Daily Archives: October 14, 2013

Salt of the Sea screens for students at Murie Science Building, University of Alaska Fairbanks

The screening of the movie  was produced and directed by filmmaker Tom Garber. “Salt of the Sea” is a story about what it takes to be a fisherman out in the open seas of New England and how governmental policies, economics and courage pushed fishermen to their limits and beyond. more@uafsunstar  23:57

U.S. government should issue a moratorium on removing Gulf oil and gas platforms until the law catches up with the science.

“The Gulf of Mexico will lose a third of its 3,600 offshore oil and gas platforms in the next 5 years,” according to an analysis published in 2011 by EcoRigs, a nonprofit organization based in Baton Rouge that seeks to change policies concerning platform removals. “They create one of the most prolific ecosystems, by area, on the planet. It is estimated that the removal of 1,250 platforms will destroy 1,875 acres of coral reef habitat and 7 billion invertebrates, many of which are federally protected.” more@bestofneworleans  23:07

Subsistence Boundaries Take Center Stage at Joint Board of Fisheries and Game Meeting – Video

More Alaskans shared their concerns over subsistence boundaries on Sunday at the Joint Board of Fisheries and Game meeting. more@ktuu  22:41

Russian court refuses bail to Russian court refuses bail – Radicals call the accusations trumped up.

Willcox had earlier been fined $620 for refusing orders to sail his ship, the Arctic Sunrise, to Murmansk, the Interfax news agency reported. The vessel was subsequently towed. The 28 activists and two journalists were arrested after their ship was seized by the coast guard Sept. 19, one day after the protest. They were charged with piracy, which carries a jail term of up to 15 years, and the court sanctioned their detentions for two months. more@portlandpress 18:16

Fish fight: Walmart caught in the middle of Alaska salmon tangle

After a push from Alaskan salmon fisheries, Walmart considers alternative seafood certification systems. Will this undermine the Marine Stewardship Council’s dominance? more@theguardian 15:08

More than 80% of Alaska salmon will not be sold as MSC, says ASMI

MSC-LogoA recent announcement by the Marine Stewardship Council should not be interpreted as a change in decision by a dozen Alaskan companies to no longer sell and support MSC salmon, said the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). Although the bulk of the Alaska salmon fishery has earned MSC, the vast majority of Alaska salmon processing companies — 27 in total — will not be selling MSC-certified Alaskan salmon, said ASMI on Monday. more@undercurrent 13:49

Weak link in the food chain – Most marine life relies on a regular and ongoing supply of phytoplankton.

These microscopic marine plants lie at the base of the marine food chain and  form the staple diet of minute ocean creatures called zooplankton. Without  enough zooplankton in the seas, most marine life would not survive.  Geo-engineering/ Reefs threat/ Future prospects   [email protected] 13:09

Factory Trawler ‘Alaska Ocean’ to Retrofit Rolls-Royce Promas Lite Integrated Propeller and Rudder System

Promas Lite is an integrated propeller and rudder system that increases efficiency and is designed specifically for retrofitting to existing ships. Glacier Fish is currently installing the newest version of Promas Lite, which incorporates a new nozzle design for even greater efficiency gains, on their Alaska Ocean factory trawler at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle, Washington. [email protected] 12:23

Commercial Fishing, conference center on the City of Monterey council agenda

The council will hear the results of a 2012 grant-financed study on the sustainability of commercial fishing in Monterey. The city and Morro Bay were awarded such grants by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The report concludes local commercial fishing not only has a future, but it can be protected, stabilized and expanded by taking several key actions. They include improving wharf infrastructure and supporting development of a community quota fund for the groundfish fishery. more@mercurynews 11:59

Elwha River building beaches again: Crab found where it once was too rocky

Miller, a coastal hazards specialist with Washington Sea Grant, came across a Dungeness crab that had tucked itself into fine-grain sand onto the lowest portion of a beach east of the river mouth, just north of where Sampson Road on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation ends. more@pdn  11:43

F/V Alaska Juris Fisherman Medevaced near Cold Bay, Alaska

The Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk crew rendezvoused with the Alaska Juris approximately 110 miles north of Cold Bay, safely hoisted the man aboard the helicopter and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Cold Bay for further care. more@uscgnews 10:57

Study links warmer water temperatures to greater levels of mercury in fish

Killifish are not usually big eaters. But in warmer waters, at temperatures projected for the future by climate scientists, their metabolism — and their appetites — go up, which is not a good thing if there are toxins in their food. more@wapo   Research Article: Experimental and Natural Warming Elevates Mercury Concentrations in Estuarine Fish @plosone.org 10:13

Hawaii longline fishery to take 40-percent cut on its current bigeye tuna quota? video

“Right now we are basically at a position where this international  body the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission is going to be deciding the next sort of phase of the conservation and management for bigeye tuna,” Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Enforcement Coordinator Eric Kingma said. Kingma says even though Hawaii fishermen fish thousands of miles away from where the overfishing is happening, Hawaii is being targeted because we are part of the U.S. commission. more@kohn2  03:23