Alaska/Pacific Coast
Bering Sea survey could provide insight on cod finds APNews by Associated Press - June 2, 2019 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. scientists plan to survey the Bering Sea this summer and hope to shed light on why fish not normally seen in its northern stretches have been found there. https://www.apnews.com/fb7f5729bfeb4d90ab157496a38604f5 Kodiak City Council approves draft budget and a letter opposing Pebble Mine Environmental Impact Statement KMXT by Maggie Wall - May 31, 2019 City says the Environmental Impact Statement for Pebble Mine poses “more questions than it provides answers.” Letter says it needs more information, analysis and forecasting on fishery impacts–from construction to operation, to worst-case scenarios. http://kmxt.org/2019/05/kodiak-city-council-approves-draft-budget-and-a-letter-opposing-pebble-mine-environmental-impact-statement/ International Trade War with China Creating Worsening Conditions for U.S. Exporters SeafoodNews.com by Amy Zhong - June 4, 2019 U.S. President Trump has initiated a trade war with China, and higher tariffs have been levied on commodities traded between the two countries. Both suffer from the president’s decision, and it is still uncertain who will be the bigger victim in the long run, according to media and trade reports. But according to responses from aquatic companies in the two countries, the war is hitting America harder than China at present. One Chinese aquatic company in Maoming, an important tilapia aquaculture region, is said to have received orders of more than 30 containers of tilapia products from American buyers in May alone. Its workers have been working overtime so the products can be ready on time. According to the local tilapia association, American buyers would like to continue to buy from local companies and pay for the 70% extra costs brought by higher tariffs. Others in China have tried to develop new markets since the beginning of the bilateral conflict last year. For example, Zhuhai city, a significant supplier of perch, has shifted attention to other domestic inland cities like Tibet and Xinjiang. Success in these markets has relieved pressure on local companies that have suffered under the trade war, said the president for the local association of agricultural products. But the situation is not so optimistic in the U.S. As statistics show, its higher tariffs on trade partners and others’ retaliatory tariffs have caused an economic loss of $7.8 billion in 2018. And this year’s trade war with China is estimated to result in the unemployment of 934,000 people every year. Its domestic seafood industry is among the first to be hit hard by the president’s decision. Consider the example of Maine, whose lobster exports has dropped by 84%. One local family business said they are pessimistic about the prospect and worried about bankruptcy. Others are considering relocating to Canada to reduce export costs. The business is also tough for local lobster distributors. According to one distributor, he used to sell tens of thousands of pounds lobsters to China on a weekly basis, but now the number has dropped to zero. The trade war has led to increasingly great uncertainties, which are hindering local industry development, said the vice president for one lobster company. It's also likely to increase local unemployment rates. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1143400/Trade-War-with-China-Creating-Worsening-Conditions-for-US-Exporters Federal Register Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Directed Commercial Fishery A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 06/03/2019 The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission, publishes notice of an inseason action pursuant to International Pacific Halibut Commission regulations approved by the Secretary of State to govern the Pacific halibut fishery. This inseason action removes the June 27, 2019, designated opening date for the Area 2A directed commercial fishery from the list of openings. This action is intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and promote safety at sea. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/06/03/2019-11444/pacific-halibut-fisheries-directed-commercial-fishery FYI’s City Plans To Contribute Funds To Drone Salmon Survey KUCB by Zoe Sobel - May 31, 2019 The City of Unalaska plans to pitch in to continue monitoring local salmon habitat by drone. This will be the second year of a survey project that has local business owner Andy Dietrick, of Aleutian Aerial LLC, capturing high-resolution footage of salmon. That footage is then sent to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for analysis. https://www.kucb.org/post/city-plans-contribute-funds-drone-salmon-survey#stream/0 New weather buoys anchored in Port Valdez Cordova Times - May 31, 2019 A new weather buoy has been anchored at Port Valdez to collect data to improve understanding of the meteorological and physical oceanographic environment at the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Valdez Marine Terminal and Valdez Duck Flats. https://thecordovatimes.com/2019/05/31/new-weather-buoys-anchored-in-port-valdez/
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 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.