Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Alaska After a highly anticipated start, Kodiak’s Tanner crab season is almost over KMXT by Kirsten Dobroth - February 6, 2023 Kodiak’s Tanner crab fleet spent the first two weeks of the season tied up at the docks, awaiting better prices from local seafood processors. And after a highly anticipated opener just over a week ago on Jan. 30, the season is nearly over; most of the fishery had closed by the end of the weekend. https://kmxt.org/2023/02/after-a-highly-anticipated-start-kodiaks-tanner-crab-season-is-almost-over/ Crab crisis in Bering Sea a sign of ‘borealization’ and big changes in the future, scientists warn In coming decades, the ocean conditions that triggered the snow crab crash and harvest closure are expected to be common Alaska Beacon by Yereth Rosen - February 6, 2023 The first-ever cancellation of Alaska’s Bering Sea snow crab harvest was unprecedented and a shock to the state’s fishing industry and the communities dependent on it. Unfortunately for that industry and those communities, those conditions are likely to be common in the future, according to several scientists who made presentations at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium held in late January. https://alaskabeacon.com/2023/02/06/crab-crisis-in-bering-sea-a-sign-of-borealization-and-big-changes-in-the-future-scientists-warn/ Coast Guard’s primary Bering Sea cutter returns home to Alaska after refurbishment Alaska's News Source by Nolin Ainsworth - February 6, 2023. KODIAK, Alaska (KTUU) - The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley is finally home. The 282-foot, 52-year-old vessel that’s called Kodiak home for over two decades returned on Jan. 12 from a seven-month drydock period in Seattle. The boat, painted white with an orange stripe across the bow, is one of two cutters in Kodiak, with the other being the Cypress, which arrived in Kodiak in December. The cutter designation refers to the length of the boat, with cutters measuring longer than 65 feet. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/02/06/coast-guards-primary-bering-sea-cutter-returns-home-alaska-after-refurbishment/ International Russia Significantly Increased Salmon and Crab Exports to China in 2022 SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - February 8, 2023 China is expected to be one of the major sale markets for Russian salmon in the near future as volume of exports is growing. According to the latest data, published by the All-Russian Association of Fishermen (VARPE), referring to the data of Chinese customs, the supplies of various salmon species (including salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, etc.) from Russia to China in 2022 almost doubled to 73,800 tons compared to 2021. In value terms, exports grew by 2.5 times up to US$249.9 million. The increase of Chinese supplies took place despite a significant decrease of the volume in salmon catch within Russia. As a result of the salmon fishing season in Russia last year, only 271,000 tons of fish were caught, which is significantly lower than the figures of the previous year of 539,000 tons. According to Russian Vedomosti business paper, citing the head of the Federal Agency for Fishery Ilya Shestakov, small volume of salmon catch in Russia last year could have forced the agency to initiate the imposition of export restrictions in order to stabilize prices. However, on the contrary, this has resulted in a significant rise of salmon prices in the domestic market. At the same time, according to German Zverev, President of VARPE, the domestic market remains a priority for Russian salmon fishermen, as more than 65% of the Pacific salmon catches are delivered to it. The Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), from its side, also confirmed that they do not expect a shortage of red fish in Russia this year. In case of prices, according to Zverev, in 2022 low global salmon supply caused by the reduction of supplies of aquaculture salmon led to record high prices for these types of fish in the world. He explains that China increased imports of salmon last year due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, in addition to salmon, the deliveries of Russian crab to China also increased: by 41% to 23,390 tons in volume and by 15% to $770.4 million in value terms in 2022. The growth of exports allowed Russian crab producers to compensate the negative effects associated with low global crab prices. The average crab price last year was $33 per 1 kg, compared to $40.4 in 2021. The decline of export prices became mainly due to the closure of United States and European markets for the supplies of crab from Russia. Since the imposition of an embargo on the supply of crab to the United States, crab fishers in the Russian Northern Basin have reoriented their supplies to Asian countries. The increased supply of live and frozen crab has led to a significant reduction in prices. Part of the product - boiled frozen crab - which fishermen traditionally supplied in the largest volume to the US and the EU, was reoriented to the Chinese market. In volume terms, export of frozen crab to China almost tripled - from 1115 to 3300 tons. The increase in exports to China was also due to the abolition of anti-COVID restrictions. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1245655/Russia-Significantly-Increased-Salmon-and-Crab-Exports-to-China-in-2022 Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Non-American Fisheries Act Crab Vessels Operating as Catcher Vessels Using Pot Gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/08/2023 NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by non-American Fisheries Act (AFA) crab vessels that are subject to sideboard limits, and operating as catcher vessels (CVs) using pot gear, in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2023 sideboard limit established for non-AFA crab vessels that are operating as CVs using pot gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/08/2023-02689/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pacific-cod-by-non-american-fisheries-act-crab FYI’s Silver Bay Seafoods Acquires Orca Bay Foods Fishermen's News - February 1, 2023 Silver Bay Seafoods, a Sitka, Alaska-based integrated processor of salmon, herring and squid products, has acquired Seattle-based food processing company Orca Bay Foods, a nationwide distributor of value-added seafood and battered and breaded vegetables, among other products. https://fishermensnews.com/article/silver-bay-seafoods-acquires-orca-bay-foods/ 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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