Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Alaska 1 million pounds and counting: Recycling fishing nets and lines takes off in Alaska coastal communities Anchorage Daily News by Laine Welch | Fish Factor - November 30, 2021 Over 1 million pounds of old fishing nets and lines from Alaska have made it so far to recycling markets where they are remade into plastic pellets and fibers. https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2021/11/30/1-million-pounds-and-counting-recycling-fishing-nets-and-lines-takes-off-in-alaska-coastal-communities/ Alaska Fisheries Report November 25, 2021 KMXT - November 30, 2021 On this week’s Alaska Fisheries Report with Terry Haines: The disappointing Kotzebue chum season was felt by fishers and buyers. A Fish and Game Initiative will try to get better numbers for rockfish. And the Governor announces a Bycatch Taskforce. https://kmxt.org/2021/11/alaska-fisheries-report-november-25-2021/ West Coast Pacific herring: Survey supports Jan. 1 opening, 750-ton quota National Fisherman by Charlie Ess - November 30, 2021 Last year’s herring season didn’t happen for San Francisco gillnetters, but biomass estimates have swung toward the positive, and the industry is hopeful for a fishery in January. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/west-coast-pacific/pacific-herring-survey-supports-jan-1-opening-750-ton-quota California Oil Spill Area Closure Removed as of Noon Today; Harvesters Can Resume Fishing SeafoodNews.com by Susan Chambers - November 30, 2021 Fishermen can get back to work off Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and other areas in Southern California today after the state announced the closure due to an oil spill will be lifted today at noon Pacific time. The closure began on October 3 after an Amplify Energy-owned oil pipeline was discovered broken and oil leaking oil in the ocean and onto nearby beaches. It ultimately leaked roughly 25,000 gallons of crude oil. The closure prohibited the take of all fish and shellfish from Huntington Beach to Dana Point, including the shorelines and offshore areas and all bays to protect human health. The closure overlapped with the opening of the spiny lobster season in Southern California. In early October, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment determined that a threat to public health from consuming fish in the affected area was likely. OEHHA recommended the closure to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response Administrator, Thomas Cullen, signed the closure on behalf of CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham, CDFW said in a press release. On October 5 and October 7, the original closure area was expanded to include approximately 650 square miles of marine waters and approximately 45 miles of shoreline. The closure boundaries also included all bays and harbors from Seal Beach to San Onofre State Beach. OEHHA sampled seafood in the area from October 14 to November 3, in order to measure and evaluate levels of certain chemicals found in oil, known as polyaromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs can accumulate in species caught for human consumption, causing an increased risk for cancer and other adverse health conditions. Final reports and data summaries will be made available on OEHHA’s website in the near future. Now the risk is gone, OEHHA said, and fishing and consumption of seafood from the area can resume. Commercial fishermen worked with the state during the past two months to obtain samples of fish and shellfish in order to determine the impact on fisheries from the Southern California oil spill; laboratories received the samples on November 3. The state said lab processing would take about 14 business days; the processing was completed last week and the results made available soon afterward. “Reopening the 645 square miles of closed fisheries remains a top priority for the Unified Command,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) Lt. Christian Corbo said in a press release in late October. “We thank the local commercial fishermen for assisting with sample gathering and the fishing community’s commitment to providing safe fisheries.” Graphic: Oil spill closure area imposed by California state agencies in October will be lifted on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Credit: CDFW. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1213439/California-Oil-Spill-Area-Closure-Removed-as-of-Noon-Today-Harvesters-Can-Resume-Fishing FYI’s Coast Guard Cutter Healy returns after circumnavigating North America Cordova Times - November 29, 2021 Crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy sailed back into their Seattle homeport on Saturday, Nov. 20, at the conclusion of a 22,000-mile, 133-day deployment during which they engaged in numerous events, including mapping over 20,000-square kilometers of the ocean seafloor. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2021/11/29/coast-guard-cutter-healy-returns-after-circumnavigating-north-america/ CEO Norm Van Vactor reflects on tenure at BBEDC, as the search for a new leader begins Van Vactor started as CEO in 2013, a role he said allowed him to get involved in issues he was passionate about, like Pebble Mine and permit retention among local fishermen. KDLG by Isabelle Ross - November 30, 2021 The CEO of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, Norm Van Vactor, retired in October. Now, the corporation is looking for a new leader. https://www.kdlg.org/post/ceo-norm-van-vactor-reflects-tenure-bbedc-search-new-leader-begins#stream/0 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.