Prince William Sound Salmon Update

Alaska state fisheries biologist have issued an update on the 2016 Prince William Sound salmon fishery, saying that the first announcement concerning the Copper River District fishery will be issued between May 1 and May 8.

The most likely start date for the first commercial fishing period in the Copper River District is Monday, May 16, and 2016 harvest projections for the commercial common property fishery for the Copper River district are 1.6 million sockeye, 201,000 coho and 21,000 Chinook salmon.

The initial management strategy will be based on anticipated weekly sockeye and Chinook salmon harvests for the Copper River District and additional assessments of river conditions, biologists said, in an announcement this past week. Once the Miles Lake sonar is deployed, the in-river goal becomes one of the primary factors in management decisions. By late June, aerial estimates of Copper River Delta sockeye salmon escapement are also considered. Standard commercial fishing schedules are two evenly spaced fishing periods a week with the first period each week starting on Mondays at 7 a.m. Then beginning in early to mid-August when coho salmon harvests become predominant, the Copper and Bering River districts will be managed for silvers.

The 2016 commercial common property fishery harvest projections for the Bering River District are 14,000 sockeye and 46,000 coho salmon.

In the Eshamy District the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation’s Main Bay Hatchery has a forecast of 1.6 million sockeyes, and the management strategy this year will be to provide two extended periods a week in the hatchery subdistrict similar to the strategy used for the past five years. The Eshamy District is expected to open for the season on May 30, as is the Coghill District, with a forecast of 110,000 reds, biologists said.

Overfished Stock Numbers Remains Low

US fisheries are continuing to rebuild, with the number of overfished stocks remaining near all-time lows, NOAA Fisheries said April 20, in its 2015 Status of US Fisheries report to Congress.

Two stocks that came off the overfished list were the canary rockfish along the Pacific Coast, and blueline tilefish in the South Atlantic. Blue king crab in Alaska’s Pribilof Islands remained on the overfished list, along with Pacific Ocean perch and Yelloweye rockfish in the Pacific region.

Eight stocks, from the Gulf of Mexico, New England and Puerto Rico came off the overfishing list, while Chinook salmon in the Columbia River Basin, and areas of the Washington coast, as well as coho salmon, were added to the overfishing list.

A stock is listed as overfished when the population size of a stock is too low, whether because of fishing or other causes, such as environmental changes.

A stock is put on the overfishing list when the annual catch rate is too high.

The federal agency attributed the progress to the combined efforts of NOAA Fisheries, commercial and recreational fishermen, regional fishery management councils, states and other partners.

“It’s fitting that this report aligns with the 40th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries.

“Magnuson-Stevens provided the dynamic, science-based management process that is proving successful year after year at keeping US fisheries among the world’s most sustainable and resilient. This year’s report highlights the act’s continued success,” she said. “This rebuilding success demonstrates the importance of the scientific monitoring and responsive management approach Congress built in to the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” she said. “It also shows that managing fisheries to sustainable levels in an ever-changing environment is an ongoing process of science informing management.”

Togiak Herring Surprises Harvesters, Processors

A record early start date for Alaska’s Togiak herring fishery has caught harvesters and processors by surprise.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game area biologist Tim Sands, in Dillingham, says they are still working to get to the grounds and are expected to be up to full speed by the weekend.

The weather, as of yesterday was not cooperating. Sands said the Togiak herring district was hit with high winds, making it difficult to locate the herring, slowing down fishing vessels and making it difficult to set gear.

ADF&G staff flew a survey of the Togiak herring district, the largest herring fishery in the state, on April 17 and observed 37 miles of spawn, prompting a quick opening of the fishery. By and large this is a May fishery, said Sands, but even before the ADF&G survey, private pilots were reporting that they were spotting the herring spawning all over the place.

A year ago, it wasn’t until April 27 that 63,382 tons of herring was documented, exceeding the threshold biomass of 35,000 tons, and prompting the opener.

Managing the fishery is more challenging this year because of across the board state budget cuts that resulted in the budget for Togiak herring being zeroed out.

Estimates are that 20 to 25 seine vessels and three gillnet vessels will participate in this year’s fishery, delivering to Icicle Seafoods, Trident Seafoods, North Pacific Seafoods and Silver Bay Seafoods.

BSAI Crab Fleet Much Safer

A new National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report says a US Coast Guard decision to begin crab vessel dock checks was a major factor in greatly improved safety for crew working in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Island fisheries.

The NIOSH report, released on April 14, noted that back in the 1990s, the BSAI was the most hazardous commercial fishing in the United States, with 73 crew members killed on the job from vessel disasters, falls overboard, or on-board injuries.

Between the 2005/06 and 2012/13 crab fishing seasons, by comparison, there was one fatality among the 65 injuries in the fleet reported to the Coast Guard. The other 64 injuries ranged from minor to severe, but most were minor or moderate, according to their report.

While safety regulations in place at that time required vessels to carry lifesaving equipment, such as immersion suits and life rafts, the regulations did not address the issue of vessels overloaded with crab pots, a major cause of vessel disasters and deaths, the NIOSH report said.

That gap in safety regulations was partially corrected by the Board Guard in 1999 with the introduction of the “At-the-Dock Stability and Safety Compliance Check” program. Coast Guard personnel began checking crab vessels at Dutch Harbor prior to departure to ensure that each was loaded in compliance with their stability instructions. Fatalities dropped.

Also in 2005, the crab rationalization program approved by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council resulted in an extended fishing season, and smaller pot loads, and allowed for a more experienced and potentially less fatigued crew, the report said. Consolidation of the fishing fleet, from an average of 243 vessels from 2001 through 2004 to 78 vessels from 2005 through 2010 also played a role, according to the federal fisheries council.

The complete “Assessment of Safety in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Island Crab Fleet” report is online at www.cdc.gov

IPHC Will Sell Research Fish

Halibut harvested and sampled during research operations off northern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska this summer will be sold to offset costs incurred by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Approximately 15 vessels will be involved in the research stock assessment survey, with landings between early June and early September, with average trip poundage for halibut ranging from 5,000 to 35,000 pounds, plus lesser amounts of rockfish and Pacific cod, the IPHC said.

All of the fish will be well iced, and the IPHC will attempt to keep all of the fish less than six days when selling into fresh fish markets. Older fish may be landed when selling into frozen markets or as required by specific projects.

The IPHC said the age of the fish would be communicated in the sales announcement, and that industry suggestions on how the IPHC can maximize fish quality or improve fish sales procedures are welcome.

Sales will be awarded based on IPHC objectives of achieving a fair market price and distributing sales among buyers and ports, with sale agreements based on prices at the time of the sale.

The commission said it plans to contact interested halibut buyers prior to each landing, with preferences given to buyers with a history of successfully marketing halibut and following ethical business practices. In awarding sales, the IPHC said it would consider price, the number of years buyers have been buying and marketing halibut, how fish are graded at the dock, and promptness in settlements following deliveries.

While obtaining a fair market price will be a primary consideration in awarding fish sales, the commission said it might award sales to buyers with slightly lower prices in consideration of other factors listed above.

All interested buyers, including those with past IPHC sales history, interested in purchasing, must complete an interested buyer form, (online at www.iphc.int/SurveyFishBuyers) and mail, fax or email that form to the commission before May 1.