Alaska
Southeast Alaska Airline To Relaunch Passenger Service On Former Ravn Routes KUCB by Hope McKenney - July 29, 2020 Alaska Seaplanes announced Tuesday it intends to relaunch passenger air service on routes formerly served by RavnAir Group, which declared bankruptcy earlier this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.kucb.org/post/southeast-alaska-airline-relaunch-passenger-service-former-ravn-routes Unalaska Fish Processors Contend With Evacuating Hundreds Of Plant Employees During Tsunami Warning KUCB by Hope McKenney - July 29, 2020 A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit south of Chignik last week, prompting tsunami warnings in communities across coastal Alaska. https://www.kucb.org/post/unalaska-fish-processors-contend-evacuating-hundreds-plant-employees-during-tsunami-warning Yukon River chinook run below average again this year, Alaska officials say Sonar station at Eagle, Alaska has seen just under 14,000 chinook, less than half the historical average CBC News by Mike Rudyk - July 28, 2020 The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says the number of Yukon River chinook salmon is significantly below average so far this year. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/chinook-salmon-yukon-river-2020-run-1.5666136 Nearly 90% of Alaska’s Expected 2020 Sockeye Harvest Met, Pink Landings to Peak in 2 Weeks SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - July 28, 2020 The focus of Alaska’s salmon season is shifting from sockeye to pink as Bristol Bay winds down, reports Garrett Evridge in the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s weekly Salmon Harvest Update. Although the season improved significantly in the past four weeks, many areas of the state are behind historical averages. Alaska's 2020 sockeye harvest is nearly complete at 42.67 million fish as of the end of last week (statistical week 30). While Kodiak, Southeast and other areas will see sockeye landings through September, less than 10% of the annual sockeye catch is typically harvested after statistical week 30. About 87% of the forecasted catch of sockeyes has been realized, so indications are that the final tally will be slightly under the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s pre-season forecast of 48.1 million sockeyes. Preliminary data from ADF&G indicate the average weight of 2020 Bristol Bay sockeye are slightly more than 5.0 pounds, extending a trend of declining average weight for the species, Evridge reports. Total sockeye catches at this point in the season, however, are on par with the 10-year average. This week and next (stat weeks 31 and 32) are typically the peak for pink salmon harvests. Measured by number of fish, the current pace is comparable to 2018, but generally behind the longer-term even-year average. Pink salmon landings have relatively strong in Kodiak and the AK Peninsula & Aleutian Islands region but lagging in Southeast. PWS is behind 2018 and its historical average. A total of 13.89 million pink salmon have been landed as of Saturday night; 8.4 million in Prince William Sound, 2.2 million in the South Alaska Peninsula, 1.56 million in Kodiak, and 1.06 million in Southeast. In Prince William Sound, nearly a million pinks were landed July 23, last Thursday. The cumulative harvest at that point was 6.9 million, compared to the five-year average even-year harvest throughJuly 23 of 13.5 million pink salmon. Just four million keta (chum) salmon have been landed in 2020, the lowest for this point in the season in at least 12 years (and likely more). Only Kodiak is ahead of 2019, with all other areas behind. Southeast and the AYK region are particularly slow, with both far behind historical levels. Coho landings are also trending below typical levels with YTD harvest of 218,000 fish. In most years, at least one million coho have been harvested by week 30. Chinook landings are behind the 2019 pace, though harvest in Southeast is ahead of last year. The weekly report is produced by McDowell Group on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and can be found here on the ASMI website. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1176945/Nearly-90-percent-of-Alaskas-Expected-2020-Sockeye-Harvest-Met-Pink-Landings-to-Peak-in-2-Weeks West Coast Majority of early Fraser River sockeye run won't make it to spawning grounds, report suggests Above average discharge into river making it difficult for salmon to swim upstream CBC News by Jon Hernandez - July 26, 2020 An early sockeye salmon run is having trouble making it up the Fraser River and the majority won't make it to their spawning grounds this year, largely because of the ongoing Big Bar landslide, according to a report from the Pacific Salmon Commission. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/majority-of-early-fraser-river-sockeye-run-won-t-make-it-to-spawning-grounds-report-suggests-1.5663356 National NOAA reports indicate U.S. fisheries sustainable, robust economically Seafood Source by Chris Chase - July 28, 2020 NOAA Fisheries on 28 July released an annual report, and gave a preview of a report slated for release later this year, that both indicate U.S. fisheries are robust and in many cases improving – both in terms of sustainability and revenue. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/noaa-reports-indicate-u-s-fisheries-sustainable-robust-economically International Proposed US tariffs on EU seafood products nearing end of consultation period Seafood Source by Chris Chase - July 28, 2020 A bevy of seafood products from the European Union could be the target of new tariffs by the United States, stemming from a dispute over European subsidies for Airbus. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/proposed-us-tariffs-on-eu-seafood-products-nearing-end-of-consultation-period Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reapportionment of the 2020 Gulf of Alaska Pacific Halibut Prohibited Species Catch Limits for the Trawl Deep-Water and Shallow-Water Fishery Categories A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 07/28/2020 NMFS is reapportioning the seasonal apportionments of the 2020 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limits for the trawl deep-water and shallow-water species fishery categories in the Gulf of Alaska. This action is necessary to account for the actual halibut PSC use by the trawl deep-water and shallow-water species fishery categories from May 15, 2020 through June 30, 2020. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/07/28/2020-16346/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-reapportionment-of-the-2020-gulf-of-alaska
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