Friday, June 23, 2023

Alaska In ‘major victory’ for Southeast Alaska trollers, federal appeals panel reverses fishery closure Alaska Public Media by Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal - June 21, 2023 A federal appeals panel issued a last-second ruling Wednesday that will allow this summer’s Southeast Alaska troll chinook salmon fishery to open as scheduled July 1 — reversing a lower court ruling that would have kept the $85 million industry off the water. https://alaskapublic.org/2023/06/21/in-major-victory-for-southeast-alaska-trollers-federal-appeals-panel-reverses-fishery-closure/ Copper River harvest ebbs as other PWS fisheries open Cordova Times Margaret Bauman - June 23, 2023 Shopping days for those prized Copper River red salmon are numbered now as the run ebbs and other Prince William Sound commercial fisheries open, and even as some of that catch was surely being grilled nationwide on Sunday for celebrants of Father’s Day. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/06/23/copper-river-harvest-ebbs-as-other-pws-fisheries-open/ Tlingit & Haida purchases Alaska Seafood Company KINY - June 22, 2023 Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) announced it purchased the Alaska Seafood Company. https://www.kinyradio.com/news/news-of-the-north/tlingit-and-haida-purchases-alaska-seafood-company/ International Defending Alaska seafood, commissioner questions sustainability of Russia-caught fish Vincent-Lang calls certification of Russian seafood a form of ‘appeasement,’ while congressional delegation targets indirect imports of Russian-caught fish Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - June 21, 2023 The commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game has urged the organization that certifies seafood harvests as sustainable to revoke its endorsements for Russian-caught fish. https://alaskabeacon.com/2023/06/21/defending-alaska-seafood-commissioner-questions-sustainability-of-russia-caught-fish/ Alaska Delegation Wants to Close Loophole that Allows Russia to Access U.S. Seafood Market Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - June 22, 2023 U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) introduced the U.S-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act of 2023, which would impose a stronger ban on all seafood of Russian origin heading to the United States. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) also introduced Companion legislation in the House of Representatives. In March 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order banning imports of unaltered seafood from Russia. However, Sullivan’s office claims that the EO “fails to block Russian seafood that has been substantially transformed in another country through reprocessing.” The new bill would block Russian imports until American fishermen and processors are given reciprocal access to Russia’s market. “Since coming to the Senate, I’ve made the case to every senator, every cabinet secretary, and every administration official who will hear me: We should not be allowing Russian seafood to enter the U.S. market at the same time Russia is barring America’s fishermen and seafood processors from accessing their market,” said Sen. Sullivan. “There are many ways to support Ukraine in this awful war waged by Putin. Sanctions should matter as we squeeze Russia’s economic prosperity used to attack Ukraine,” said Sen. Murkowski. “Alaskans have faced a one-sided Russian embargo on seafood since 2014. It’s well past time we ensure America’s seafood economy is safeguarded against unfair trade practices. This legislation will help correct this trade imbalance and bring parity to Alaska’s world-class seafood industry.” “Russia's hostile actions around the world are not limited to the land. While they have banned imports of U.S. seafood, they continue to sell their catch, including large amounts of pollock caught by trawling, into our stores,” said Rep. Peltola. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1255515/Alaska-Delegation-Wants-to-Close-Loophole-that-Allows-Russia-to-Access-US-Seafood-Market Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Amendment 124 to the BSAI FMP for Groundfish and Amendment 112 to the GOA FMP for Groundfish To Revise IFQ Program Regulations; Correction A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 06/23/2023 This action corrects an inadvertent drafting error in final regulations published in the Federal Register on February 27, 2023, and effective on February 27, 2023. NMFS is correcting regulations to revise the date after which only an eligible community resident of Adak, Alaska may receive by transfer any individual fishing quota (IFQ) held by a community quota entity (CQE) in the Aleutian Islands subarea. In the final rule published on February 27, 2023, NMFS intended to extend by five years the date after which only an eligible community resident of Adak, AK may use or receive by transfer CQE IFQ. This action completes the removal of the Adak CQE residency requirement for a period of five years. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/06/23/2023-13391/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-amendment-124-to-the-bsai-fmp-for-groundfish-and Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications; 2023-2024 Annual Specifications and Management Measures for Pacific Sardine A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 06/23/2023 NMFS is implementing annual harvest specifications and management measures for the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine (hereafter, Pacific sardine), for the July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, fishing year. This final rule will prohibit most directed commercial fishing for Pacific sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. Pacific sardine harvest will be allowed only in the live bait fishery, minor directed fisheries, as incidental catch in other fisheries, or as authorized under exempted fishing permits. The incidental harvest of Pacific sardine will be limited to 20 percent by weight of all fish per trip when caught with other stocks managed under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan, or up to 2 metric tons per trip when caught with non-Coastal Pelagic Species stocks. The annual catch limit for the 2023–2024 Pacific sardine fishing year is 3,953 metric tons. This final rule is intended to conserve and manage the Pacific sardine stock off the U.S. West Coast. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/06/23/2023-13416/fisheries-off-west-coast-states-coastal-pelagic-species-fisheries-annual-specifications-2023-2024 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.