Tag Archives: Bristol Bay fishermen

Bristol Bay Fishermen Celebrate Supreme Court Decision to Reject Alaska v. EPA

Monday, the United States Supreme Court announced their decision to reject the State of Alaska’s challenge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water Act veto of the proposed Pebble Mine. Commercial fishermen joined Bristol Bay Tribes and a majority of Alaskans in asking EPA to act to veto Pebble Mine over a decade ago. This protective action, finalized in January of 2023, ensured that Bristol Bay’s irreplaceable salmon runs – which sustain the people, culture as well as the foundation of a commercial fishing industry that generates more than $2 billion annually in economic output and supports more than 15,000 jobs – are not impacted by irresponsible open pit mining. more, >>click to read<< 14:05

Photos: On the water with Bristol Bay’s protesting fishing crews

Commercial fishing crews joined together at the mouth of the Naknek River to peacefully protest the low price that processors are offering for this year’s sockeye salmon. They want processors to reconsider the 50 cents per-pound price, as well as more transparency in the fishery. The protest began at 6:00 AM on Thursday, July 20, and lasted through the day. >click to see the photos< 11:33

Bristol Bay fishermen protest low base price, lack of transparency

By 9 am, over one hundred boats are anchored in the Naknek River entrance, some after a night of fishing the Naknek-Kvichak. Ivan Basargin of the fishing vessel Top Notch is one of them. He’s here to join the demonstration against this year’s low price. Standing in the wheelhouse of a boat he built, he says this year’s low-price hits hard. “I’m going to pay my workers. I’m going to pay my bills. As far as living expenses, I haven’t decided yet. This 50 cents that I get, when I get home, it’s going to be a wash. I’m not going to have any money in the bank saved,” he said. Organizers of the protest are calling on processors to reconsider and improve the base price this season from 50 cents per pound, less than half of last year’s price. “If they know we can fish for 50 cents, we’re going to get paid 30 cents next year,” he said. “That will happen if we don’t do anything. Like today – this is a peaceful protest. We’re not trying to block people or anything. We’re just trying to show the world that we’re hurting, and we need some help.” Basargin says processors are claiming they are struggling financially too but he hasn’t seen evidence of this struggle. >click to read< 17:15

Bristol Bay fishermen protest processors’ low sockeye market price — 50 cents per pound

Some Bristol Bay fishermen are furious over the 50 cent per pound market price for sockeye salmon that Bristol Bay processors are hitting them with. Now the fishermen are protesting over a market price they received 40 years ago — a price some fisherman said could force the industry into a downward spiral, and that action needs to be taken. On Thursday morning more than 60 fishing vessels lined the Naknek River in solidarity. Protest spokesperson Cheyne Blough said the protest was announced on Facebook when the processors declared the base price earlier this week. Blough said the 50 cent per pound market price isn’t enough for fishermen to recover their costs, and could put some out of business. Video, >click to read< 07:45

New analysis shows seismic risks related to Pebble Mine

New analysis commissioned by Bristol Bay fishermen contends that plans for the Pebble mine project and environmental review do not adequately account for seismic risks on the proposed mine site, putting the fishery and regional communities and cultures as risk for devastation. With the U.S Army Corps of Engineers expected to release its record of decision on a critical permit application for the mine in mid-July, concerns remain with fishermen and others opposed to the mine abutting the Bristol Bay watershed over seismic and other risks outlined in the report produced by Lynker Technologies, in Boulder, Colo. >click to read< 18:06

Bristol Bay fishermen renew call for input on Pebble Mine as commercial fishing season opens

Commercial fishing season is underway in Bristol Bay; but instead of focusing all their attention on their catches, fishermen are focused on the future the Pebble Mine could have on their livelihood. The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement closes July 1. “Our industry in Bristol Bay is in the fight of our lives against relentless attempts by the Pebble Limited Partnership, fueled by a ‘dig baby dig’ attitude from the US Army Corps of Engineers, to develop the world’s largest and most dangerous open pit mine at the headwaters of our fishery,” >click to read<. a lot of info, and some links to comment. 16:55

Positive trends highlighted in fall sockeye market analysis

Bristol Bay’s commercial fishing industry had a smashing good season in 2017. The massive forecast for next year has stirred a lot of excitement, and drift permit prices are up around $140,000. Now an annual analysis of the sockeye market suggests wholesale and retail prices are up, worldwide supply is down, and farmed salmon producers are still struggling to rebound. Only the prospect of Pebble Mine filing for permits has seemed to dampen the mood of Bristol Bay fishermen this fall. Andy Wink, a senior seafood industry analyst at the McDowell Group, authored the “2017 Sockeye Market Analysis” for the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. click here to read the story 08:18

Bristol Bay Fishermen prep for 2016 reg changes

akirabrooke_dillingham_harborThe Bristol Bay salmon fishery will see some changes this year, from when fishermen have to declare a district and how tenders accept deliveries from d-boats, to when the Wood River Special Harvest Area can be used. Among the changes made by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the State Board of Fisheries is one that will affect most fishermen early in the season, no matter their district. This year, drifters must register in the district in which they intend to fish right from the get go. Gone is the time to test the waters in different areas before committing to one. Once a fishermen is committed, there’s mandatory wait before they can switch. That change was made by the state Board of Fisheries in December, and was widely supported by public testimony and the Bristol Bay area advisory committees. But Dillingham drift fisherman Bronson Brito was one of few who opposed the change this winter, and said in mid-May that it’ll effect how he starts his season. Audio,  Read the rest here 16:46

Bristol Bay fishermen prepare for quality mandates

The coming mandate for higher quality fish deliveries in Bristol Bay could be particularly difficult for watershed residents, but some have said it could also be good news in the long term. At least one Bristol Bay processor, Icicle Seafoods, has told fishermen that they’ll stop buying dry fish in a few years after phasing in quality requirements, and more are expected to follow. Right now, the decision to ice or not is left to individual fishermen. Incentives help encourage chilling fish, but an individual can try to catch more fish to make up the price difference, and different fishermen make different choices. A quality mandate by even one processor will shift that, although fishermen may still have a range of options, from icing with slush bags or insulated holds, Read the rest here 12:33

Bristol Bay fishermen aghast at 50-cents-a-pound price for sockeye

Bristol Bay fishermen pull sockeye or red salmon from a net near Naknek, AlaskaMost Bristol Bay fishermen were shocked and dismayed when they heard last week that major buyers would pay 50 cents a pound for . That’s a throwback to the dock prices paid from 2002 to 2004, and is far below the $1.20 or more paid last year. A late surge of reds produced catches of nearly 13 million fish in the final week of this year’s run, bringing the total by July 23 to 34.5 million fish. Fish were still trickling in, and state managers, who called the season an anomaly, said the final tally should reach the projected harvest of 37.6 million sockeye. Read the rest here 15:35

Bristol Bay fishermen hit the 2 million mark June 29 ,sockeye catch still climbing!

Bristol Bay fishermen hit the 2 million mark June 29. Baywide, the total catch was about 2.6 million sockeye as of June 29. If the projections are correct, that means there’s about 35 million sockeye still to be caught, and researchers have said they still expect the pre-season forecast to come to fruition. The Egegik harvest through June 29 was about 1.1 million reds, and the Nushagak catch was about 914,000. But fishermen in those districts said that fishing still felt slow. Read the rest here 09:17

Bristol Bay Fishermen Talk About Their Season

radio-microphoneThe 2013 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon season is just about in the books. It was a historic year featuring the earliest run on record and a significant price increase. KDLG News recently spoke with several fishermen about their season. KDLG’s Mike Mason has the story. listen@kdlg