Alaska
Unalaska approves six CARES Act Grant applications KUCB by Hope McKenney - August 20, 2020 The city of Unalaska has approved the grant applications of six local businesses whose requests for funding were previously denied by the city. It also partially approved the application from a local nonprofit organization whose original request for funding was considered outside the scope of the federal grant program. http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/2034unalaska_approves_six_cares_act_grant Candidate proposes affordable health care for fishermen Bristol Bay Times by Laine Welch - August 20, 2020 It was inaction on health care that ultimately made Dr. Al Gross of Juneau decide to challenge Republican Dan Sullivan, who is running for a second, six-year term to represent Alaska in the U.S. Senate. http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/2034candidate_proposes_affordable_health_care_for West Coast Pacific Seafood Temporarily Takes Over Processing Plant Lease in Port of Brookings Harbor Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - August 21, 2020 Curry Coastal Pilot is reporting that Pacific Seafood has taken over the lease of BC Fisheries LLC, a processing plant in the Port of Brookings Harbor that shut down earlier this year due to the pandemic. The BC Fisheries processing plant at the Port of Brookings Harbor was opened by Mike Mannings in August 2016, creating 30 new jobs and supporting southern Oregon’s crabbers and shrimpers. The $9.6 million facility had the ability to process up to 2.4 million pounds of shrimp per month. However, like many other businesses, they shuttered their doors due to the coronavirus. Fortunately for those former BC Fisheries employees, Pacific Seafood took over the lease last month—at least on a temporary basis. “We want to thank the Port of Brookings, DEQ, and the state of Oregon for their tremendous partnership in getting the plant up and running quickly,” Pacific Seafood General Manager Rick Harris told the Curry Coastal Pilot. “To the returning employees from BC Fisheries, your leadership has been instrumental in re-opening the plant and ensuring 34 local jobs were saved. We are proud to be part of such an industrious and supportive community.” According to the news outlet, Pacific Seafood agreed to lease and operate the facility for the balance of the 2020 shrimp season. However, the company is said to be evaluating their ability to continue operating at the old BC Fisheries Processing Plant in the future. One obstacle in their way is the fact that BC Fisheries did not maintain permit coverage for discharge associated with its processing operations. A spokesperson for Pacific told the Curry Coastal Pilot that DEQ partnered with them to temporarily authorize discharge, but that a “more robust environmental analysis” will take place in the fall. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1178882/Pacific-Seafood-Temporarily-Takes-Over-Processing-Plant-Lease-in-Port-of-Brookings-Harbor National COVID-19 pandemic: OSHA, CDC and FDA team up on guidance for seafood processing industry Safety and Health Magazine - August 21, 2020 Washington — OSHA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration have released joint interim guidance intended to help seafood processing employers reduce COVID-19 exposure among workers, including those at onshore facilities and aboard offshore vessels. https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/20248-covid-19-pandemic-osha-cdc-and-fda-team-up-on-guidance-for-seafood-processing-industry Restaurant Recovery Continues at Snail’s Pace in July as Consumers Await a Night Out Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - August 19, 2020 Recent findings have shown that as restaurant sales across the country improved just slightly in July with consumers both eager to eat out and worried that their favorite restaurant may be forced to shut down due to COVID-19 lockdowns. According to the National Restaurant Association, consumers did spend more money at restaurants in July, however, the uptick was only a 5% jump from June as some states rolled back reopening due to an increase of COVID cases. In the previous two months, the jumps were over 25%. “After the initial bounce in May and June, July’s sales results are a reminder that the restaurant industry’s road to recovery will be long and uneven,” the Association’s chief economist Bruce Grindy said. That news won’t please consumers as the Association also released findings from a survey which showed that 78% of adults said visiting restaurants is one of the aspects they miss the most. At the same time, 89% of respondents believe that they are worried that businesses in their communities will be forced to closed because of the virus. As worried as consumers are, they may be equally eager to return to their favorite local eatery. A food and beverage study from Oracle found that 59% of consumers are looking to dine-out as soon as they are able. Although the 55-plus age group may be more hesitant, younger generations are awaiting a night out. Restaurants have been pushing for more federal aid as the lack of indoor dining continues to impact the majority of the country six nearly six months after initial shutdowns. Eater reported that 90% of New York-based restaurants do not believe they will make a profit in the next six months without federal aid. The Senate HEALS Act aims to help restaurants with through a handful of provisions, which Foodmarket.com explored in July. Included in the Act will be, the “Supporting America’s Restaurant Workers Act” will allow a 100% deduction for business meals through the end of the year. Currently, the deduction is 50% for such expenses. Eligible small businesses can also take out a second Paycheck Protection Program loan. Meanwhile, research firms like Technomic have been forced to revise their trends and forecasts as the coronavirus has created one of the biggest hurdles of the millennium. Technomic revised its foodservice forecast for the remainder of 2020 and 2021. The data Technomic shared is presented through three scenarios: Best Case, Middle Case and Worst Case. In the “Middle Case” scenario, Technomic predicts foodservice industry will grow by 21% in 2021 following the significant drop-off in sales during 2020 but sales are expected to remain 11% lower from 2019. “Few industries have felt the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic quite like foodservice,” explains Joe Pawlak, managing principal at Technomic. “Restrictions are wreaking havoc, especially on the segments that depend upon on-premise consumption. What we are seeing is continued decline for the remainder of the year but aggressive growth in 2021. However, it will still take longer to fully bounce back, and we’ll be updating our forecasts as circumstances continue to shift and evolve.” https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1178637/Restaurant-Recovery-Continues-at-Snails-Pace-in-July-as-Consumers-Await-a-Night-Out Labeling and Marketing Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: Marketing Update ASMI - August 2020 ASMI Responds To New Market Opportunities, ASMI Launches 'Choose Alaska' Campaign, Bairdi and Opilio Snow Crab Fact Sheets, ASMI COVID Impact Study, Committee Application Period Open, Alaska Seafood's Most Engaging U.S. Social Post Ever... https://myemail.constantcontact.com/ASMI-Update-August-2020---Choose-Alaska--Campaign--Alaska-Wild-Salmon-Day--committee-application-and-new-resources.html?soid=1101064654189&aid=IXHvRdlAO8M Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Sablefish in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/21/2020 NMFS is prohibiting retention of sablefish by vessels using trawl gear and not participating in the cooperative fishery of the Rockfish Program in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2020 total allowable catch of sablefish allocated to vessels using trawl gear and not participating in the cooperative fishery of the Rockfish Program in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA has been reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/21/2020-18399/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-sablefish-in-the-central-regulatory-area-of-the FYI’s BBRSDA accepting salmon fishery enhancement proposals Bristol Bay Times - August 20, 2020 The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is currently accepting proposals for CY2021. If you have an idea for improving the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, visit Project Proposal website at www.bbrsda.com/proposal to learn more about BBRSDA's mission, project preferences, evaluation process, and how to submit a proposal. http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/2034bbrsda_accepting_salmon_fishery_enhancement
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