Alaska/Pacific Coast
Southeast Tanner crab harvest worth $4.2 million KFSK by Angela Denning - April 8, 2019 The commercial Tanner crab fishery in Southeast Alaska wrapped up last month and saw a harvest that was the third highest in the last 15 seasons. KFSK’s Angela Denning reports: https://www.kfsk.org/2019/04/08/southeast-tanner-crab-harvest-worth-4-2-million/ Environment/Science EPA, Alaska seek to relax water pollution rules CoastAlaska by Jacob Resneck - April 2, 2019 The Trump administration is quietly reviving a long-stalled effort by state regulators to loosen pollution standards where fish spawn. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation proposed the rule change more than a decade ago to change how it enforces the federal Clean Water Act. https://www.ktoo.org/2019/04/02/epa-alaska-seek-to-relax-water-pollution-rules/ Hilcorp delays seismic exploration in lower Cook Inlet KBBI by Aaron Bolton - April 8, 2019 Hilcorp said it’s holding off on plans to conduct seismic exploration for oil and gas in lower Cook Inlet because of potential conflicts with halibut and salmon fishermen. The company also lacks a crucial permit to conduct the work, and it’s unclear when it may get the green light to move forward. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/04/08/hilcorp-delays-seismic-exploration-in-lower-cook-inlet/ FYI’s Rising Demand for Seafood is Creating Opportunities for Air Carriers and Airports FreightWaves by Cathy Morrow Roberson - April 10, 2019 Over 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported from other countries. China, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam provide two-thirds of total U.S. imports. Air cargo is often the mode of choice to maintain freshness and speed to market. Investments in packaging, containers and technology to monitor the temperature of the seafood while in transit are important, with guidelines provided by the International Air Transport Association. Airports play a big role as well. Investments are being made in cold chain operations to attract more cargo volumes. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, for example, added a cold chain facility on its campus in 2017 that controls warehousing temperatures for shipments of pharmaceuticals, flowers and fresh foods. Another example is Miami International Airport, already the largest U.S. import hub for flowers. The Miami airport also has obtained certification for handling pharmaceuticals with special attention to temperature controls. Getting back to seafood, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), located in Washington State is a natural airport to offer services for the seafood industry thanks to its location. Fish from the state itself as well as from Alaska, Canada and Asia often begins its journey from Sea-Tac to final destinations around the United States. The airport is currently undergoing remodeling and expansion projects to accommodate the 56 million passengers forecast by 2027; hopefully cargo volumes will also benefit from these investments. Meanwhile, Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Canada’s Nova Scotia province, is placing its growth aspirations squarely on seafood. In 2017, more than 10,000 tons of seafood valued at over C$220 million (US$167 million) was shipped via the airport, comprising half of its total air cargo. Operators include Atlas Air, Cargojet, FedEx, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Skylease Cargo and Suparna Airlines, plus bellyhold capacity from Air Canada and WestJet. Europe is an important export market for seafood, but demand from Asia has been the main driver of Halifax’s cargo growth. In particular, seafood shipped from the airport supplies customers such as Alibaba and JD.com with lobster and other fish for door-to-door delivery within 72 hours. Korean Air operates three B747F flights per week from Halifax, while SkyLease (which operates for First Catch, a Chinese-owned seafood forwarder based in Halifax) and Suparna fly twice weekly from the airport. However, lobster exporters, in particular, have complained for years of the bottlenecks at Halifax Stanfield. Cargo aircraft usually arrive around the same time and at night and there has never been enough storage space. In late 2018, the airport received funding and work is set to begin soon on a new cargo building, new taxiways and an expansion of de-icing facilities on 10 hectares of forest land adjacent to the existing Gateway cargo facility. Halifax is not the only airport that is promoting seafood cargo. Oslo Airport is Norway’s primary airport; it is investing in a seafood center to cater to the rising demand for perishable exports from the Nordic region – particularly to China. Once completed, the facility will handle up to 250,000 tons of seafood annually in a facility designed to meet industry requirements for cold chain logistics and innovation. Global consumption of seafood continues to grow by double-digits with China, Japan and the U.S. as the largest markets in terms of consumption. Airfreight offers the fastest method of transportation in order to maintain freshness of the fish. As a result, carriers and airports alike are working to address the specific requirements necessary to meet the rising global demand for seafood. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1137833/Rising-Demand-for-Seafood-is-Creating-Opportunities-for-Air-Carriers-and-Airports
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.