Tag Archives: Darius Kasprzak
Battered by a marine heatwave, Kodiak’s cod fishermen may not be fishing in the Gulf for much longer
From the last peak in 2014, the level of mature, spawning cod crashed by more than half in the Gulf, according to stock assessment data — 113,830 metric tons in 2014 to 46,080 metric tons in 2017. They’re now below the federal threshold that protects cod as a food source for endangered Stellar sea lions. As soon as the population dips below that line, the fishery closes. The whole federal cod fishery in the Gulf will most likely be shut down for the season in January. >click to read< 10:36
Kodiak jig fishermen explore other markets during poor cod season
Kodiak processors and fishermen are seeing the effects of the 80 percent cut to cod quota in the Gulf of Alaska. Some small boat fishermen who previously relied on targeting cod are turning to other means to make a profit. One way to do that is to join a community supported fishery, or CSF. That’s what some Kodiak jig fishermen are doing to bolster their incomes. Jig fisherman Darius Kasprzak holds up a scrap piece of iron from WWII. He says he picked it up off a beach and uses it as a weight for his line. “When people were making money cod fishing, you’d just buy lead weights, but those days are over.” >click to read< 14:36
