Alaska/Pacific Coast
Alaska Fisheries Report KMXT by Maggie Wall - April 5, 2019 This week we look at salmon, tariffs, the Pebble Mine project and Exxon Valdez paper piles. Pebble CEO says they have “taken a lot of the controversy out the project. “ http://kmxt.org/2019/04/alaska-fisheries-report-april-4-2019/ North Pacific Council Restricts Motherships in Bering Sea Trawl Cod Fishery SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - April 5, 2019 In a final action that was described as “too fast” and “incomplete” by critics and “difficult and very tough” by members of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the panel reduced the number of vessels that can act as motherships in the Bering Sea trawl cod fishery to only two: the Seafreeze Alaska owned by United States Seafood and the Katie Ann owned by American Seafoods. The move left several vessels locked out of providing mothership services, including at least four that have established histories of taking trawl cod deliveries for several years in both the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands. The final action, expected to be implemented next year, was in response to a shift from shoreside to offshore deliveries of trawl-caught cod in recent years. In 2016, about three percent of the target cod fishery was delivered to offshore motherships. In 2017, that percentage grew to almost 13%, then last year was over 18%. In this year’s A season, the shortest season on record, about 29% of the BSAI trawl cod TAC was delivered offshore. The increased offshore deliveries at the expense of the shore-based plant deliveries was done during a time of decreasing catches. This week’s action on restricting mothership operations for trawl cod was done in possibly record time for the council. From their first action on this issue in December of 2017 to yesterday’s final action was only ten days short of 16 months. There is more on the Council’s plate for Bering Sea and Aleutian Island trawl cod. The ‘race for fish’ that has compressed season lengths for both the A season and B season to record periods -- this year’s B season lasted one day -- is prompting a restructuring that will be addressed at the Council’s meeting in Homer, AK in October. The Council will review a scoping paper at that meeting that will look at options for rationalizing the fishery. Another critical issue is Amendment 113, recently vacated by court order, which created a 5,000 mt cod set aside for the Adak shoreplant. The rule is no longer in place and the Department of Commerce says they will not appeal. NOAA Fisheries will need to address the issues noted in the judge’s decision before Golden Harvest, the plant in Adak, will have the protection of a set aside. The Council’s recent action was welcomed by Golden Harvest spokesman Steve Minor. “In Adak, Golden Harvest has invested millions of dollars rebuilding and updating the plant, rehabilitated more than 40 community housing units, and as recently as December, committed to the State of Alaska to rebuild the outfall and build a new $6 million fish meal plant, not as a profitable investment but to address serious issues inherited form previous operators. “All of these investments are now at risk because of the Groundfish Forum members’ efforts through the courts and this process to use the money, excess capacity, and leverage they gained under Amendment 80 to take Pacific cod away from Alaska’s coastal communities. “We believe there are two mothership operations -- and only two -- which have participated both pre-2008 and on a continued, sustained basis in the Aleutian Islands, and we therefore support Alternative 2, Option 1, suboption 1.3 and Option 2.” The motion was made by the state of Alaska's council member Rachel Baker, Deputy Commissioner of Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and was passed by a 10-1 vote. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1137362/North-Pacific-Council-Restricts-Motherships-in-Bering-Sea-Trawl-Cod-Fishery International Russia to Focus on Sea of Okhotsk for Pollock While Also Exploring Other Areas SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - April 3, 2019 The Sea Okhotsk will remain a major source of pollock in Russia during the next several years. However, exploratory fishing works will also be conducted in other parts of the country, according to recent statements of Russian Rosrybolovstvo representatives and local experts in the field of fishing. In the case of the Sea of Okhotsk, results of a recent survey conducted by researchers at the Russian Pacific Research Center, Russia’s leading research agency in the field of fishing, show the sea's total pollock reserves are estimated at about 11.6 million tonnes. In recent years, these figures have significantly increased after historical lows in the early 2000s, when pollock stock in the Sea of Okhotsk fell to the minimum of 3 million tonnes. At the same time, pollock reserves in the waters of Primorsky Krai are currently lower those initially predicted by scientists and experts of Rosrybolovstvo. Since 2014 the number of vessels operating during pollock seasons in Russia has declined. According to analysts, that could be explained by the fact that more fisherman in the country began to specialize in more sophisticated on-board processing activities, instead of traditional harvesting. At present, 70% of the Russian pollock catch is certified by international standards. A significant part of production accounted for processed products, particularly fillets and other products of deep processing. This processing is good for Russia's export market. In the meantime, Russia looks to increase its pollock harvest in the Arctic seas. For this purpose, additional pollock surveys are planned for the Chukchi Sea this year. In the case of Chukchi Sea, its pollock stock has significantly increased recently, which was mainly due the migration of fish from the northern part of the Bering Sea through the Bering Strait to the Chukchi Sea waters. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1137086/Russia-to-Focus-on-Sea-of-Okhotsk-for-Pollock-While-Also-Exploring-Other-Areas FYI’s Are you a fisherman who’s been hurt on the job? This bill could help. Rep. Ortiz attempts to ease the burden on vessel owners’ insurance claims Peninsula Clarion by Mollie Barnes - April 3, 2019 An Alaska representative is attempting to ease the burden on vessel owners’ insurance claims. Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, is sponsoring House Bill 105, which would allow vessel owners to be entitled to receive a benefit if a fisherman files a claim for benefits under the Commercial Fisherman’s Fund. The bill allows an owner to fully recover the protection and indemnity deductible from the fund up to the amount of $5,000, he said. https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/are-you-a-fisherman-whos-been-hurt-on-the-job-this-bill-could-help/ Seafood Marketing Discussed at ComFish Fishermen's News - April 3, 2019 The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) and the McDowell Group teamed up for ComFish Alaska 2019 to give fishermen an update on where Alaska seafood stands in the global marketplace. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/seafood-marketing-discussed-at-comfish.html Trident's Pollock Protein Noodles Hit Select East Coast Costco Stores Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - April 4, 2019 Trident's new 10g Protein Noodles are officially on the East Coast. After debuting the versatile pollock noodles at Seafood Expo North America in Boston last month, Trident confirmed to SeafoodNews that a select number of Costco locations will be carrying the product. The 10g Protein Noodles are high protein, lower-carb, gluten-free noodles that are made from wild Alaska pollock. In addition to having a whopping 10g of protein, which is double the amount found in an 85g serving of regular spaghetti pasta, the Protein Noodles are also all-natural and contain 70mg of Omega-3 fatty acids. So far Trident has been receiving positive feedback on their new product. Earlier this year the 10g Protein Noodles became a quadruple winner at Alaska's Symphony of Seafood competition in Juneau – which according to Julie Decker, Director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, host of the Symphony for the past 26 years, has "never happened before." "It really speaks to the quality and innovation of this new product," Decker told Fish Radio. "It really blew everything out of the water." Last month the product was also a winner at the National Restaurant Show, which recognizes products that are breaking new ground in taste, creativity, packaging and profit potential. Trident was the only seafood company recognized in the group of 32 new products. "Today's consumers are interested now more than ever in alternative ways to incorporate clean protein into their diets," John Salle, Trident's SVP of Marketing and Innovation, said ahead of the Boston Seafood Show. "As we like to say, 'It's a new way to get hooked on protein.'" You can find a list of the Costco locations carrying Trident's 10g Protein Noodles below: #233 - 1200 S. Fern St. Arlington, VA #312 - 1718 Boston Post Rd. Milford, CT #326 - 1 Westchester Ave Port Chester, NY #337 - 1300 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE Leesburg, VA #780 - 75 Freshwater Blvd Enfield, CT #1000 - 6675 Marie Curie Dr. Elkridge, MD #1089 - 1401 Mall Drive North Chesterfield, VA #1120 - 2441 Market St. NE Washington DC #1166 - 1290 U.S. Highway 22E North Plainfield, NJ #1236 - 2A Walter F Foran Blvd. N. Flemington, NJ https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1137238/Tridents-Pollock-Protein-Noodles-Hit-Select-East-Coast-Costco-Stores
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