Friday, August 25, 2023

Alaska Preseason vessel registration begins for crab fisheries Cordova Times - August 24, 2023 State fisheries officials are accepting preseason vessel registrations through Sept. 24 for the 2023/2024 season for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Western Bering Sea Tanner crab, and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/08/24/preseason-vessel-registration-begins-for-crab-fisheries/ Alaska Salmon Landings: All But Chinook and Coho Above Pre-season Forecasts SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - August 24, 2023 For the first time this year, Alaska's salmon landings statewide have exceeded forecasts released by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game pre-season. Statewide salmon harvests reached 196,833 fish on ADF&G’s Bue Sheet as of Monday, about 4% higher that the pre-season forecast of 189,607. This was largely due to a surge of pink salmon in the past week. Statewide pink salmon landings grew from 82.3 million by the end of Statistical Week 33 (Saturday, August 12) to 116.7 million a week later. In the few days since then, catches added nearly 13 million to that, totaling 129.6 million pinks or about 104% of the pre-season forecast. The industry has known for some time that sockeye landings had met ADF&G’s pre-season goals, and those landings -- 49.5 million sockeye on the Blue Sheet -- have inched upwards to now 102.6% higher than the forecast of 48.2 million salmon. Bristol Bay’s total is now 39.4 million sockeye or 107% of the pre-season forecast of 36.6 million fish. The Copper River and Prince William Sound sockeye landings are currently at 1.92 million sockeyes compared to a pre-season estimate of 2.4 million. Kodiak’s sockeye landings are almost identical to the preseason forecast: 1.77 million caught versus 1.79 million forecast. Chignik’s landings of 998,000 sockeye hovers just above the pre-season forecast of 937,000. In contrast, the Alaska Peninsula has fallen short of pre-season sockeye estimates by about half. Current landings of 1.1 million in the North Peninsula and 1.7 million in the South Peninsula total just 55% of pre-season estimates for that area of 5.1 million sockeyes. Regional pink landings rose steeply in Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska. In PWS, total landings now are just under 54 million pink salmon, comprised of about 10 million hatchery pinks and 43 million wild pinks (listed as “general seine” caught fish) a flip on the pre-season forecasts of 18.4 million pinks from natural production and 42.8 million projected from hatchery production. In Southeast Alaska pink landings have now reached 43.3 million fish, with the bulk — 31.2 million pinks — caught by the southern district seine fleet. That compares to a pre-season forecast of just 9.8 million pinks. Out west, on Kodiak Island, pink landings have reached 16.6 million, with a pre-season forecast of 26.2 million. Further west, the South Peninsula’s forecast of 8.9 million pinks currently stands at 12.1 million pinks. Statewide chum landings are almost exactly what was expected at 16.4 million, just above the forecast of 16 million. Coho landings this year were on track with forecasted and historical landings until August 19, the end of Statistical Week 33, when the weekly harvest dropped from 217,000 coho to 93,000. Southeast Alaska is the source of most of the state's coho or silver salmon, and cumulative landings of 707,000 cohos to date confirm that. That is about half of the 1.49 million cohos forecasted to be caught in that area. The next highest area is Prince William Sound/Copper River, with a pre-season forecasted catch of 391,000. Landings there are at 29,000 with surveys conducted this week in the Copper River were dire. “For the week ending August 26, the actual Copper River Delta survey count was 2,960 coho salmon versus an anticipated range 16,147 – 33,807,” ADF&G said in a statement yesterday. Preliminary harvest estimates from the 24-hour period that started on Monday, which aren’t yet included in the blue sheet, were 1,050 sockeye and 12,500 coho bringing the coho harvest to 17,900 salmon in the Copper River District. (Another 12,000 coho were caught by PWS seiners.) The Bering River District will open Monday, August 28 for a 24-hour opener. For the week ending August 26, the actual Bering River District survey count was 800 coho salmon versus an anticipated range 8,732 – 22,165 fish. In Cook Inlet, 87,000 coho have been landed according to the Blue Sheet compared to a pre-season forecast of 271,000 coho. The Alaska Peninsula has caught 163,000 coho to date (versus a forecast of 315.000) and Kodiak's coho landings are now at 124,000 fish compared to a pre-season forecast of 371,000 coho. Historically, Alaska's coho season begins to taper off at the end of August and may extend to mid-September. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1260138/Alaska-Salmon-Landings-All-But-Chinook-and-Coho-Above-Pre-season-Forecasts Federal Register Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/24/2023 The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and its advisory bodies will meet September 7–14, 2023 in Spokane, Washington and via webinar. The Council meeting will be live streamed with the opportunity to provide public comment remotely. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/24/2023-18195/pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meetings FYI’s Alaska Gov. Dunleavy names ad consultant, talk show host Porcaro to commercial fisheries agency Anchorage Daily News by Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal - August 24, 2023 Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed a GOP advertising consultant and talk show host to a highly paid state government job: a position overseeing commercial fishing permits. https://www.adn.com/politics/2023/08/24/alaska-gov-dunleavy-names-ad-consultant-talk-show-host-porcaro-to-commercial-fisheries-agency/ Pacific Seafood Processors Association 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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