Alaska/Pacific Coast 2019: Another Superb Year Growing Bristol Bay Sockeye Sales at Retail SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - January 10, 2020 The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) reports another excellent year of retail sales growth due in part to the group's new marketing tactics to help retailers double (or more) their sales of sockeye salmon. The regional marketing group, one of two in Alaska, started retail promotions in 2016 in Boulder, CO, went national in 2017, and have built a momentum that has propelled committments for 2020 promotions from seven major grocers. Wegmans, Rosauers, Rouses, H-E-B, HyVee, Harris Teeter, and ShopRite have committed to promotions this year, signaling an early indication of the program’s growth in the coming year. In 2019, newly structured sales incentive programs, in-store demos, staff training, and assets for both digital and point-of-sale materials proved to be a winning combination for retailers and customers. “Our experience with Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon promotions have been overwhelmingly positive, and we have gotten tremendous response from our customers,” said Paul McLean, Earth Fare’s Senior Director of Fresh, Meat, and Seafood. “We more than doubled our sockeye sales compared to the previous sales periods, and we are eager to provide our shoppers with this quality product in the new year,” McLean said. Bristol Bay’s retail promotion program grew significantly in 2019, with 14 major retail chains participating in promotions in nearly 1,000 store locations across the country. Last year's participating retailers included Costco, Earth Fare, H-E-B, Harris Teeter, Market Basket, New Seasons Market, QFC, Raley’s, Rouses, Rosauers, and Wegmans. An average sales lift of 34% was reported from participating retailers across market demographics. “We are really excited about the success of the retail marketing program so far,” said BBRSDA executive Director Andy Wink. “We are helping Bristol Bay sockeye become a household name, which is long overdue considering it's the most abundant wild salmon fishery on the planet. We’re looking to expand our program in 2020 with new retail partners and are really excited about taking promotions with existing partners to new heights.” Bristol Bay’s abundant harvest season in June and July yielded over 43 million sockeye salmon in 2019, providing retailers a year-round supply of increasingly high quality frozen sockeye salmon. BBRSDA promotional efforts include funding sales contests, targeted digital advertising, in-store cooking demonstrations, and more, allowing retailers an à la carte style menu of options to tailor efforts to their unique market’s customers. High quality imagery, video, and point-of-sale materials bolster all promotional activities and make Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon stand out in stores and at seafood counters. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1161292/2019-Another-Superb-Year-Growing-Bristol-Bay-Sockeye-Sales-at-Retail International Escape of Atlantic salmon raises concerns Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - January 11, 2020 Impacts of some 21,000 farmed Atlantic salmon that fled a damaged British Columbia net pen in late December remain an unknown, but concerns remain over the risk of them competing with wild fish for habitat or food and spreading parasites and other pathogens. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/01/11/escape-of-atlantic-salmon-raises-concerns/ Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/08/2020 NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amount of Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) from trawl catcher vessels and American Fisheries Act (AFA) trawl catcher/processors to catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/08/2019-28042/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-reallocation-of-pacific-cod-in-the-bering-sea Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Authorize the Retention of Halibut in Pot Gear in the BSAI; Amendment 118 A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/08/2020 NMFS issues a final rule that implements Amendment 118 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) and a regulatory amendment that revises regulations on Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) requirements in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This final 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 exceeding an overfishing limit for any species. This final rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act), the BSAI FMP, and other applicable laws. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/08/2019-27903/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-authorize-the-retention-of-halibut-in-pot-gear FYI’s DIPAC’s longtime executive director retires He had been executive director since 2002. Juneau Empire - January 10, 2020 Douglas Island Pink and Chum, Inc.’s executive director is retiring, and his successor has been named. https://www.juneauempire.com/news/dipacs-longtime-executive-director-retires/ Public comment sought for rockfish, Atka mackerel The Cordova Times - January 12, 2020 Public comment is being sought through Feb. 6 for the Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management certification program for the Atka mackerel and rockfish fisheries. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/01/12/public-comment-sought-for-rockfish-atka-mackerel/ In Memoriam Alaska Seafood Community Mourns Former UFA Executive Director Phil Allen Daniel SeafoodNews.com by John Garner - January 8, 2020 The Alaska seafood community was sorry to learn of the passing of Philip (Phil) Allen Daniel in late December, 2019, at the age of 82. Phil is survived by his wife Kirsten, brothers Hugh and Sam, and numerous nieces and nephews. Phil was a long time hi-line fisherman in Southeast, Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay, Alaska. Phil was instrumental in the revival of the Alaska salmon fisheries in the 1970’s. He and a core group of fellow fishermen formed the United Fishermen of Alaska, and he became its Executive Director during its early years. He lead the group in achieving enactment of the Alaska Limited Entry legislation; controversial and a first fishery limitation system in the nation, it took Phil’s unique talents to convince both the legislature and the voters of Alaska of the need to provide this measure for the economic stability of Alaska’s fisheries. Phil also championed a system of non-profit enhancement and rehabilitation projects. His first draft legislation to establish this system through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game was only one paragraph long, but it quickly led to a Division within the Department to focus on Fishery Rehabilitation and Enhancement. 50 years later the fruition of this effort has provided enormous economic benefits for all salmon users in Alaska. Phil’s articulate, calm and intelligent leadership were critical in building UFA into the statewide voice for fishermen in Alaska. He always maintained that UFA could be the most powerful political voice in Alaska as long as fishermen stayed united in their efforts. Every Alaska fisherman who holds a limited entry permit, or catches the salmon produced through enhancement or rehabilitation production, owes a debt of thanks to Phil for his vision and efforts to achieve what we have today. We will miss you Phil, but your legacy will live on for many more generations of Alaska fishermen. Thank you. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1161038/Alaska-Seafood-Community-Mourns-Former-UFA-Executive-Director-Phil-Allen-Daniel
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