Alaska
PWS humpy, coho harvests rise in early September One online retailer still selling fresh Copper River sockeye salmon for $44.95 a pound Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - September 10, 2020 Harvests of pink and coho salmon in commercial fisheries boosted the Prince William Sound commercial catch to 24.7 million fish through Tuesday, Sept. 8, as the winddown of the 2020 season continued. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/09/10/pws-humpy-coho-harvests-rise-in-early-september/ Petersburg to send salmon disaster declaration request KFSK by Joe Viechnicki - September 10, 2020 Petersburg’s borough government will ask the state to seek a disaster declaration for the economic losses from a dismal salmon season this summer. The numbers are not yet final, but a combination of low prices and low returns has the summer of 2020 shaping up to be one of the worst in decades. https://www.kfsk.org/2020/09/10/petersburg-to-send-salmon-disaster-declaration-request/ FISH FACTOR: Senate debate on for Kodiak; legislators get earful over board picks Alaska Journal of Commerce by Laine Welch - September 9, 2020 Kodiak has again scored a first debate between candidates in one of Alaska’s most high-profile political races: the U.S. Senate. https://www.alaskajournal.com/2020-09-09/fish-factor-senate-debate-kodiak-legislators-get-earful-over-board-picks West Coast Clatsop County Confirms New COVID-19 Case at Pacific Seafood's Warrenton Plant Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - September 11, 2020 Clatsop County Public Health Director Michael McNickle confirmed on Wednesday that a worker at Pacific Seafood's Warrenton plant has tested positive for coronavirus. The Clatsop County Public Health Department reported three new local COVID-19 cases on Wednesday — a male between the age of 60-69, a male between the age of 40-49, and a male between the age of 30-39. The male in his 40s was identified as the Pacific worker. All three individuals are said to be recovering at home. "We trust that OHA and the local public health agencies are taking appropriate action to ensure the safety of our team members and community," John King, general manager of Pacific Seafood in Warrenton, said in a statement. Pacific Seafood released their COVID-19 preparedness plan early on in the pandemic. The plan highlighted the safety actions that the company was taking to ensure that they would be able to continue operating amid the coronavirus pandemic. Measures included doubling the amount of sanitizing and cleaning protocols in their facilities, as well as doubling their regular cleaning and disinfection of common spaces and "high touch" workspace surfaces. Employees were educated on prevention best practices, including washing hands several times throughout the day, as well as informed that they must stay home if they, or someone in their household, has any of the COVID-19 symptoms. But despite a preparedness plan in place, Pacific Seafood's Warrenton plant reported their first case of COVID-19 in early May. At the time the company shut down for the day to undergo "extensive professional sanitation cleaning." In June Pacific Seafood confirmed that they had a total of 124 positive COVID-19 cases at their five Newport, Oregon, plants. Of those positive cases, 53 were identified as Pacific Seafood team members, and the additional 71 cases were identified as locally-based contractors. The company briefly suspended operations at those five plants in order to perform detailed contact tracing and ensure the safety of their team members, fleet and community. A month later the company confirmed that a new hire at their Warrenton plant was in quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus. According to the Daily Astorian, the worker was from Moldova and arrived at the plant in late June as part of the H-2B visa program. Another employee that was identified as a "close contact" of the worker who tested positive was also placed in quarantine. Just last week the Coos Bay Public Health Department revealed that at least five cases of COVID-19 were confirmed at Bandon Pacific Seafood. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1180385/Clatsop-County-Confirms-New-COVID-19-Case-at-Pacific-Seafoods-Warrenton-Plant Federal Register Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modifications of the West Coast Commercial Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Action #7 A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 09/10/2020 NMFS announces one inseason action in the 2020 ocean salmon fisheries. This inseason action modified regulations regarding the retention of Pacific halibut caught incidental to the commercial salmon fishery in the area from the U.S./Canada border to the U.S./Mexico border. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/10/2020-19996/fisheries-off-west-coast-states-modifications-of-the-west-coast-commercial-salmon-fisheries-inseason Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Regional Fishery Management Council Membership; Financial Disclosure and Recusal A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 09/11/2020 NMFS is taking final action to amend the regulations that address disclosure of financial interests by, and voting recusal of, council members appointed by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to the regional fishery management councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The regulatory changes will provide guidance to (1) ensure consistency and transparency in the calculation of a Council member's financial interests; (2) determine whether a close causal link exists between a Council decision and a benefit to a Council member's financial interest; and (3) establish regional procedures for preparing and issuing recusal determinations. This final rule will improve implementation of the statutory requirements governing disclosure of financial interests and voting recusal at section 302(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/11/2020-20019/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-act-provisions-regional-fishery-management FYI’s ComFish Alaska in Kodiak, NPRB in Anchorage, at Work on Virtual 2020-2021 Conferences Fishermen's News Online - September 9, 2020 Updates on federal and state legislation, mariculture, and cooperative research are onboard for day one of the 40th annual Comfish Alaska, going virtual for the first time in 40 years for health and safety reasons, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The second day agenda includes a look at nonfatal injuries and shipboard electrical safety. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2020/09/comfish-alaska-in-kodiak-nprb-in.html
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