Alaska/Pacific Coast
PWS harvest capped at nearly 56M fish ADF&G calls the commercial fishery a wrap effective Oct. 2 Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - October 2, 2019 Commercial harvesters in Prince William Sound caught nearly 56 million salmon in 2019, including 47.4 million humpies, despite climate changes that promoted NOAA Fisheries to note waters were warm or warmer than The Blob years. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2019/10/02/pws-harvest-capped-at-nearly-56m-fish/ Federal Fisheries Board Meets in Homer Fishermen's News - October 2, 2019 Final 2019-2020 specifications for five crab stocks are on the agenda at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s fall meeting under way in Homer, Alaska, through Oct. 9. Specifications will be determined for Eastern Bering Sea snow crab, Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea tanner crab, Pribilof Island red king crab and St. Matthew blue king crab. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2019/10/federal-fisheries-board-meets-in-homer.html 2016 Salmon Disaster relief calculations ‘inequitable,’ Rep. Stutes advices fishermen double-check their proposed payout KMXT by Maggie Wall - October 1, 2019 Salmon fishermen who are expecting federal aid for the 2016 Pink Salmon disaster, need to go over their proposed payout and be prepared to file an appeal if the numbers are off, according to Kodiak Representative Louise Stutes who spearheaded the disaster relief effort. http://kmxt.org/2019/10/2016-salmon-disaster-relief-calculations-inequitable-rep-stutes-advices-fishermen-double-check-their-proposed-payout/ Environment/Science NOAA Awards $10.2 Million for Research Harmful Algal Blooms Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - October 2, 2019 NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) is funding 12 research projects focused on harmful algal blooms. The research will help the nation better understand and predict algal blooms and improve the country’s response to the blooms. In total $10.2 million will fund projects. About $8.4. million will cover the first year of 3-to-5 year projects and $1.78 million will go to 3-year projects already in progress. The new research will take place in Alaska, California, Chesapeake Bay, Florida, the Great Lakes, New England and the Pacific Northwest. Recipients of the funding will research to identify conditions that increase bloom toxicity, model toxin movement from water into fish and improve monitoring and forecasts of toxins. “Through NCCOS, NOAA is funding the latest scientific research to support environmental managers trying to cope with increasing and recurring toxic algae that continue to affect environmental and human health and coastal economies,” said NCCOS director Steven Thur, Ph.D. “Improved understanding of these coastal HAB threats will lead to better bloom observation and prediction, and help to mitigate effects along the U.S. coast.” NOAA highlighted efforts in Florida, which total $2.9 million to help the state continue to improve how it handles harmful algal blooms. The recent impact of red tide in the state caused the death of fish and other wildlife and even impacted humans, giving some beachgoers respiratory irritation. In the past, NOAA-funded projects have led to new tools that are now in use to detect and respond to blooms. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1153616/NOAA-Awards-10-point-2-Million-for-Research-Harmful-Algal-Blooms Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Rockfish Management in the Groundfish Fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 10/02/2019 NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 119 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) and Amendment 107 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA FMP). This proposed rule would require that the operator of a federally permitted catcher vessel using hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska retain and land all rockfish (Sebastes and Sebastolobus species) caught while fishing for groundfish or Pacific halibut. This action is necessary to improve identification of rockfish species catch by vessels using electronic monitoring, provide more precise estimates of rockfish catch, reduce waste and incentives to discard rockfish, reduce overall enforcement burden, and promote more consistent management between State and Federal fisheries. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/10/02/2019-21262/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-rockfish-management-in-the-groundfish-fisheries Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Revisions To Catch Sharing Plan and Domestic Management Measures in Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 10/03/2019 Currently, sport fishing activities for halibut in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Areas 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Southcentral Alaska) are subject to different regulations, depending on whether those activities are guided or unguided. In this final rule, NMFS issues regulations that apply the daily bag limits, possession limits, size restrictions, and carcass retention requirements for guided fishing to all Pacific halibut on board a fishing vessel when Pacific halibut caught and retained by both guided anglers and unguided anglers are on the same vessel. This final rule is intended to aid enforcement and to ensure the proper accounting of halibut taken when sport fishing in Areas 2C and 3A. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/10/03/2019-21258/pacific-halibut-fisheries-revisions-to-catch-sharing-plan-and-domestic-management-measures-in-alaska Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Authorize the Retention of Halibut in Pot Gear in the BSAI; Amendment 118 A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 10/03/2019 NMFS issues a proposed rule to implement Amendment 118 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) and a regulatory amendment to revise regulations on Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) requirements in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This proposed rule is necessary to improve efficiency and provide economic benefits for the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) and Community Development Quota (CDQ) fleets, minimize whale depredation and seabird interactions in the IFQ and CDQ fisheries, and reduce the risk of https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/10/03/2019-21261/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-authorize-the-retention-of-halibut-in-pot-gear FYI’s New Director of the Auke Bay Laboratories Division of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center NOAA Fisheries - October 1, 2019 Leadership announcement. NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Dana Hanselman as Director of the Auke Bay Laboratories Division of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Auke Bay Laboratories is located in the Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute in Juneau, AK. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/media-release/new-director-auke-bay-laboratories-division-alaska-fisheries-science-center
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; 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.