Alaska
Alaska removes funding for king, coho salmon hatcheries Seafood Source by Ben Fisher - September 18, 2020 Alaska plans to stop providing state funding for hatcheries that produce king and coho salmon, according to a KFSK radio report. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/alaska-removes-funding-for-king-coho-salmon-hatcheries Southeast’s commercial Dungeness crab summer season the 2nd highest on record KFSK by Angela Denning - September 17, 2020 While commercial salmon fisheries in Southeast are looking to be a bust this year, that’s not the case for Dungeness crab. The summer season’s harvest ended up being the second highest on record. However, the value of the fishery was not near a record breaker. https://www.kfsk.org/2020/09/17/southeasts-commercial-dungeness-crab-summer-season-the-2nd-highest-on-record/ West Coast IPHC Approves Three-Week Extension of Halibut Season in British Columbia Due to Pandemic SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - September 18, 2020 In its second special session of the year, triggered by issues brought on by the coronavirus, the International Pacific Halibut Commission agreed yesterday to extend the fishing season three weeks — to December 7, 2020 — for British Columbia, or Area 2B. IPHC's first special session last May relaxed management measures for charter operators in Alaska, as out-of-state clients cancelled their trips when state health mandates restricting travel were imposed. Unlike that session, yesterday’s meeting was open to the public. More than 50 stakeholders attended the webinar, with several providing comments during the discussion. British Columbia’s Halibut Advisory Board, made up of harvesters and processors, requested the season extension to February 20, 2021 to help mitigate many of the uncertainties the virus has caused in the fishery and in the market. “We’d like to have the flexibility that an extension would give us,” said Peter DeGreef, a Canadian Commissioner and a commercial fisherman. Senior scientist Dr. Ian Stewart explained that the IPHC has two biological considerations for extending the season anywhere along the coast. “The first one is, would it cause additional mortality,” Stewart explained “In this case, no, because the IPHC relies on managing total mortality via mortality limits (TCEY or total constant exploitation yeild) and the use of a reference Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) which accounts for the effect of all fishing mortality on the long-term reproductive output of the stock. At the relative levels of fishing intensity applied by the Commission, the stock and fishery do not rely on spawning of individual fish comprising the catch prior to harvest for sustainable reproduction.” The second one is would there be a negative effect on the timing of the stock spawning? “IPHC research during the spawning season indicates relatively low catch rates of actively spawning individuals, providing no evidence that spawning would in fact be interrupted,” Stewart said. IPHC’s Executive Director David Wilson pointed out other considerations, such as additional costs related to staffing requirements after November 15, when the season would normally close. There was also the issue of assigning catch, which could not exceed the 2020 catch limit through December 31, 2020 but would be attributed to the 2021 catch limit allocation after December 31, 2020. That catch limit is set in late January, 2021. “We would need to seek legal advice on how the IPHC Fishery Regulations, and those of Contracting Parties, would be impacted if the fishery is extended to 20 February 2021 and the Fishery Regulations are amended at the 97th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting in January 2021,” Wilson wrote in the IPHC’s analysis of impacts from the proposal. Canadian Commissioner Paul Ryall of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, made the motion to extend the season to February 20, 2021. U.S. Commissioner Chris Oliver of NOAA Fisheries offered an amended motion to December 7, 2020, which was approved. The final amended motion passed unanimously. The action changes Section 9 of the 2020 Pacific Halibut Regulations to read: 9. Commercial Fishing Periods (3) All commercial fishing for Pacific halibut in all IPHC Regulatory Areas shall cease for the year at 1200 local time on 15 November, with the exception of IPHC Regulatory Area 2B which shall cease at 1200 local time on 7 December 2020. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1180943/IPHC-Approves-Three-Week-Extension-of-Halibut-Season-in-British-Columbia-Due-to-Pandemic Labeling and Marketing Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: Marketing Update ASMI - September 2020 ASMI, McDowell Release First Briefing Paper on Impacts of COVID-19, USDA Announces New Seafood Trade Relief Program for U.S. Fishermen, ASMI Committee Application Period Ends Sept. 30, Survey for Alaska Direct Marketers: How Can We Help?, ASMI Statement: Global Food Safety Experts Affirm Food is Safe, No Evidence COVID-19 is Transmitted through Food... https://myemail.constantcontact.com/ASMI-Monthly-Update--Covid-19-Impact-brief-from-McDowell--Join-us-for-Seafood-Sunday--and-get-the-Newest-Resources.html?soid=1101064654189&aid=O-0WfXPEK78 3MMI - How Smaller Salmon Could Change the Industry TradexFoods - September 21, 2020 All four salmon species, average body sizes were smaller after 2010 compared to before 1990. Downsizing of organisms and wild sustainable resources is a global concern, and current trends may pose substantial risks for nature and the industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBumg9MeiF4&feature=emb_logo
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