Monday, April 28, 2025

Alaska Federal subsistence king salmon fishery closes this season on Stikine River KSTK by Colette Czarnecki - April 25, 2025 The Wrangell Ranger District will close the federal subsistence Chinook or king salmon fishery in the Stikine River between May 15 and June 30. It’s the ninth year in a row that the fishery has been closed. https://www.kstk.org/2025/04/25/federal-subsistence-king-salmon-fishery-closes-this-season-on-stikine-river/ Proposed NOAA cuts could shutter research institutes that train the next generation of Alaska scientists KTOO by Alix Soliman - April 26, 2025 Alaska could lose several research institutions and a pipeline into science for budding researchers in the state if the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget become a reality. https://www.ktoo.org/2025/04/26/proposed-noaa-cuts-could-shutter-research-institutes-that-train-the-next-generation-of-alaska-scientists/ House Passes Legislation to Support Fishing Industry with Insurance Cooperatives Alaska Native News by Alaska House Majority - April 26, 2025 JUNEAU – Friday, the House passed a major win for Alaska’s struggling commercial fishing industry. House Bill 116 allows fishermen to form insurance cooperatives that are exempt from the state’s traditional insurance code. The bill, sponsored by the House Special Committee on Fisheries at the request of the Joint Legislative Task Force Evaluating Alaska’s Seafood Industry, passed unanimously. https://alaska-native-news.com/house-passes-legislation-to-support-fishing-industry-with-insurance-cooperatives/78516/

International Canadians Focused on Economy in Today’s Federal Election; Stakes High in Seafood Industry SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - April 28 ,2025 The federal election in Canada will end tonight with final ballots cast no later than 7 p.m. local time in British Columbia. This comes after a month-long campaign marked by a rare flip in the polls, as voters reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘retaliatory’ tariff policy against Canadian goods and a threat to annex the nation as the 51st state.In early January, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would be stepping down in March. At that time, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party had a 25-point lead over Trudeau’s Liberal Party in the polls: a clear reflection of voters’ disappointment in Trudeau’s economic policies.Then Trump was inaugurated, vowing tariffs and floating annexation ideas. Trudeau resigned, and Parliament shut down. Official reactions to the new U.S. policies were swift and harsh, beginning with Mark Carney, Trudeau’s successor and Canada's new Prime Minister. Carney is a banker with an international portfolio whose first election was on March 14, when he won 89% of the votes from Liberal members in Parliament.Carney immediately declared Canada’s intention to cut exports to the U.S., to set truly retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, and to never lose its sovereignty. Meanwhile the Conservatives, led by Poilievre, continued to criticize Trudeau's collapsed economy.Canadian voters were paying attention.Liberals leading in the polls, though by a slim marginWhen advance voting started Friday, April 18, more Canadians than ever before voted, reaching 7.3 million early last week, a 25% increase from 5.8 million electors who voted in advance in the 2021 general election.The latest polls from last week showed the Liberals holding a four-point lead over the Conservatives, down three points from earlier in the month.As the tensions between the two countries increased, some economic sectors began to align themselves with other commodity industries to better address the challenges ahead. One example is the Western Business Coalition—made up of Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba business councils, and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce—who joined forces to promote and champion the economic power of the West.“We felt the upcoming federal election was a great opportunity to tell a different story and to get some different priorities into the mix,” said Adam Legge, Business Council of Alberta president.The four provincial groups have been organizing for months and announced the new coalition in late February. Their first initiative focuses on five sectors — oil and gas, agriculture, mining and critical minerals, forestry and aquaculture. They want Canada’s project approval system fixed so that major projects are approved and built faster.All four organizations are non-partisan and will work with whatever party forms the next government following the April 28 election.“We just want to see a government that is business-friendly, that Canada at this time needs an economic agenda and to focus on economic growth, investment and job creation. We think we’ve got a blueprint for that and hope they adopt these recommendations,” Legge said.As tensions between Canada and the U.S. ramp up, Canadian seafood coming into the U.S., like lobster and snow crab, have been impacted by the market uncertainty. In the recent tumult of Newfoundland and Labrador’s snow crab fishery issues—which ended with FFAW-Unifor's proposed starting price as well as sustained quota decreases in certain areas and increased quotas in others—FFAW union members protested at St. John’s convention center, where Carney was kicking off his election campaign.During his speech, Carney promised tax cuts and acknowledged the protesters, saying the government would examine DFO operations more closely.Meanwhile, Poilievre’s agenda lies more in combatting crime and providing federal funding for Canada’s fisheries under the Small Craft Harbours Program across the country.Political sentiments among Canada's fisheriesYesterday, FFAW posted the results of a political questionnaire sent to Canada’s three largest political parties — the Liberals, the Conservatives, and the New Democratic Party — on six issues most important to the organization that represents fisheries workers.“We must express our deep disappointment in both the Liberal and Conservative parties for their failure to make any clear or meaningful commitments to the people of coastal Newfoundland and Labrador,” the group said in a statement.“This outcome is especially disheartening given the longstanding sense of abandonment felt by our members—concerns that have not been adequately addressed by the Prime Minister, the Liberal government, or the Conservative opposition,” Legge noted. “Our members expected unequivocal positions on fisheries resource management, policy decisions, and the federal government’s legislated obligation to support adjacency and the long-term sustainability of our coastal communities.”The questions addressed the cod fishery, the redfish fishery, preserving the owner-operator fleets, E-log policies, and other employment issues.The next Fisheries MinisterThe person who would oversee those and other management decisions would be the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. That person is currently Joanne Thompson from St. Johns. Thompson, who was sworn in March 14, is the third Fisheries Minister to serve in the past year.At the time of her swearing in, the Telegram reported “Thompson takes over the role in an uncertain time in the fishing industry brought on by the tariff threat on fisheries exports into the United States by U.S. President Donald Trump, and with such issues as a northern cod fishery re-opening to offshore fleets, new technology proposed for the lobster fishery, and key decisions to be made on a number of fishing stocks and fishery regulations.”Poilievre’s pick for Fisheries Minister is Clifford Small, the Conservative incumbent for the Newfoundland district of Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame. Small, Poilievre said, “would be his governments' fisheries minister, and put the fish harvesters back in charge of the fishery and take it away from the bureaucrats and the politicians."Poilievre also took aim at the Liberal government's stance on the protected marine area off the island's south coast.In addition, Poilievre opposed a move made by Parks Canada recently, when they changed the boundary of a new national protected marine area around the fjords by nearly 30%. The change covers fewer fjords and opens up areas for potential aquaculture.Poilievre said the move was part of the “radical environmental extremist ideology of the Liberal Party.”“Bureaucracy has been propelled by this Liberal government to block harvesters from producing,” he said. “I will not allow marine protected areas to be used to shut down fisheries.”Small said he would bring the fishing industry “to the table to make sure we increase opportunity in the fishery, to take as much fish as we can while conserving our ecosystem.”According to market participants, however, a victory by the Liberal Party will not likely result in significant changes to Canada's fishing industry.The earliest reports on election results will be available from news outlets, including the CBC, the Canadian public broadcaster. They may declare a projected winner on election night after most votes are counted. These will be based on initial results from Elections Canada, which runs the country's federal elections, the BBC reported.Polls will close in Newfoundland and Labrador first, at 7 p.m. EDT, with the biggest sweep of polls closing at 9:30 EDT including Ontario and Quebec. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1304435/Canadians-Focused-on-Economy-in-Todays-Federal-Election-Stakes-High-in-Seafood-Industry Environment/Science Trump orders NOAA to expedite permits for seabed mining in disputed international waters Seafood Source by Erin Spampinato - April 25, 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order instructing the U.S. to expedite drilling of minerals, via the extraction of polymetallic nodules, from the seafloor in both international and U.S. territorial waters. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/trump-orders-noaa-to-expedite-permits-for-seabed-mining-in-disputed-international-waters US lawmakers introduce bills to block drilling on America’s coasts Seafood Source by Nathan Strout - April 25, 2025 U.S. legislators have introduced several bills that, collectively, will block new oil drilling operations along the nation’s coasts, potentially stymieing U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to kickstart more offshore drilling. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/us-lawmakers-introduce-bills-to-block-drilling-on-america-s-coasts Testing Methods to Minimize Herring Spawning Events on Alaska Kelp Farms Scientists teamed up to investigate how to best keep herring from spawning on kelp grown by ocean farmers in Alaska. NOAA Fisheries - April 25, 2025 Each spring, Alaska kelp farmers have the potential to run afoul of commercial herring fisheries when wild herring spawn in kelp farms. A new study helps evaluate different deterrents to prevent herring from spawning on their farms. This research addresses the emerging need to reduce negative interactions between aquatic farms and a species of commercial and regulatory importance. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/testing-methods-minimize-herring-spawning-events-alaska-kelp-farms Labeling and Marketing 3MMI - 2025 Snow Crab: Global Supply Outlook, Price Outlook, Tariffs Tradex Foods - April 28, 20252025 Snow Crab Market is off to a steady start, with Canadian supply still exempt from additional U.S. tariffs. Global harvests across Canada, Alaska, Norway, and Russia are progressing well, while market prices are averaging 37% higher than the same time last year. Buyers are advised to act early as shifting trade dynamics could quickly impact availability and pricing as the season unfolds. Watch to Find Out More. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVBgIv1giRc

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