Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Alaska Lower effort, fuel costs slow Alaska summer salmon trolling National Fisherman by Charlie Ess - July 12, 2022 Record high fuel prices and dwindling participation slowed the pace of this summer’s chinook troll season in Southeast. The season kicked off on July 1, and with it hopes of a fishery that would last up to 12 days before the fleet landed their allocation of non-Alaska, Pacific Salmon Treaty chinooks. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/alaska/lower-effort-fuel-costs-slow-alaska-summer-salmon-trolling Bristol Bay Sockeye Landings of 43.7 Million Well Along to Forecasted 60 Million SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - July 12, 2022 The latest landing figures — as of midnight on Sunday, July 10, 2022 — show 43,694,000 sockeye landed in the five main districts of Bristol Bay. Togiak’s catch of 103,200 sockeye to date is not included in this total. Cumulative landings are 73% of the forecasted 60 million sockeye salmon catch, a historical record, for the area. The latest Port Moller Test fishery results, which shows the relative strength of returning surges of salmon about nine days out from the fishing grounds, had a strong uptick at Station 2 on Monday — an index of 209, about five times as strong as any other index at Station 2 this year. It is the ninth largest single index recorded over all 11 stations since June 10, 2022. That could mean that the run “will not taper dramatically” said Port Moller Test Fishery scientist Scott Raborn. Comparing forecasts to actual landings this year in each district, the Nushagak was predicted to yield a harvest of 26.85 million sockeye and an escapement of 2.63 million. The harvest is now 19.26 million (72% of the pre-season forecast) with escapement at 6.5 million, well over the forecast. Egegik District was next highest in forecasted production, at 14.29 million harvest and 1.7 million escapement. Cumulative harvest there is now 12.38 million with escapement at 1.43 million. Naknek-Kvichak was predicted at 12.96 with escapement forecasted at 7.72 million for all three rivers in that district: the Naknek, Alagnak, and Kvichak. So far, the district has landed 8.16 million sockeye with an escapement of 4 million. Ugashik District has landed 4 million of the predicted 4.92 million and has achieved escarpment at over 806,000 sockeye, well on their way to the predicted 1.18 million. Harvests of less than this year’s predicted 60 million sockeye have in the past meant constrained fishing and limits put on the fleet by processors they deliver to. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game managers are already putting fleets on staggered opening to p0revent surges in delivery that may overwhelm processors. For instance, the drift gill net fleet in the Nushagak District closed yesterday at 6:00 p.m. for a five-hour stand down, opening at 11:00 p.m. until this morning at 7:00 a.m. Alaska time, when a 4.5 hour break will be taken and the area open from 11:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. tonight. Meanwhile, the Naknek-Kvichak District was open to drift gillnet gear for an 18.5-hour period from 10:30 p.m. Monday until 5:00 p.m. today. Egegik was open for 8 hours from 9:15 p.m. last night until 5:15 a.m. today and again for 8 hours from 9:15 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. today. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1229988/Bristol-Bay-Sockeye-Landings-of-43-point-7-Million-Well-Along-to-Forecasted-60-Million National On the horizon: National survey in support of a strong domestic seafood economy National Fisherman by Guest Author: Sahir Advani, Jordan Richardson, Joshua Stoll - July 12, 2022 American seafood harvesters play a vital role in supplying healthy, high-quality food to people across the United States and around the world. But they also face serious challenges caused by market disruptions, competing ocean uses, environmental change, and fishing regulations. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/northeast/on-the-horizon-national-survey-in-support-of-a-strong-domestic-seafood-economy Environment/Science US agency to study expanding critical habitat in Alaska for rare North Pacific right whales The Associated Press by Mark Thiessen - July 11, 2022 The U.S. government on Monday agreed to a request from environmental groups to study increasing critical habitat designations in Alaska waters for North Pacific right whales, one of the rarest whale species in the world. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2022/07/11/us-agency-to-study-expanding-critical-habitat-in-alaska-for-rare-north-pacific-right-whales/ Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Pacific Cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 07/13/2022 NMFS is prohibiting retention of Pacific cod by catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2022 total allowable catch of Pacific cod allocated to catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA has been reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/07/13/2022-14950/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pacific-cod-in-the-central-regulatory-area-of FYI’s Coast Guard announces penalties against fishing vessels The annual patrol to monitor illegal fishing is set to begin soon. Juneau Empire by Michael S. Lockett - July 11, 2022 6:39pm Multiple vessels were targeted with fines as a result of enforcement by the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf during an annual fisheries patrol last year. https://www.juneauempire.com/news/coast-guard-announces-fines-levied-against-illegal-fishing-vessels/ 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.