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SeaShare donations are in demand at nations food banks and throughout AK:SeaShare’s seafood partners are working harder than ever to keep markets supplied, shelves filled, and families fed. Despite all the challenges, these same partners — fishermen, processors, distributors, and others — have donated over 7 million seafood servings to food banks across the country so far this year. Our collective response to the unprecedented need has been incredible. Together we are supplying the best protein to families who can really use a good meal.
Please consider donations to SeaShare as you finalize your end-of-year donation plans. Just $1 helps provide 8 servings of seafood to hungry neighbors nationwide. We at PSPA and SeaShare hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!
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Alaska
Highest Togiak Herring Forecast Since 1993: 34,111 Tons for 2021 Purse Seine Sac Roe Fishery
SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - December 15, 2020
The 2021 Togiak herring forecast is 236,742 tons, the highest forecast since 1993 when the current age-structured assessment model was implemented. The state's Alaska Department of Fish and Game released the forecast last weekend.
A biomass of that size means the total allowable harvest for the area will be 47,348 tons, calculated at a 20% exploitation rate.
Allocation further reduces that amount with 1,500 tons to the Togiak Spawn on Kelp Fishery and 3,209 tons for the Dutch Harbor Food and Bail allocation. That leaves 42,639 tons for the Togiak District Sac Roe Fishery, 80% of which goes to purse seiners — 34,111 tons — and 20% to gill netters — 8,528 tons.
Togiak is the last and the largest of the state’s herring fisheries, and usually takes place in mid-May. Last year only one processor, buying from two seine boats, harvested from the 30,999 ton-quota for purse seining and only one gill net boat harvested from the 7,750 ton quota for that gear. Due to privacy regulations, final total harvests are not known.
The increase in Togiak’s forecast biomass over the past year is due to a high percent of 4- to 7-year old fish observed in 2020. These partially-mature fish will have had a year’s worth of growth and maturity for the spring fishery. Some will be spawning for the first time.
The forecasted age composition of the mature herring population in 2021 is made up of 5- through 8-year old fish. The forecasted average weight of a mature Togiak herring 291g, but the average weight of a fish that is vulnerable to the commercial purse seine fishery is 314g.
Aerial surveys add critical information to ADF&G's knowledge about the stock. “Conditions were sufficient for the department to obtain an aerial survey estimate of peak biomass in 2019 and 2020 with confidence ratings greater than zero,” ADF&G’s report explained.
“There is considerable expected uncertainty in the 2021 forecast due to uncertainty in the large estimated age-4 recruitment in 2020. The survival and the overall magnitude of that year class (2016 year class) is highly uncertain, and it remains to be seen if the large age-4 recruitment event results in a large increase in the expected number of mature age-5 fish in 2021 relative to the number of mature age-4 fish in 2020,” state managers say.
“Herring are detected in our sampling when they recruit into the fishery; a process that begins around age-4 and may not be fully complete until approximately age-9. Large recruitments in this population generally occur every eight to ten years and typically last one or two years. Recent biological sampling suggests the 2013 and 2014 year-classes (age-6 and age-7 fish in 2020) as well as the 2016 year-class (age-4 in 2020) may be new large recruitment events,” the report notes.
https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1187484/Highest-Togiak-Herring-Forecast-Since-1993-34111-Tons-for-2021-Purse-Seine-Sac-Roe-Fishery
West Coast
Pacific Petrale sole: Strong hauls of restaurant-preferred fish land in cold storage
National Fisherman by Charlie Ess - December 15, 2020
Petrale sole trawlers found plenty of fish when they plied the waters off the West Coast in October, but with limited regional markets to absorb harvest volume, smaller deliveries maxed out orders destined for restaurant markets, while the rest wound up in cold storage holdings and will be sold as frozen product after the end of the season.
https://www.nationalfisherman.com/west-coast-pacific/pacific-petrale-sole-strong-hauls-of-restaurant-preferred-fish-land-in-cold-storage
International
COVID threatening deep seafood ties between Russia and China
Seafood Source by Ivan Stupachenko - December 15, 2020
China’s recent move to tighten inspections and controls of imported seafood is forcing Russian seafood exporters to begin to look at other markets.
https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/russia-looking-to-diversify-markets-as-seafood-exports-to-china-threatened
Labeling and Marketing
Homer company evolves into a ‘digital fishmonger’ with expanding subscription seafood service
Anchorage Daily News by Laine Welch, Fish Factor - December 16, 2020
The Wild Alaskan Company based in Homer has taken “mission based” seafood e-commerce to a whole new level.
https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/12/15/homer-company-evolves-into-a-digital-fishmonger-with-expanding-subscription-seafood-service/
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.