Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Alaska Alaska snow crab fishery saw steep decline. This reporter went ‘Into the ice’ to see it for himself. Alaska Public Media by Casey Grove,- Anchorage - April 18, 2022 Bering Sea crabbers and communities in the region are struggling with a steep decline in snow crab this year, likely the result of climate change. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2022/04/18/alaska-snow-crab-fishery-saw-steep-decline-this-reporter-went-into-the-ice-to-see-it-for-himself/ Alaska Fisheries Report April 14, 2022 KMXT - April 18, 2022 This week on the Alaska Fisheries Report with Terry Haines: Robert Woolsey’s story on hatchery chums, Joe Viechnicki’s on the record herring catch in Sitka Sound, Clair Stremple’s piece on the Mariculture conference in Juneau, and Kirsten Dobroth on a tiny maritime art display. https://kmxt.org/2022/04/alaska-fisheries-report-april-14-2022/ Harvest reporting requirement in place for PWS Cordova Times - April 18, 2022 Members of the Alaska Board of Fisheries have adopted several proposals establishing new sport, personal use and subsistence fishing regulations for shellfish in Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet and the North Gulf Coast. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2022/04/18/harvest-reporting-requirement-in-place-for-pws/ West Coast West Coast Managers Set 2022 Salmon Seasons, CA Seasons Described as 'Painful' SeafoodNews.com by Susan Chambers - April 14, 2022 After a couple months of grim salmon news, it got worse, especially for California fisheries. But despite the dire news about California droughts and concerns about specific stocks in trouble, the Pacific Fishery Management Council finalized salmon seasons for the West Coast on Tuesday. California trollers, especially, will have their days on the water this summer slashed by roughly half of what they had in 2020. The Council and its advisory bodies and management teams held a grueling week of trying to manage to conservation goals of Fraser River (Canada) coho, lower Columbia River natural tule fall Chinook, California Coastal Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook. “Meeting our conservation and management objectives continues to be the highest priority for the Council,” Council Chair Marc Gorelnik said in a press release. “Balancing those objectives while providing meaningful commercial and recreational seasons remains a challenge in 2022.” The seasons provide recreational and commercial opportunities for most of the Pacific coast and achieve conservation goals for the numerous salmon stocks on the West Coast, the Council said. The California commercial season continues to shrink, thanks in part to environmental situations on the Klamath River and ocean conditions that have not been conducive to salmon growth and returns in recent years. At the same time, the National Marine Fisheries Service updated the guidance relative to managing to a reduced conservation target of Klamath River fall Chinook. Washington and Northern Oregon (north of Cape Falcon) Fisheries north of Cape Falcon, in northern Oregon, are limited mainly by the need to constrain catch of lower Columbia River natural tule Chinook. Additionally, three coho salmon stocks are categorized as overfished (Queets River, Strait of Juan de Fuca) or are rebuilding (Snohomish), which was a concern when structuring 2022 fisheries. "Every year, the North of Falcon process seems to take a unique set of twists and turns," Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife representative to the Council Kyle Adicks said. This year, state, tribal and federal co-managers finished early but had to do some additional adjusting throughout the week related to Columbia River tules. "I think the set of fisheries before the Council are the best we could do given the situation we're in," Adicks said, giving props to the Salmon Advisory Subpanel and Salmon Technical Team for a lot of hard work to manage to targets set for both inside and coastal salmon fisheries. Former WDFW director and current Council member Phil Anderson identified the many staff of WDFW who worked on the salmon season process over the past week. Anderson said about 25 WDFW staff attended the meeting and participated in the process. The staff, and especially Kyle Adicks, put in a lot of time to create workable seasons, Anderson said. The overall non-Indian total allowable catch North of Falcon is 54,000 Chinook coastwide, compared to 58,000 last year, and 200,000 marked hatchery coho, compared to 75,000 last year. The non-Indian ocean commercial fishery north of Cape Falcon includes the traditional seasons in the spring (May-June) for Chinook and in the summer (July-September) for Chinook and coho. The Chinook quota is slightly lower, is 27,000 fish, compared to 30,750 last year, and the coho quota increased to 32,000 marked coho, compared to only 5,000 last year. Salmon fishery managers addresses the federally recognized fishing rights of coastal tribes as part of the annual process to adopt ocean salmon recommendations for tribal ocean fisheries as well. The Council adopted the seasons as proposed by the tribes. The tribal ocean fishery structure is similar to past years with a spring season focused on Chinook and a summer fishery focused on both Chinook and coho. The quotas are 40,000 Chinook salmon, the same as last year, and 52,000 coho, roughly double the increase from last year, which was 26,500 fish. Oregon (south of Cape Falcon) and California Fisheries south of Cape Falcon are limited mainly by the low abundance forecast for Klamath River fall Chinook, and the need to protect Endangered Species Act-listed California Coastal Chinook. Sacramento River fall Chinook contribute significantly to ocean harvest. This year’s management measures are designed to provide fishing opportunity for the more abundant Sacramento River fall Chinook while reducing fishing impacts on Klamath River fall Chinook and California Coastal Chinook. Salmon trollers can take advantage of the area from Cape Falcon to Heceta Bank to fish now through May, intermittently in June through September and all of October. The area from Heceta Bank line to Humbug Mountain in Southern Oregon will be open in May, intermittently in August and September, and all of October. The season dates in July and August are open for all salmon with a 10,000 marked coho quota the entire area from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain, and the September to October timeframe will be managed with a weekly Chinook limit. The Oregon Klamath Management Zone is open now through the end of April, and in June, July, and most of August with Chinook quotas and weekly landing limits in place during the summer months. The California Klamath Management Zone is closed for the season. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife representative to the Council Chris Kern said he doesn't see the salmon management process getting easier into the future. "Management will likely get more complex," he said, speaking to maintaining a sustainable management process with the tools available, the people in the process and the fish. The areas south of the California Klamath Management Zone have seasons that vary considerably between management areas (Fort Bragg, San Francisco, and Monterey) with several short openers interspersed throughout the summer. In general, fishing opportunity is significantly reduced compared to last year. Marci Yaremko, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's representative to the Council, echoed some of Kern's concerns. The tools and updated models managers use did not produce the results expected. Preliminary analysis showed season structures that would be out of alignment with the fishery management plan goals and ESA conservation objectives. Because of the situation, we had to face some pretty difficult decisions with our partners and our [Salmon Advisory Subpanel's] leadership to make some pretty difficult and draconian recommendations to cut fishing time," Yaremko said. The constraint results in some significant time lost on the water for the California commercial trollers, the fleets most likely to encounter the age-4 Klamath River fall Chinook, Yaremko said. Across all management areas, Yaremko noted, fishermen will see 66 fewer fishing days compared to last year - and last year wasn't good. In 2020, fishermen had 268 days on the water. In 2021, 184. This year: only 118. "This is looking like a very painful year for the industry," Yaremko said. The recommendations will be forwarded to the NMFS for approval by May 16, 2022. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1223533/West-Coast-Managers-Set-2022-Salmon-Seasons-CA-Seasons-Described-as-Painful National Exploring Grocers' Role in Sustainable Seafood Supply Progressive Grocer - April 18, 2022 Brett Veerhusen, Principal, Ocean Strategies As grocers nationwide celebrate a steep rise in seafood sales, a unique public affairs firm in the North Pacific is paying attention. Ocean Strategies, founded and led by commercial fishermen, specializes in fisheries and seafood. They know there’s an opportunity on America’s tables right now, and they have a message for retailers: know your stake in U.S. fisheries’ sustainability, and tell your story. https://progressivegrocer.com/exploring-grocers-role-sustainable-seafood-supply Labeling and Marketing Nordstrom, Trident Partner on Alaska pollock dishes Seafood Source by Christine Blank - April 14, 2022 Thanks to funding from the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), Nordstrom Restaurants and Trident Seafoods are partnering on an Alaska pollock promotion. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/foodservice-retail/nordstrom-trident-partner-on-alaska-pollock-dishes 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. 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