Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Alaska Coast Guard inspectors return from Bristol Bay in support of salmon season opening U.S. Coast Guard - June 27, 2022 ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Coast Guard inspectors returned to Anchorage Friday after a two-week deployment to Bristol Bay, conducting missions in support of the region's commercial fishing season which opened June 22, 2022. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/31df294?reqfrom=share Bristol Bay Sockeye Run Set to Shatter Records PRNewswire by Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) - June 29, 2022 BRISTOL BAY, Alaska -- From the pristine waters of Bristol Bay, the harvest of sockeye salmon, a legendary culinary experience, is set to break records. Consumers and chefs can't wait for July when the opportunity to enjoy this memorable fish comes once again. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bristol-bay-sockeye-run-set-to-shatter-records-301577496.html 2022 Preliminary Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvest - Blue Sheet ADF&G - June 2022 The Blue Sheet reports cumulative salmon harvest during the commercial fishing season in thousands of fish. Statewide harvest estimates on this page are refreshed twice daily. Please note, inseason harvest estimates published in this report are preliminary and subject to change. Confidential catch information is not included in these cumulative totals. Questions about inseason data collection and individual estimates should be directed to the fishery area management biologists. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyfisherysalmon.bluesheet West Coast Offshore Wind and Fisheries: BOEM Seeks Public Comment on Draft Mitigation Strategy SeafoodNews.com by Susan Chambers - June 24, 2022 A number of entities like to say fisheries and offshore wind can co-exist, but that claim is becoming increasingly difficult to repeat as more areas are identified or leased on the East Coast, Gulf of Mexico and West Coast for wind farms. However, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says it wants to ensure that offshore renewable energy development occurs in a thoughtful manner that minimizes conflicts with other ocean users. On Thursday, BOEM announced the availability of draft guidance on mitigating potential impacts of offshore wind development on commercial and recreational fishing and is inviting public review and comment on the draft. This draft document is the next step in the development of guidance for offshore wind companies that was begun in the winter of 2021 through a Request for Information from the fishing industry, government agencies, non-government organizations, and the general public, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, BOEM said in a statement. The public review and comment period is open for 60 days; it closes at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern) on August 22, 2022. “Fishing communities and fisheries stakeholders are critical to our offshore energy development process, and we’re looking forward to discussions on this draft guidance,” BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “We’re seeking open and honest conversations focused on finding solutions to potential challenges as we work to provide clean, safe domestic energy for American taxpayers while at the same time providing good-paying jobs and building a U.S. supply chain to support this effort.” The draft guidance provides detailed processes and methodologies to the offshore wind industry and lessees to mitigate impacts to fisheries in the areas of project siting, design, navigation, access, safety, and financial compensation. This guidance will help ensure consistent use of data and methodologies across projects and states and assist lessees and BOEM in the preparation and review of construction and operations plans. To facilitate comments, BOEM will hold a series of public meetings to discuss the contents of the draft guidance and hear from commercial and recreational fishers and other interested parties firsthand. Meetings will be held on the following dates and times: East Coast meeting: 9 to 11 a.m. EDT, July 11 West Coast meeting: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT, July 15 Gulf Coast meeting: 9 to 11 a.m. CDT, July 18 Developers meeting: 9 to 11 a.m. EDT, July 21 Registration for the meetings and additional information will be shared on BOEM’s website in the coming days. While these meetings are focused on obtaining input from the fishing industry and recreational fishers, they are open to the public and anyone can provide comments via regulations.gov. BOEM will review and consider comments on the draft guidance as it develops final guidance over the summer of 2022. “We want feedback on the entirety of mitigation framework, from facility design considerations to recommendations on compensatory mitigation, particularly from the people and organizations that this guidance is meant to aid,” BOEM Marine Biologist Brian Hooker said. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1228707/Offshore-Wind-and-Fisheries-BOEM-Seeks-Public-Comment-on-Draft-Mitigation-Strategy National Department of Commerce Announces 2022 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils NOAA Fisheries - June 27, 2022 The Secretary of Commerce announces the appointment of 20 new and returning members of the eight regional fishery management councils. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/department-commerce-announces-2022-appointments-regional-fishery-management-councils 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.