Friday, August 5, 2022

Alaska Collaborative Effort to Bring Salmon Relief to Yukon River Villages Fishermen's News - August 3, 2022 A collaborative effort between six seafood processors and the nonprofit SeaShare on Bainbridge Island, Washington is resulting in the donation of about 49,000 pounds of frozen king and chum salmon to Lower Yukon River residents who are banned from fishing this summer on a commercial or subsistence level because of low salmon runs. https://fishermensnews.com/collaborative-effort-to-bring-salmon-relief-to-yukon-river-villages/ Chignik sockeye runs meet escapement goals for the first time since 2018 crash KDLG by Brian Venua - August 3, 2022 The Chignik River has an early and a late sockeye run. The early run’s escapement is now over 420,000 and the late run’s escapement is now over 220,000 as of July 29. https://alaskapublic.org/2022/08/03/chignik-sockeye-runs-meet-escapement-goals-for-the-first-time-since-2018-crash/ Alaska Fisheries Report August 4, 2022 KMXT - August 4, 2022 On this week’s Alaska Fisheries Report with Terry Haines: Davis Hovey’s report on this year’s Norton Sound king crab fishery, Brian Venua’s story on Chignik meeting its sockeye escapement goal this year, and Raegan Miller’s piece about abalone enhancement. https://kmxt.org/2022/08/alaska-fisheries-report-august-4-2022/ National USDA Purchase Request Live for $52 Million Worth of Pacific Seafood Products Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - August 5, 2022 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invited offers to sell a variety of Pacific seafood products in its latest open purchase request, which went live on its website on August 3. The solicitation is part of the previously announced $52 million purchase of Pacific Northwest seafood items, which SeafoodNews covered at the end of July. Lori Steele, the Executive Director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA) broke down the purchase to SeafoodNews: - Pacific pink shrimp - $12 million - Pacific hake (whiting) fillets - $ 22 million - Pacific rockfish fillets - $18 million Steele noted that USDA-certified seafood companies in Alaska are eligible to compete for rockfish bids. “This is a significant increase from last year's "inaugural" USDA purchase worth $17 million - and very much-needed fantastic news for West Coast fishing communities,” Steele told SeafoodNews. Specifically, the USDA’s solicitation said that the products will be used in the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs and the request was issued under Section 32. Acceptances will be announced by midnight, August 31, 2022. Deliveries are to be made between October 16, 2022 through December 31, 2022, per the USDA. The USDA is eyeing 89,100 cases of frozen Pacific rockfish fillets, 36,000 cases of Pacific salad shrimp and 272,700 cases of frozen Pacific whiting fillets. “This announcement is a huge boost for our processors, our fishermen, our communities,” Steele said in a press release from Senator Ron Wyden’s office. “We have been able to keep our doors open, our processing employees working, and nutritious, sustainable seafood flowing to the American public, thanks in part to the USDA’s purchases these last two years. We would like to thank our Senators, Congressmen and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack for their ongoing support. These purchases will continue to help supplement and stabilize our fishing and processing crews and their families through the rest of the year.” Last year, the USDA bought roughly $17 million worth of Pacific seafood products including pacific rockfish, pacific shrimp, and pacific whiting, as SeafoodNews covered. Bornstein Seafoods (WA), Dulcich, Inc. (OR) and Ocean Gold Seafoods (WA), earned contracts from the USDA. According to the purchase award description from the USDA, the Department bought 2,700 cases of pacific salad shrimp for $516,600 from Bornstein Seafoods. The USDA purchased a notable amount of product totaling 112,500 cases of seafood for $15,211,737.91. Ocean Gold sold 6,300 cases for $746,280. Find the solicitation here. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1231928/USDA-Purchase-Request-Live-for-52-Million-Worth-of-Pacific-Seafood-Products Federal Register Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch Sharing Plan; Inseason Action A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/05/2022 This document announces additional season dates for Pacific halibut recreational fisheries in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. Specifically, this action adds the following dates: the Washington Puget Sound subarea to open 7 days per week from August 11 through September 30; Washington North Coast subarea to open Thursday through Monday from August 11 through September 5, and 7 days per week from September 6 through September 30; Washington South Coast and Columbia River subareas to open August 19, 25, 28, September 3, 4, and 23; and Oregon Central Coast subarea to open every Thursday through Saturday from August 4 through October 31. This action is intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide angler opportunity where available. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/08/05/2022-16852/pacific-halibut-fisheries-catch-sharing-plan-inseason-action FYI’s 2022 Seafood Nutrition Partnership award-winners announced Seafood Source by Bhavana Scalia-Bruce - August 3, 2022 Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) announced its 2022 Seafood Nutrition Partnership awards on 2 August. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/business-finance/snp-announced-2022-snp-honors-award-winners University of Alaska launches new master's degree in marine policy University of Alaska Fairbank by Alice Bailey - July 14, 2022 Working on marine issues often requires knowledge of both natural and social sciences, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Southeast can provide it through their new Master of Marine Policy degree. https://uaf.edu/news/university-of-alaska-launches-new-masters-of-marine-policy-degree.php#gsc.tab=0 The 40th annual Bristol Bay Fishtival celebrates fishing community and way of life KDLG by Corinne Smith - August 3, 2022 The 40th annual Bristol Bay Fishtival celebration in Naknek brought together fisherfolk, residents and visitors for a weekend of food, music, arts and many other traditions. https://www.kdlg.org/fisheries/2022-08-03/the-40th-annual-bristol-bay-fishtival-celebrates-fishing-community-and-way-of-life 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. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.