Monday, October 23, 2023

Alaska Bering Sea fishing group grapples with how to invest pollock profits in Western Alaska Amid declining salmon runs, Coastal Villages Region Fund has shifted away from subsidizing village-based seafood processing, a move that some in the Kuskokwim region support and others criticize. Anchorage Daily News by Zachariah Hughes - October 21, 2023 QUINHAGAK — Michael Cleveland’s job is resuscitating the equipment essential to village life. On a morning in late summer, inside a modest engine repair shop, Cleveland was juggling jobs fixing the transom of an aluminum skiff and stripping a four-wheeler down to the guts. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2023/10/21/bering-sea-fishing-group-grapples-with-how-to-invest-pollock-profits-in-western-alaska/ AFN delegates pass 28 resolutions, including plea to Congress for subsistence action The Alaska Federation of Natives is at odds with the state of Alaska on fishing and hunting issues Alaska Beacon by James Brooks - October 21, 2023 Members of this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage voted Saturday to ask Congress and the federal government to protect and increase subsistence hunting and fishing rights for rural Alaska Natives. https://alaskabeacon.com/2023/10/21/afn-delegates-pass-28-resolutions-including-plea-to-congress-for-subsistence-action/ Trident boosts investment in skilled for fisheries Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - October 20, 2023 With an eye to the greying of skilled trades workers vital to the health of the seafood industry, Trident Seafoods is expanding its efforts to assure that more of them vital to the seafood harvesting and processing industry are available when needed. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/10/20/trident-boosts-investment-in-skilled-for-fisheries/ Environment/Science US Department of Defense awards grant to project aiming to predict how climate change could lead to conflicts over fishing rights Seafood Source by Emma Desrochers - October 20, 2023 The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded an Oregon State University (OSU) researcher USD 1.4 million (EUR 1.3 million) over three years to predict how fish stocks could shift due to climate change, specifically focusing on movements that have the potential to cause geopolitical tension. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/premium/supply-trade/us-department-of-defense-awards-grant-to-project-aiming-to-predict-how-climate-change-could-lead-to-conflicts-over-fishing-rights FYI’s Salmon task force schedules public meeting Nov. 14-15 Cordova Times - October 20, 2023 The Alaska Salmon Research Task Force, created by Congress in response to recent unprecedented shifts in Pacific salmon abundance in Alaska, will hold a two-day public meeting Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 in Anchorage. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/10/20/salmon-task-force-schedules-public-meeting-nov-14-15/ Taste Alaska Symphony of Seafood Products Nov 7 At Seattle’s Bell Harbor Conference Center SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - October 20, 2023 Seventeen innovative products will be on display for seafood lovers at the next Alaska Symphony of Seafood event, slated for November 7, 5-8 p.m. at the downtown Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle. Symphony of Seafood is a bit like the Academy Awards ceremony if it were for first-time actors. Industry members and consumers look forward to see which products have made the first cut to be judged by both expert evaluators and members of the public in “People’s Choice” awards. The final entrants were selected following the cutoff date of October 7 and include new seafood summer sausage, breakfast sausage, a new array of dog treats, value-added products showcasing new flair trends, and more. They will be seen for the first time at the public event in Seattle. Attendees may purchase tickets online or at the door. Each product entered in the Alaska Symphony of Seafood contest will be evaluated individually by a panel of expert judges during a private judging session on November 7. The products will be prepared and displayed by professional staff. The judges will evaluate packaging/presentation; overall eating experience — aroma, flavor, and texture; perceived value for its niche in the market; and its potential for commercial success. Products will be assessed also with respect to the market category in which it is entered. Those are Foodservice, Retail, Beyond the Plate, and — new this year — Around the Plate for value-added products such as condiments, appetizers, snacks or desserts. There will be eight special awards this year: * Seattles People’s Choice * Juneau People’s Choice * Whitefish (cod, pollock, halibut, flounder, rockfish) * Salmon * Grand Prize * Bristol Bay Choice and new this year: * Best Grab & Go * Best Packaging Results will be tabulated and held in confidence by a third party for announcement at the Awards Ceremony in Juneau. First, second, and third place winners will be selected from each contest category. The product receiving the highest overall score will be awarded the Grand Prize, and at each event, attendees taste, evaluate and vote for the “People’s Choice” award. The Bristol Bay Choice Award (sponsored by BBRSDA) will be awarded to the best Sockeye salmon product. The Alaska Symphony of Seafood event in Juneau will be held on February 21, 2024 from 5-8 pm at Centennial Hall. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1264012/Taste-Alaska-Symphony-of-Seafood-Products-Nov-7-At-Seattles-Bell-Harbor-Conference-Center 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.