Officials with the International Pacific Halibut Commission have completed their 2020 survey designed to collect standardized fishery-independent data for use in their annual Pacific halibut stock assessment. The data is used also to study various aspects of the Pacific halibut resource, including growth, distribution, biomass, age composition, sexual maturity and relative abundance of other species.
A report released in late September by the IPHC said final offloads from this year’s Fishery-Independent Setline Survey (FISS) took place on Sept. 10. Approximately 70 percent of the standing stock biomass of Pacific halibut in the convention area were sampled, with that sampling producing the most data-rich setline-survey in the IPHC’s history. Despite planned gaps in coverage at the northern and southern ends of the distribution, the 2020 FISS produced a precise and reliable index of Pacific halibut stock, to provide the primary source of trend information for the 2020 stock assessment and the basis for the 2021 management decision making process, the IPHC said.
The 2020 FISS also proved an economic success, even though fish prices overall were lower than 2019, so that the IPHC maintained a strong positive revenue stream, ensuring that the FISS remains fiscally independent from external sources, the commission said.
Survey data collected is to be posted online at https://iphc.int/ in mid-October and during the IPHC’s 96th interim meeting, set for Nov. 18-19 in Seattle.
All sessions are open to the public and will be webcast. Those webcast sessions are to include accepting audience comments and questions, as directed by Paul Ryall, chairperson of the commission. A compendium of meeting documents is already posted online at https://iphc.int/venues/details/96th-session-of-the-iphc-interim-meeting-im096
IPHC commissioners representing the U.S. include Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries; Bob Alverson, manager of the Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association, a trade association of longline vessel operators based in Seattle; and Richard Yamada, owner of Shelter Lodge, a sport fishing lodge near Juneau.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Which Way the Wind Blows Matters to Young
GOA Pollock
A new NOAA Fisheries study concludes that which way the wind blows is a critical factor in the survival rate of young Alaska Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska.
NOAA Fisheries biologist Matt Wilson of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center says the study addresses a longstanding question regarding the impact of wind on the survival rate of juvenile Pollock in the Gulf. Research biologists found that depending on wind direction, water movement may keep juvenile fish in favorable nursey habitat or move them out. Fisheries scientists thought at the start of the study that an abundance of juvenile fish would produce a relatively strong adult year-class. Yet some years this did not transpire, so researchers took another look, and it turned out that wind is the culprit.
Wilson said that the consequence of a large proportion of the juvenile population being transported to the southwest is that many of those fish are likely lost from the Gulf. The study provides new insight into the importance of wind to Pollock population dynamics. “The findings argue for including wind-driven surface transport along with other important factors like temperature, prey, and predation that have been used in stock forecast models,” Wilson said.
In their first year of life Pollock are weak swimmers who drift where currents take them. Where they end up influences whether they will contribute to the adult Gulf of Alaska population.
Wind is the primary driver of water low in the western coastal Gulf of Alaska. Researchers found that when downwelling-favorable winds prevailed during and after spawning that juveniles appeared to be retained in upstream habitat near the main spawning area around Kodiak Island. NOAA Fisheries scientists are also looking at the contribution of diet to the dramatic reduction of the 2013-year-class of juvenile Pollock in the western Gulf.
NOAA Fisheries biologist Matt Wilson of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center says the study addresses a longstanding question regarding the impact of wind on the survival rate of juvenile Pollock in the Gulf. Research biologists found that depending on wind direction, water movement may keep juvenile fish in favorable nursey habitat or move them out. Fisheries scientists thought at the start of the study that an abundance of juvenile fish would produce a relatively strong adult year-class. Yet some years this did not transpire, so researchers took another look, and it turned out that wind is the culprit.
Wilson said that the consequence of a large proportion of the juvenile population being transported to the southwest is that many of those fish are likely lost from the Gulf. The study provides new insight into the importance of wind to Pollock population dynamics. “The findings argue for including wind-driven surface transport along with other important factors like temperature, prey, and predation that have been used in stock forecast models,” Wilson said.
In their first year of life Pollock are weak swimmers who drift where currents take them. Where they end up influences whether they will contribute to the adult Gulf of Alaska population.
Wind is the primary driver of water low in the western coastal Gulf of Alaska. Researchers found that when downwelling-favorable winds prevailed during and after spawning that juveniles appeared to be retained in upstream habitat near the main spawning area around Kodiak Island. NOAA Fisheries scientists are also looking at the contribution of diet to the dramatic reduction of the 2013-year-class of juvenile Pollock in the western Gulf.
Federal Fisheries Council Takes Up Crab,
Groundfish Issues
The fall meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council got underway this week, with meetings of the council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. The only final action on the agenda is over removing processing restrictions for squid and sculpins in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Another major issue on the council’s agenda is a review of the Crab Plan Team report on Eastern Bering Sea snow crab, Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Pribilof Islands red and blue king crab, St. Matthew blue king crab, Norton Sound red king crab, Aleutian islands golden king crab, Pribilof District golden king crab, and Western Aleutians red king crab.
The council will review plan team reports for groundfish harvests in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, with recommendations on harvest limits, prohibited species catch limits and halibut discard mortality rates for 2021-2022.
Also on the agenda are an initial review of the Cook Inlet fishery management plan, the observer 2021 annual deployment plan review and an initial review of the Bering Sea halibut abundance based management alternatives under consideration.
All sessions of the council meeting and those of its Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical committees are being held online only as a precautionary measure for health and safety reasons because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The complete agenda is online at https://www.npfmc.org/wp-content/PDFdocuments/meetings/SCHEDULE_1020.pdf
Signup sheets will be available online at https://www.npfmc.org/upcoming-council-meetings/
For the council meetings Oct. 2 Oct. 9 and Oct. 12-16; the Advisory Panel meetings Oct. 5-9, and the SSC meetings which began Sept. 28 and continue through Oct. 2.
There will be a practice session for the public to test connecting and testifying on Friday, Oct. 2, at 9:30 a.m. Anyone needing help should contact npfmc.admin@noaa.gov with questions. The draft three-meeting outlook is also online at https://www.npfmc.org/wp-content/PDFdocuments/meetings/threemeetingoutlook.pdf
Another major issue on the council’s agenda is a review of the Crab Plan Team report on Eastern Bering Sea snow crab, Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Pribilof Islands red and blue king crab, St. Matthew blue king crab, Norton Sound red king crab, Aleutian islands golden king crab, Pribilof District golden king crab, and Western Aleutians red king crab.
The council will review plan team reports for groundfish harvests in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, with recommendations on harvest limits, prohibited species catch limits and halibut discard mortality rates for 2021-2022.
Also on the agenda are an initial review of the Cook Inlet fishery management plan, the observer 2021 annual deployment plan review and an initial review of the Bering Sea halibut abundance based management alternatives under consideration.
All sessions of the council meeting and those of its Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical committees are being held online only as a precautionary measure for health and safety reasons because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The complete agenda is online at https://www.npfmc.org/wp-content/PDFdocuments/meetings/SCHEDULE_1020.pdf
Signup sheets will be available online at https://www.npfmc.org/upcoming-council-meetings/
For the council meetings Oct. 2 Oct. 9 and Oct. 12-16; the Advisory Panel meetings Oct. 5-9, and the SSC meetings which began Sept. 28 and continue through Oct. 2.
There will be a practice session for the public to test connecting and testifying on Friday, Oct. 2, at 9:30 a.m. Anyone needing help should contact npfmc.admin@noaa.gov with questions. The draft three-meeting outlook is also online at https://www.npfmc.org/wp-content/PDFdocuments/meetings/threemeetingoutlook.pdf
Washington State Offers Emergency Grants
to Shellfish Growers
Shellfish growers in Washington state hard hit economically by the COVID-19 pandemic will be offered grants of up to $5,000, thanks to the state’s departments of Commerce and Agriculture. Grant funds include $250,000 from the Working Washington Small Business Emergency grant program and $50,000 from WSDA’s Rural Rehab Program.
Washington is the leading domestic producer of farmed oysters and clams, with a $300 million industry that supports some 3,000 jobs, many in rural communities struggling economically.
State officials said local and global market demand for these shellfish has dropped dramatically since January, with some growers reporting an 80-90 percent drop in revenue.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state’s shellfish growers have been devastated by the global pandemic. The grants will help small shellfish growers in particular be able to make timely purchases of seed and larvae this year to keep next season’s sales opportunities alive, Inslee said.
State officials said that concerns of Washington’s shellfish industry extend to about nine West Coast hatcheries from California to British Columbia that supply shellfish growers in Washington and beyond. To both growers and hatchery owners the cost of seed and larvae represents significant components of their cost models. With the reduction in revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic growers are worried about not having enough money to purchase seed to plant next year’s crops or offset the cost of raising seed.
State officials said the Commerce Department and WSDA will work with Impact Washington to administer funds through the Washington Shellfish Industry Seed Bank. Qualified growers may apply for up to $5,000, with a minimum of $1,000 available to reimburse for larvae and seed purchases. All purchases made between Feb. 29, 2020 and June 30, 2021 are eligible for reimbursement. An additional $300 “Buy Washington” will be offered to encourage purchases from Washington-based hatcheries, rather than out-of-state sources.
More information is online at http://startup.choosewashingtonstate.com/links/crisis/covid-19-resources/. Find grant applications at https://www.impactwashington.org/shellfish-seed-bank-intake-form.aspx
Washington is the leading domestic producer of farmed oysters and clams, with a $300 million industry that supports some 3,000 jobs, many in rural communities struggling economically.
State officials said local and global market demand for these shellfish has dropped dramatically since January, with some growers reporting an 80-90 percent drop in revenue.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state’s shellfish growers have been devastated by the global pandemic. The grants will help small shellfish growers in particular be able to make timely purchases of seed and larvae this year to keep next season’s sales opportunities alive, Inslee said.
State officials said that concerns of Washington’s shellfish industry extend to about nine West Coast hatcheries from California to British Columbia that supply shellfish growers in Washington and beyond. To both growers and hatchery owners the cost of seed and larvae represents significant components of their cost models. With the reduction in revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic growers are worried about not having enough money to purchase seed to plant next year’s crops or offset the cost of raising seed.
State officials said the Commerce Department and WSDA will work with Impact Washington to administer funds through the Washington Shellfish Industry Seed Bank. Qualified growers may apply for up to $5,000, with a minimum of $1,000 available to reimburse for larvae and seed purchases. All purchases made between Feb. 29, 2020 and June 30, 2021 are eligible for reimbursement. An additional $300 “Buy Washington” will be offered to encourage purchases from Washington-based hatcheries, rather than out-of-state sources.
More information is online at http://startup.choosewashingtonstate.com/links/crisis/covid-19-resources/. Find grant applications at https://www.impactwashington.org/shellfish-seed-bank-intake-form.aspx
Opening Tongass to Logging Cited as a Threat
to Salmon Habitat
A Trump administration push to open millions of acres of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to logging is winning praise from Alaska’s congressional delegation and Gov. Mike Dunleavy as an economic boost, and criticism from conservationists who say it would threaten salmon habitat.
The U.S. Forest Service this past week published its final environmental impact statement, recommending elimination of the Roadless Rule in the Tongass, in Southeast Alaska’s rain forest. The 2001 Roadless Rule, established during the Clinton administration, banned logging and road construction within most of the nation’s national forests. Dunleavy and the state’s congressional delegation praised the decision. “This puts us on track for a Record of Decision and final rule by the end of the year, in turn opening the door for individuals and communities throughout Southeast Alaska to build a more sustainable economy while still ensuring good stewardship of our lands and waters,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Conservation entities, including SalmonState, meanwhile condemned the Forest Service decision, citing the importance of the Tongass to fisheries in Southeast Alaska.
“The largest intact temperate rainforest left in the world, the millions of salmon, 650 million tons of carbon storage, and the people, businesses and jobs that depend on an intact Tongass National Forest are too important to throw away for a politically-motivated industry handout,” said Tim Bristol, who serves as executive director of SalmonState. “This reprehensible move disregards years of collaborative work in favor of money-losing taxpayer giveaways to an industry that was shutting down before the Roadless Rule went into place.”
Bristol said a new approach to management of the Tongass is needed with a focus on the future rather than the past. The Forest Service plan “is wildly unpopular and is likely to be overturned in the courts,” he said.
The plan also drew criticism from Austin Williams, Alaska director of law and policy for Trout Unlimited, who called the plan a short-sighted new rule that would a return to the days of reckless clear-cut logging that sacrifices the fish, wildlife and forests without regard for the costs to Southeast Alaska’s fishing and tourism economy, subsistence users, or the long-term health of the region. The salmon are also part of the critical habitat for eagles, bears and other wildlife, whose presence are a tourism attraction.
The U.S. Forest Service this past week published its final environmental impact statement, recommending elimination of the Roadless Rule in the Tongass, in Southeast Alaska’s rain forest. The 2001 Roadless Rule, established during the Clinton administration, banned logging and road construction within most of the nation’s national forests. Dunleavy and the state’s congressional delegation praised the decision. “This puts us on track for a Record of Decision and final rule by the end of the year, in turn opening the door for individuals and communities throughout Southeast Alaska to build a more sustainable economy while still ensuring good stewardship of our lands and waters,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Conservation entities, including SalmonState, meanwhile condemned the Forest Service decision, citing the importance of the Tongass to fisheries in Southeast Alaska.
“The largest intact temperate rainforest left in the world, the millions of salmon, 650 million tons of carbon storage, and the people, businesses and jobs that depend on an intact Tongass National Forest are too important to throw away for a politically-motivated industry handout,” said Tim Bristol, who serves as executive director of SalmonState. “This reprehensible move disregards years of collaborative work in favor of money-losing taxpayer giveaways to an industry that was shutting down before the Roadless Rule went into place.”
Bristol said a new approach to management of the Tongass is needed with a focus on the future rather than the past. The Forest Service plan “is wildly unpopular and is likely to be overturned in the courts,” he said.
The plan also drew criticism from Austin Williams, Alaska director of law and policy for Trout Unlimited, who called the plan a short-sighted new rule that would a return to the days of reckless clear-cut logging that sacrifices the fish, wildlife and forests without regard for the costs to Southeast Alaska’s fishing and tourism economy, subsistence users, or the long-term health of the region. The salmon are also part of the critical habitat for eagles, bears and other wildlife, whose presence are a tourism attraction.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Five More Maritime Exam Centers Will Reopen on September 28
U.S. Coast Guard officials
say the National Maritime Center has reopened five more regional examination
centers on Monday September 28 for maritime exams, which must be scheduled in
advance and are by appointment only.
The five include Anchorage (recwnc@uscg.mil), Baltimore (recbaltimore@usc.mil), Oakland (recoakland@uscg.mil), Portland (recportland@uscg.mil), and St. Louis (recstl@uscg.mil).
With the exception of
monitoring unit (MU) Guam, all the regional exam centers and monitoring units
are open for limited services.
Previously opened regional
centers include Boston (recboston@uscg.mil), Charleston (reccha@uscg.mil), Honolulu (rechonolulu@uscg.mil), Houston (rechoustonexam@uscg.mil), Juneau (ecjun@uscg.mil), Long Beach (reclb@uscg.mil), Memphis (recmemphis@uscg.mil), Miami (recmia@uscg.mil or (305) 536-4331), New Orleans (recnola@uscg.mil), New York (recny@uscg.mil), Seattle (recseattle@uscg.mil), MU Ketchikan (907-225-4496
(extension #3), and MU San Juan (787-729-2368)
The Coast Guard’s customer
service center is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST Monday through Friday and
the call center phone line is 1-888-427-5662 or email IASKNMC@uscg.mil.
Additional openings of
regional exam centers are to be announced soon.
Those seeking examination
appointments should include in their email the applicant’s name, mariner
reference number, requested testing date(s), phone number and a copy of their
approved to test letter(s).
Everyone will be subject to
COVID-19 screening questions and a temperature check and face masks are
required at all times. Mariners should bring their own #2 pencils, a photo ID,
a non-programmable calculator and plotting equipment. No other personal belongings will be allowed
in the testing facilities.
Alaska Symphony of Seafood Postpones Events Due to COVID -19 Pandemic
Officials with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation in Anchorage have rescheduled events for the 2020-2021 Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition to the spring of 2021 over concerns prompted by the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an announcement on
Monday, Sept. 21, AFDF said that given the uncertainty of the pandemic they
plan to inform interested entrants about the next event format, product
quantities and delivery information when more information is available on the
format of scheduled events.
The popular competition
among seafood processors large and small normally includes a gala in Seattle in
November, where entries in the retail, food service and smoked seafood
competition, are judged and paid guests at the gala vote on their favorite
entries.
The competition has varied
somewhat in past years, for a while including also pet foods and products made
from seafood byproducts, from nutritional supplements to salmon leather
wallets.
The grand prize winner one
year was Yummy Chummies, salmon-based treats for dogs and cats in a variety of
flavors. Then in February in Juneau,
Alaska, AFDF sponsors a gala for the Alaska Legislature, which is in session,
and announces prize winners in each competition, the winning choices of
People’s Choice in both galas, and the grand prize winner. First place winners
as well as People’s Choice winners in the past have been granted round trip air
fare and booth space in the Alaska section of Seafood Expo North America in
Boston. The Symphony has helped competition winners launch many products nationwide
in both the retail and food service sectors.
Major sponsors of the
2019-2020 events included Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood
Development Association, Lineage Logistics, Trident Seafoods, Marine
Stewardship Council, Northwest Fisheries Association, Alaska Air Cargo, At-Sea
Processors Association and the United Fishermen of Alaska.
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