Alaska/Pacific Coast Winter trolling starts slow in Southeast KFSK by Joe Viechnicki - January 7, 2019 Commercial salmon trolling in Southeast Alaska had a slow start to the winter season. That’s likely to mean another year of restrictions for both commercial and sport fishing for king salmon in 2019. Recently-adopted guidelines in the Pacific Salmon Treaty link the success or failure of winter fishing to the numbers of salmon available for harvest the rest of the year. https://www.kfsk.org/2019/01/07/winter-trolling-starts-slow-in-southeast/ Reduced Cod TAC in Bering Sea Part of New Normal SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - January 7, 2019 This year’s reduction in the total allowable catch (TAC) Bering Sea cod may result in a shorter season, but it is not expected to change fleet behavior or vessel costs yet. The 11.3% drop in TAC available to the federal fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands in 2019 adds pressure to trawl and longline skippers who have allocations for both directed harvests and bycatch of cod. Most fleet managers and those familiar with the dynamics of the Bering Sea fisheries acknowledge that most vessels have allocations for other species, an option they will take to stay within their annual TAC of cod harvest and of cod as a prohibited species (bycatch allocation.) Longline and pot harvests for Pacific cod in the Bering Sea began January 1, and the first weekly catch reports are expected this Thursday, January 10. Last year, some vessels in the freezer-longliner fleet traveled farther north, following Pacific cod that has in recent years been following cooler water in the Bering Sea to its northern boundaries. The trawl fishery, set to start January 20 unless the government shutdown is not resolved, is expected to fish the abundant grounds near Unimak Pass for cod and other species during the A season. The McDowell Group’s annual report on Alaska seafood in 2018 indicates export prices for Alaska cod last year increased from 2017. Head and gutted product (H&G) production increased 12% and roe production for cod was up 21%. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1128262/Reduced-Cod-TAC-in-Bering-Sea-Part-of-New-Normal International Russia embracing seafood festivals to encourage domestic consumption Seafood Source by Ivan Stupachenko - January 4, 2019 Russian authorities are trying to encourage the fishing industry and trade businesses to use better practices in production, retail, logistics and marketing to get more Russian fish sold on domestic market which has been experiencing a significant decrease over recent years. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/russia-embracing-seafood-festivals-to-encourage-domestic-consumption Environment/Science Carbon emissions pose threat to salmon Increased CO2 in ocean water could impact coho survival Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - January 7, 2019 Salmon depend on their sense of smell to detect and avoid predators, find prey and return to their natal streams to spawn and die at their life’s end, but that critical sense may be endangered by increased carbon emissions in the ocean. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2019/01/07/carbon-emissions-pose-threat-to-salmon/ Uncovering the secret lives of salmon Researchers aim to find where Pacific salmon spend their winters Times Colonist by Carla Wilson - January 6, 2019 An international team of scientists is heading to the Gulf of Alaska for a ground-breaking research survey to uncover the secret lives of Pacific salmon in the winter. https://www.timescolonist.com/islander/uncovering-the-secret-lives-of-salmon-1.23578248
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