Thursday, January 28, 2021

Alaska Gulf of Alaska cod fishery regains MSC certification Seafood Source by Brian Hagenbuch - January 27, 2021 The Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery has recovered its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification following its suspenion due to declining stocks. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/gulf-of-alaska-cod-regains-msc-certification News Release: U.S. Coast Guard, Russian Border Guard patrolled maritime boundary line U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska - January 27, 2021 JUNEAU, Alaska – Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star crew and a Russian aircraft crew patrolled the Bering Sea maritime boundary line between Russia and the United States in mid-January. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/2bd67ba West Coast Coast Guard Warns Against Disabling AIS Fishermen's News - January 27, 2021 Coast Guard officials in Oregon are warning mariners and commercial fishermen against disabling the Automated Identification System on their vessels. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2021/01/coast-guard-warns-against-disabling-ais.html FYI’s High Seas Salmon Expedition Rescheduled to 2022 Fishermen's News - January 27, 2021 A Pan-Pacific winter high seas expedition aimed at advancing an understanding of how extreme climate variability impacts Pacific salmon has been rescheduled to 2022 due to unprecedented circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Year of the Salmon (IYS) and North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) note that the 2022 expedition will build on research from 2019 and 2020 International Gulf of Alaska Expeditions, which have helped advance understanding of the winter ecology of Pacific salmon in the North Pacific Ocean. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2021/01/high-seas-salmon-expedition-rescheduled.html Halibut Area 2A License Applications Open for Submission for 2021 SeafoodNews.com by Susan Chambers - January 26, 2021 The International Pacific Halibut Commission has opened the license application period for fishermen in Area 2A, Washington, Oregonand California. While the IPHC sets the overall total fishery removals (mortality limit) for the area, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service adopts a catch-sharing plan for all three states to further allocate the amount of fishery removals between sectors. However, the IPHC licenses commercial and recreational charter vessels retaining Pacific halibut in Area 2A. Only vessels with an IPHC license can fish in the area. Commercial directed fishery participants must be licensed to receive allocations within the directed commercial fishery as a fishing period limit, which is also set and issued by the IPHC in 2021. Applicants may choose from among three commercial and one recreational charter fishery licenses by the application deadlines. All applications must be completed no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on the applicable deadline. Late applications will not be accepted. Federal and state licensing requirements may also apply, according to the IPHC press release. Application Deadlines for 2021: Recreational Pacific Halibut Charter: none Incidental Commercial Pacific halibut during Salmon Troll: March 15 Incidental Commercial Pacific halibut during longline sablefish Fishery: May 31 Non-tribal Directed Commercial: April 30 Applications must be submitted via the IPHC website at: https://www.iphc.int/management/fisheries/directed-commercial-fisheries/directed-iphc-regulatory-area-2a This will likely be the last year the IPHC will issue permits for the commercial fisheries in Area 2A. The Council and NMFS have been working to take over management of the fishery and plans to do so for 2022. Fishermen, during Council meetings, have requested as seamless a transition from IPHC management to NMFS management next year. The 97th annual meeting of the IPHC is taking place this week online: https://www.iphc.int/venues/details/97th-session-of-the-iphc-annual-meeting-am097. For questions regarding license applications, fishermen should contact the IPHC Secretariat at: secretariat@iphc.int. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1190420/Halibut-Area-2A-License-Applications-Open-for-Submission-for-2021 Karen Hyun Appointed as Chief of Staff of NOAA by Biden-Harris Administration Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - January 26, 2021 The U.S. Department of Commerce announced new appointees to lead the agency under the Biden-Harris Administration. Among the list of new appointees is Karen Hyun, who will be serving as the new Chief of Staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hyun joins the team at NOAA after previously spending four years at the National Audubon Society, where she served as the Vice President for Coastal Conservation, as well as Director of Water and Coastal Policy. According to Hyun’s biography on the NOAA site, she’s championed conservation issues across the Executive Branch, including as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior; Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce; and Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce. Hyun’s also served as professional staff and NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellow on the Natural Resources Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition to Hyun’s appointment, Letise Lafeir has been appointed as the Senior Advisor of NOAA. Lafeir’s background is in both government and non-profit sectors. She’s previously served as the Director of Federal Policy at Resources Legacy Fund; California Ocean Policy Manager at Monterey Bay Aquarium; Policy Analyst and later National Outreach Coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries; and Director of Government Relations and Education Program Coordinator at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1190447/Karen-Hyun-Appointed-as-Chief-of-Staff-of-NOAA-by-Biden-Harris-Administration

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