Tag Archives: Bristol Bay fishery
Fishermen from urban areas and out of state hold big share of permits in world’s largest sockeye run.
In 1975, an Alaska state law, bitterly contested and extensively litigated, wrought a profound change in the Bristol Bay fishery. It capped the number of people who could fish there and vested them with permits that could be used each year or sold to the highest bidder. The state Legislature made the big change two years earlier in an era when many in the seafood industry were worried about oversized fleets chasing then-depressed stocks of salmon. This had far reaching consequences for local bay communities, where many permits once held by local residents have shifted through the decades to fishermen living in urban parts of Alaska or to Washington and other states. As of 2020, Alaskans hold 44% of the 1,862 drift gillnet fleet permits, and 64% of the 964 permits to fish from beaches with setnets. Photos, >click to read< 10:18
New commercial fishing vessels are needs-tailored
A new compact commercial fishing vessel is meant for general use but designed for conditions of the particular fishery of Bristol Bay, Alaska. Elliott Bay Design Group’s (EBDG) new 32-foot gillnetter is an ultra-shallow, triple-jet boat created for the very shallow waters of Bristol Bay (less than 20-feet); and with the bay’s currents and tides and 32-foot boat length limitation in mind. It can do 20 knots and has a 20,000-pound fish capacity. The model’s design, short, but stocky and hardy in profile, may set it apart from other vessels working in the very active Bristol Bay fishery, which is one of the bright spots of Alaska’s fisheries. >click to read< 17:18
Researchers are trying to pinpoint just what the allure of fishing in Bristol Bay is.
A group of researchers is trying to figure out what draws people to the Bristol Bay fishery and what new entrants need to get involved. For students in the region, they’re finding that it’s often all about family. Coleman has also been interviewing fishermen in those same communities, greenhorns and old hands alike, to find out why they put a net in the water – and what makes it possible for them to do so. Most of her work so far has focused on people who live in the region. Read the rest here 10:17:05
Bristol Bay fishery Saturday update – Naknek-Kvichak netted 1.1 million yesterday, it’s biggest catch to date.
The Bristol Bay fishery continues to show signs of building towards either a peak or a long tail end with another day of big catches Friday. Naknek-Kvichak netted 1.1 million yesterday, it’s biggest catch to date. KDLG reports that some processors had already started letting people go because of the smaller-than-forecast run. Activity at the Bristol Bay Port is ramping up, though. “In the last 24 hours we’ve taken in 98 reefers of salmon,” said Robert “Herk” McDermott, the port manager, speaking Friday. For context, he said 139 was the most they had ever moved in a 24-hour period. Read the rest here 10:38
Bristol Bay fishery needs protection from oil and gas leasing – Hell! We all do!
Alaskans know that Bristol Bay is all about wild salmon. For thousands of years the people of Bristol Bay have thrived on this bounty and for more than 130 years, it has supported a major sustainable commercial fishery that supplies the world. Bristol Bay produces 50 percent of the world’s sockeye salmon, making the region of true global importance. Read the rest here 22:56
Extreme Seafoods has rough entry into the Bristol Bay fishery
Extreme Seafoods made waves as they entered the Bristol Bay fishery this year. The company, founded in 2013, purchased the Paug-Vik Corp facility in Naknek that most remember as the old Baywatch plant. A company email circulated around the fleet promised $2 per pound for sockeye, long before the season began, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus and up to a $10,000 advance. If that wasn’t enough to turn a few heads, the company was said to be in talks with several networks to produce a reality TV show! Read more here 16:38
