Alaska PWS humpy catch rises to 20M+ fish Coho harvest gets underway Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - August 21, 2020 Overall harvests of pink salmon in Prince William Sound rose to 20.3 million fish as of Wednesday, Aug. 19. The 24-hour commercial coho fishery that began on Monday, Aug. 17, meanwhile delivered some 19,000 silvers, compared to an anticipated 23,000 fish. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/08/21/pws-humpy-catch-rises-to-20m-fish/ Fish and Game sockeye numbers questioned amid large pink salmon run KTUU by Grant Robinson - August 21, 2020 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - More than 100,000 sockeye salmon passed through the Lower Kenai River over three days in the past week according to the Department of Fish and Game, but some river users believe that the department’s fish counts are inflating the number of sockeye salmon by inaccurately counting pink salmon as sockeye. https://www.ktuu.com/2020/08/22/fish-and-game-sockeye-numbers-questioned-amid-large-pink-salmon-run/ Environment/Science Trump Administration to Pause Permit for Alaska's Pebble Mine on Monday Copyright © 2020 The Washington Post by Juliet Eilperin; Ashley Parker - August 24, 2020 The Trump administration will say Monday that it is not ready to grant a permit for a controversial gold and copper mine in Alaska, according to three individuals briefed on the decision, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, on the grounds that the firm must do more to address how it will harm the environment. The move represents a blow to Pebble Mine, which was vetoed under Barack Obama but has been revived under the Trump administration. Several high-profile Republicans, including the president's eldest son, Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Vice President Pence's former chief of staff Nick Ayers, have campaigned against the project on the grounds it could harm the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery in Bristol Bay. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will send a letter to the Pebble Limited Partnership on Monday saying because the plan will cause "significant degradation" the company will have to do more to address its environmental impact before it can receive a key federal permit. The Corps concluded late last month that the operation would have "no measurable effect" on the area's fish populations but also found it would permanently destroy 2,200 acres of wetlands and 105 miles of streams in the region. Politico first reported the decision to extend the permit process. Asked about the matter, the White House referred any questions to the Corps. The agency did not respond to a request for comment. Proponents of the mine remain confident there is not a final decision on the project's long-term future. Pebble Limited Partnership CEO Tom Collier said in a phone interview Saturday that his company anticipated the Corps would demand more details on how it would address the operation's effect on the surrounding area. The company will have to identify wetlands it can preserve within the specific watershed of where the mine will be built, he said. "They're going to expect a substantial amount of mitigation. But we've known that for a months. … That's something we expect can be dealt with in due course," Collier said, adding he remains confident his company can address the agency's outstanding concerns. "I continue to deny that there is any basis for a story that the White House has decided to kill the project." Some White House officials have expressed reservations about granting the mine, which would be the largest in North America, a "record of decision" for months. That federal permit marks a decisive step for the company, which then plans to apply for state permits to begin construction. Donald Trump Jr., who has fished in Bristol Bay, has urged his father both publicly and privately to block the mine. So has environmental philanthropist Andrew Sabin, a Trump donor, as well as Carlson, who ran a segment on his show criticizing the project earlier this month. Ayers, Pence's former chief of staff, also played an instrumental role lobbying senior administration officials to reject the proposal. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has been running ads on Fox News and social media against the project in an effort to attract the attention of Trump and his supporters. Now the company plans to launch its own ad campaign Tuesday. Collier said he did not know exactly where the commercials would air, but they would "run on Fox News." Conservation groups, for their part, welcomed the news that the mine faces a steeper hurdle in winning the administration's approval. "Pebble Mine has always been the wrong mine in the wrong place," said Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, in an email. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1178966/Trump-Administration-to-Pause-Permit-for-Alaskas-Pebble-Mine-on-Monday Trump set to block controversial Alaska gold mine The about-face by the administration likely signals more about issues with this specific mine than a sea change in Trump’s overall support for big development projects. Politico by Zack Colman and Alex Guillen - August 22, 2020 The Trump administration is planning to block the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska early next week, six people familiar with the plans told POLITICO, marking a surprise reversal that could be the death knell for the massive copper and gold project. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/22/trump-set-to-block-alaska-pebble-mine-400206 PSPA to EPA: Veto Clean Water Act permit for Pebble mine Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - August 21, 2020 A seafood industry trade association representing major processors in the Bristol Bay wild salmon fishery says the final environmental impact statement for a Pebble mine permit is scientifically inadequate and no Clean Water Act permit should be approved. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/08/21/pspa-to-epa-veto-clean-water-act-permit-for-pebble-mine/ Federal Register Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/24/2020 The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its 137th Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), Pelagic and International Standing Committee, Executive and Budget Standing Committee, and 183rd Council meetings to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/24/2020-18486/western-pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meetings North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/24/2020 The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Groundfish Plan Teams will meet via webconference September 8, 2020 through September 11, 2020. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/24/2020-18485/north-pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meeting FYI’s Fleet Webinar on Market Conditions Wednesday, August 26 at 5:30pm AKT We realize there are many questions about price and market conditions. This webinar will provide market info and updates on BBRSDA's efforts to address the situation. This webinar is open to any Bristol Bay fisherman. Preview the Webinar Agenda. https://mailchi.mp/bbrsda/fleet-webinar-on-market-conditions?e=909b65b5c0 AMSEA class set for Sept. 5 in Sitka Cordova Times - August 22, 2020 A boating safety class offering the essentials for safe trips to new and experienced boaters alike will be offered Sept. 5 in Sitka by the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/08/22/amsea-class-set-for-sept-5-in-sitka/
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