Monday, June 10, 2024
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Alaska Evaluating Spatial Management Strategies to Optimize Sustainability of Transboundary Sablefish Scientists and fishermen collaborated across international borders to identify the most effective management approaches for this highly mobile, highly valuable commercial species. NOAA Fisheries - June 6, 2024 Sablefish don’t recognize political boundaries. These highly migratory fish move freely across the state and national lines within which they are managed. New research suggests that accounting for the biological spatial boundaries that do matter to sablefish could lead to more sustainable fisheries in some areas. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/evaluating-spatial-management-strategies-optimize-sustainability-transboundary Silver Bay Seafoods to Buy Trident Seafoods' False Pass Facilities SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - June 10, 2024 On Friday Trident Seafoods and Silver Bay Seafoods announced an agreement for Silver Bay to purchase Trident’s False Pass processing facility and fuel business on the Alaska Peninsula. It is the second purchase by Silver Bay in an area where they already own a plant and process salmon.With this purchase, Silver Bay will be processing salmon at plants in Southeast Alaska (Craig, Sitka, Ketchikan); south-central Alaska (Valdez), Kodiak, Bristol Bay (Naknek), and the Alaska Peninsula (False Pass) this season.Acquiring the Valdez plant in Prince William Sound and the False Pass plant in Southwest Alaska, doubles Silver Bay's current capacity by literally buying the plant next door. In False Pass, Silver Bay’s plant was opened in 2019.False Pass is a remote southwest Alaska fishing community on Unimak Island located between the tip of the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Trident’s False Pass operation was dedicated entirely to processing salmon."The acquisition of the False Pass operations will create efficiencies between the two neighboring processing plants and includes a fuel facility that provides critical fuel services to the community and fishing fleet," said Cora Campbell, President and CEO of Silver Bay Seafoods. "This acquisition will allow us to provide better services and more opportunity to our fishermen.”Today the salmon season opens for drift nets and seine gear in the North and South Peninsula districts. For days buyers have been positioning tender vessels and fishermen have been loading gear and crew to start the summer season."We are pleased to close the transaction and bring security to the peninsula salmon fleet in time for the 2024 season," said Joe Bundrant, CEO of Trident Seafoods. "I’m confident that Silver Bay will take great care of the fishermen and communities who depend on the False Pass plant and support services, and we wish them every success.”"We are deeply committed to Alaska’s communities and the seafood sector, and salmon will always be part of who we are. The strategic restructuring decisions have been some of the most difficult of my career. However, focusing our operations is essential so we can continue investing in and modernizing our footprint across Alaska to drive value back into these fisheries," said Bundrant.The two companies structured the transaction with input from the local community organizations to ensure a smooth transition. Both companies spoke of the importance to hear from members of the fishing community about the impacts of the agreement.This year, the 2024 projected North Alaska Peninsula salmon harvest is 2.5 million fish composed of 2,000 Chinook salmon, 2.4 milion sockeye salmon, 26,000 coho salmon, 20,000 pink salmon, and 84,000 chum salmon.The 2024 South Alaska Peninsula post-June harvest estimate is 5.3 million pink salmon, with a total run estimate at 7.6 million fish.Trident Seafoods is North America's largest vertically integrated seafood harvesting and processing company. A privately held, 100 percent USA-owned company with global operations in 6 countries, Trident is headquartered in Seattle, WA.Silver Bay Seafoods is an integrated processor of frozen salmon, herring, whitefish and squid products for domestic and export markets. It began in 2007 as a single salmon processing facility in Sitka, Alaska and has grown to one of the largest seafood companies in Alaska, operating twelve plants throughout Alaska and the West Coast. Silver Bay is owned by 600 fishermen who supply the company’s state-of-the-art processing plants with wild-caught, sustainably harvested seafood that is sold to customers worldwide. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1279337/Silver-Bay-Seafoods-to-Buy-Trident-Seafoods-False-Pass-Facilities National FDA and Federal Partners Conclude Study on the Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development www.fda.gov - June 7, 2024 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) published the final version of the FDA co-sponsored report, The Role of Seafood in Child Growth and DevelopmentExternal Link Disclaimer. The FDA commissioned the study to help provide the agency with the most up-to-date information on seafood and child development…. the report reconfirmed that seafood consumption among maternal and child populations remains low and recommended further development of strategies to support increasing consumption of seafood by children and those who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-and-federal-partners-conclude-study-role-seafood-consumption-child-growth-and-development U.S. marine economy continues upward trend $476 billion contribution helps build a ‘greater, more Climate-Ready Nation’ NOAA Fisheries - June 6, 2024 The American marine economy continued to bolster the nation in 2022 as demonstrated by increased sales and jobs, according to the most recent statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) released by two Department of Commerce agencies — NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-marine-economy-continues-upward-trend Environment/Science Climate change disruptions to Alaska marine fisheries scrutinized at Kodiak workshopIt is hard to address sudden shocks like marine heatwaves that are expected to be more frequent, participants said Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - June 10, 2024 In the marine waters off Alaska’s coast, climate change is triggering disruptions that can be dramatic and sudden. For fishery officials, that presents a quandary: How can that be suitably addressed by a fishery management system that is legally required to be cautious and deliberate and for which policy changes can take several years to carry out? https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/06/10/climate-change-disruptions-to-alaska-marine-fisheries-scrutinized-at-kodiak-workshop/ Fisheries managers need new approaches to address climate change impacts on Alaska fishing sector 'The need for climate readiness planning is urgent," according to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Intrafish by Rachel Sapin - June 9, 2024 The emergency closures of Alaska's red king crab and opilio crab fisheries in recent years serve as a warning that climate change-fueled disruptions in the ocean continue to alter seafood harvesting, and dealing with these events requires a new level of planning. https://www.intrafish.com/sustainability/fisheries-managers-need-new-approaches-to-address-climate-change-impacts-on-alaska-fishing-sector/2-1-1657049 *Requires Subscription
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