Fishing Vessel Nabbed With 80 Tons of Suspected Illegally Caught Salmon

A fishing vessel suspected of illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing activity in international waters was detained this past week by US and Chinese Coast Guard crews, along with one ton of squid and 80 tons of chum salmon on board.

The boarding of the Chinese-flagged fishing vessel Run Da in international waters 860 miles east of Hokkaido, Japan, was the result of a joint international effort of the US Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley crew homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, and the People’s Republic of China Coast Guard.

According to Capt. Darran McLenon, chief of response for the 17th Coast Guard District, detention of the Run Da was “the first apprehension of a large-scale, high seas driftnet vessel since 2014 and highlights the successful fisheries enforcement cooperation and patrols of the US, Canada, China, Japan, Russia and the Republic of Korea, including the force multiplying value of shiprider agreements, which enables joint high seas boarding and inspections to detect and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”

The Run Da is suspected of violating the worldwide driftnet moratorium called for by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/215, which calls for full implementation of a global moratorium on all large-scale pelagic driftnet fishing on the high seas. US Coast Guard officials said the captain of the Run Da admitted to fishing with driftnets up to 5.6 miles in length.

Custody of the Run Da and its crew were transferred to PRC Coast Guard vessel 2301 in the Sea of Japan some 92 miles west of Japan, for escort to China to face prosecution. The PRC has jurisdiction for any enforcement actions taken on the vessel, master and owner.

Resolution 46/215, approved on December 20, 1991, established boarding procedures for law enforcement officials of either country to board and inspect US or Chinese-flagged vessels suspected of high seas driftnet fishing. The memorandum of understanding also established a shiprider program that allows Chinese fisheries enforcement officials to embark on US Coast Guard vessels or aircraft.

Luke Fanning Named to Succeed Larry Cotter as CEO of APICDA

Luke Fanning, chief financial officer for the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association (APICDA), will become the organization’s chief executive officer with the retirement of long time CEO Larry Cotter in July.

The announcement was made on June 26 by APICDA board of directors in the wake of a six-month search process.

Prior to joining APICDA, Fanning was the vice president and regional manager for First National Bank Alaska. He is a lifelong Alaskan whose seafood industry experience began in the 1990s when he crewed on a halibut longliner and salmon seiner. In his spare time, Fanning captains the 32-foot F/V Triton, gillnetting for salmon and longlining for halibut.

said the impact of Cotter’s work and unwavering commitment to the CDQ program will be felt for years to come within the region, state and industry.

APICDA is one of six western Alaska CDQ groups within a program that allocates a percentage of all Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands quotas for groundfish, halibut and crab. The CDQ program was established to provide economically disadvantaged coastal communities with an opportunity to improve economies based on the fishing industry. APICDA and its subsidiaries generate proceeds of their management of quotas of seafood to support the villages of Akutan, Atka, False Pass, Nelson Lagoon, Nikolski and St. George.

Find out more about APICA online at www.apicda.com.

Government Subsidizes Much of Global High Seas Fishing Industry

A study of fishing on the high seas – those marine waters beyond national jurisdiction –says most of these fisheries would be unprofitable at current rates without government subsidies.

The collaborative study published in the journal Science Advances in June was compiled by researchers from the National Geographic Society, the University of California Santa Barbara, Global Fishing Watch, the Sea Around Us project of the University of British Columbia, and the University of Western Australia.

They concluded that the global cost of fishing in the high seas ranged from between $6.2 and $8 billion in US dollars in 2014, while profits ranged from a loss of $364 million and a profit of $1.4 billion.

These fisheries on the high seas, which cover 64 percent of the ocean surface, are dominated by a small number of fishing countries, which reap most of the benefits of fishing in these waters.

The environmental impacts of fishing on the high seas are well studied, researchers said. Still, a high level of secrecy around distant water fishing had previously precluded reliable estimates of the economic costs and benefits of high seas fishing.

Newly compiled satellite data and machine learning have revealed a far more accurate picture of this fishing effort at the level of individual vessels, they said.

According to the lead author of the study, Enric Sala, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, these fleets continue to operate in the high seas because they receive government subsidies. “Without subsidies and the forced labor some of them are known for, fishing would be unprofitable in over half of the high seas fishing grounds,” Sala said.

Researchers used automatic identification systems and vessel monitoring systems to track individual behavior, fishing activity and other characteristics of 3,620 vessels in near-real time. They combined that information with global catch data from the University of British Columbia’s Sea Around Us project to determine effort expanded by the vessels, the size of their catch, and how much profit the catch generated.

They estimated that almost 10 million hours of fishing occur annually across 132 million square kilometers, or 57 percent, of the high seas. Fishing hot spots found near Peru, Argentina and Japan were dominated by Chinese, Taiwanese and South Korean squid fishing fleets. The study also found that beyond subsidies, unfair labor compensation or no compensation at all are key cost-reducing factors in long-distance fishing.

Murkowski Praised for Defense of Transboundary Rivers

Salmon Beyond Borders is offering kudos to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, for her efforts to develop a water quality strategy for transboundary rivers in Southeast Alaska impacted by mining activities.

“Eighty percent of Southeast Alaska king salmon come from the transboundary Taku, Stikine and Unuk rivers, yet British Columbia is pushing “go” on more than a dozen mines in these watersheds,” said Salmon Beyond Borders Director Jill Weitz. “It’s imperative we have good, reliable science documenting the quality of these rivers so that we can hold the Canadian government accountable for downstream impacts to US resources,” Weitz said.

As chair of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Committee, Murkowski recently announced a series of provisions within the fiscal year 2019 Interior Appropriations bill. They included increased funding of $1.5 million for transboundary river stream gauges, including a gauge along the Unuk River near Ketchikan, where Seabridge Gold’s proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell project poses potential adverse impact to the river.

The provisions also directed the US Geological Survey to enter into a formal partnership with local tribes and other agencies to help develop a water quality strategy for transboundary rivers.

The fiscal year 2019 bill is now headed to the Senate floor or final consideration.

Study Identifies Chronic Health Risks in Commercial Harvesters

A newly released study on chronic health risks in commercial seafood harvesting in Cordova, Alaska, found a prevalence of hearing loss, upper extremity disorders and sleep apnea risk factors higher in the fishing industry workers than in the community’s general population.

Occupational factors including exposure to noise, upper extremity demands of gillnetting and long working hours while fishing exacerbate these chronic health issues.

Authors of the study said health promotion programs targeted toward these conditions may present opportunities for improving total worker health.

The research was conducted by Carly Eckert of the University of Washington School of Public Health, Torie Baker of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska, and Debra Cherry, an occupational health physician at the UW School of Medicine.

The study was carried out in the gillnetting fishery in the Copper River salmon fishery. Sixty-six fishermen participated in the pre-season survey and 38 in the mid-season one. Researchers said the overwhelming majority of participants were white males with an average age of 49, and that 70 percent of respondents were overweight or obese but considered their health to be good or better. They reported longer working hours, less sleep and less aerobic exercise during the fishing season.

Researchers said they characterized a small sample of gillnet fishermen in Alaska to better understand their chronic health risks. They noted that these harvesters are accustomed to episodic work in a cramped, pressured setting, which takes place on gillnetters that are 28 to 34 feet in length with little space for exercise.

Researchers also noted that compared to the general Alaskan population study participants reported less tobacco use, more frequent health maintenance visits to health professionals and higher rates of health insurance. They also said that the prevalence of overweight or obesity in their sample was consistent with that of the general adult population of Alaska.

Study results were published in the Journal of Agromedicine.

Too Early to Tell on Impact of Tariffs

While the US and China are in a war of words involving tariffs on billions of dollars in imports to each country, the seafood industry in the Pacific Northwest is still uncertain where the chips may fall.

“This is a huge deal,” says Garrett Evridge, an economist with the McDowell Group, a Juneau, Alaska based research and consulting services firm whose clients include the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (AMSI). “China is our most important trading partner. A lot of seafood harvested in Alaska is reprocessed and distributed globally.”

Still, Evridge said, “There is a lot of diplomacy happening behind the scenes that we are not aware of … and in terms of actual economic impact, it is too early to say.”

ASMI’s Executive Director, Alexa Tonkovich, said that the institute is working with other US seafood industry trade groups and its own China office to evaluate the situation. ASMI has been active in the Chinese marketplace for more than 20 years.

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) also spoke out, saying that it is reviewing China’s announcement to determine its impact on US seafood exports. NFI President John Connelly said “We are deeply disappointed in these retaliatory tariffs. There is no connection between the products targeted by the US and the tariffs Beijing plans to impose on exported American seafood. It is not clear where these trade actions will ultimately lead; what is clear is that they will negatively impact American seafood jobs.”

Products that are covered by the tariffs include frozen Alaska Pollock, Pacific cod, humpies and sockeye salmon and herring. It is uncertain whether the tariff would include reprocessed fish.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she is very concerned about the impact of the Chinese tariffs on Alaska’s economy.

“In 2017 alone, Alaskan seafood exports were worth $3.45 billion, and of that, nearly $1 billion was exported to China,” she explained. “It’s imperative that our seafood industry, one of the economic drivers of our state, has the ability to continue competitively exporting their products all over the world” Murkowski said she is urging Trump to work toward a trade policy with China “that protects these critical markets for our seafood industry.”

Commission Appoints Susewind to Head WDFW

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (WDFW), a citizen panel appointed by the governor, has chosen Kelly Susewind of Olympia as the new director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, effective August 1, at an annual salary of $165,000.

His appointment came after the commission interviewed seven candidates in May and narrowed the field to three finalists, who were interviewed in mid-June.

Susewind has been employed at the Washington Department of Ecology since 1990 in several jobs. He served most recently as director of administrative services and environmental policy. He also worked for several years in the 1980s as a private sector environmental consultant.

Susewind holds a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Washington State University and an associate degree in engineering from Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Wash. He grew up in the Grays Harbor area.

The commission thanked Acting director Joe Stohr for his service in the wake of the resignation of former director Jim Unsworth in early February.