Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Alaska Pollock fisheries groups share methods for avoiding bycatch Pollock fisheries operating in Alaska share methods they are implementing in avoiding bycatch. Alaska News Source by Joe Kinneen - April 7, 2023 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Pollock fisheries groups shared some of the methods they have been using to prevent the accidental taking of bycatch salmon to the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council’s Advisory Committee on Thursday. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/04/08/pollock-fisheries-groups-share-methods-avoiding-bycatch/ PWS sablefish fishery GHL set at 269,000 pounds Cordova Times - April 7, 2023 Commercial fishing for sablefish opens on April 15 in Prince William Sound, with a guideline harvest level (GHL) of 269,000 pounds, with fishing to occur only in the Inside District from April 15 through Aug. 31. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/04/07/pws-sablefish-fishery-ghl-set-at-269000-pounds/ Harvest of 189.4M salmon projected for 2023 Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - April 7, 2023 Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) biologists are projecting an overall commercial harvest of 189.4 million salmon during the 2023 season, including an excellent run of wild sockeye salmon in the Coghill district, and a strong run of wild pink salmon in Prince William Sound. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/04/07/harvest-of-189-4m-salmon-projected-for-2023/ Alaska commercial fishing fatalities decline, reflecting national trend Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - April 8, 2023 Commercial fishing in Alaska, long notorious as a dangerous and potentially deadly occupation, is getting safer, according to data presented this week to federal regulators. https://alaskabeacon.com/briefs/alaska-commercial-fishing-fatalities-decline-reflecting-national-trend/ Labeling and Marketing With no commercial interest in Togiak herring, Alaska looks to the Atlantic for inspiration KDLG by Izzy Ross - April 7, 2023 The Togiak sac roe herring fishery used to draw hundreds of fishermen. “It was like a gold rush,” said Frank Woods, who lives in Dillingham and started fishing for Togiak herring in the mid-1980s. “The whole bay would fill up with industry. It would be a buzz, everybody would gear up to go. And everybody had not only fun doing it but made money at it.” https://www.kdlg.org/fisheries/2023-04-07/as-togiak-herring-go-unharvested-alaskas-marketing-branch-looks-to-the-atlantic-for-inspiration Federal Register Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2023 Harvest Specifications for Pacific Whiting, and 2023 Pacific Whiting Tribal Allocation A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/06/2023 NMFS issues this proposed rule for the 2023 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006 (Whiting Act), and other applicable laws. This proposed rule would establish the domestic 2023 harvest specifications for Pacific whiting including the 2023 tribal allocation for the Pacific whiting fishery, the non-tribal sector allocations, and set-asides for incidental mortality in research activities and non-groundfish fisheries. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, achieve optimum yield, ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available, and provide for the implementation of tribal treaty fishing rights. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/06/2023-07097/magnuson-stevens-act-provisions-fisheries-off-west-coast-states-pacific-coast-groundfish-fishery Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2023 Catch Sharing Plan and Recreational Management Measures A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/11/2023 This final rule approves changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's regulatory Area 2A off of Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, this final rule implements management measures governing the 2023 recreational fisheries that are not implemented through the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Management measures include the recreational fishery seasons and subarea allocations for Area 2A. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide angler opportunity where available. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/11/2023-07328/pacific-halibut-fisheries-of-the-west-coast-2023-catch-sharing-plan-and-recreational-management Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/11/2023 The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/11/2023-07565/pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meeting 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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