By James A. Cole
A recent visit I made to Puget Island on the Columbia River rewarded me with impressions and stories that went beyond the subject of Columbia River fishing vessels. Puget Island is across from Cathlamet, Washington, approximately 40 miles from the river’s mouth. It was the home of a number of boat builders and fishermen who fished mostly in the Columbia River and Bristol Bay, Alaska gillnet fisheries. Most of them were Norwegians who settled there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and many of their third generation descendants are still on the island.
The Lower Columbia River is also populated by Finns who chose Astoria, Oregon and the Washington side of the river (known as the Northshore), and Italians, Greeks, and Slavs, who settled in Clifton, Oregon downstream of Puget Island. All of these groups started by clearing the land. Some families went on to become farmers; others became fishermen or boat builders, having only a vegetable garden, some fruit trees, a cow or two, a pig, and some chickens.
Some of the boat building families on Puget Island were the Andersons, Blixes, Enges, Gilbertsons, Johnsons, Nelsons, the Rennes and Don Drew who came later. The reason for my visit was to learn about the fishing and boat building, and I enjoyed visits with four men who are members of third generation Norwegian families - Rod Prestegard, Gilbert and Art Vik, and Dennis Blix. All of them share common experiences, such as having picked cucumbers on Puget Island cucumber farms during their youth. The cucumber farms are gone, and so is the custom of young people working “in the fields” during the summers.
But there still are signs of resourcefulness here. There are vintage flat bed trucks among the pick-ups, and some one-man sawmills because the men of Puget Island would retrieve logs that showed up on the island beaches when the river was high during the winter and spring rains. Some of the logs were choice, straight grain Douglas fir that had been cut in the higher elevations where the timber grows more slowly. This makes the grain more dense, and the wood is stronger and more durable. Many of the men who didn’t build boats for a living were capable of doing so, and occasionally would help someone get their boat built for the upcoming season.
Rod Prestegard is one of these. He lives on the shore of Cathlamet Channel on the Washington side of the island; his shop is across the road from his home. The shop is large and has been the site of some interesting projects - one of them was the building of the vintage design sailing gillnetter, seen here hitched to a vintage tractor. This boat is a classic 26-foot by 8-foot by 3-foot double-ender. The design was taken from a half-model made by Marcus Gilbertson from lines done by Dennis Blix’s grandfather Sigurd. Rod built the hull, the hollow mast and the spars in about 2003, and the workmanship is first class. The deck is straight grain Douglas fir from a log that Rod pulled out of the river, dried and cut into lumber. It had been a float log for some time and was from an old growth tree that must have been cut up in the mountains. The annual rings of the grain are about 1/16-inch apart.
Rod offered to move the gillnetter and trailer out of the shop so that I could take some pictures. He did it with panache by hitching up to the trailer with a fully restored vintage Ford tractor. The one lung engine in this beautiful boat is a 4 HP, Frisco Standard gasoline engine. Rod Prestegard claimed to not be a boat builder because he didn’t do it for a steady living. Other people I later talked to said that he was a boat builder alright, based on his skill if not the number of boats that he built.
That evening we visited Gilbert Vik, whose grandfather, John Vik, had come to Puget Island from Ulstein Vik, Norway in about 1913. Gilbert took us to the home of his uncle Art, who is 95 years old and lives up the road in a one room cottage that had been his net shed during his fishing days. This is on the Oregon side of Puget Island where you can look out at the main ship channel.
Art Vik started fishing on the Columbia River in 1934 in his father’s 26-foot gillnet boat that was built in 1917. He remembered that the hull was shallow and not blown around by the strong winds, which made it easier to pull the net in by hand. He went on to fish in Alaska for about 28 years in his own 32-foot gillnetter. After World War II, he built a new boat. His uncles framed it, Art and Marvel Blix planked it, and Art made the summer season in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
A visit with Dennis Blix was the last of the three stops on this trip. Dennis’s grandfather Sigurd started boat building on Puget Island using the skills that he brought from Norway. He became a major builder of gillnet boats which led his sons Marvel and Sankey to come into the business in the 1930s. Sigurd worked at the US Navy Shipyard in Vallejo, California during World War II and returned to Puget Island to resume boat building with his sons. Sigurd’s grandsons Jerry, Arvid and Dennis came into the business in the 1950s when the Blix Boat Building Company shop on Welcome Slough was built. Arvid Blix is still doing boat repair and although Dennis has left boat building and repair, he has built some fine models of the local boats.
I knew that this trip was going to be a good one because an old shipmate from my 1950s Coast Guard duty on the Oregon Coast joined me. We hadn’t seen each other in 42 years and he had as much fun as I did.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
California Waypoints - The Handwriting Is On the Wall
By John Hurwitz
In California the great salmon fishing days of the early decade are gone. If you’re a salmon fisherman and had a few good days up north, you may not agree. All right, I’ll give you that; but “up north” is only a small part of the overall salmon fishing grounds. We’ve just finished the 2010 Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) survey, which spanned the coast from Santa Barbara to Crescent City, and the results are outright disturbing.
Earlier this year the California Department of Fish & Game’s best thinkers came to the conclusion that there were at least 245,000 kings (Chinook salmon, or Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) available for taking this year. I don’t know how they came up with these numbers, I’m pretty sure they have scientific types like marine biologists and such on their staff. I presume they’re involved in the process of setting sustainable season fish catches and thereby set the season or no season accordingly. I imagine they collaborate with other like-minded agencies like NOAA/NMFS/PFMC to obtain a consensus about the abundance of the Chinook salmon in California. They probably even ask the Pew Foundation! Who the heck is the Pew Foundation anyway? They seem to have an opinion on just about everything else in the world and have a willing spokesperson to step up at any press conference to voice that opinion. When I was growing up in this fishing business, “Pew,” is what you said after you discovered some old stinking bait hiding in the hold. I get the same reaction each time I hear what Pew thinks about some issue directing our lives today. If anybody out there knows who Pew is, please send me an email. I’ve been fishing so hard for one or two of those 245,000 salmon I haven’t had time to research it. This is not meant to lay blame on Pew. After all, we have our own government to deal with…state legislators, the state Department of Water Resources, the US Bureau of Reclamation, etc.
The frustration I feel is mirrored by so many of my counterparts. Fishermen, be it nearshore, crab, salmon, etc, are trying to ascertain and perform to a reasonable sustainable standard. Yet in fishery after fishery, there always seems to be a barrier to enacting the needed changes on a timely basis.
This summer the bill outlining California crab pot limits failed. Why? Because someone wanted it to fail. Who do you suppose that someone is? All the fishermen I work with wanted this bill and representative from Half Moon Bay worked hard to make it happen. Could it be that someone scuttled this bill to protect a special interest? A special interest with deep pockets? Or maybe not so nefarious, are we playing in someone else’s sandbox? Are these suggested proposals just too close to some agency’s span of control? Can’t do that. Perhaps, there’s just no will to fight the larger bureaucracies, not this year, maybe next.
So this bill goes away, who would care? Who would be hurt financially if they could fish no more than 500 pots? Gosh, can’t think of soul, can you? Can there be boats out there that make so much money fishing 1,000-2,500 pots that they can spend it to defeat this pot limit bill? Could it be that people or processors own more than one boat and are really fishing all that gear? Gee, a boat must have to fish day and night to get through all that gear. How does a bill on “No Night Crabbing”, along with another pot limit bill, sound to you? The pot limit proposal sounded reasonable and remarkably it took a lot of concessions and compromise to achieve the final version; for this the participants should be commended. The results were unfortunately poor. Nothing’s changed. What are the chances that we poor 150-pot fishermen can mount a financial offensive sufficient enough to defeat the special interest guys? I think, none.
This is what I do know. The California salmon industry is in terrible trouble. If science prevails, (no guarantees), the powers that be won’t allow a sport or commercial salmon season in this state for a long time to come. The closures must be complete, even closing the rivers to fishing, especially when the salmon return to spawn. Oh my, another special interest I completely forgot about, guides, motels, bait and tackle shops, river towns, the CADFG licensing and revenue branch and on and on.
What if science does not prevail? What if season designers don’t look at the data from the GSI (genetic stock identification) surveys that have been conducted from north central California to Oregon from May through September? They could somehow have to convince themselves that: 1. The assigned fishermen in each port didn’t fish in the right spots or 2. These fishermen were not competent enough and thereby missed catching all those salmon that were supposed to be out there.
In the case of all the GSI fishermen, all were more than qualified to find and catch salmon, and possessed more than a thousand years of collective salmon fishing experience amongst them.
Unfortunately, either way it goes, the decline in salmon income to the fishermen intensifies the effort on our crab stocks. This may be catastrophic. With each crab season the number of crab is finite; so once those crab are caught there are no more to replace them. With no legal barrier to prevent overfishing, i.e. pot limits, night fishing, etc, we are looking at a future of diminishing returns and finally no seasons. This could be the future of both fisheries. Another happy thought! Even if all goes right, the pot limit bill passes, there’s more water for salmon and they return in sustainable numbers after an appropriate closure period, we have a new problem: Enforcement!
In California the great salmon fishing days of the early decade are gone. If you’re a salmon fisherman and had a few good days up north, you may not agree. All right, I’ll give you that; but “up north” is only a small part of the overall salmon fishing grounds. We’ve just finished the 2010 Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) survey, which spanned the coast from Santa Barbara to Crescent City, and the results are outright disturbing.
Earlier this year the California Department of Fish & Game’s best thinkers came to the conclusion that there were at least 245,000 kings (Chinook salmon, or Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) available for taking this year. I don’t know how they came up with these numbers, I’m pretty sure they have scientific types like marine biologists and such on their staff. I presume they’re involved in the process of setting sustainable season fish catches and thereby set the season or no season accordingly. I imagine they collaborate with other like-minded agencies like NOAA/NMFS/PFMC to obtain a consensus about the abundance of the Chinook salmon in California. They probably even ask the Pew Foundation! Who the heck is the Pew Foundation anyway? They seem to have an opinion on just about everything else in the world and have a willing spokesperson to step up at any press conference to voice that opinion. When I was growing up in this fishing business, “Pew,” is what you said after you discovered some old stinking bait hiding in the hold. I get the same reaction each time I hear what Pew thinks about some issue directing our lives today. If anybody out there knows who Pew is, please send me an email. I’ve been fishing so hard for one or two of those 245,000 salmon I haven’t had time to research it. This is not meant to lay blame on Pew. After all, we have our own government to deal with…state legislators, the state Department of Water Resources, the US Bureau of Reclamation, etc.
The frustration I feel is mirrored by so many of my counterparts. Fishermen, be it nearshore, crab, salmon, etc, are trying to ascertain and perform to a reasonable sustainable standard. Yet in fishery after fishery, there always seems to be a barrier to enacting the needed changes on a timely basis.
This summer the bill outlining California crab pot limits failed. Why? Because someone wanted it to fail. Who do you suppose that someone is? All the fishermen I work with wanted this bill and representative from Half Moon Bay worked hard to make it happen. Could it be that someone scuttled this bill to protect a special interest? A special interest with deep pockets? Or maybe not so nefarious, are we playing in someone else’s sandbox? Are these suggested proposals just too close to some agency’s span of control? Can’t do that. Perhaps, there’s just no will to fight the larger bureaucracies, not this year, maybe next.
So this bill goes away, who would care? Who would be hurt financially if they could fish no more than 500 pots? Gosh, can’t think of soul, can you? Can there be boats out there that make so much money fishing 1,000-2,500 pots that they can spend it to defeat this pot limit bill? Could it be that people or processors own more than one boat and are really fishing all that gear? Gee, a boat must have to fish day and night to get through all that gear. How does a bill on “No Night Crabbing”, along with another pot limit bill, sound to you? The pot limit proposal sounded reasonable and remarkably it took a lot of concessions and compromise to achieve the final version; for this the participants should be commended. The results were unfortunately poor. Nothing’s changed. What are the chances that we poor 150-pot fishermen can mount a financial offensive sufficient enough to defeat the special interest guys? I think, none.
This is what I do know. The California salmon industry is in terrible trouble. If science prevails, (no guarantees), the powers that be won’t allow a sport or commercial salmon season in this state for a long time to come. The closures must be complete, even closing the rivers to fishing, especially when the salmon return to spawn. Oh my, another special interest I completely forgot about, guides, motels, bait and tackle shops, river towns, the CADFG licensing and revenue branch and on and on.
What if science does not prevail? What if season designers don’t look at the data from the GSI (genetic stock identification) surveys that have been conducted from north central California to Oregon from May through September? They could somehow have to convince themselves that: 1. The assigned fishermen in each port didn’t fish in the right spots or 2. These fishermen were not competent enough and thereby missed catching all those salmon that were supposed to be out there.
In the case of all the GSI fishermen, all were more than qualified to find and catch salmon, and possessed more than a thousand years of collective salmon fishing experience amongst them.
Unfortunately, either way it goes, the decline in salmon income to the fishermen intensifies the effort on our crab stocks. This may be catastrophic. With each crab season the number of crab is finite; so once those crab are caught there are no more to replace them. With no legal barrier to prevent overfishing, i.e. pot limits, night fishing, etc, we are looking at a future of diminishing returns and finally no seasons. This could be the future of both fisheries. Another happy thought! Even if all goes right, the pot limit bill passes, there’s more water for salmon and they return in sustainable numbers after an appropriate closure period, we have a new problem: Enforcement!
West Coast Trawlers Prepare for Transition to Catch Shares Management
Fishermen communicate, cooperate and innovate in the face of major change
A group of West Coast commercial fishing organizations is taking unusual measures to prepare for changes to the West Coast trawl fishery. First they held a workshop in Santa Rosa, CA, that was attended by more than half of the West Coast trawl fleet, and now they're posting educational online videos to reach the other half.
To inform participants in the groundfish trawl industry as well as interested members of the public and the media, the West Coast Trawlers' Network is making available videos of trawl fishermen and other industry and policy experts delivering candid, real-world information on the changes coming to the West Coast in January, 2011. The videos present an unusual opportunity to hear from a broad range of experts addressing catch share management of the trawl fishery - a timely topic that affects nearly every West Coast fishing community.
The experts hail from widely diverse backgrounds, but every one of them is committed to building a strong and sustainable trawl fishery.
• Developing a Plan Under Catch Shares
• Rules of the Road: Regulatory Requirements Under the Catch Share System - A Practical Discussion of What Will Be Expected of Fishermen
• Managing Risks Associated with Constraining Species and Modifying Fishing Behavior
• Approaches for Maximizing Opportunity: Gear Modification, Handling Techniques, and Behavior Changes
• Approaches for Maximizing Opportunity - Mapping and Hotspot Management
• Managing Your Quota Portfolio: Trading, Tracking and Financing
• Strategies for Minimizing Observer and Other Costs
• Growing the Pie - Strategies for Improving Revenue
The links above lead to individual videos - this one will take you to the home page where you can browse among them: www.westcoasttrawlers.net .
DVDs of the educational videos will also be mailed to West Coast permit holders and vessel owners in November.
The West Coast Trawlers' Network is an informal association comprised of the Fisherman's Marketing Association , Midwater Trawler's Cooperative, Oregon Trawl Commission , Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative and United Catcher Boats .
Contact information for all participating experts is available at the website or by calling Scott Coughlin, at (206) 228-4141.
A group of West Coast commercial fishing organizations is taking unusual measures to prepare for changes to the West Coast trawl fishery. First they held a workshop in Santa Rosa, CA, that was attended by more than half of the West Coast trawl fleet, and now they're posting educational online videos to reach the other half.
To inform participants in the groundfish trawl industry as well as interested members of the public and the media, the West Coast Trawlers' Network
The experts hail from widely diverse backgrounds, but every one of them is committed to building a strong and sustainable trawl fishery.
• Developing a Plan Under Catch Shares
• Rules of the Road: Regulatory Requirements Under the Catch Share System - A Practical Discussion of What Will Be Expected of Fishermen
• Managing Risks Associated with Constraining Species and Modifying Fishing Behavior
• Approaches for Maximizing Opportunity: Gear Modification, Handling Techniques, and Behavior Changes
• Approaches for Maximizing Opportunity - Mapping and Hotspot Management
• Managing Your Quota Portfolio: Trading, Tracking and Financing
• Strategies for Minimizing Observer and Other Costs
• Growing the Pie - Strategies for Improving Revenue
The links above lead to individual videos - this one will take you to the home page where you can browse among them: www.westcoasttrawlers.net
DVDs of the educational videos will also be mailed to West Coast permit holders and vessel owners in November.
The West Coast Trawlers' Network is an informal association comprised of the Fisherman's Marketing Association
Contact information for all participating experts is available at the website or by calling Scott Coughlin, at (206) 228-4141.
North Coast Task Force Approves Unified MLPA Proposal
by Dan Bacher
A panel overseeing the creation of marine protected areas on the North Coast voted unanimously today to forward the unified proposal developed by Tribal, fishing and environmental stateholders to the Fish and Game Commission.
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) also unanimously passed a motion, made by BRTF member Roberta Cordero, affirming the uniqueness of tribal uses of ocean resources. The motion included a mutual reservation of rights by the state and California Tribes and Tribal communities.
In addition, the panel passed a motion, made by BRTF member Meg Caldwell, urging the state agencies to work with Tribes in the comanagement of marine protected areas, according to Annie Reisewitz of the MLPA Initiative. The Task Force also voted to forward an “enhanced compliance alternative” plan that aims to meet more science guidelines.
If adopted by the Commission, the unified proposal would result in about 13 percent of the North Coast region being restricted or closed to fishing and gathering, versus 16 to 20 percent in other regions of the state.
"The actions taken today really exemplified the unified voice that came from the North Coast communities and it was a nice ending to the MLPA process on the North Coast," said Reisewitz.
Jim Martin, West Coast Regional Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, said the approval of the single proposal represented a "tremendous effort by North Coast recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, Indian Tribes and Tribal Communities, local conservationists and local governments to come together."
On October 20, three counties, 10 cities and three harbor districts signed and sent a resolution to the state of California urging the adoption without modification of the unified array for marine protected areas developed by North Coast Tribal, fishing and environmental stakeholders.
Resolution endorsers include the Counties of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte and the cities of Monterey, Point Arena, Fort Bragg, Willits, Ukiah, Fortuna Eureka, Arcata, Trinidad and Crescent City. Other agencies signing onto the resolution include the Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District, Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District and Crescent City Harbor District.
Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata), who has been critical of the MLPA Initiative, urged the task force to adopt the single proposal.
"I believe that there are fundamental flaws in the way that the MLPA has been implemented," Chesbro told the panel. "The MLPA Initiative has not looked at the ecological differences betweeen regions in the state. They have no consideration of existing fishing regulations. I strongly urge that the unified proposal be adopted unchanged."
"The unified proposal is fragile like a soap bubble," quipped Martin, emphasizing the hundreds and hundreds of hours that were spent by Tribes, fishermen, seaweed harvesters, local governments and businesses to develop one proposal. "If you reach out and touch it, it will pop. The adoption of the proposal with no substantive changes is a huge victory for all of the North Coast communities who participated in the process."
Megan Rocha, Self-Governance Officer of the Yurok Tribe, applauded the resounding support for the unified proposal plus the recognition of tribal uses by the task force and the stakeholders.
"The Tribe now looks forward to working with the Department of Fish and Game, the Fish and Game Commission and the Legislature to resolve the tribal use issue," she said.
"The motion regarding the mutual reservation of rights by the Tribes and the state is really big, since early on in the process the state said it didn't have the authority to recognize tribal uses. Now we can move forward and recognize that the real issue is resource management, not quibbling over who has authority."
On July 21, over 300 members of 50 Indian Nations, recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, environmentalists, seaweed harvesters and community activists peacefully took over the previous Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting to protest the violation of tribal fishing and gathering rights under the MLPA.
Frankie Joe Myers, a Yurok Tribal ceremonial leader and organizer for the Coastal Justice Coalition that organized the direct action, said that he was glad that the task force adopted the unified proposal and made motions supporting traditional tribal gathering and co-management.
"It is close to what we are looking for," said Myers. "However, the proposal still has to go through the Fish and Game Commission - it's not over yet. As native people, we have seen time and time again where we sit down and agree on something and then what comes out in the end is nothing like we expected."
A panel overseeing the creation of marine protected areas on the North Coast voted unanimously today to forward the unified proposal developed by Tribal, fishing and environmental stateholders to the Fish and Game Commission.
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) also unanimously passed a motion, made by BRTF member Roberta Cordero, affirming the uniqueness of tribal uses of ocean resources. The motion included a mutual reservation of rights by the state and California Tribes and Tribal communities.
In addition, the panel passed a motion, made by BRTF member Meg Caldwell, urging the state agencies to work with Tribes in the comanagement of marine protected areas, according to Annie Reisewitz of the MLPA Initiative. The Task Force also voted to forward an “enhanced compliance alternative” plan that aims to meet more science guidelines.
If adopted by the Commission, the unified proposal would result in about 13 percent of the North Coast region being restricted or closed to fishing and gathering, versus 16 to 20 percent in other regions of the state.
"The actions taken today really exemplified the unified voice that came from the North Coast communities and it was a nice ending to the MLPA process on the North Coast," said Reisewitz.
Jim Martin, West Coast Regional Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, said the approval of the single proposal represented a "tremendous effort by North Coast recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, Indian Tribes and Tribal Communities, local conservationists and local governments to come together."
On October 20, three counties, 10 cities and three harbor districts signed and sent a resolution to the state of California urging the adoption without modification of the unified array for marine protected areas developed by North Coast Tribal, fishing and environmental stakeholders.
Resolution endorsers include the Counties of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte and the cities of Monterey, Point Arena, Fort Bragg, Willits, Ukiah, Fortuna Eureka, Arcata, Trinidad and Crescent City. Other agencies signing onto the resolution include the Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District, Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District and Crescent City Harbor District.
Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata), who has been critical of the MLPA Initiative, urged the task force to adopt the single proposal.
"I believe that there are fundamental flaws in the way that the MLPA has been implemented," Chesbro told the panel. "The MLPA Initiative has not looked at the ecological differences betweeen regions in the state. They have no consideration of existing fishing regulations. I strongly urge that the unified proposal be adopted unchanged."
"The unified proposal is fragile like a soap bubble," quipped Martin, emphasizing the hundreds and hundreds of hours that were spent by Tribes, fishermen, seaweed harvesters, local governments and businesses to develop one proposal. "If you reach out and touch it, it will pop. The adoption of the proposal with no substantive changes is a huge victory for all of the North Coast communities who participated in the process."
Megan Rocha, Self-Governance Officer of the Yurok Tribe, applauded the resounding support for the unified proposal plus the recognition of tribal uses by the task force and the stakeholders.
"The Tribe now looks forward to working with the Department of Fish and Game, the Fish and Game Commission and the Legislature to resolve the tribal use issue," she said.
"The motion regarding the mutual reservation of rights by the Tribes and the state is really big, since early on in the process the state said it didn't have the authority to recognize tribal uses. Now we can move forward and recognize that the real issue is resource management, not quibbling over who has authority."
On July 21, over 300 members of 50 Indian Nations, recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, environmentalists, seaweed harvesters and community activists peacefully took over the previous Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting to protest the violation of tribal fishing and gathering rights under the MLPA.
Frankie Joe Myers, a Yurok Tribal ceremonial leader and organizer for the Coastal Justice Coalition that organized the direct action, said that he was glad that the task force adopted the unified proposal and made motions supporting traditional tribal gathering and co-management.
"It is close to what we are looking for," said Myers. "However, the proposal still has to go through the Fish and Game Commission - it's not over yet. As native people, we have seen time and time again where we sit down and agree on something and then what comes out in the end is nothing like we expected."
A Special Evening of Southeast Alaska Seafood and Photography by Amy Gulick at the Burke Museum Tuesday, Nov.16
Braided River joins award-winning photographer Amy Gulick, Jon Rowley, Blueacre Seafood Restaurant and Steelhead Diner in presenting a special evening of Southeast Alaska seafood and photography at the Burke Museum of History and Culture 6:30-8:30 pm, November 16. The sumptuous feast of oysters, wild salmon, Dungeness crab, spot prawns, Firesteed and Cayalla wines, Alaskan Amber and more will celebrate Gulick’s stunning exhibit and book Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rain Forest.
The $75 ticket, which can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets until November 12, includes entry to the Burke Museum Salmon in the Trees photography exhibit, a signed copy of the book, tax, gratuity, and Southeast Alaska seafood feast by heralded chefs Kevin Davis and Anthony Polizzi. Proceeds benefit Braided River, a Seattle based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization—funding books, exhibits and events to engage citizens and preserve the last remaining wild places in western North America.
“We want this to be as much about enjoying the foods of the Tongass as viewing the photographs,” says Amy Gulick. “It is all interrelated. We want to make it fun and give people of like mind a chance to socialize. We are so pleased to be working with Chefs Kevin Davis and Anthony Polizzi, both fantastic wild salmon proponents and these guys can cook!
Salmon in the Trees is the stunning visual and written story of Amy Gulick’s multi-year journey as she treks and kayaks among bears, bald eagles, and salmon in the Tongass rain forest. The Tongass, which circumscribes the popular Inside Passage, is a rare forest where the original natural cycle of life is still intact and connected. And yes, salmon are in trees and trees in salmon as Salmon in the Trees, the exhibit and the book so beautifully document. Imagine Washington state’s wild rivers 200 years ago: this is the Tongass of today.
“The only chance salmon have is for us to protect their wild natural rivers,” says Blueacre’s Kevin Davis. “We are all about wild salmon in our future. It is an honor and privilege to support Amy’s work with our food at the Burke on November 16.”
The event is sponsored by an optimistic coalition of organizations and individuals who love wild salmon, and want to “give back to where we take from”: Braided River, Jon Rowley, Blueacre Seafood Restaurant, Steelhead Diner, Trout Unlimited, Alaska Wilderness League, Chase Jarvis, Bruce Gore, Ray Troll, Firesteed Cellars, Alaskan Brewing Company, Burke Museum, Caffé Vita and Mountaineers Books. The exhibit will be on display at the Burke from November 4 to February 13, 2011.
The $75 ticket, which can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets
“We want this to be as much about enjoying the foods of the Tongass as viewing the photographs,” says Amy Gulick. “It is all interrelated. We want to make it fun and give people of like mind a chance to socialize. We are so pleased to be working with Chefs Kevin Davis and Anthony Polizzi, both fantastic wild salmon proponents and these guys can cook!
Salmon in the Trees is the stunning visual and written story of Amy Gulick’s multi-year journey as she treks and kayaks among bears, bald eagles, and salmon in the Tongass rain forest. The Tongass, which circumscribes the popular Inside Passage, is a rare forest where the original natural cycle of life is still intact and connected. And yes, salmon are in trees and trees in salmon as Salmon in the Trees, the exhibit and the book so beautifully document. Imagine Washington state’s wild rivers 200 years ago: this is the Tongass of today.
“The only chance salmon have is for us to protect their wild natural rivers,” says Blueacre’s Kevin Davis. “We are all about wild salmon in our future. It is an honor and privilege to support Amy’s work with our food at the Burke on November 16.”
The event is sponsored by an optimistic coalition of organizations and individuals who love wild salmon, and want to “give back to where we take from”: Braided River, Jon Rowley, Blueacre Seafood Restaurant, Steelhead Diner, Trout Unlimited, Alaska Wilderness League, Chase Jarvis, Bruce Gore, Ray Troll, Firesteed Cellars, Alaskan Brewing Company, Burke Museum, Caffé Vita and Mountaineers Books. The exhibit will be on display at the Burke from November 4 to February 13, 2011.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
New California Sea Grant Director
California Sea Grant is pleased to announce the selection of its new director, Dr. James E. Eckman, a biological oceanographer and longtime senior science administrator at the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Virginia.
"Jim Eckman brings a fine mix of stellar leadership skills and excellent research credentials that will enable Sea Grant to continue its upward momentum," says Scripps Institution of Oceanography Director Dr. Tony Haymet. "We look forward to a new era with Jim at the helm."
Dr. Eckman comes to Sea Grant having led ONR’s flagship Marine Mammals and Biological Oceanography Program (and its predecessor programs) for the last 13 years. The marine mammal program, with an annual budget of about $14 million, supports basic and applied research related to understanding the effects of sound on marine mammals and the interactions between marine biota and sound or light.
“Jim’s personal research and management experience, and his interest in education and outreach make him an excellent fit for the California Sea Grant directorship position,” says Scripps professor Ron Burton, who was chair of the search committee. “We are delighted to have him.”
Dr. Eckman has also, in recent years, led ONR’s participation in the federal, multi-agency National Oceanographic Partnership Program, which coordinates the nation’s oceanographic research and education programs and promotes partnerships among academia, business and federal agencies.
Prior to working at ONR, Dr. Eckman was a professor at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah, Georgia (1984-97) and held adjunct faculty positions at the University of Georgia in Athens (1988-99) and University of South Carolina in Columbia (1985-99). Much of his research activities during this time focused on benthic ecology and its relationship to the physical environment, particularly boundary layer flows and sediment transport.
“I genuinely miss an academic environment, and the stimulation of day-to-day contact with research, students and scientific colleagues,” Dr. Eckman says, explaining his interest in California Sea Grant, which is based at the world-renowned Scripps in La Jolla. “I have a sincere wish to apply my skills to research that can solve serious societal problems related to our oceans.”
Dr. Eckman earned his doctorate in oceanography in 1982 from the University of Washington, Seattle and then spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, where he studied bay scallop recruitment and survival, with support from New York Sea Grant. For the last 25 years, he has participated in kelp ecology studies on the West Coast with colleagues at the University of Washington.
His official first day at the helm of California Sea Grant will be Jan. 3, 2011.
"Jim Eckman brings a fine mix of stellar leadership skills and excellent research credentials that will enable Sea Grant to continue its upward momentum," says Scripps Institution of Oceanography Director Dr. Tony Haymet. "We look forward to a new era with Jim at the helm."
Dr. Eckman comes to Sea Grant having led ONR’s flagship Marine Mammals and Biological Oceanography Program (and its predecessor programs) for the last 13 years. The marine mammal program, with an annual budget of about $14 million, supports basic and applied research related to understanding the effects of sound on marine mammals and the interactions between marine biota and sound or light.
“Jim’s personal research and management experience, and his interest in education and outreach make him an excellent fit for the California Sea Grant directorship position,” says Scripps professor Ron Burton, who was chair of the search committee. “We are delighted to have him.”
Dr. Eckman has also, in recent years, led ONR’s participation in the federal, multi-agency National Oceanographic Partnership Program, which coordinates the nation’s oceanographic research and education programs and promotes partnerships among academia, business and federal agencies.
Prior to working at ONR, Dr. Eckman was a professor at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah, Georgia (1984-97) and held adjunct faculty positions at the University of Georgia in Athens (1988-99) and University of South Carolina in Columbia (1985-99). Much of his research activities during this time focused on benthic ecology and its relationship to the physical environment, particularly boundary layer flows and sediment transport.
“I genuinely miss an academic environment, and the stimulation of day-to-day contact with research, students and scientific colleagues,” Dr. Eckman says, explaining his interest in California Sea Grant, which is based at the world-renowned Scripps in La Jolla. “I have a sincere wish to apply my skills to research that can solve serious societal problems related to our oceans.”
Dr. Eckman earned his doctorate in oceanography in 1982 from the University of Washington, Seattle and then spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, where he studied bay scallop recruitment and survival, with support from New York Sea Grant. For the last 25 years, he has participated in kelp ecology studies on the West Coast with colleagues at the University of Washington.
His official first day at the helm of California Sea Grant will be Jan. 3, 2011.
NOAA Announces Action Agenda for Recreational Saltwater Fisheries
NOAA has released the Recreational Saltwater Fisheries Action Agenda, a national plan to address the complex issues facing marine recreational fisheries. The plan will improve science and stewardship and build a stronger partnership with the recreational community. It is a direct outcome of input received from recreational fishermen during the April 2010 Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit organized by NOAA.
The Action Agenda includes a set of broad national goals, while focusing immediate attention on five priority issues:
· ensuring balanced recreational representation in the management process;
· more fully integrating recreational fishing values into the NOAA mission and culture;
· improving data on recreational fishing and fisheries;
· addressing recreational interests in NOAA’s catch share policy; and
· supporting cooperative research and monitoring.
“The Action Agenda is the roadmap for us to fulfill our commitments made during NOAA’s Recreational Fishing Summit,” said Eric Schwaab, NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “We know it is the strength of our actions that matter in the end, and we are committed to moving forward aggressively.”
Schwaab also announced that NOAA will provide a $276,000 grant to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to help give recreational fishermen conservation information. A portion of the national grant will support a collaborative workshop in spring 2011 to examine how best to reduce barotrauma – the injury to deepwater fish when pulled to the surface rapidly – in recreational fisheries, in order to improve survival of fish caught and then released.
“The resulting mortality due to barotrauma is a contentious issue among stakeholders,” said John V. O’Shea, executive director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. “The workshop will provide recreational fishermen, scientists, and managers the opportunity to develop a common understanding and approach to address this important issue.”
“Collaboratively, the recreational fishing community is a leading player in this program that will introduce stewardship to new anglers and reinforce the stewardship of existing anglers to reduce mortality of caught and released fish,” said Andy Loftus, coordinator for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission project. “The workshop will develop the best information available on catch-and-release practices that will be communicated to anglers for implementation. It’s a win-win in the best tradition of the recreational angling community and NOAA.”
The Action Agenda includes a set of broad national goals, while focusing immediate attention on five priority issues:
· ensuring balanced recreational representation in the management process;
· more fully integrating recreational fishing values into the NOAA mission and culture;
· improving data on recreational fishing and fisheries;
· addressing recreational interests in NOAA’s catch share policy; and
· supporting cooperative research and monitoring.
“The Action Agenda is the roadmap for us to fulfill our commitments made during NOAA’s Recreational Fishing Summit,” said Eric Schwaab, NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “We know it is the strength of our actions that matter in the end, and we are committed to moving forward aggressively.”
Schwaab also announced that NOAA will provide a $276,000 grant to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to help give recreational fishermen conservation information. A portion of the national grant will support a collaborative workshop in spring 2011 to examine how best to reduce barotrauma – the injury to deepwater fish when pulled to the surface rapidly – in recreational fisheries, in order to improve survival of fish caught and then released.
“The resulting mortality due to barotrauma is a contentious issue among stakeholders,” said John V. O’Shea, executive director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. “The workshop will provide recreational fishermen, scientists, and managers the opportunity to develop a common understanding and approach to address this important issue.”
“Collaboratively, the recreational fishing community is a leading player in this program that will introduce stewardship to new anglers and reinforce the stewardship of existing anglers to reduce mortality of caught and released fish,” said Andy Loftus, coordinator for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission project. “The workshop will develop the best information available on catch-and-release practices that will be communicated to anglers for implementation. It’s a win-win in the best tradition of the recreational angling community and NOAA.”
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