A private contractor is continuing eradication of rats in waters off of Dutch Harbor on a stateless fishing vessel seized by the U.S.Coast Guard in the North Pacific Ocean. The Bangun Perkasa must be determined to be rat-free for 48 hours before it can be hauled into port at Dutch Harbor by the Coast Guard and turned over to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement. NOAA officials said Oct. 12 that they had determined the 22 crewmembers were from Indonesia, China and Vietnam. The crew was brought into Anchorage for questioning but it was unclear whether they have been returned yet to theircountries of origin.
The vessel owner has 30 days to come forward to claim the ship. NOAA officials, who are the final authority on what to do with the vessel and seafood on board, said NOAA must wait until the USCG turns it over to us once it comes to port. Once that happens, a survey will be done to determine what value the vessel has, and only then will a determination be made as to its disposition.
The Bangun Perkasa was seized some 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak, after the Coast Guard was notified of its presence by the FisheriesAgency of Japan. Coast Guard officials said the crew reportedly abandoned their fishing nets and attempted to leave the area after being spotted by the helicopter. The vessel had more than 10 miles of drift net on board, plus an abundance of squid and shark carcasses.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Lingering Questions on Exxon Valdez
A marine conservation expert based in Anchorage says that more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, unexpected discovery of lingering oil raises environmental questions requiring additional study and restoration.
Rick Steiner made his commends in court filing posted online on Oct. 10 by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Exxon is seeking a federal court to free the company from any further financial responsibility for the 1989 spill.
Twenty years ago, Exxon, the state of Alaska and the US Department of Justice reached a $1 billion settlement that called for an added payment of up to $100 million for environmental injuries unknown at the time of the settlement. In August 2006, the federal and state governments submitted a demand for Exxon Mobil to pay $92 million to implement a restoration plan for the unanticipated eco-damage. ExxonMobil has never paid that money.
Steiner, a PEER board member and now retired University of Alaska professor, is participating in the case. He filed a lengthy supplemental submission in the form of an amicus motion on Oct. 11 in the U.S. District Court in Anchorage. Steiner said the coastal ecosystem injured by the Exxon Valdez spill is still a long way from full recovery.
For the past two years, Steiner and PEER have pressed the federal and state governments to move forward in collecting the $92 million. The Justice Department maintained that it is awaiting the outcome of further studies.
Steiner said the reopener for unknown injury provision is intended to address unanticipated, long-term injuries, precisely as government-commissioner scientific studies have identified, but that the restoration cannot take place with out the funding.
ExxonMobil contends that it has paid for cleanup under terms of the settlement and that any lingering oil is cleanup not restoration environed by the reopener claim.
Rick Steiner made his commends in court filing posted online on Oct. 10 by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Exxon is seeking a federal court to free the company from any further financial responsibility for the 1989 spill.
Twenty years ago, Exxon, the state of Alaska and the US Department of Justice reached a $1 billion settlement that called for an added payment of up to $100 million for environmental injuries unknown at the time of the settlement. In August 2006, the federal and state governments submitted a demand for Exxon Mobil to pay $92 million to implement a restoration plan for the unanticipated eco-damage. ExxonMobil has never paid that money.
Steiner, a PEER board member and now retired University of Alaska professor, is participating in the case. He filed a lengthy supplemental submission in the form of an amicus motion on Oct. 11 in the U.S. District Court in Anchorage. Steiner said the coastal ecosystem injured by the Exxon Valdez spill is still a long way from full recovery.
For the past two years, Steiner and PEER have pressed the federal and state governments to move forward in collecting the $92 million. The Justice Department maintained that it is awaiting the outcome of further studies.
Steiner said the reopener for unknown injury provision is intended to address unanticipated, long-term injuries, precisely as government-commissioner scientific studies have identified, but that the restoration cannot take place with out the funding.
ExxonMobil contends that it has paid for cleanup under terms of the settlement and that any lingering oil is cleanup not restoration environed by the reopener claim.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Value of Domestic Seafood Landings Jumps to $4.5 Billion
By Margaret Bauman
For the 22nd year in a row, Dutch Harbor is back on top again as the number one port in the nation for quantity of seafood landed.
Fisheries of the United States 2010, released Nov. 7 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, confirmed that commercial fishermen at Unalaska unloaded 515.2 million pounds of fish and shellfish at the Dutch Harbor port in Unalaska in 2010, an increase of nearly 10 million pounds over 2009 and a rise of $3.4 million in dockside value, to $163 million..
It was all good news, albeit no surprise to Frank Kelty, a fisheries industry veteran and natural resources analyst for the city of Unalaska, who said the ranking as the nation’s number one fishing port by volume is very important to Unalaska.
“It shows the sustainability of the Bering Sea fisheries that Unalaska depends on, and we look forward to continuing to be the nation’s number one port into the future,” Kelty told Fishermen’s News on Sept. 8. “We are pleased that for the 22nd year we are the number one port,” said Kelty, who attributed that success to sustainability and good management of the fisheries.
The port of New Bedford, Mass. Took top place for value of landings, bringing in $306 million in 2010, a 22.8 percent increase over 2009, and the highest landing values in 30 years for that port.
While there was a substantial increase in value, the total amount of seafood landed in New Bedford decreased by 36.6 million pounds to 133.4 million pounds, NOAA officials said.The increase in value was driven by a 28 percent increase in the per-pound price of sea scallops, which account for 22 percent of the volume and 77 percent of the value of landings in New Bedford.
Sea scallops were declared overfished in 1998. As a result of a cooperative effort of fishermen and a rebuilding plan that temporarily reduced fishing effort, restricted some gear and closed some areas, the population was fully rebuilt in 2001, and is now the top-valued fishery in the country.
“New Bedford has widened their lead on us in value,” mused Kelty, noting that in Dutch Harbor, where the harvest volume is mainly Pollock, there are no lobsters or scallop fisheries.
Fishermen at Gloucester, Mass also landed their top value in the last 30 years, with landings valued at $56.6 million, up 11 percent from 2009.
The port of Kodiak, Alaska, ranked fifth in poundage at 325.3 million pounds, up from 282.9 million pounds in 2009, and third in the nation for fishery value, at $128.1, up from $103.8 million a year earlier. Cordova had 147.7 million pounds of seafood landed, up from 45.5 million pounds in 2009, ranked eighth nationally in poundage, and fifth nationally in value, with its harvests worth $84.3 million, up from $32.8 million the previous year. Sitka ranked 10th for fishery values, with the harvest delivered fetching $62.2 million, up from $51.3 million in 2009.
NOAA officials said that all coastal regions in the country saw increases in total value of fisheries landings in 2010. The Gulf of Mexico region, which suffered the nation’s worst marine oil spill in 2010, saw landings drop by 19 percent, but achieved a modest two percent increase in total landings value.
The report also shows that the average American ate 15.8 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2010 a slight decrease from the 2009 figure of 16 pounds.
The US continues to be ranked third for consumption of fish and shellfish, behind China and Japan. Americans collectively consumed 4.878 billion pounds of seafood, slightly less than the 4.907 billion pounds they consumed in 2009.
NOAA officials noted that while seafood consumption remains fairly steady, the amount of imported seafood consumed by Americans continues to rise. About 86 percent of the seafood consumed in the US is imported, measured by edible weight, up four percent from 2009. However, a portion of this imported seafood is caught by American fishermen, exported overseas for processing, and then re-imported into the US.
The US exports 63 percent of its domestically produced seafood, measured by live weight, which represents an increase of four percent over 2009, according to NOAA.
Nearly half of imported seafood comes from aquaculture, or farmed seafood. Aquaculture outside the US has expanded dramatically in the last three decades and now supplies the world with half of its seafood demand, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. America’s aquaculture industry currently meets less than 5 percent of US seafood demand.
Nationwide, commercial harvesters in domestic waters landed 8.2 billion pounds of seafood nationwide in 2010 with a value of $4.5 billion, up from 200 million pounds and more than $600 million in value in 2009, NOAA’s report showed.
The statistics compiled by NOAA show that US fishermen continue to be competitive in the dynamic, fast-paced global seafood marketplace, said Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA Fisheries Service.
In NOAA’s most recent economic report, commercial and recreational fisheries generated $166 billion in sales impacts, contributed $72 billion to the gross national product and supported 1.4 million jobs in the fishing sector and across the economy.
“While we are turning a corner on ending overfishing on wild stocks, this report shows the need for US aquaculture to grow and complement wild fisheries,” Schwaab said. “Sustainable domestic aquaculture creates jobs in our coastal communities, helps meet the demand for healthy seafood, supports exports to global markets and helps us narrow the trade gap.
Margaret Bauman can be reached at margieb42@mtaonline.net.
For the 22nd year in a row, Dutch Harbor is back on top again as the number one port in the nation for quantity of seafood landed.
Fisheries of the United States 2010, released Nov. 7 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, confirmed that commercial fishermen at Unalaska unloaded 515.2 million pounds of fish and shellfish at the Dutch Harbor port in Unalaska in 2010, an increase of nearly 10 million pounds over 2009 and a rise of $3.4 million in dockside value, to $163 million..
It was all good news, albeit no surprise to Frank Kelty, a fisheries industry veteran and natural resources analyst for the city of Unalaska, who said the ranking as the nation’s number one fishing port by volume is very important to Unalaska.
“It shows the sustainability of the Bering Sea fisheries that Unalaska depends on, and we look forward to continuing to be the nation’s number one port into the future,” Kelty told Fishermen’s News on Sept. 8. “We are pleased that for the 22nd year we are the number one port,” said Kelty, who attributed that success to sustainability and good management of the fisheries.
The port of New Bedford, Mass. Took top place for value of landings, bringing in $306 million in 2010, a 22.8 percent increase over 2009, and the highest landing values in 30 years for that port.
While there was a substantial increase in value, the total amount of seafood landed in New Bedford decreased by 36.6 million pounds to 133.4 million pounds, NOAA officials said.The increase in value was driven by a 28 percent increase in the per-pound price of sea scallops, which account for 22 percent of the volume and 77 percent of the value of landings in New Bedford.
Sea scallops were declared overfished in 1998. As a result of a cooperative effort of fishermen and a rebuilding plan that temporarily reduced fishing effort, restricted some gear and closed some areas, the population was fully rebuilt in 2001, and is now the top-valued fishery in the country.
“New Bedford has widened their lead on us in value,” mused Kelty, noting that in Dutch Harbor, where the harvest volume is mainly Pollock, there are no lobsters or scallop fisheries.
Fishermen at Gloucester, Mass also landed their top value in the last 30 years, with landings valued at $56.6 million, up 11 percent from 2009.
The port of Kodiak, Alaska, ranked fifth in poundage at 325.3 million pounds, up from 282.9 million pounds in 2009, and third in the nation for fishery value, at $128.1, up from $103.8 million a year earlier. Cordova had 147.7 million pounds of seafood landed, up from 45.5 million pounds in 2009, ranked eighth nationally in poundage, and fifth nationally in value, with its harvests worth $84.3 million, up from $32.8 million the previous year. Sitka ranked 10th for fishery values, with the harvest delivered fetching $62.2 million, up from $51.3 million in 2009.
NOAA officials said that all coastal regions in the country saw increases in total value of fisheries landings in 2010. The Gulf of Mexico region, which suffered the nation’s worst marine oil spill in 2010, saw landings drop by 19 percent, but achieved a modest two percent increase in total landings value.
The report also shows that the average American ate 15.8 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2010 a slight decrease from the 2009 figure of 16 pounds.
The US continues to be ranked third for consumption of fish and shellfish, behind China and Japan. Americans collectively consumed 4.878 billion pounds of seafood, slightly less than the 4.907 billion pounds they consumed in 2009.
NOAA officials noted that while seafood consumption remains fairly steady, the amount of imported seafood consumed by Americans continues to rise. About 86 percent of the seafood consumed in the US is imported, measured by edible weight, up four percent from 2009. However, a portion of this imported seafood is caught by American fishermen, exported overseas for processing, and then re-imported into the US.
The US exports 63 percent of its domestically produced seafood, measured by live weight, which represents an increase of four percent over 2009, according to NOAA.
Nearly half of imported seafood comes from aquaculture, or farmed seafood. Aquaculture outside the US has expanded dramatically in the last three decades and now supplies the world with half of its seafood demand, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. America’s aquaculture industry currently meets less than 5 percent of US seafood demand.
Nationwide, commercial harvesters in domestic waters landed 8.2 billion pounds of seafood nationwide in 2010 with a value of $4.5 billion, up from 200 million pounds and more than $600 million in value in 2009, NOAA’s report showed.
The statistics compiled by NOAA show that US fishermen continue to be competitive in the dynamic, fast-paced global seafood marketplace, said Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA Fisheries Service.
In NOAA’s most recent economic report, commercial and recreational fisheries generated $166 billion in sales impacts, contributed $72 billion to the gross national product and supported 1.4 million jobs in the fishing sector and across the economy.
“While we are turning a corner on ending overfishing on wild stocks, this report shows the need for US aquaculture to grow and complement wild fisheries,” Schwaab said. “Sustainable domestic aquaculture creates jobs in our coastal communities, helps meet the demand for healthy seafood, supports exports to global markets and helps us narrow the trade gap.
Margaret Bauman can be reached at margieb42@mtaonline.net.
Moreland Is New Murkowski Aide
Stephanie Moreland, federal fisheries coordinator, extended jurisdiction program manager and economist for the state of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game, is the new fisheries and Arctic matters aide for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. She fills the post vacated by the resignation of Arne Fuglvog. Murkowski announced Moreland’s appointment on Oct. 4, saying that Moreland’s expertise and Alaska focus will be a great addition to her staff. Murkowski noted in the announcement that Alaska fisheries are one of the state’s largest economic drivers, employing more people in Alaska than the oil and gas and mining industries combined.
Moreland holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and a master’s degree in resource and applied economics from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Prior to her current post, she worked for the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. She will join the Murkowski staff in Washington D.C. in early November. Fuglvog, who pleaded guilty to federal fisheries violations, faces 10 months in prison, but has agreed to cooperate with authorities in the case. Former crew members aboard Fuglvog’s vessel told the Alaska Public Radio Network in late September that they tried for years to turn him in for illegal fishing, but felt their efforts were ignored.
Moreland holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and a master’s degree in resource and applied economics from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Prior to her current post, she worked for the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. She will join the Murkowski staff in Washington D.C. in early November. Fuglvog, who pleaded guilty to federal fisheries violations, faces 10 months in prison, but has agreed to cooperate with authorities in the case. Former crew members aboard Fuglvog’s vessel told the Alaska Public Radio Network in late September that they tried for years to turn him in for illegal fishing, but felt their efforts were ignored.
Apprenticeships at Copper River Seafoods
Copper River Seafoods is off and running with new four-year apprenticeship programs for construction equipment repair, mechanical repair industrial and quality control. Graduates of the program will earn a federal apprenticeship certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor, and earn from 16 to 30 college credits. The processing company’s goal is to create a culture of stability and opportunity within Copper River Seafoods that allows opportunity for growth for all employees, said Scott Blake, company president. CRS’s Ben Eveland, a veteran vocational education teacher, introduced the apprenticeship program at a train-the-trainers meeting Oct. 4 in Anchorage. Eveland said that program would later expand into other occupations needed in the fisheries industry, possibly accounting and marketing. He is working with state labor officials, who are involved in the program with federal officials, to explore what occupations are needed statewide. Fisheries veteran Dick Tremaine, asset manager for Norton Sound Economic Development Corp., applauded the effort, saying it would add value to the industry by filling the chronic shortage of skilled labor. John Hakala, who heads the U.S. Department of Labor’s apprenticeship program in Alaska, told the group the apprentices would be learning skills that are transferable across the company. The CRS apprenticeship programs will be designed for that company, but based on industry standards, he said. Participants in the event were given a 23-page document outlining apprenticeship policies and procedures that all participants must follow.
Stateless Vessel at Dutch Harbor
A stateless fishing vessel infested with rats and loaded down with squid and shark is now anchored off the coast of Dutch Harbor, and its crew has been taken to Anchorage for questioning by federal authorities. The country of origin of the fishing vessel Bangun Perkasa has yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile the US Coast Guard has a bid out to eradicate the rats on the ship, which the Coast Guard said had more than 10 miles of drift net, plus the squid and shark carcasses. Use of driftnets is universally condemned as a significant threat to ocean ecosystems, and to the food and economic security of nations relying on seafood resources. The Bangun Perkasa was seized by the Coast Guard some 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak, after the Coast Guard was tipped by the Fisheries Agency of Japan, whose maritime patrol spotted the vessel on Sept. 7. The vessel was determined to be without valid flag state registration and seized as a stateless vessel for violation of US law.
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, proposed that the Bangun Perkasa be towed out to sea and sunk because of the rats, who pose a threat to waterfowl and other native wildlife species, but the Coast Guard said any decision on what to do with the vessel would rest with the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Coast Guard said that this point eradication of the rats appeared to pose less risk to the environment than sinking the vessel.
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, proposed that the Bangun Perkasa be towed out to sea and sunk because of the rats, who pose a threat to waterfowl and other native wildlife species, but the Coast Guard said any decision on what to do with the vessel would rest with the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Coast Guard said that this point eradication of the rats appeared to pose less risk to the environment than sinking the vessel.
Trident Fined
Trident Seafoods Corp. will pay a $2.5 million civil penalty for violating the Clean Water Act and has already begun investing millions of dollars in plans for fishmeal plants and waste management to prevent future violations. The agreement, two years in the works, was announced late last month and the US Environmental Protection Agency says some progress has already been made. According to EPA compliance officer Christ Gebhardt in Seattle there has been marked improvement in the seafloor waste pile at Akutan since negotiations began. The EPA and the US Department of Justice said unauthorized discharges of seafood processing waste on the sea floor create oxygen-depleted conditions that make the habitat unsuitable for fish and other living organisms.
As part of the settlement, Trident will build a fish meal plant at Naknek with a capacity to handle at least 30 million pounds of seafood processing waste annually, including Trident’s fish waste and potentially that of other processors with facilities at Naknek. Trident also agreed to reduction of the amount of seafood processing waste discharged at its facilities at Akutan, Cordova, St. Paul and Ketchikan and to monitor seafood processing waste discharged into Starrigavan Bay in Sitka.
Joe Plesha, Trident’s chief legal officer, said that Trident’s corporate philosophy is to maximize recovery and value of each pound of fish and that these projects would significantly further enhance the value derived from Alaska’s seafood resources.
Plesha said the violations notification came as a surprise, and that Trident wants to set the industry standard for compliance and that learning of these violations caused a critical examination of what it will take for the company to achieve that position.
As part of the settlement, Trident will build a fish meal plant at Naknek with a capacity to handle at least 30 million pounds of seafood processing waste annually, including Trident’s fish waste and potentially that of other processors with facilities at Naknek. Trident also agreed to reduction of the amount of seafood processing waste discharged at its facilities at Akutan, Cordova, St. Paul and Ketchikan and to monitor seafood processing waste discharged into Starrigavan Bay in Sitka.
Joe Plesha, Trident’s chief legal officer, said that Trident’s corporate philosophy is to maximize recovery and value of each pound of fish and that these projects would significantly further enhance the value derived from Alaska’s seafood resources.
Plesha said the violations notification came as a surprise, and that Trident wants to set the industry standard for compliance and that learning of these violations caused a critical examination of what it will take for the company to achieve that position.
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