Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Alaska NOAA Fisheries Issues Final Rule Regarding Pacific Cod Harvests in BSAI Fishermen's News - August 16, 2023 NOAA Fisheries has issued a final rule allocating Pacific cod harvest quota to qualifying groundfish License Limitation Program license holders and qualifying processors, in order to, the agency has said, improve management of the fishery, increase its value and minimize bycatch to the extent practicable. https://fishermensnews.com/noaa-fisheries-issues-final-rule-regarding-pacific-cod-harvests-in-bsai/ Crab, groundfish and salmon bycatch issues are on federal fish council agenda Cordova Times - August 15, 2023 Crab, groundfish and salmon issues are all up for discussion at the October meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10 at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/08/15/crab-ground-fish-and-salmon-bycatch-issues-are-on-federal-fish-council-agenda/ Trident delays planned Unalaska processing center citing “market collapse” Seafood Source by Chris Chase - August 15, 2023 Trident Seafoods is delaying the development and construction of a new processing plant in Unalaska, Alaska, U.S.A., citing an overall collapse of the seafood market. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/processing-equipment/trident-delays-planned-unalaska-processing-center-citing-market-collapse Federal management of salmon fishing on the Kuskokwim River wraps up ahead of schedule KYUK by Evan Erickson - August 13, 2023 Beginning at 12:01 on Monday, Aug. 14, salmon fishing restrictions on federally managed portions of the Kuskokwim River will be rescinded, returning management to the jurisdiction of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). https://www.kyuk.org/hunting-fishing/2023-08-13/federal-management-of-salmon-fishing-on-the-kuskokwim-river-wraps-up-ahead-of-schedule Fisheries techs record highest salmon count at McLees Lake weir in nearly a decade KUCB by Kanesia McGlashan-Price - August 15, 2023 Fisheries technicians wrapped up the 2023 season at Unalaska's McLees Lake weir last week, reporting a total escapement of 26,945 sockeye salmon — the weir's highest count since 2016. https://www.kucb.org/science-environment/2023-08-15/fisheries-techs-record-highest-salmon-count-at-mclees-lake-weir-in-nearly-a-decade National Improving inflation trends not enough to mitigate drop in US retail seafood sales Seafood Source by Christine Blank - August 15, 2023 U.S. seafood inflation dropped again in July, but that has not translated to an increase in consumer purchases at retail stores as overall sales and volume of seafood dropped last month. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/premium/foodservice-retail/improving-inflation-trends-not-enough-to-mitigate-freefall-of-us-retail-seafood-sales Environment/Science Off Alaska coast, research crew peers down, down, down to map deep and remote ocean AP News by Joshua A. Bickel - August 14, 2023 KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — For the team aboard the Okeanos Explorer off the coast of Alaska, exploring the moundNs and craters of the sea floor along the Aleutian Islands is a chance to surface new knowledge about life in some of the world’s deepest and most remote waters. https://apnews.com/article/alaska-noaa-deep-sea-exploration-aleutian-e9b5649d8373defe1ab43de140c145be The ocean is shattering heat records. Here’s what that means for fisheries. Marine heatwaves can "inject a lot of chaos" as they remake ecosystems and cost coastal economies billions. Grist by Max Graham - August 11, 2023 Scientists first spotted the Blob in late 2013. The sprawling patch of unusually tepid water in the Gulf of Alaska grew, and grew some more, until it covered an area about the size of the continental United States. Over the course of two years, 1 million seabirds died, kelp forests withered, and sea lion pups got stranded. https://grist.org/extreme-heat/marine-heatwaves-record-ocean-temperatures-fisheries/ Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; “Other Rockfish” in the Aleutian Islands Subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/15/2023 NMFS is prohibiting retention of “other rockfish” in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2023 “other rockfish” total allowable catch (TAC) in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the BSAI has been reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/15/2023-17489/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-other-rockfish-in-the-aleutian-islands-subarea FYI’s Meet the 2023 National Fisherman Highliners National Fishermen - August 15, 2023 A National Fisherman Highliner is a career commercial fisherman known for giving back to the industry, locally, nationally, or globally. It is no easy task, and as such, it deserves recognition. This annual tradition of hailing leaders of the commercial fishing industry began in 1975 as a closed process, but the NF team opened nominations to this audience this year. However, that’s just one of the changes to better connect generations of fishermen. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/national-international/meet-the-2023-national-fisherman-highliners 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. 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.