Alaska Fish Notes: July 2, 2010

Top Stories:

Three opinion pieces on crab rationalization=E2=80=A6in depth piece = on sustainable=20 salmon by Atlantic Magazine=E2=80=A6marketing of Yukon salmon=E2=80=A6 = NMFS observer data on=20 line updated=E2=80=A6science report on industry fishing for profits, not = predators=E2=80=A6Results of 2009 NMFS pollock survey =E2=80=A6Xtra Tuf = production move=E2=80=A6Glenn=20 Reed gives his mid-year review of fisheries in the Alaska = economy=E2=80=A6Listen to both=20 Fish Radio & Alaska Fisheries Report (KMXT)

The=20 Alaska Fisheries Report with Jay Barrett (7/1)

17^{th=20
District Notice to Mariners (6/30)}

AMSEA Safety Training=20 Calendar

2010= =20 Preliminary Alaska Salmon Catches =E2=80=93 Blue Sheet (Updated = Weekly)

Alaska Fish Related Blogs

DeckBoss by Wesley = Loy

Hauling Gear

Pacific Fishing Fish = Wrap

FEDERAL

Opinion. Saint Paul community benefitted from crab program = (6/25)=20
Opinion. Despite detractor crabbing, Bering Sea crab program = works=20 (6/25)=20
Opinion. Five years later, Bering Sea crab catch shares = proving=20 value (6/25)=20
NPRB Seeks New Executive Director=20
Fish processor fined for waste (6/29)=20
AFSC. Data Collected by Observers (Updated June 2010)=20
Patricia Lee crew lauded (6/30)=20
New Publications by AFSC Authors=20
Smallest Whale Population Identified (6/29)=20
Bordallo Statement on Abuses by NOAA Law Enforcement (7/1)=20
NMFS. Vessel/Plant Operator Comment Form for Observer = Program=20
NOAA Next Generation Strategic Plan. Comments due (8/10)=20
USCG =E2=80=93 merchant mariner certificates suitable for framing=20
IPHC. Bait Needed for 2011 IPHC Stock Assessment = Survey. =20 290,000 pounds semi-bright chum salmon (7/2)=20 = STATE
After false start, commercial fishing set to start Monday on Yukon = (6/27)=20
Fishing off to good start in Yukon River (6/29)=20
Monday night fishery injects needed cash into lower Yukon villages = (6/29)=20
Cordova Council eyes haulout for development of shipyard (6/30)=20
Summer king opener to target seventh-lowest quota (KCAW = Audio/Print)(7/1)=20
Sockeye harvests building toward weekend (6/30)=20
Alaska Business Monthly. Alaska Mid-Year Forecast-Fisheries = by Glenn=20 Reed (July)=20
Bristol Bay Fisheries Report (KDLG Audio)=20
Alaska State. Career Posting =E2=80=93 International = Marketing Coordinator=20 Internship
ADFG. Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund Science = Advisory=20 Panel Meetings=20 = MARKETING=20
Annette Islands Reserve salmon =E2=80=93 Announcement of intent to = use the Default=20 Assessment Tree with modifications (6/28)=20
Green blimp launches Greenpeace campaign against Costco (6/30)=20
Season=E2=80=99s first Yukon kings headed for restaurants (6/30)=20
News from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (6/30)=20
Atlantic. Salmon Extravaganza, Part I (7/1)=20 = MISC=20
9th Circuit Says Endangered Species Critical Habitat Not Limited = to Where=20 the Species Resides =E2=80=93 Agency May Restrict Analysis of Economic = Costs of=20 Critical Habitat (6/28)=20
Industry fishing for profits, not predators (6/24)=20
Alaskans on alert as XtraTuf manufacturing moves overseas (7/1) =

FEDERAL

Opinion. Saint Paul community benefitted from crab = program=20 (6/25). One of the communities with the greatest stake in the = Bering=20 Sea Aleutian Islands crab rationalization program is Saint Paul, = located in=20 the Pribilof Islands in the central Bering Sea.Saint Paul=E2=80=99s = dependence on the=20 crab industry developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, shortly = after its=20 dependence on the northern fur seal harvest, in place since the = Russian=20 colonial period, was phased out by the federal government in = 1983.Saint Paul=E2=80=99s=20 residents had to look at alternative means to survive. Since oil and = gas=20 exploration was not considered an option at the time and most of the = Bering=20 Sea=E2=80=99s commercial fisheries were already fully capitalized, = this was not an=20 easy proposition for a community that is located amid most of the = Bering Sea=E2=80=99s=20 commercial fish stocks. More=20
Opinion. Despite detractor crabbing, Bering Sea crab = program=20 works (6/25). Five years ago one of the most comprehensive = and=20 successful fisheries management programs ever designed was implemented = to=20 manage the Bering Sea crab fisheries. The program has been successful = at=20 saving lives and protecting the economy of Alaska=E2=80=99s = crab-dependent coastal=20 communities.Long-term management of the resource has improved, working = on=20 board a vessel is now a well-paid profession and everyone shares a = sense of=20 stability. We ended the boom and bust cycle and the long-term = destruction of=20 the resource.But no good deed goes unpunished.These fisheries gave = rise to the=20 =E2=80=9CDeadliest Catch=E2=80=9D for a reason, even if it is just = historical. The Bering Sea=20 crab fisheries have always attracted men and women willing to risk = their money=20 =E2=80=93 and often their lives =E2=80=93 to fish in the middle of = Alaska=E2=80=99s harsh winter on=20 some of the world=E2=80=99s most dangerous waters.Make no mistake: = these are large=20 scale, large boat, industrial fisheries. Because of the size of these=20 fisheries, they also require huge investments by shore-based = processors and=20 the Alaska communities nearest the fishing grounds to support the = fleet; in=20 the form of docks, large-scale processing plants and transportation = and=20 utility systems. It has been a three-way partnership since day = one. More=20
Opinion. Five years later, Bering Sea crab catch = shares=20 proving value (6/25). I read with chagrin the Alaska Journal = of=20 Commerce=E2=80=99s articles in the June 4 issue on the Bering Sea crab = program.I wish=20 to respond specifically to the article entitled =E2=80=9COwners = profit, but crew feel=20 the pinch of crab catch shares,=E2=80=9D as I am a 32-year = veteran-survivor of the=20 Bering Sea crab fisheries. I will provide my own perspectives based on = real-life experiences.For several years before crab catch shares = began, our=20 boats only worked a few days a year as crab quotas slid to record = lows. The=20 crews were underpaid, boat maintenance was getting deferred, bank loan = payments were not being paid and many boats were on the verge of=20 bankruptcy.Crab-dependent communities like St. Paul were getting no = crab=20 deliveries, and were literally facing extinction. The industry was in = an=20 economic freefall from too many boats going after too few crabs. We = all needed=20 help. More=20
NPRB Seeks New Executive Director. Clarence = Pautzke has=20 announced his retirement for January 31, 2011. The Board is seeking=20 exceptional candidates for the position of Executive Director. = Candidates=20 should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and a = two-page=20 summary of their philosophy on guiding collaborative research. Please = refer to=20 the job=20 description (PDF) for full details and application requirements.=20
Fish processor fined for waste (6/29). Federal=20 environmental regulators have fined a Seattle-based seafood processor = that=20 operates in Alaska waters $135,000 for Clean Water Act violations. The = U.S.=20 Environmental Protection Agency said the company, Highland Light = Seafoods,=20 discharged waste from its 160-foot floating catcher-processor, the = Westward=20 Wind, in violation of its permit and federal pollution regulations. = The=20 violations happened in waters near the Aleutian and Pribilof = islands.The=20 company also violated record-keeping requirements, the agency = said. LinkLonger=20 version by KIAL
Patricia Lee crew lauded (6/30). The captain, = crew and=20 vessel owner of the Patricia Lee were recognized for their heroic = efforts=20 assisting the Coast Guard in the rescue of the crew from the fishing = vessel=20 Katmai that sank Oct. 22, 2008, near Amchitka Island during a ceremony = last=20 month in Portland, Ore.Responding to an urgent marine information = broadcast=20 relaying the fishing vessel Katmai was taking on water with 11 = crewmembers=20 onboard, the crew of the Patricia Lee battled through a winter storm = in low=20 visibility, 100-knot winds and 25-foot swells to assist.The = Meritorious Public=20 Service award is one of the highest public recognition awards = presented by the=20 Coast Guard and is given to recognize unusual courage in advancing the = Coast=20 Guard=E2=80=99s missions. Link=20

AFSC. Data Collected by Observers (Updated June = 2010)=20
New Publications by AFSC AuthorsHONKALEHTO, T., = A.=20 McCARTHY, P. RESSLER, S. STIENESSEN, and D. JONES. 2010. Results of = the=20 acoustic-trawl survey of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) on = the U.S.=20 and Russian Bering Sea shelf in June =E2=80=93 August 2009 (DY0909). = AFSC Processed=20 Rep. 2010-03, 57 p. Alaska Fish. Sci. Cent., NOAA, Natl. Mar. Fish. = Serv.,=20 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle WA 98115. (.pdf. 1.65 MB). Onli= ne.=20
Smallest Whale Population Identified (6/29). The = world=E2=80=99s=20 smallest whale population is the North Pacific right whale, new = surveys show,=20 with only 30 whales alive today. Only 30 eastern North Pacific = right=20 whales are left on the planet, making it the world=E2=80=99s smallest = population of=20 whales, according to a paper published in this week=E2=80=99s = Royal Society=20 Biology Letters.Scientists believe 19th century whaling and = recent=20 illegal catches by the USSR led to this whale=E2=80=99s dramatic = downfall. Reports=20 from the mid 1800=E2=80=99s suggest that these whales once numbered at = least 23,000=20 from North America to the Okhotsk Sea and Japan.Surveys now suggest = that only=20 around eight female and 20-22 male eastern North Pacific right whales = are=20 left.=E2=80=9CWith such small numbers, and so few females, we cannot = predict whether=20 this population will increase or decrease,=E2=80=9D lead author Paul = Wade told=20 Discovery News. =E2=80=9CIt could go either way. Under ideal = conditions, a right whale=20 population could increase by at least a few percent per year, but = probably not=20 such a small population like this.=E2=80=9D More=20
Bordallo Statement on Abuses by NOAA Law Enforcement = (7/1).=20 House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife = Chairwoman=20 Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) released the following statement in = response to a=20 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General (IG) that = will be=20 made public today on abuses of the Asset Forfeiture Fund by employees = of the=20 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration=E2=80=99s (NOAA) = Office of Law=20 Enforcement:=E2=80=9DToday=E2=80=99s IG report paints a troubling = picture of the fiscal=20 failures of the Office of Law Enforcement. I am very concerned = by what=20 the IG has found, and it is clear that further analysis and review = will be=20 needed. While the law allows fines and penalties to be used = directly for=20 enforcement expenses, some of the spending unearthed by the IG = deserves=20 special scrutiny. This account was never meant to be a slush = fund for=20 bureaucrats to go on a spending spree with a limitless credit card, = and it is=20 of the utmost importance that NOAA establish transparent guidelines = for how=20 this fund can be used.=E2=80=9DChairwoman Bordallo held a hearing on = March 3, 2010 on=20 the IG=E2=80=99s investigation, which uncovered =E2=80=9Csystematic, = nationwide issues=E2=80=9D=20 affecting fishing industry law enforcement and commissioned this = forensic=20 review of the Asset Forfeiture Fund. LinkComplete=20 IG Report=20
NMFS. Vessel/Plant Operator Comment Form = for=20 Observer Program. Thank you for taking the time to fill out = this Vessel/Plant=20 Operator Comment Form. It is identical in content to the paper = copy that=20 we are using. This form allows you to provide us with feedback = regarding your=20 recent Observer and your experience with the Observer Program as a = whole. Your=20 feedback is important to us. We are committed to responding to each = Comment=20 Form we receive. More<= /A>=20
NOAA Next Generation Strategic Plan. = Comments due=20 (8/10). NOAA seeks final public comments on a plan that = charts the=20 future of the agency. Individuals can download a copy of the draft = strategic=20 plan and submit comments online via NOAA=E2=80=99s=20 Next Generation Strategic Plan website.The plan renews = NOAA=E2=80=99s mission and=20 vision of the future in light of the national and global challenges we = face=20 and new opportunities that we might seize. The plan lays the = foundation for=20 NOAA to play a leading role in responding to the nation=E2=80=99s most = urgent=20 challenges, ranging from climate change, severe weather, and natural = or=20 human-induced disasters to declining biodiversity and threatened or = degraded=20 ocean and coastal resources.NOAA conducted more than 20 regional = stakeholder=20 forums, a national forum in Washington, D.C., as well as hosted = web-based=20 surveys and idea generation. From that, the greatest challenges facing = the=20 nation and the highest priority mission areas for NOAA were = identified.Final=20 public comments on NOAA=E2=80=99s strategy including the = organization=E2=80=99s mission=20 statement, vision of the future, long-term goals, and five-year = objectives=20 will be accepted through Aug. 10. The final plan is expected to be = released in=20 early September. Link=20
USCG =E2=80=93 merchant mariner certificates suitable for = framing.=20 The US Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) issued a notice=20 stating that it will soon launch an Internet-based service whereby US = mariners=20 will visit a Coast Guard web site, enter their mariner reference = number or=20 other verifiable identification data, and request download of a = ceremonial=20 =E2=80=9CMerchant Mariner Certificate=E2=80=9D that would include the = officer and rating=20 endorsements that are contained in the mariner=E2=80=99s official = Merchant Mariner=20 Credential (MMC). This free certificate would be for display purposes = only.=20 (6/30/10). Courtesy Bryant=E2=80=99s Maritime Blog =
IPHC. Bait Needed for 2011 IPHC Stock Assessment=20 Survey. 290,000 pounds semi-bright chum salmon (7/2). = The=20 International Pacific Halibut Commission is currently acquiring bait = for the=20 2011 survey season. To be included in purchase negotiations, = interested=20 suppliers must contact Evangeline White at the IPHC via phone (206) = 634-1838=20 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting ext. 202; = fax:=20 (206) 632-2983; or e-m= ail=20 by July 15th. Please note that to provide a more timely process for = suppliers,=20 the Commission is changing its bait procurement procedure and will = consider=20 proposals on an as-received schedule. However, the Commission is not = required=20 to accept the lowest or any of the bids received. Purchases will be = negotiated=20 over two-week increments beginning immediately as bait needs are=20 filled. More=20 STATE=20

After false start, commercial fishing set to start Monday = on Yukon=20 (6/27). Commercial salmon fishing is scheduled to open on the = Yukon=20 River Monday evening, according to a press release from Fish and = Game.Read the=20 written statement:Summer chum salmon passage is higher than 2009 by = this date.=20 The Pilot Station sonar summer chum passage estimate through June 26 = is=20 approximately 564,500 fish and the projection at this time is for 1.4 = million=20 summer chum to pass the sonar.The Department previously announced a = test=20 commercial fishing period for Saturday, June 26 in District 1 and = then, in=20 cooperation with Kwik=E2=80=99Pak Fisheries, cancelled the period = based on higher than=20 anticipated abundance of Chinook salmon and lower than expected = abundance of=20 summer chum salmon at that time. This period was intended to target = summer=20 chum salmon, but the shift in species abundance heightened the concern = for the=20 incidental Chinook salmon harvest. More=20
Fishing off to good start in Yukon River (6/29). = EMMONAK=20 =E2=80=94 As skiffs pulled alongside tender boats to turn in salmon = after midnight on=20 Monday, all signs indicated that fishing was strong during the Yukon = River=E2=80=99s=20 first commercial opener of the summer.Chum salmon dominated the catch = in the=20 six-hour period in the lower river district. Fishermen were required = to use=20 smaller-mesh nets to allow king salmon, which have struggled in recent = years,=20 to escape to upriver spawning grounds.Unlike last year, fishermen can = sell=20 incidentally caught king salmon, which are far more valuable than = chums at $5=20 a pound. Yukon chums, marketed as keta, bring 70 cents a pound, said = Jack=20 Schultheis, general manager for Kwik=E2=80=99pak Seafoods, the = river=E2=80=99s largest seafood=20 processor. More

Monday night fishery injects needed cash into lower Yukon = villages=20 (6/29). The 30,371 chum salmon caught during Monday = night=E2=80=99s=20 commercial fishing on the lower Yukon River far outpaced last = year=E2=80=99s best=20 effort, pumping a quarter of a million dollars into the pockets of = local=20 residents.Fishermen caught 19,300 chums during the busiest fishing = period in=20 the lower-river district last year. In six commercial openings last = year,=20 fishermen=E2=80=99s averaged about 11,500 chums a period, according to = a state Fish=20 and Game Department summary.=E2=80=9DIt=E2=80=99s way better than last = year,=E2=80=9D said Richard=20 Kokrine, standing in his skiff waiting to deliver fish to a tender = some 25=20 miles upriver of Emmonak.There=E2=80=99s other good news. With chum = prices higher than=20 last year, and incidentally caught kings allowed to be sold, many = fishermen=20 went home with several hundred dollars in their pocket.After tossing = scores of=20 salmon into a delivery bin at the tender, Nunataq, Jake Prince said he = should=20 get maybe $2,000. More

Cordova Council eyes haulout for development of shipyard = (6/30).=20 At a work session on June 23, members of City Council = discussed an=20 ambitious vision for expansion of Cordova=E2=80=99s new boat haulout = to create a=20 shipyard area comprised of industrial and commercial businesses.The = meeting=20 began with an update from Dale Muma, Cordova harbormaster, regarding = the=20 city=E2=80=99s new travel lift which is currently exceeding = expectations.=E2=80=9DWe=E2=80=99ve done=20 $40,000 to date and we anticipated $75,000 for the year = total,=E2=80=9D he said. Muma=20 cautioned that business will likely slow down as the seine fleet heads = out=20 later this summer, and that it will take a few seasons to set an = operational=20 record.Discussion then moved to the council=E2=80=99s vision for the = area to become a=20 fully operational shipyard. Mayor Jim Kallander reported that he had = been in=20 contact with Sampson to explore purchase of land adjacent to the haul=20 out. More=20
Summer king opener to target seventh-lowest quota = (KCAW=20 Audio/Print)(7/1). Southeast salmon trollers headed out = Thursday=20 (7-1-10) for the first major king opener of the summer.The fleet is = expected=20 to target just over 78,000 kings in roughly one week of fishing.Pattie = Skannes, regional troll management biologist, says the Department of = Fish=20 & Game will shut down fishing by emergency order in six-to-ten = days.=20 Skannes says she and other management staff will have a busy = week.=E2=80=9CWe start=20 tracking the catch on a daily basis. We get fish tickets and they get = entered=20 every day. We get faxed or emailed king tallies from the processors = around the=20 region, the number of kings they bought that day and the number of = landings.=20 Another thing we do is aerial surveys out of a number of different = towns in=20 Southeast, and we count troll vessels and note their location. And we = compile=20 all that to get a total effort for the region.=E2=80=9D=20
Sockeye harvests building toward weekend (6/30). = Cold=20 temperatures and drizzling rain aside, Bristol Bay fishermen caught = 6.6=20 million wild Alaska sockeye salmon through June 30, with the catch = expected to=20 mount to its peak during the July 4 holiday week, state fisheries = biologists=20 said.=E2=80=9DIt=E2=80=99s drizzly rain today and the water is = cold,=E2=80=9D said Slim Morstad, in a=20 telephone interview July 1 from the Alaska Department of Fish and = Game=E2=80=99s=20 office at King Salmon.Temperatures have been in the high 30s and low = 40s. =E2=80=9CIt=20 was a lot warmer last year, compared to this year,=E2=80=9D said = Morstad, area=20 management biologist for the Naknek/Kvichak district salmon. = =E2=80=9CBut the quality=20 (of the sockeyes) is good,=E2=80=9D he said.=20
The state agency=E2=80=99s daily run report showed that as of June = 30 the run had=20 reached 8.4 million reds, with the cumulative harvest standing at = 6,668,870=20 fish, and cumulative escapement at 1.4 million, with an estimated = in-river=20 escapement of 325,000 fish. More

Alaska Business Monthly. Alaska Mid-Year = Forecast-Fisheries=20 by Glenn Reed (July). Editor=E2=80=99s=20 Note: The views expressed in this article = are those=20 of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Alaska = Business=20 Monthly. One thing is certain: in varying degrees, directly or=20 indirectly, the recession has impacted almost every industry in the = country.=20 And while Alaska has always been insulated from what goes on in the = rest of=20 the world, in many sectors, this time there is a crack in its glass = bubble. As=20 the state looks back on the first half of 2010 and ahead to the = remaining six=20 months, even the number of jobs in Alaska, which has not shown a = decline in=20 more than 21 years, dropped =E2=80=93 not by much, but a downward = movement=20 nonetheless.The environmental sector, no stranger to contesting almost = every=20 move from the pro-development front, is holding its breath as elected=20 officials desperately reach for that brass ring again while also = slashing=20 funding sources. New mining projects have been put on hold and may not = happen=20 at all. Although oil and gas remains unaffected by the recession, at = the same=20 time, everyone in the industry will tell you that more than any other = time in=20 history, the state=E2=80=99s largest industry faces a bleak future.We = picked top=20 leaders in their respective industries and asked them to help us = determine=20 where the pencil mark lands for Alaska six months into the year, and = what=20 changes =E2=80=93 for better or worse =E2=80=93 we can expect to see = as we head into 2011.We=20 asked three questions:How are things looking in your industry = for the=20 latter half of 2010?
Has the = worldwide=20 recession affected your industry? =
What=20 trends do you expect to see in your industry over the next two = years?

Here are their answers. ~~~~~~

FISHERIES
By Glenn Reed, President
Pacific = Seafood=20 Processors Association

This has been a difficult year with generally soft markets for = higher value=20 products. In Alaska=E2=80=99s largest fishery, Bering Sea pollock, = demand has seen=20 some increases for what is a relatively lower-value range of products. = Some=20 seafood-market experts are suggesting this situation will change, with = markets=20 improving as we move toward the end of the year.

The global economic situation has been difficult for everyone, = including=20 the seafood industry. Issues that have affected us include the = worldwide=20 credit crunch, inexpensively produced farmed salmon, and large = supplies of=20 Russian seafood products. Weak economies in Asia and Europe also have = impacted=20 the industry because of the resulting lower consumption. At the same = time,=20 high energy and fuel prices have increased the cost of production for = many=20 firms. Seafood is bought and sold as a commodity in global markets so = we can=20 feel greater impacts from the supply versus demand side. The lower = quotas have=20 created some demand benefits for pollock, which as an inexpensive = seafood=20 protein tends to weather tough economic times better than some higher = value=20 products.

We are fortunate that Alaska=E2=80=99s fishery resources are = healthy and abundant,=20 though some are impacted by a soft world market. Alaska=E2=80=99s cod = fisheries are=20 experiencing an up-cycle in abundance, and the world famous Bristol = Bay=20 sockeye fishery is predicted to have another very strong year in = 2010.

The health benefits of wild seafood become more obvious and = well-reported=20 every day, and consumers are paying more attention to what they eat,=20 especially in the United States where the aging population is very = concerned=20 about maximizing quality of life. Alaska=E2=80=99s wild fisheries = offer healthy=20 protein choices to a hungry world. This has served our industry well = for more=20 than 100 years through a wide variety of economic times. This = well-managed=20 Alaska fishery is expected to continue to provide healthy food options = for=20 many years to come.

The State and federal fisheries off the coast of Alaska provide = about 60=20 percent of all the seafood harvested in America, and Alaska seafood = has an=20 enviably strong position in the world market. Because of our strong = commitment=20 to sustainable management, this is expected to continue well into the = future.=20 There is nothing static in the seafood industry; stock abundance = always has=20 fluctuated over short periods of time. But, in the long run, it is = expected=20 that there will be continued strong demand for the sustainable = seafoods=20 produced in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Comp= lete=20 Article on other segments of the Alaska economy

3. Bristol Bay Fisheries Report (KDLG=20 Audio)
Bristol Bay = Fisheries=20 Report =E2=80=93 June 27, 2010
Bristol Bay = Fisheries=20 Report =E2=80=93 June 26, 2010
Bristol Bay = Fisheries=20 Report =E2=80=93 June 25, 2010
Bristol Bay = Fisheries=20 Report June 19
Bristol Bay = Fisheries=20 Report June 18

Alaska State. Career Posting =E2=80=93 International = Marketing=20 Coordinator Internship. The Alaska Seafood Marketing = Institute=20 (ASMI), Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development = (DCCED)=20 State of Alaska is seeking candidates for an International Marketing=20 Coordinator Internship. The position is for 2-3 days/week beginning in = mid-July and continuing through November.Responsibilities include: = working=20 closely with the International Program staff and overseas marketing=20 representatives to prepare and edit reports, assist accounting = procedures,=20 update the ASMI international website, create presentations and other = support=20 duties as necessary.Applicant must possess excellent writing and = analytical=20 skills and be comfortable working in a fast-paced setting. French, = German,=20 Spanish, Russian or Portuguese language proficiency and/or knowledge = of the=20 Alaska seafood industry are advantageous but not required. Web-design=20 experience is also strongly preferred.Starting pay is $15-20/hr, = depending on=20 experience.Closing date for applications to be received by 4 PM AST = July=20 7.Send application letter, resume and references to:
Attention: = Naresh=20 Shrestha
311 N. Franklin St. Ste 200
Juneau, AK 99801 Link=20
ADFG. Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund Science = Advisory=20 Panel Meetings. Multiple = locations=20 in between July 7 and August 11=20 MARKETING=20
Annette Islands Reserve salmon =E2=80=93 Announcement of = intent to use the=20 Default Assessment Tree with modifications (6/28). The = certification=20 body Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), has announced its = intention to=20 make modifications to the MSC=E2=80=99s default Assessment Tree = (including Performance=20 Indicators and Scoring Guideposts) for the evaluation of the Annette=20 Islands Reserve salmon fishery against the MSC Principles and=20 Criteria. Such modifications are proposed in order to allow for = the=20 special characteristics of the fishery. The following announcement is = now=20 available for download from the MSC website:Call for comment on the = proposed=20 Modifications to the Default Assessment Tree: To = download,=20 please follow this=20 link.The default Assessment Tree is defined in the MSC Fisheries=20 Assessment Methodology (FAM), available for download here.Any = persons wishing=20 to comment on these proposed modifications to the default Assessment = Tree are=20 invited to contact Jason Swecker by 5pm GMT,=20 26^th June 2010.E-mail: jswecker@scscertified.com++= ++
Annette=20 Islands Reserve salmon =E2=80=93 Site visit scheduled

The certification body, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), has = announced that the Annette=20 Islands Reserve salmon fishery is now entering the information = gathering=20 phase of the assessment. The primary objective of this stage is to = collect=20 information on the fishery and in particular to speak to = representatives of=20 the fishery, fishery management bodies and other stakeholders of the = fishery.=20 Meetings will be carried out over the period 27^th = July 2010=20 in Metlakatla, Alaska.

To download the full announcement, please follow this=20 link.

Green blimp launches Greenpeace campaign against Costco = (6/30).=20 Eastside residents may have noticed a large airship gliding = low above=20 rooftops early on Wednesday morning. The green blimp, which carried = the=20 message =E2=80=9CCostco: wholesale ocean destruction,=E2=80=9D was = part of a campaign by=20 environmental advocates Greenpeace to draw attention to decimated fish = species.Greenpeace=E2=80=99s 2010 Taking=20 Stock campaign is targeting Issaquah-based retailer Costco, and = seven=20 other large supermarkets, in an effort to make their seafood = purchasing and=20 selling practices more sustainable.Greenpeace claims Costco continues = to stock=20 =E2=80=9Cred list=E2=80=9D species, fish which are threatened by = overfishing, such as Alaskan=20 pollock, Atlantic cod, Atlantic salmon, orange roughy, South Atlantic = albacore=20 tuna, sword-fish, and yellowfin tuna.According to = Greenpeace=E2=80=99s=20 report on supermarkets that support sustainable fishing, Costco = had=20 repeatedly refused to respond the Greenpeace=E2=80=99s questions about = its seafood=20 policies and practices.=E2=80=9DCostco has become a source of serious = concern,=E2=80=9D the=20 report states. =E2=80=9CThe chain pays lip service to seafood = sustainability in its=20 corporate shareholder reports, yet it continues to sell staggering = amounts of=20 products that are sourced from environmentally dubious fisheries and = farms.=20 Costco has no tangible sustainable seafood policy, participates in no=20 significant initiatives, offers virtually zero transparency in its = chain of=20 custody, and has a large inventory of red list items. Compared to the = other=20 major players in the big box retail world, Costco trails far = behind.=E2=80=9DAt this=20 time, Costco had not responded to The Reporter=E2=80=99s = request for=20 comment. Link
Season=E2=80=99s first Yukon kings headed for restaurants = (6/30).=20 The season=E2=80=99s first Yukon River kings left the village = of Emmonak in a=20 cargo plane Tuesday afternoon, bound for restaurants in places such as = Seattle=20 and New York.Fresh, hand-picked kings will be grilled and served = starting=20 Wednesday evening at Elliott=E2=80=99s Oyster House in Seattle, said = Robert Spaulding,=20 the restaurant=E2=80=99s executive chef.Visiting the village of 800 to = meet Alaska=20 Native fishermen and learn about their handling techniques, Spaulding = sifted=20 through ice-filled containers to select 200 pounds of = =E2=80=9Cbeautiful=E2=80=9D king=20 salmon.=E2=80=9DIt doesn=E2=80=99t get any better than this,=E2=80=9D = he said. =E2=80=9CThe flesh on the kings=20 was an inch to an inch and a half thick. Those were probably females, = thick,=20 plump fish, firm texture, no bruising. As a chef it=E2=80=99s making = me really=20 happy.=E2=80=9DThe kings =E2=80=94 lightly spiced to preserve the = original flavor =E2=80=94 will go=20 for $38 a serving, about half a pound, he said. More=20
News=20 from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (6/30).In this = issue:
=E2=80=93 Monitoring=20 Progress of Global Trust Certification
=E2=80=93 New=20 ASMI Japan Website Goes Live
=E2=80=93 SOCKEYE=20 SOCKEYE SOCKEYE SALMON
=E2=80=93 Alaska=20 Seafood in the Nation=E2=80=99s Capital
=E2=80=93 Seen=20 on Newsstands this Week
=E2=80=93 Energy=20 Use in Fisheries Conference

Atlantic. Salmon Extravaganza, Part I (7/1).=20 This piece is the first in a two-part series about = Corby=E2=80=99s recent=20 trip to remote Alaskan salmon fisheries that few journalists ever=20 visit.Alaska brags about the way it manages its fishery. It = invests in=20 both protecting it and showing it off, as in the trip Marion Nestle = and I went=20 on a bit over a week ago. Paid-for (and fun) junket aside, the state = has=20 reason to boast. The state supplies half the country=E2=80=99s = wild-caught seafood=E2=80=94the=20 only kind many of us want to eat. No Alaskan seafood has been listed = as=20 endangered under the Endangered Species Act, as Marion points out in = her=20 series of three excellent posts about the trip. In his new book, <= EM>Four=20 Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food (an = excerpt=20 of which, on tuna, ran in last Sunday=E2=80=99s New York Times = Magazine),=20 Paul Greenberg says of the state=E2=80=99s Department of Fish & = Game, =E2=80=9CWhen it=20 comes to salmon, Alaska is a little like a wise old man sitting on a = far=20 northern perch overlooking the destruction that humanity has wrought = farther=20 south.=E2=80=9DThe group that invited us, the Alaska Seafood Marketing = Institute,=20 is a public-private partnership that seeks to promote the = state=E2=80=99s seafood. The=20 idea was for a couple of journalists and one star chef, Michael = Cimarusti of=20 the restaurant Providence, in Los=20 Angeles, to get a close look at wild salmon=E2=80=94the glamour fish, = the one cooks=20 and eaters like me wait all year for. (As I=E2=80=99m from = Connecticut, my own=20 internal clock is set to spring shad and summer bluefish.) More=20 MISC

9th Circuit Says Endangered Species Critical Habitat Not = Limited=20 to Where the Species Resides =E2=80=93 Agency May Restrict Analysis of = Economic Costs=20 of Critical Habitat (6/28). By = George=20 J. Mannina, Jr.In Arizona Cattle = Growers=E2=80=99=20 Association, ___ F.3d ___, 2010 WL 222036 (9th Cir. June 4, = 2010), the=20 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Fish and Wildlife Service = (=E2=80=9CFWS=E2=80=9D)=20 determination under the Endangered Species Act (=E2=80=9CESA=E2=80=9D) = that critical habitat=20 for the threatened Mexican spotted owl is not limited to areas where = the owl=20 actually resides but can encompass any area the owl uses, including = the birds=E2=80=99=20 migratory pathway. That standard means the thousands of miles of = migratory bird flyways used by ESA listed birds could become protected = critical habitat. The decision also held, in stark disagreement = with the=20 10th Circuit, that when implementing the ESA=E2=80=99s requirement to = decide whether=20 the economic costs of designating an area as critical habitat outweigh = the=20 benefits, FWS can ignore economic costs caused by the critical habitat = designation if such costs can also be attributed to listing the = species. =20 The 10th Circuit in New Mexico Cattle Growers=E2=80=99 = Ass=E2=80=99n v. Fish and Wildlife=20 Service, 248 F.3d 1277 (10th Cir. 2001), had ruled that allowing = FWS to=20 ignore the economic costs of critical habitat designations by = attributing all=20 such costs to the listing meant that economic issues would never be = considered=20 anywhere in the ESA because, unlike critical habitat designations, the = ESA=20 precludes weighing economic costs when listing a species. = Finally, the=20 9th Circuit stated the ESA=E2=80=99s requirement that FWS use the best = scientific data=20 available in making decisions =E2=80=9Cdoes not require that the FWS = act only when it=20 can justify its decision with absolute confidence.=E2=80=9DThe 9th = Circuit began by=20 citing the statute that critical habitat includes areas essential for = the=20 species=E2=80=99 conservation. 16 U.S.C. 1532(5)(A). The = court said the=20 limits of critical habitat outside the area where the species resides = are=20 measured using two tests, frequency of use and uncertainty. = Frequency,=20 said the court, considers whether the area is used intermittently for=20 foraging, juvenile population dispersal, or migration. Such = areas can be=20 critical habitat because =E2=80=9CCongress clearly intended that = [agencies] give the=20 highest of priorities and the benefit of the doubt to preserving = endangered=20 species.=E2=80=9D In short, the 9th Circuit decided that if an = area =E2=80=9Ccontains=E2=80=9D a=20 listed species for =E2=80=9Cany reasonable span of time=E2=80=9D it = can constitute critical=20 habitat. Given that vast land areas of the U.S. are part of the=20 migratory bird flyways, the 9th Circuit=E2=80=99s opinion paves the = way for all of=20 these areas to become critical habitat for listed species. = Reaching=20 beyond even this broad principle, the court went on to find that = because FWS=20 presented evidence that there might be undiscovered owl sites, areas = used by=20 these undiscovered animals could also be included in critical = habitat. =20 CLICK=20 HERE TO CONTINUE=20
Industry fishing for profits, not predators = (6/24).=20 (PhysOrg.com) =E2=80=94 People who fish for a living pursue = top profits, not=20 necessarily top predators, according to the first-ever analysis of = worldwide=20 catch and economic data for the past 55 years. = This=20 differs from the observation raised 10 years ago that humans were = =E2=80=9Cfishing=20 down=E2=80=9D the food web. It was assumed that catches of the = predators at the top of=20 the food chain, such as halibut and tuna, were declining after fishers = started=20 landing more fish = from lower=20 on the food = chain,=20 such as herring and anchovies.The idea was that people had targeted = fish at=20 top of the food web causing declines that forced harvests of fish at = ever=20 lower =E2=80=9Ctrophic levels=E2=80=9D in the food web. Proponent of = the idea at the time=20 wrote, =E2=80=9CIf we don=E2=80=99t manage this resource, we will be = left with a diet of jellyfish and = plankton=20 stew.=E2=80=9DFishing down the food web has been debated by biologists = and fisheries=20 managers since the idea emerged. However, some in the news media, as = well as a=20 number of conservation groups and individuals, accepted the hypothesis = without=20 question, according to Suresh Sethi, a University of Washington = doctoral=20 student in aquatic and fishery sciences.=E2=80=9DWe wanted to examine = why fishermen=20 might be motivated to preferentially harvest different trophic levels = and our=20 data showed that fishing down the food web =E2=80=94 by moving from = higher to lower=20 value species =E2=80=94 is an incomplete story of the evolution of = global fishery=20 development,=E2=80=9D says Sethi, lead author of a paper on the = subject published this=20 week in the early edition of the Proceedings=20 of the National Academy of Sciences. =E2=80=9CWe found no evidence = that humans=20 first developed commercial fisheries on top predators then = sequentially moved=20 to species lower in the food web since the 1950s. Instead, those who = fish for=20 a living have pursued high revenue fisheries, no matter what the = tropic level=20 of the species.=E2=80=9D More

Alaskans on alert as XtraTuf manufacturing moves overseas = (7/1).=20 Honeywell International will be moving production of its = renowned XtraTuf boots from=20 Illinois overseas =E2=80=94 probably China =E2=80=94 next year, = but that should not be a=20 worry for the many Alaska devotees of the tall, durable rubber = footwear. KCAW-FM=20 in Sitka sent a crew down to the harbor to gauge fishermen=E2=80=99s = reaction to the=20 news that the big =E2=80=9CMade in the USA=E2=80=9D logo on every = XtraTufs box will disappear.=20 =E2=80=9CIf they=E2=80=99re still readily available, then the news is = not all bad,=E2=80=9D one said.=20 But Sitka retailers, who say they=E2=80=99ve had good service from the = U.S. factory,=20 have some worries about changes in the supply line and the = product=E2=80=99s=20 image. Link=20

Disclaimer: Inclusion of a news article, = report, or=20 other document in this email does not imply MCA support or endorsement = of the=20 information or opinion expressed in the document.

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