Alaska/Pacific Coast
Concern in Chignik, as escapement gets off to a slow start KDLG by Isabelle Ross - June 10, 2019 Fishing has gotten off to a slow start along the Alaska Peninsula. This is particularly worrying for people who live and fish in the Chignik management area – because last summer, those communities saw the worst sockeye run since statehood. https://www.kdlg.org/post/concern-chignik-escapement-gets-slow-start#stream/0 National Resolution salutes International Year of the Salmon Cordova Times - June 8, 2019 A resolution introduced on June 4 in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Don Young, R-Alaska, and Jared Huffman, D-CA, recognizes the International Year of the Salmon, a collaborative effort of multiple countries, including the United States and Canada. https://thecordovatimes.com/2019/06/08/resolution-salutes-international-year-of-the-salmon/ Environment/Science ADF&G biologists continue to grapple with abandoned nets KDLG by Alex Hager - June 6, 2019 Biologists in Dillingham say abandoned nets are getting caught in local waterways and causing problems for wildlife. https://www.kdlg.org/post/adfg-biologists-continue-grapple-abandoned-nets#stream/0 Labeling and Marketing Jeremy Woodrow Chosen as New Executive Director for Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - June 11, 2019 JUNEAU – After a five-month long search, yesterday the ASMI Board of Directors announced their selection of Jeremy Woodrow as the new executive director. Woodrow has been serving as ASMI’s interim director since December 2018 when former E.D. Alexa Tonkovich left ASMI to pursue a master’s in international business. In addition to taking the job as interim executive director, Woodrow continued as the marketing association's communications director, a position he was hired for in 2017. "The ASMI board is proud to have a life-long Alaskan with close ties to Alaska's fishing industry lead Alaska seafood's global marketing efforts," said Jack Schultheis, chairman of the ASMI Board of Directors. "The Alaska Seafood brand is as strong as ever and we are confident that Jeremy's leadership will advance the direction and mission of the agency," Schultheis added. As executive director, Woodrow will administer all ASMI programs and operations out of its global headquarters in Juneau. ASMI's marketing efforts support the state's seafood trade in the U.S., Asian and European markets, with emerging markets in South America. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve the Alaska seafood industry and the State of Alaska in a new capacity,” said Woodrow. “I truly believe in ASMI’s mission to grow the economic value of Alaska’s seafood resource. I look forward to working closer with the ASMI board and the seafood industry to achieve our mission on the behalf of Alaskans.” Before joining ASMI, Woodrow served as the communications officer for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. He brings considerable ASMI organizational knowledge, having previously worked with ASMI both as an intern in the communications program and with ASMI’s former PR agency, Schiedermayer & Associates Alaska. Born and raised Juneau, Woodrow comes from a commercial fishing family and brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the role. Woodrow holds bachelor’s degrees in public relations and advertising from Northern Arizona University. The award-winning marketing group is a public-private partnership between the State of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry. ASMI plays a key role in positioning Alaska’s seafood industry as a competitive market-driven food production industry and premium global brand. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1144136/Jeremy-Woodrow-Chosen-as-New-Executive-Director-for-Alaska-Seafood-Marketing-Institute FYI’s Winners Revealed for the 2019 Seafood Champions Awards Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - June 11, 2019 Diversified Communications and SeaWeb announced the winners of the 2019 Seafood Champion Awards. The awards highlight “an outstanding group of seafood sustainability leaders who exemplify the creativity and commitment of seafood leaders around the world.” The award show has recognized individuals and organizations for promoting environmentally responsible seafood in four categories since 2006. “Once again the Seafood Champion Awards bring together a collection of inspirational stories that exemplify the great work being done to make seafood more sustainable and more ethical," said Liz Plizga, Group Vice President for Diversified Communications. Wakao Hanaoka, founder and CEO of Seafood Legacy earned the Seafood Champion Award for Leadership. She has been one of the leaders of Japan’s sustainable seafood movement for well over a decade. Since the creation of her business, she has worked to find solutions for sustainability by focusing on business-led initiatives that drive reform. Based on the value of harmony in Japanese business culture, Wakao’s initiative has now partnered with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is driving sustainability in Japan. The Seafood Champion Award for Innovation went to OceanMind (OM). Thanks to the Pew Charitable Trusts, OM has taken a different approach to vessel monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS). OM was able to build a strong partnership with the Royal Thai Government’s Department of Fisheries (DOF) to provide MCS support. OM has worked to help the DOF gain control over their massive commercial fishing fleet. Dr. Darian McBain won the award in the Vision category. Thanks to her work, the Thai Union has become a leader in sustainability in seafood and beyond. She works at every level of the industry, from vessels and manufacturing to assess many sustainability issues like human rights, labor issues and environmental impacts. Lastly, the award for Advocacy went to Francisco Blaha. He is a fisher, a scientist, fisheries inspector, ICT developer, and a communicator that gives him credibility among many different fisheries. His work with Catch Documentation Schemes (CDS) was adopted by the WWF. Blaha continuously works with fisheries and has contributed to sustainable seafood by training hundreds of people in 50 countries on legality, safety and sustainability. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1144157/Winners-Revealed-for-the-2019-Seafood-Champions-Awards As some sea star populations make a comeback, scientists may have found cause of 'wasting disease' KBBI by Aaron Bolton - June 4, 2019 Along the West Coast, there are signs that sea stars are recovering from what's known as a wasting disease epidemic that began around 2013. Stars suffering from the disease literally melt away within 48 hours of the first sign of sickness. Scientists once thought it was caused by a virus or another pathogen, but now they think it may actually be another sign of climate change. https://www.kbbi.org/post/some-sea-star-populations-make-comeback-scientists-may-have-found-cause-wasting-disease
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