowable harvest.

6. Commercial fishing frenzy criticized – AK & Quotas praised
It's known as the “race for fish” – the free-for-all at the start of each commercial season in which those who catch the most fish the fastest get the biggest payday.
Fresh, wild vermillion rockfish were for sale at Point Loma Seafoods.
The strategy often leads to huge loads of wasted seafood, unsafe fishing conditions and the depletion of ocean ecosystems worldwide, according to a report to be released today by a bipartisan group of politicians, scientists and policymakers, including California's secretary of resources…
Individual fishing quotas have been adopted in Australia and Iceland and are credited with helping revive the Alaska halibut industry.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/2008
1113-9999-1n13fish.html
&
Environmental Defense report: Unique Opportunity to Restore Oceans
Prominent leaders and experts lay out clear path to fix bad regulations and revitalize America's fisheries: http://m.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=8765

7. Commission proposes cuts for Southeast halibut catch
Staff recommending smaller fishing limits for most of Alaska
By Kate Golden | JUNEAU EMPIRE
For the third year in a row, Southeast Alaska fishermen are faced with a cut in the halibut catch limit.
International Pacific Halibut Commission staff released draft recommendations last week for a 2009 catch of 4.47 million pounds, a 28 percent reduction from this year's 6.21 million pounds.
"There's no question that this is fairly painful right now," said Bruce Leaman, the commission's director.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/120208/loc
_362706184.shtml

8. Halibut industry braces for more limits on their catch
By Margaret Bauman, Alaska Journal of Commerce
Halibut longliners and charter operators, particularly those in Southeast Alaska, are bracing for further cuts in catch limits when the International Pacific Halibut Commission meets Jan. 13-16 in Vancouver, British Columbia…
The biggest recommended reduction would be in regulatory area 2C, in Southeast Alaska, where the recommendation is to cut the catch limit from 6.21 million pounds to 4.47 million pounds.

In Area 3A, in Southcentral Alaska, the recommendation is to cut catch limits from 24.22 million pounds to 22.53 million pounds.

Alaska's western gulf region, area 3B, would see an increased allowable catch, up from 10.90 million pounds in 2008 to 11.67 million pounds in 2009.

Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association in Sitka, said halibut longline fishermen in Southeast Alaska “were pretty well staggered” by the IPHC staff recommendations…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/120708/hom_
20081207013.shtml

APRN Audio: Halibut limits reduced again; may spark legal battle
The International Pacific Halibut Commission announced another significant reduction in the halibut harvest for next year. The cutback will be a heavy blow, especially for commercial longliners in Southeast who’ve seen their quotas cut steadily over the last 5 years. Lower halibut abundance in Southeast waters could also set the stage for another legal battle for charter halibut fishermen opposed to a reduction in the daily bag limit for their clients…
http://aprn.org/2008/11/26/halibut-limits-reduced-again
-may-spark-legal-battle/

9. Fish & Game releases preliminary summary of 2008 salmon season
By The Department of Fish and Game | Capital City Weekly
JUNEAU - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its preliminary estimates on Nov. 14 for the 2008 commercial salmon harvest and for the value of that harvest to commercial fishermen.

The estimates are preliminary and revised estimates will be produced in 2009 after all fish ticket data have been finalized and processors have submitted annual reports, which include the final prices paid for salmon in 2008.

Commercial fishermen harvested 146 million salmon in 2008, the 16th largest harvest in Alaska's history of statehood. The 2008 harvest was 67 million fish less than the 2007 harvest of 213 million fish, 13.5 million fish above the preseason forecast of 132.5 million fish, and 27.3 million fish below the most recent 10 year average commercial harvest of 173 million salmon.

At $409.3 million, the value of the 2008 catch is higher than the most recent 10 year average of $289 million, and only $7.4 million less than fishermen earned in 2007, marking the second consecutive year since 1995 that the total value has exceeded $400 million.

Preliminary 2008 prices are showing increased value for Chinook, coho, pink, and chum salmon compared to the final 2007 prices. Only the preliminary sockeye salmon price in 2008 was slightly below that for 2007.

Chinook salmon prices increased from $3.07 per pound in 2007 to $4.28 per pound in 2008, while coho salmon prices increased from $0.96 per pound in 2007 to $1.21 per pound in 2008. Chum salmon prices increased from $0.34 cents per pound in 2007 to $0.53 cents per pound this year, and pink salmon prices were up by $0.10 cents per pound at $0.29. The preliminary statewide average price for sockeye salmon is $.78 per pound, two cents less than last year.
http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/120308/
out_363163875.shtml
&
Fish supply spawns lower catches, but holds on to world market – AK Journal of Commerce: http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/1
20708/hom_20081207032.shtml

10. ADN: Our view: Ted Stevens
He leaves office after a lifetime of making Alaska history
No public official in Alaska did more to make the state what it is today than Ted Stevens…
As late as 2006, Sen. Stevens drew kudos from that bastion of East Coast environmentalism, The New York Times, for his work on a national fisheries conservation measure that bears his name… http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/598816.html

UFA thanks Senator Stevens for a lifetime of work and leadership for Alaska and sustainable fisheries. We look forward to working with Senator Begich, Congressman Young and Senator Murkowski, with the help of non resident fishing families and their delegations.

11. Governor Appoints Karl Johnstone to Board of Fisheries
December 5, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today appointed Karl Johnstone to the Alaska Board of Fisheries…
“Alaska’s fisheries are a vital part of our culture and economy, which makes sound management critical,” Governor Palin said. “Karl will be a strong voice for protection of the resource and fairness to all users. His experience and judgment will be as asset to the board as they address many fishery management challenges.”

Johnstone, of Anchorage, is a retired superior court judge who has been an active sport fisherman in Alaska since 1967. He fished commercially for salmon in Bristol Bay and herring in Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska in the 1980s. Johnstone earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a juris doctorate in law from the University of Arizona. He practiced law until 1979 when he was appointed superior court judge. Johnstone was appointed Presiding Judge of the Third Judicial District in 1990 and served in that position until his retirement. Since then he has had a limited practice as a lawyer, mediator and arbitrator.

Johnstone fills a public seat on the board left vacant when Jeremiah Campbell of Seward resigned. His term will run through June 30, 2009.
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1572

12. Governor Palin Announces Board Appointments – Forestry, BSFAB & NPAFC
November 18, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today announced appointments to the Alaska Board of Forestry and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, as well as her nominations to the Bering Sea Fishery Advisory Board and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission’s advisory panel.
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/archive.php?id=1551&type=1

13. NPFMC Agenda and Items for meeting Dec 8 - 16
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/1208Agenda.pdf
For Items for the December meeting see NPFMC home page at:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/

14. ADF&G 2008 Fish Expo Presentations on Bristol Bay Capacity posted
ADF&G hosted a “Conversation on Bristol Bay Processing Capacity” during the 2008 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle to provide a factual context for discussions taking place about Bay capacity and foregone harvest issues. The conference provided information on:
-an overview of the Bay sockeye forecasts and harvests;
-the statutory and regulatory requirements for authorization of an IWP;
-the history of Internal Waters Permits (IWPs) in Alaska;
-the Capacity Survey and recent changes made to the information collected to make it more responsive;
-issues from a commercial fishermen’s perspective;
-issues from a processor’s perspective; and
-the appropriate role of state government.

For documents and Powerpoints see:
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/finfish/
salmon/special/capacity_expo08.php

15. Alaska Sea Grant releases results of statewide fuel survey
Alaska fishermen netted by high fuel costs take steps both easy and drastic
Anchorage, Alaska—When Alaska diesel fuel prices surged past $5 a gallon this past summer, commercial fishermen fished less, skipped openings, fished closer to home, and in some cases quit fishing before the season ended, all in an effort to save money on fuel.
By far the most common belt-tightening step was to simply slow down…
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/08news/11-17-0
8fuel-survey-results.html

Alaska Marine Advisory Program Commercial Fishing Fuel Survey Results
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/recreation/fuel
-efficiency/index.html

16. Kodiak: Court OK for Navy sonar does not affect Gulf
A Nov. 12 Supreme Court ruling removing restrictions on sonar use off the coast of California will have no impact on the Navy’s decision to pursue sonar training in the Gulf of Alaska, according to a Navy spokeswoman.
“The Navy is preparing an environmental impact statement and has already held scoping meetings in Anchorage, Kodiak and Cordova,” Navy public relations specialist Sheila Murray said…
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=7040
&
Supreme Court Sides With U.S. Navy in Dispute Over Sonar Use, Whale Safety
Justices: National Security Strongly Outweighs Alleged Harm to Marine Mammalshttp://www.abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/SCOTUS/
story?id=6237114&page=1 (ABC)
& http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/08pdf/07-1239.pdf (Supreme Court ruling)

17. Bush Coal Mining Debris Rule Is Approved
WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday approved a final rule that will make it easier for coal companies to dump rock and dirt from mountaintop mining operations into nearby streams and valleys…
Joan M. Mulhern, a lawyer at Earthjustice, an environmental group, denounced the mining regulation.
“With less than two months left in power,” Ms. Mulhern said, “the Bush administration is determined to cement its legacy as having the worst environmental record in history.”
At issue, she said, is a type of mining in which “coal companies blast the tops off mountains to reach the seams of coal and then push the rubble into the adjacent valleys, burying miles of streams.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/washington/
03mining.html?ref=us

18. Beluga Chuitna strip coal mine calls out foes
• Chuitna coal mine idea troubles residents on both side of Cook Inlet
By Naomi Klouda, Homer Tribune
A small settlement across Cook Inlet at Beluga is hoping a reworked contract between the borough and a coal company will result in a fresh look at a troubling 21-year-old plan to a strip mine…
Cook Inletkeeper Executive Director Bob Shavelson considers the Chuitna project more imminent than the Pebble Project…
"The decision they make on this lease will either mock Cook Inlet into a cycle of coal develop or recognize the renewable fisheries resource is too important to squander."
http://www.homertribune.com/article.php?aid=3604

19. Alaska Water Permit Program Approved
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today approved the State of Alaska’s application to take over permitting authority for wastewater discharges under the Clean Water Act.
Wastewater discharge permits are issued to municipal sewage treatment plants, seafood processors, and to industrial facilities such as mines and certain oil and gas facilities. Until now, permits in Alaska were issued by the federal EPA. With this approval, Alaska joins 45 other states that run their own state permitting programs. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) will issue and enforce the permits. EPA will assume an oversight role…
Governor Palin Press release: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1541

20. Staking a Claim: The Battle for Bristol Bay
The quest for domestic sources of energy has legislators looking to waters off Alaska’s western coast. But do the potential benefits outweigh the risks to wildlife?
http://audubonmagazine.org/fieldnotes/fieldnotes0811
-webexclusives.html

UFA Scoping Comments for Comment on EIS for Lease Sale 214 in the North Aleutian Basin – October 16, 2008 (.pdf): http://www.ufa-fish.org/doc/UFA%20Comment%20EIS%20101608.pdf
&
· Related Press release: United Fishermen of Alaska Calls for Fisheries Protections for North Aleutian Basin Oil and Gas Development (.pdf)
http://www.ufa-fish.org/press/2008-06%20UFA%20Calls%20
for%20Fisheries%20Protections%20in%20Offshore%20Oi..pdf

21. Bristol Bay: BLM Bay Plan and Record of Decision released to public
MARY LOCHNER, Bristol Bay Times
The Bureau of Land Management made public its record of decision for finalizing land conveyances and managing retained federal lands in the Goodnews Bay and Bristol Bay areas as promised last Friday.
The plan has drawn criticism from environmental, fishing, subsistence and other groups for creating a framework that allows industrial activity on lands that had previously been closed to development. Many of them are primarily concerned about potential mining activities on land that provides spawning areas for salmon, but habitat for plants and other animals are also at issue…
http://thebristolbaytimes.com/news/show/3977

BLM Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan for the Bay planning area in southwest Alaska - online at:
http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning/bay
_rmp_eis_home_page.html

Federal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-27026.htm

22. NY Times Profiles Fisheries advocate Alexandra Morton
Saving Wild Salmon, in Hopes of Saving the Orca
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/
04prof.html?ref=science

23. NY Times Opinion: The Protein Pyramid
Published: November 10, 2008
…The problem is that forage fish are the feedstock of marine mammals and birds and larger species of fish. In other words, farmed fish, pigs and poultry — and the humans who eat them — are competing for food directly with aquatic species that depend on those forage fish for their existence. It’s as if humans were swimming in schools in the ocean out-eating every other species.

The case is worse than that. When it comes to farmed fish, there is a net protein loss: it takes three pounds of fish feed to produce one pound of farmed salmon. This protein pyramid — small fish fed to farmed fish, pigs and poultry that are then fed to humans — is unsustainable. It threatens the foundation of oceanic life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/opinion/10mon
3.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin

24. Organic Standards - USDA Panel Approves First Rules For Labeling Farmed Fish 'Organic'
For the first time, a federal advisory board has approved criteria that clear the way for farmed fish to be labeled "organic," a move that pleased aquaculture producers even as it angered environmentalists and consumer advocates.

The question of whether farmed fish could be labeled organic -- especially carnivorous species such as salmon that live in open-ocean net pens and consume vast amounts of smaller fish -- has vexed scientists and federal regulators for years. The standards approved yesterday by the National Organic Standards Board would allow organic fish farmers to use wild fish as part of their feed mix provided it did not exceed 25 percent of the total and did not come from forage species, such as menhaden, that have declined sharply as the demand for farmed fish has skyrocketed…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008
/11/19/AR2008111903787.html?hpid=sec-nation

25. Kodiak area cod harvest at or above expectations
Kodiak Daily Mirror
The latest Alaska Department of Fish and Game Pacific cod update reports cod meeting or exceeding expectations in terms of effort and catch rates.
Wayne Donaldson of Fish and Game said he expects the fishery to remain open through the fall and possibly longer, depending on effort, weather conditions and the price of cod.
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=6925

26. Marine biologist Lee Alverson looks back
Lee Alverson has completed a memoir that chronicles his participation as researcher, bureaucrat and consultant in the dramatic transition of the U.S. and global fisheries…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008444787
_racetosea28.html

27. Gunman picks poor choices in Alaska robbery try – Fisherman & Hockey player
Police say Benjamin Galdo, an Alaska commercial fisherman, and Kyle Dickerson-Lockwood, an amateur hockey player, were confronted by an armed man while returning to their room at the Anchorage Sheraton early Monday morning…
Police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker says the suspect, 22-year-old Terry Butler of Anchorage, lost consciousness in the fray. Parker says Butler woke up in a closet with a hotel security guard standing over him.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeq
M5hunufLg0DopIfjSlpUI5d0gVjsEg

28. Global Food Alaska Recognition of Achievement Awards seeks nominations
The Global Food Alaska Recognition of Achievement Award is designed to acknowledge and profile the efforts of the Alaskan entrepreneur(s) who has persevered to build a sustainable and competitive business in food, beverage or bio products.

Award winners will be will be recognized for creating a successful business through the application of commitment, dedication, hard work, ingenuity and innovation while meeting Alaska's challenges of remoteness, geography, weather, technical know how, limited population base and infrastructure…
http://www.globalfoodcollaborative.com/pages/Recognition-of-
Achievement-%252d-Nomination-Form-.html

GLOBAL FOOD ALASKA - June 10 and 11, 2009 - Soldotna, Alaska
Global Food Alaska is designed to bring together the best of the best - buyers, suppliers and their supply chain partners. To accomplish the goals of stronger and better business we have developed an event that is designed for decision makers across the entire supply chain to come together under one roof for 2 full days…
http://www.globalfoodcollaborative.com/pages/Global-
Food-Alaska-2009.html

29. Greenpeace airs TV ad targeting pollock fishery
By Mary Pemberton | The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE - Greenpeace is taking to the airwaves to encourage a federal fisheries regulatory group to consider even more stringent catch limits on Alaska's pollock fishery - the nation's largest fishery…
The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council has recommended a commercial pollock catch limit of 815,000 metric tons in 2009, or a nearly 19 percent cut from 2008. A decision is expected next week.
The catch limit needs to be reduced to 500,000 metric tons at most, said George Pletnikoff, Alaska ocean campaigner for Greenpeace and a former commercial fisherman…

Pletnikoff said overfishing of pollock has led to declines in Steller sea lions and fur seals…

"We know that is not true," said Jane DiCosimo, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council's senior groundfish plan coordinator. "There are no overfished groundfish stock in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska or Aleutian Islands. None are near being overfished."

DiCosimo said catch limits were reduced in 2007 and 2008 but are expected to rebound in 2010 if the number of young fish continues to increase.

The downturn was expected, said David Benton, executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance in Juneau, a group representing commercial fishermen and processors.

"Despite this cyclic trend, the pollock resource is still healthy and it will remain healthy as long as we continue to follow our scientists' recommendations. That approach is why Alaska is respected around the globe as a model of fishery management," Benton said.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/120308/
sta_363099830.shtml

30. NOAA Fisheries Fish Stocks Sustainability Index (FSSI) 2008 3rd Quarter Update
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/domes_fish/StatusoFisheries
/2008/3rdQuarter/Q32008FSSISummaryChanges.pdf

31. MSC reiterates Alaska Pollock sustainable
MSC reiterates fishery certified as sustainable in response to Greenpeace claims that stock is in danger of collapse..

Dec. 8, 2008 (Seattle, WA) – The Alaska pollock fishery remains certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) independent third-party certification system despite Greenpeace USA’s campaign to raise doubts about the status of the fishery.

Commercial seafood buyers and consumers around the world who rely on MSC to provide assurance that they are sourcing sustainably caught seafood should be confident that the Alaska pollock fishery continues to be certified to the MSC’s widely accepted and rigorous scientific standard.
MSC Press release of December 8 should be posted soon at: http://www.msc.org/

32. NOAA Finds Decline in Pollock; Recommends Catch Cut to Council
NOAA has released new scientific information showing a decline in the walleye pollock biomass that has the agency recommending a cut to the pollock catch for 2009 in the eastern Bering Sea.
"Although the pollock biomass was well above average in the 1990s, our surveys show a substantial decline in recent years," said Doug DeMaster, science and research director for NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. "The stock has been closely monitored and management decisions have historically followed sound conservation principles. We anticipate lower catch limits for 2009…"
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2008/pollock.htm

33. Alaskan Steller Sea Lion Count Reported
NOAA scientists have completed their analysis of 2008 Steller sea lion survey results.
"This year’s numbers reinforce last year’s incomplete survey," said Doug DeMaster, Director of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. "With increased counts in some places and decreases in others, the overall trend since 2004 in Alaska’s western population of Steller sea lions is stable or declining slightly...”
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2008/stellercount.htm

34. Friend of the Sea becomes main aquaculture sustainability standard
Friend of the Sea sustainability certification has become the most requested international aquaculture industry standard, with a total Metric Tons of certified origins three times the metric tons of organic aquaculture products.
http://www.growfish.com.au/content.asp?contentid=12554

35. ASMI shares tips on sourcing sustainable seafood
http://www.monkeydish.com/alaska-seafood-landing-page/a
laska-seafood-shares-tips-on-sourcing-sustainable-seafood.ht
ml?ad=14342ac

36. NOAA Fisheries draft document on Chinook salmon bycatch –Comment by Feb 3, 2009
NOAA Fisheries has released a draft environmental impact statement that proposes methods of reducing the number of Chinook salmon accidentally caught by Bering Sea pollock fishermen.
"The comment period ends on February 3, 2009," said Doug Mecum, Acting Administrator for the Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries. "We hope people will take time to study the Bering Sea Chinook Salmon Bycatch Management Draft Environmental Impact Statement and give us their thoughts." Managers are seeking ways to limit the accidental salmon 'bycatch' in order to conserve Chinook salmon, maintain a healthy ecosystem, and provide maximum benefit to fishermen and communities that depend on Chinook salmon and pollock.
For a copy of the Bering Sea Chinook Salmon Bycatch Management Draft Environmental Impact Statement go to: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/bycatch/

NOAA Press Release:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2008/salmon
bycatch120208.htm

37. Pesticide restrictions challenged
The full impact of new federal restrictions on three common pesticides remains murky, but several agricultural and pesticide groups are wary of the science used to justify the rules.
The National Marine Fisheries Service announced the new restrictions Tuesday, Nov. 18, as part of a final biological opinion on the effects malathion, chlorpyrifos and diazonin have on salmon species in parts of Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho.
The opinion would require farmers to establish 1,000-foot buffer zones around salmon-bearing streams for aerial applications of the pesticides and 500-foot buffer zones for ground applications, among other restrictions…
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionI
D=617&ArticleID=46578&TM=51830.25

NOAA Press release: NOAA Biological Opinion on Pesticides Recommends Buffers to Protect Salmon
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20081118_
pesticides.html

38. Critical Habitat Revisited - Researchers Develop Predictive Model to Improve Legislation
Federal laws that designate so-called Critical Habitat have played a key role in conserving marine mammals in Alaska, but the information they are based on is now dated. Consortium researchers have used more recent knowledge to better predict the occurrence of sea lions at sea, providing policy makers with new tools to refine and update current legislation designating Critical Habitat…
http://www.marinemammal.org/2008/gregr_trites.php

39. A Feast of Fur Seals - Studying killer whale predation in the Pribilof Islands
This past summer, a research team headed by veteran killer whale researcher Craig Matkin ventured to the Pribilof Islands, a cluster of five tiny islands in the heart of the Bering Sea that hosts the largest population of northern fur seals in the world. The team’s goal was to investigate whether predation by mammal-eating transient killer whales is having an effect on the already-declining numbers of fur seals in the Pribilofs…
Living aboard a 45-foot research boat for five-and-a-half weeks, the research team logged 35 research days between July 5 and August 13. With the help of a land-based sightings network set up by local biologists Bruce Robson and Phil Zavidil, Matkin and his research partner, John Durban, tallied a total of 22 kills or harassments of fur seals, 10 of which were certain kills…
http://www.marinemammal.org/2008/matkin.php

40. Fishing Company of Alaska to Pay Nearly $450,000 Settlement for Alaska Fisheries Violations
NOAA’s Office of the General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation has announced a settlement agreement with the Fishing Company of Alaska and the captains and the owner of the F/V Alaska Juris for fisheries violations occurring from 2002 through 2004.
The Fishing Company of Alaska, Leon J. Duvall, Christian Ralph Thome Jr., Brian Madruga, and Alaska Juris Inc. agreed to pay $449,700 to settle the charges against them. They admitted violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, including interfering with observer sampling, tampering with observer gear, failing to assist observers, mishandling prohibited species, fishing in a habitat conservation area, and fishing during a closed period.
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2008/olefishcoofAK.pdf

41. Klamath announcement signals major progress in dam fight
Statement by The Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath Tribes - Eureka Times-Standard
On November 13th Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and PacifiCorp CEO Greg Abel announced an Agreement in Principle (AIP) to remove the lower four Klamath Dams. This represents a major milestone in our struggle to restore the Klamath River.
The AIP represents a framework that will guide negotiations toward a final agreement. Although non-binding, PacifiCorp has made strong public statements that they are committed to reaching a final and binding dam removal agreement in coming months with Tribes and other stakeholders…
http://www.times-standard.com/othervoices/ci_11020848

42. NOAA Releases an Additional $70 Million in Disaster Aid to West Coast Salmon Fishing Industry
November 17, 2008
NOAA’s Fisheries Service announced today it is making an additional $70 million in disaster-relief aid available to West Coast salmon fishermen, completing a financial-assistance package announced in September, when the agency released $100 million in disaster assistance.
The agency will provide the money to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The commission is distributing the money to fishermen and related businesses affected by this year’s closure of the ocean salmon fishing season off California, Oregon, and Washington based on agreements with the three West Coast states…
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/
20081125_salmon.html

43. Laine Welch's Fish Radio –Topics from this week
Monday 12/8/08 - Arrowtooth fishery changes proposed, mushy riddle solved.
Friday 12/5/08 - Pollock on the menu at Fairbanks and Kenai schools
Thursday 12/4/08 - Pay up time for AK halibut, sablefish, crab IFQ holders
Wednesday 12/3/08 - Harvest outlook for groundfish; Bristol Bay salmon at Wal-Mart!
Tuesday 12/2/08 - Fishing employment, 1988-2007 Listen Online at:
http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm
& also see Laine Welch's Fish Factor at http://www.kinyradio.com/fishfactor.html

44. NOAA posts National MPA System Framework
Notice of availability of the final Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas of the United States and response to comments on Revised Draft Framework…
SUMMARY: NOAA and the Department of the Interior (DOI) jointly propose the Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas of the United States (Framework), as required by Executive Order 13158 on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This Framework provides overarching guidance for collaborative efforts among federal, state, commonwealth, territorial, tribal and local governments and stakeholders to develop an effective National System of MPAs (national system) from existing sites, build coordination and collaborative efforts, and identify ecosystem-based gaps in the protection of significant natural and cultural resources for possible future action by the nation's MPA authorities. The document further provides the guiding principles, key definitions, goals, and objectives for the National System, based on the breadth of input received from MPA stakeholders and governmental partners around the nation over the past several years, and two public comment periods.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-27143.htm

45. BSAI Crab Program – comment deadline Jan 26 on post delivery quota transfer Amendment 28
Amendment 28 would modify the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP) and the CR Program to allow unlimited post–
delivery transfers of all classes of individual fishing quota and individual processing quota. This action is necessary to improve the flexibility to the fleet, reduce the number of violations for overages, reduce enforcement costs, and allow for more complete harvest of allocations. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson–Stevens Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.
DATES: Comments on the amendment must be received by November 25, 2008 January 26, 2009 (Corrected in Federal Register December 5).
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-28015.pdf

BSAI Crab Plan home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/
crab/default.htm

46. NOAA Science Advisory Board Draft report: Integrating Social Science
into NOAA Planning, Evaluation And Decision-Making
A review of implementation to date and recommendations for improving effectiveness
Report of the Social Science Working Group to the NOAA Science Advisory Board

NOAA Research (OAR) publishes this notice on behalf of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) to announce the availability of the draft report of the SAB Social Science Working Group (here called SSWG) for public comment. The draft report of the SSWG has been prepared pursuant to the request initiated from the NOAA for an external panel
of experts to carry out an independent review of current social science research conducted by NOAA and examine how the results of the research are being developed and incorporated into the operations of NOAA.

DATES: Comments on this draft report must be received by December 26,
2008.

Federal register Notice:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-28008.htm

Draft Report
http://www.sab.noaa.gov/Reports/SSWG.pdf

47. Deadline January 23 for Nominations – NOAA Environmental Information Services Working Group
The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere requested the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) to obtain input from a standing working group, the Environmental Information Services Working Group (EISWG), as a mechanism to address interactions between NOAA and its Partners. The initial focus of the EISWG is to advise on issues raised and enhance effective collaboration between the National Weather Service and its partners. The composition of the Working Group will
reflect those interests.
The EISWG will be composed of 15-18 members, who, by reason of knowledge, experience or training, are especially qualified to represent users of NOAA environmental information services, including, but not limited to, the commercial weather industry (both value-added and end-users), academia, and the media. Membership may also include representatives of federal, state and regional government agencies and non-governmental agencies. NOAA is requesting nominations for membership in the SAB EISWG.

DATES: Nominations must be received by January 23, 2009.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-27973.htm

48. Comment by December 15 on SE AK Transportation Plan
The first step in our review process is nearly complete! Public response during the mission, goals and objectives review was robust. The Department has carefully considered all comments and has incorporated those considerations into the development of a draft version of an updated Mission Statement and Goals.

Southeast Alaska Mission Statement and Goals 2004
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdplng/projectinfo/ser/newwave/
SATP_FINAL/assets/SATP_Mission_Statement.pdf

Draft Southeast Alaska Mission Statement and Goals 2009
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdplng/projectinfo/ser/newwave/
SATP_FINAL/assets/DraftMissionStatement.pdf

Please submit feedback through "Submit Your Comments" by December 15, 2008. Comment page:
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdplng/projectinfo/ser/newwave/
SATP_FINAL/thoughts3.shtml

SATP home page: http://dot.alaska.gov/stwdplng/projectinfo/ser/
newwave/SATP_FINAL/index.shtml

49. Ocean Acidification - Online Survey for Cordova Ocean Sciences Bowl Team
The Cordova Ocean Sciences Bowl team… have developed an online survey to help with a research paper they are writing as part of the Ocean Sciences Bowl competition.

The topic is Ocean Acidification. You need not know anything about this topic to participate.

Heres the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=8tDO2c604FfS
fGOyepSLAA_3d_3d

Please, if you can spare 2 minutes to complete the very brief online survey, you will do your part to ensure the Cordova Ocean Sciences Bowl team has adequate information to complete their research paper.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact: lindsay@pwssc.gen.ak.us

50. Applications for Alaska Fishermen’s Memorial in Juneau. Applications for engraving names on the Memorial are available on line and should be submitted by April 15, 2009.. http://www.juneau.org/harbors/documents/2
009APPLICATIONFORENGRAVINGNAME.pdf

51. Deadline January 30 for NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program
NOAA announces the Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program for FY 2009, and sets forth eligibility criteria and selection guidelines for the program. The Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program was established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (Pub. L. 108-447). This Scholarship Program will provide approximately 100 undergraduate applicants selected for the program with scholarships to participate in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education. There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards to all qualified applicants.

DATES: Completed applications must be received by January 30, 2009, at
5 p.m. eastern standard time…
Federal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-28991.htm
Hollings Scholarship home page: http://www.orau.gov/NOAA/HollingsScholarship/

52. IPHC posts Halibut Staff Preliminary Catch Limit Recommendations: 2009
With the exceptions of Areas 2C, 4A, and 4D commercial catch per unit effort (CPUE) in 2008 decreased from 2007 values. The 2008 IPHC setline survey CPUE values increased in Areas 2B, 4A, 4B, and 4D but decreased in all other areas. These fluctuations were generally in the ±10% range…
For Areas 2, 3A, 4A, and 4CDE the staff recommends catch limits that are lower by one-half of the difference between 2008 catch limits and the estimated fishery CEYs for 2009…
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/
2008/nr20081125.htm

53. NMFS posts Halibut and Sablefish IFQ cost recovery fees for 2009
NMFS publishes IFQ standard prices for the individual fishing quota (IFQ) cost recovery program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut and sablefish IFQ permits with the 2008 standard prices and fee percentage to calculate the required payment for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2009…
DATES: Effective December 4, 2008.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-28721.htm

54. NMFS – MMS List of Fisheries for 2009
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2009, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The final LOF for 2009 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine
mammals…
Information regarding the LOF and the Marine Mammal Authorization Program, including registration procedures and forms, current and past LOFs, observer requirements, and marine mammal injury/mortality reporting forms and submittal procedures, may be obtained at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/interactions/lof/ , or from any NMFS Regional Office..
Federal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-28378.htm

55. NMFS posts 2009-2010 GOA Groundfish harvest specs – Comment by Jan 2, 2009
NMFS proposes 2009 and 2010 harvest specifications, reserves and apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2009
and 2010 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

DATES: Comments must be received by January 2, 2009…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-28617.htm

56. NMFS posts final rule requiring boarding ladders if freeboard exceeds four feet.
NMFS publishes regulations to require operators of domestic fishing vessel with a freeboard of four feet or over to provide a U.S. Coast Guard-approved pilot ladder as a safe and enforceable means for authorized personnel to board fishing vessels in carrying out their duties…
The final rule requires the use of a pilot ladder on all fishing vessels with a freeboard of 4 ft (1.25 m) and defines the term ``freeboard'' for this rule. Because the definition of freeboard is now defined as the distance between the top rail of the gunwale and the water's surface, some vessels that did not need to provide a ladder before will have to provide a ladder under this rule…
The term freeboard, as it applies to this rule, is measured at the time the vessel is boarded, and is a physical measurement of the vessel at the lowest point of sufficient width to accommodate a boarding. The measurement cannot be pre-determined at the dock or the marine architects' office, because loading conditions (i.e., fuel state and catch onboard) and weather are constantly changing. It remains the fishing vessel operator's responsibility to provide a pilot ladder when conditions exist that require one…
Federal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-27221.htm

57. NMFS corrects Subsistence Halibut area for Village of Kanatak
NMFS issues a final rule to amend the subsistence fishery rules for members of an Alaska Native tribe eligible to harvest Pacific halibut in waters in and off Alaska for customary and traditional use. The action correctly defines the location of Village of Kanatak tribal headquarters and International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC)
halibut regulatory area (Area) in which the tribe's members may subsistence fish. The action would change the tribe's headquarters from Egegik to Wasilla and the corresponding Area from 4E to Area 3A. The intent of this action is to remove restrictions on participation of Village of Kanatak tribal members in traditional subsistence fisheries for Pacific halibut by correcting the tribe's headquarters to its actual location in Wasilla…
DATES: Effective December 31, 2008.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-28461.htm

58. Federal Subsistence Board to Meet in Anchorage January 13-15
The Federal Subsistence Board will meet Jan. 13-15, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Egan Civic and Convention Center, 555 W. 5th Ave., Anchorage. The Board will consider 12 proposals to change Federal subsistence fishing regulations for the 2009-2010 regulatory years. The public is welcome at this meeting.
The Board has deferred action on two additional proposals concerning Yukon River gillnet mesh size and depth (FP09-12 and -13) to a public meeting, tentatively scheduled for April 29-30…
See December 5 press release at http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news.cfml
For Federal Subsistence Fisheries Proposals see: http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/public.cfml

59. Deadline Jan. 9 for Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Nominations, Applications
The Office of Subsistence Management is accepting applications and nominations to fill seats on the 10 Regional Advisory Councils that advise the Federal Subsistence Board. The deadline to submit applications is January 9, 2009.

The councils meet twice yearly and advise the Federal Subsistence Board on subsistence management regulations and policies. They also serve as a forum for regional public involvement in Federal subsistence management. Council members must be knowledgeable about fish and wildlife uses in their region.

For an application or additional information, please contact Michelle Chivers at the Office of Subsistence Management at (800) 478-1456 or (907) 786-3877.

See Nov 21 Press release at http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/news.cfml

60. NPRB call for Pre-Proposals for 2009 – focus on GOA – deadline January 28.
The North Pacific Research Board is launching its second Integrated Ecosystem Research program (IERP), this one with the focus in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). In summary, the Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research program revolves around this overarching question:
How do environmental and anthropogenic processes, including climate change, effect various trophic levels and dynamic linkages among trophic levels, with particular emphasis on fish and fisheries, marine mammals, and seabirds within the Gulf of Alaska?
http://www.nprb.org/science/goa_ierp.html

NPRB Home page: http://www.nprb.org/

61. 2009 Pacific Salmon Commission Post Season Meeting: January 14, 2009, Vancouver
Commencing at 9:00am, Junior C Ballroom, Sheraton Wall Centre, Vancouver, BC. Draft Agenda:
http://www.psc.org/Meetings/Draft_Agenda_Open_
Meeting_January_2009.pdf
PSC home page: http://www.psc.org/

Previous items, still with time to comment

62. Alaska Board Of Fisheries 2009 Call For Proposals – deadline April 10, 2009
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a
8925672a0060a91b/1f99857e437cd888892574f0005bf4b9
?OpenDocument

BOF announcement:
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/meetinfo/2008
-2009/propcall-2009.pdf

63. Deadline Dec 15 on DNR Call for New Information – AK Peninsula Oil and Gas
DNR Public Notice:
http://www.dog.dnr.state.ak.us/oil/products/publications/ak
peninsula/2009/AKPencall_newinfo2009.pdf

64. USCG F/V Safety comment deadline extended to Dec 15, http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18532.htm

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Federal Register Notice March 31:
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

UFA Comments: http://www.ufa-fish.org/doc/UFA%20response%
20to%20Advance%20Notice%20FV%20Safety%20Regs%20072
908.pdf