Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Alaska Alaska senators call for reinvestment and federal support for state's seafood sector Seafood Source by Nathan Strout - April 1, 2025 During annual addresses to the Alaska state legislature in March, both of the senators representing the state in U.S. Congress took time to acknowledge the challenges facing Alaska’s seafood sector. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/alaska-senators-call-for-reinvestment-and-federal-support-for-state-s-seafood-sector Alaskan Communities Use Flexibility in Snow Crab Fishery Regulations for Economic Relief NOAA Fisheries works with communities, harvesters, and processors to navigate solutions in a pinch. NOAA Fisheries - March 31, 2025 The Alaska Bering Sea snow crab fishery is open for the first time in 2 years after a sharp decline in the crab population caused fishery closures. Participants have banded together with NOAA Fisheries to use regulatory flexibilities to help the fishery operate smoothly. While the species shows signs of recovery, it is still in low abundance. There are continued challenges for harvesters, processors, and small coastal communities who depend on the fishery for their income and way of life. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/news/alaskan-communities-use-flexibility-snow-crab-fishery-regulations-economic-relief Bids due 7 April for USD 50 million USDA pollock contract Seafood Source by Christine Blank - March 31, 2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking for bids on Alaska pollock for domestic food distribution programs as part of up to USD 50 million (EUR 46 million) the agency said it would spend on the fish. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/bids-due-7-april-for-usd-50-million-usda-pollock-contract Resolution pending in Alaska Legislature urges more federal support for NOAA weather buoys Alaska Public Media by Yereth Rosen - April 1, 2025  Too many of the weather buoys floating in the waters off Alaska are out of service and the federal government should devote more resources to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the interest of marine safety, according to a resolution pending in the Legislature. https://www.kmxt.org/news/2025-04-01/resolution-pending-in-alaska-legislature-urges-more-federal-support-for-noaa-weather-buoys West Coast With a $280 million facility, US business aims to become the Amazon of seafood 'We think that this massive scale is the only way to do it and if my company's industry is going to be successful,' said Fathom's CEO. Intrafish by Rachel Sapin - 31 March 2025 Cody Mills, CEO of Fathom Seafood, is working to build a business he hopes will eventually serve the US seafood and food industry in much the same way Amazon serves third-party sellers. Mills’ ambitious vision includes a $280 million (€258 million) seafood and agricultural processing facility that he believes could reshape the supply chain for the industry. https://www.intrafish.com/processing/with-a-280-million-facility-us-business-aims-to-become-the-amazon-of-seafood/2-1-1798197 Federal Register Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2025 Catch Sharing Plan and Recreational Fishery Management Measures A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/02/2025 This final rule approves changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, the rule implements new management measures for the 2025 recreational fisheries in Area 2A, including the recreational fishery season open dates and subarea allocations for Area 2A. This action also adds a new inseason management provision that explicitly allows for the inseason transfer of anticipated uncaught recreational fishery allocation from the Northern California subarea to the South of Point Arena subarea. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut, while providing additional angler opportunity to achieve the Area 2A allocation set by the IPHC. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/02/2025-05585/pacific-halibut-fisheries-of-the-west-coast-2025-catch-sharing-plan-and-recreational-fishery Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2025 Catch Sharing Plan and Recreational Fishery Management Measures A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/02/2025 This final rule approves changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, the rule implements new management measures for the 2025 recreational fisheries in Area 2A, including the recreational fishery season open dates and subarea allocations for Area 2A. This action also adds a new inseason management provision that explicitly allows for the inseason transfer of anticipated uncaught recreational fishery allocation from the Northern California subarea to the South of Point Arena subarea. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut, while providing additional angler opportunity to achieve the Area 2A allocation set by the IPHC. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/02/2025-05585/pacific-halibut-fisheries-of-the-west-coast-2025-catch-sharing-plan-and-recreational-fishery

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-Friday8:00 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.