Alaska/Pacific Coast
Quotas rise on snow crab fishery opening Oct. 15 Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - October 14, 2019 Bering Sea snow crab stocks are continuing to bounce back, as evidenced by an Alaska Department of Fish and Game decision to set the quota for the fishery opening on Oct. 15 at 34,019,000 pounds. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2019/10/14/quotas-rise-on-snow-crab-fishery-opening-oct-15/ Counting Rockfish with Sound Black rockfish hydroacoustic surveys ADFG by Riley Woodford - October 2019 Along the coast of Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula, schools of rockfish swim the green waters surrounding submerged pinnacles and reefs. Biologists identify and count these fish using a remarkable set of tools, and use what they learn to make sure the fishery is sustainable. https://adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=927 Fish Factor: Change urged in halibut bycatch limits Cordova Times by Laine Welch - October 15, 2019 Halibut catches fluctuate based on the ups and downs of the stock from California to the farthest reaches of the Bering Sea. If the numbers decline, so do the catches of commercial and sport fishermen. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2019/10/15/fish-factor-change-urged-in-halibut-bycatch-limits/ International US and China trade agree to temporary trade war truce Seafood Source by Cliff White - October 15, 2019 U.S. President Donald Trump is claiming a victory over China in negotiations that took place on Friday, 11 October at the White House, during which he agreed to postpone pending tariff increases on some Chinese goods in exchange for China agreeing to purchase more American agricultural products. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/us-and-china-trade-agree-to-temporary-trade-war-truce Environment/Science Mt. Eccles salmon-hatching sheds light on climate change Students to raise eggs gathered from wild Cordova Times by Zachary Snowdon Smith - October 14, 2019 When a mischievous Mt. Eccles student cranked up the temperature on the school’s 30-gallon salmon tank, it threatened to undo months of work. But the prank also helped teach students a lesson, said Kate Morse, program director for the Copper River Watershed Project. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2019/10/14/mt-eccles-salmon-hatching-sheds-light-on-climate-change/ Invasive plant could cost salmon industry $159 million per year, ISER study finds KTUU by Grant Robinson - October 15, 2019 SOLDOTNA, Alaska (KTUU) - A common aquarium plant illegally dumped into Alaskan waters that has adapted to cold weather could threaten wild salmon habitat and cost the commercial fishing industry hundreds of millions of dollars. https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Invasive-elodea-could-cost-commercial-sockeye-industry-152-annually-563080961.html Climate Change Impacts on Fisheries Gains Traction in U.S. House of Representatives SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - October 16, 2019 Freshman Democrat Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina’s coastal First District introduced the Climate-Ready Fisheries Act of 2019 yesterday, a bill addressing the impacts of climate change on the area’s fisheries. Joe Cunningham sits on the Congressional Resources Committee. The bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Francis Rooney (R-FL), and Jared Huffman (D-CA). Huffman, Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, is conducting a nationwide listening tour this fall and winter to see whether improvements to the Magnuson-Stevens Act are needed and if so, what they should be. Climate change impacts on fisheries and potential budget increases to management agencies is one topic for discussion. Cunningham’s bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look at what actions have already been taken by fishery managers, identify information gaps, provide recommendations on how to better adapt fishery management, and prepare fishing industries and communities for the impacts of climate change. It also directs the GAO to make recommendations to Congress on how to enhance the nation’s science and management systems to better address climate change. “Lowcountry fishermen are some of the hardest working people in South Carolina, and climate change has put their way of life under direct attack. The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act gives our fishermen the tools they need to continue fishing sustainably for generations to come” said Rep. Joe Cunningham. “Ultimately, well-managed fisheries are resilient fisheries. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help us learn what is working, what is not, and how we can be the best possible stewards of our natural resources.” “Healthy waterways are critical to our environment and economy—supporting the businesses in our communities that rely on fishing and tourism to thrive,” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) said. “This bill will go a long way to protect our local fisheries and promote healthier ecosystems for generations to come.” The situation in South Carolina’s Low Country (the southern two-thirds of the state’s coastline) may be a microcosm of impacts on fisheries from climate change around the country. Last Monday Cunningham toured Shem Creek, homeport for many of South Carolina’s commercial fishermen. Over the last three decades, the fleet has shrunk from 70 vessels to only “a handful.” Among the reasons for the decline are warming waters, increased hurricane activity, a significant decline in shrimp species, as well as other species that may have moved north due to warming waters. While visiting the area, Cunningham noted, “What I learned today is back in August, the surface water temperatures here in the harbor were like 89 degrees,” he said. “The average in the past has been like 83 degrees. So a six-degree difference is huge.” As the economy changed, some residents started businesses like an oyster hatchery to develop spawn and create new oyster reefs. Others, like clam farmer Dave Belanger, worry about runoff from the increasing development in the Charleston area. He said there is no monitoring of herbicides and pesticides used by coastal-area property owners that result in polluted waters of the fishing grounds. “There’s no long-term natural resource planning,” Belanger told Roll Call’s Lindsey McPherson in an article published yesterday. “Climate change is affecting our nation’s fisheries and our adjacent oceans’ ecosystems. The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act is an important first step in assuring that we have the information we need so we are prepared to adapt our fisheries to mitigate these impacts,” said Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL). The bill has support from Ocean Conservancy, National Audubon Society, Earthjustice, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Conservation Voters of South Carolina, Coastal Conservation League, and the Marine Fish Conservation Network. “We already know that climate change is taking a toll on our fisheries. The big question we now face is what we can do to ensure healthy fish populations and fishing communities for generations to come, despite a changing ocean. The Climate-Ready Fisheries Act will help ensure our fisheries and fishing communities are prepared to deal with climate change by positioning Congress to address barriers and develop solutions to these growing challenges. Ocean Conservancy applauds Congressman Cunningham’s leadership on this important issue,” said Meredith Moore, Ocean Conservancy’s Fish Conservation Program Director. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1154741/Climate-Change-Impacts-on-Fisheries-Gains-Traction-in-US-House-of-Representatives FYI’s Plant-based fish: No bones or smell China Daily Global by Scott Reeves - October 15, 2019 The problem: The smell of fish drives many people away from a nutritious food. A possible fix: Entrepreneurs and scientists are developing plant- and cell-based substitutes that offer similar health benefits but without bones and offal. http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201910/15/WS5da4ad47a310cf3e355706e8.html
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.