Alaska/Pacific Coast
In 2018, Alaska's Bering Sea was all out of whack. It was an extreme year. Popular Science by Jillian Mock - December 28, 21018 By all measures, 2018 was an extreme year for Alaska’s Bering Sea. For the first time since 1850, the body of water in the northern Pacific remained virtually free of sea ice. Scientists traced the impact of this lack of ice on water temperature and fish populations throughout the year to try to figure out what happens when an ecosystem built around ice suddenly has none. https://www.popsci.com/alaska-bering-sea-climate-change#page-3 Government shutdown, if it continues, could cost Alaska’s lucrative Bering Sea fisheries KTOO by Nat Herz - December 28, 2018 The federal government shutdown is already causing problems for participants in the upcoming fishing season in the Bering Sea, which are likely to escalate if the stalemate in Washington, D.C. continues. https://www.ktoo.org/2018/12/28/government-shutdown-if-it-continues-could-cost-alaskas-lucrative-bering-sea-fisheries/ Work continues on federal plan for Cook Inlet salmon Alaska Journal of Commerce by Elizabeth Earl - December 27, 2018 More than two years after a court ruling ordered the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to develop a management plan for the Cook Inlet salmon fishery, a stakeholder group has made a first set of recommendations. http://www.alaskajournal.com/2018-12-27/work-continues-federal-plan-cook-inlet-salmon#.XCus8fx7k0o PWS test fishery for Pollock set for January Cordova Times - December 30, 2018 Bids are being solicited by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game through Jan. 8 for a test fishery using pelagic trawl gear to harvest up to 900,000 pounds of walleye Pollock in Prince William Sound. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2018/12/30/pws-test-fishery-for-pollock-set-for-january/ Update: New law makes it easier to kill salmon-eating sea lions In the Columbia River, up to 920 sea lions can be removed each year to protect fish. High Country News by Jodi Peterson News - December 27, 2018 Sea lions were once hunted almost to extinction, but the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act helped them rebound to around 300,000 today. Thousands swim the lower Columbia River up to Bonneville Dam, hunting spawning sturgeon, lamprey and threatened and endangered salmon. Nearly half of the spring chinook salmon run vanishes before even reaching the dam; biologists think the sea lions are the primary culprit. https://www.hcn.org/articles/latest-columbia-river-update-new-law-makes-it-easier-to-kill-salmon-eating-sea-lions-steelhead-salmon Sea Watch: Seafood industry faces more uncertainty Homer News by Cristy Fry - December 27, 2018 As another year draws to a close, the seafood industry seems to be facing even more uncertainty than usual, with some groundfish stocks cratering, salmon runs behaving in historically strange ways, trade wars with China imposing some tariffs on a variety of products, and the state being on the forefront of climate change. https://www.homernews.com/news/sea-watch-seafood-industry-faces-more-uncertainty/ International Russia Plans to Compete with Alaska for Brazilian Pollock Market SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - December 31, 2018 Russia plans to start more active promotion of domestic fish in foreign markets in the future. Government and industry said that will take place through the conduction of large-scale marketing campaigns promoting Russian fish and seafood, according to recent statements of representatives of some Russian leading fish producers and senior officials of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo). Part of these plans include expanding into markets that, so far, have been traditionally closed to Russian fishermen, or where their presence has been insignificant. According to German Zverev, head of the Russian Pollock Association, one such market is Brazil, where the demand for whitefish and whitefish products has significantly increased in recent years. Zverev added the Brazil market has been traditionally dominated by Norwegian fish producers as well as the U.S. producers from Alaska. However, Russia plans to compete with Norway and Alaska, both in Brazil and other Latin American markets, he said. According to preliminary estimates of the Russian Pollock Association, the annual supplies of only pollock fillet and cod to Brazil may be in the range of 80,000–90,000 tons. Implementation of these new marketing and export plans, however, will force Russian producers to increase domestic production of these products, which are currently estimated at about 200,000 tonnes per year. At the same time, in addition to Brazil, Rosrybolovstvo plans to increase Russian fish exports to the African continent – a region where the presence of Russian fish producers, so far, has also been limited. For this purpose, a new autonomous non-profit organization may be established in Russia that will focus on the promotion of Russian fish and seafood at foreign markets and whose functions could be similar to the Norwegian Fish Promotion Council. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1127703/Russia-Plans-to-Compete-with-Alaska-for-Brazilian-Pollock-Market Labeling and Marketing 3MMI - Strong King Salmon Pricing Leading Into 2019 TradexFoods - December 31, 2018 On the West Coast, declining populations of Chinook salmon have become a critical factor for the decline of killer whales. In Alaska, it's no surprise that pricing on King salmon is still high, and decent inventory from 2018 is still available. Given all market factors, buyers should anticipate strong pricing to continue leading into 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=kdvsbsiwMFs Federal Register Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Groundfish Bottom Trawl and Midwater Trawl Gear in the Trawl Rationalization Program; Correction A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/27/2018 NMFS published a final rule on December 3, 2018, to implement management measures revising Federal regulations that currently restrict the use and configuration of bottom and midwater trawl gear for vessels fishing under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery's Trawl Rationalization Program. This notification corrects language describing where vessels are prohibited from carrying any other type of small footrope trawl gear other than selective flatfish trawl gear (SFFT); restores language which clarifies the trawl gear types vessels are allowed to carry simultaneously on a trip; restores the prohibition on the use of small footrope trawl inside the Columbia and Klamath River Salmon Conservation Zones; and restores vessel declarations for non-trawl and open access groundfish trips, open access trips for other fisheries, and other trip types. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/27/2018-27921/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions-fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2019-2020 Biennial Specifications and Management Measures; Correction A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/27/2018 NMFS published a final rule on December 12, 2018, to establish the 2019-2020 harvest specifications and management measures for groundfish taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. That rule included modifications to depth contour coordinates used for area management, trip limits for a variety of fleets, and allocations to different fisheries within the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. This action corrects the order of two waypoints for the 150 fathom (274 m) depth line, corrects the trip limits for the limited entry fixed gear and open access fleets for Minor Nearshore Rockfish south of 42° North latitude (N), and corrects the Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) allocations for 2019 and 2020 for canary rockfish and shortspine thornyheads north of 34°27′ N latitude. These corrections are necessary so that the implementing regulations are accurate and implement the action as intended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/27/2018-27922/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions-fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Inseason Adjustment to the 2019 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pollock, Atka Mackerel, and Pacific Cod Total Allowable Catch Amounts A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/28/2018 NMFS is adjusting the 2019 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock, Atka mackerel, and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, and will ensure the BSAI pollock, Atka mackerel, and Pacific cod TACs are the appropriate amounts based on the best available scientific information. Also, NMFS is announcing the Aleutian Islands Catcher Vessel (CV) Harvest Set-Aside and Bering Sea Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation will be in effect for 2019, and TACs in this inseason adjustment will apply for 2019. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/28/2018-28214/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-inseason-adjustment-to-the-2019-bering-sea-and Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/28/2018 NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) from vessels using jig gear, catcher/processors using hook-and-line gear, and catcher vessels using trawl gear to catcher vessels less than 50 feet length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line gear, catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet LOA using hook-and-line gear, vessels using pot gear, and catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to allow the 2018 TAC of Pacific cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA to be harvested. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/28/2018-28367/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-reallocation-of-pacific-cod-in-the-central Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/28/2018 NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) from vessels using jig gear, catcher/processors using hook-and-line gear, and catcher vessels using trawl gear to catcher vessels less than 50 feet length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line gear, catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet LOA using hook-and-line gear, vessels using pot gear, and catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to allow the 2018 TAC of Pacific cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA to be harvested. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/28/2018-28367/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-reallocation-of-pacific-cod-in-the-central Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Inseason Adjustment to the 2019 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pollock, Atka Mackerel, and Pacific Cod Total Allowable Catch Amounts A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 12/28/2018 NMFS is adjusting the 2019 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock, Atka mackerel, and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, and will ensure the BSAI pollock, Atka mackerel, and Pacific cod TACs are the appropriate amounts based on the best available scientific information. Also, NMFS is announcing the Aleutian Islands Catcher Vessel (CV) Harvest Set-Aside and Bering Sea Trawl CV A-Season Sector Limitation will be in effect for 2019, and TACs in this inseason adjustment will apply for 2019. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/28/2018-28214/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-inseason-adjustment-to-the-2019-bering-sea-and
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: pspafish@gmail.com; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.