Thursday, September 22, 2022

Alaska Western Alaska moves into recovery mode Governor requests a federal disaster declaration Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - September 21, 2022 Flood waters are receding in storm-battered western Alaska, where wind and water wreaked havoc over the weekend. Communities in the region traditionally pull together to help each other, and individuals, nonprofits and the state government quickly stepped up to provide support and resources after Typhoon Merbok, one of the fiercest storms to hit Alaska’s western shores in years. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2022/09/21/western-alaska-moves-into-recovery-mode/ Alaska Creates New Food Security Office, Promises More Support for Farms and Mariculture SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - September 22, 2022 Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy created the Office of Food Security within the Governor’s Office, to improve and expand the state’s food system and “protect the health and wellbeing of Alaskans.” Dunleavy noted that Alaska imports 95 percent of its food supplies — at a cost of $2 billion per year — and suffers from limited infrastructure in a state that is isolated from food production centers. Dunleavy established the Alaska Food Security and Independence Task Force last spring in response to supply chain disruptions spanning two years of the COVID pandemic. Their mission is to recommend ways to increase all types of food production and harvesting in Alaska, and to identify any statutory or regulatory barriers to that aim. Their recommendations wil be submitted this fall. “Like many other Alaskans, I enjoy filling my freezer with our wild fish and game, but I also recognize that’s not how every Alaskan can meet their needs,” Dunleavy said in the video announcement. “Alaska imports about 95 percent of our food supply, but that vulnerability has largely been masked for the past few decades as global logistics and just-in-time systems have generally worked smoothly. "The pandemic changed all that, and it caused a change in my thinking about what we must do to build a secure food system in Alaska,” Dunleavy said. “We have created the Food Security Task Force. We’re working to open more lands to agriculture and boost our investments in mariculture. We’re working to identify and take down the barriers to increased food production, and today, to further advance this critical objective, I signed an Administrative Order that creates the Office of Food Security within the Governor’s Office.” The Office of Food Security has three stated objectives: 1. identify resources and set policies to build a strong, sustainable, and healthy food system in the state to ensure food security for all Alaskans; 2. enhance access to, availability, affordability, and quality of food for all Alaskans; and 3. identify or expand economic opportunities for the state in food production, food processing, and food distribution businesses. The Governor’s Office will use existing personnel and monetary resources to implement this Order and stand up the Office of Food Security. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1235523/Alaska-Creates-New-Food-Security-Office-Promises-More-Support-for-Farms-and-Mariculture National Key US seafood groups oppose bill reauthorizing Magnuson-Stevens Act Seafood Source by Chris Chase - September 21, 2022 The National Fisheries Institute (NFI), National Restaurant Association (NRA), National Retail Federation (NRF), National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), and over 150 fishing companies have come out in opposition to an effort to renew the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/multiple-groups-form-coalitions-opposing-msa-renewal Environment/Science New OA, Hypoxia Report Delivered to Oregon Legislators Fishermen's News - September 21, 2022 A new report delivered to Oregon legislators by the Oregon Coordinating Council on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia says that impacts of ocean acidification and hypoxia are now predictable every summer. https://fishermensnews.com/new-oa-hypoxia-report-delivered-to-oregon-legislators/ FYI’s Aleutian Airways gets FAA approval to begin service to Unalsaka’s Tom Madsen Airport KUCB by Maggie Nelson - September 21, 2022 Aleutian Airways has been granted approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to start charter and scheduled air service to Unalaska. That’s according to a statement released by the new regional airline Wednesday morning. https://www.kucb.org/regional/2022-09-21/aleutian-airways-gets-faa-approval-to-begin-service-to-unalsakas-tom-madsen-airport Comment Period Open for Items on NPFMC’s October Agenda Fishermen's News - September 21, 2022 Comment is being accepted in advance of the Oct. 6-11 meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage on agenda topics ranging from integration of electronic monitoring on Pollock catcher vessels to a proposal for expanded Pacific cod catches in federal waters. https://fishermensnews.com/comment-period-open-for-items-on-npfmcs-october-agenda/ 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. 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