Category Archives: North Pacific
Unalaska, Aleutians East Borough oppose Rep. Peltola’s proposed trawling limitations
Communities in the Aleutians are pushing back against proposed legislation that would bring stricter regulations to the Bering Sea trawl fishery. The City of Unalaska and the Aleutians East Borough are among 53 organizations that signed onto a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, urging her to withdraw H.R. 8507, a bill she sponsored in May. The proposed legislation aims to add new regulations to where trawling can take place across the United States, not only in Alaska. Trade organizations and some coastal communities whose economies rely on trawl fisheries have pushed back against the bill, asking the congresswoman to repeal it. “If enacted, H.R. 8507 would directly harm fishermen and coastal communities in Alaska and throughout our nation, along with countless other people who rely on a healthy domestic seafood sector for food, jobs, and their way of life,” the letter said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:28
Kodiak crabber catches red king crab in Norton Sound, sparks public outrage in Nome
A limited amount of Norton Sound red king crab was for sale on the dock in Kodiak on July 19. This crab species is rarely available in this part of the state. And the Kodiak commercial fisherman who legally caught the king crab is facing some pushback. Raymond May was born and raised on Kodiak Island and has been fishing in Alaska for 40 years. He also holds the salmon fisher’s seat on the Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force, as appointed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. May operates his own vessel, called the Resilient, which is labeled as a tender packer. May’s boat was spotted docked in Nome’s small boat harbor on June 18 and immediately sparked criticism on social media. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:30
Norton Sound Crab Season Ends Early Amidst Concerns Over Non-Regional Fishing Vessels
After only 28 days, the Norton Sound summer commercial Red King Crab season has come to a close. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, this year’s season was just over half as long as the average run of 54 days from 1994 to 2023. For the 2024 season, Norton Sound was the only fishery in the country open for commercial Red King Crab harvesting. This is an attractive opportunity for fishing crews as the statewide commercial quota for the reputed “deadliest catch” is solely concentrated in the waters of Norton Sound. A boat at the center of recent public scrutiny is the F/V Resilient, owned and operated by Raymond May of Kodiak. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:24
Bristol Bay floating fish processor back at full capacity after fire
The Hannah, operated by startup Northline Seafoods, arrived in the region earlier this year. It uses super-cold spiral freezers to quickly freeze fish and then store them on board until the end of the season. But just before Bristol Bay’s salmon season hit its peak, one of those spiral freezers had an electrical fire. Because of the June 30 blaze, the Hannah has operated at reduced capacity for the last two weeks. On Wednesday, Northline announced that the freezer had been repaired. With that fix, the startup’s floating processing vessel is back to full capacity. “We definitely missed a few days of the peak, which we can’t get back. But we intend to continue to buy hopefully into the fall here,” said Northline CEO Ben Blakey. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:17
Task force report identifies research needs to better understand Alaska salmon problems
Fishery managers overseeing Alaska’s faltering salmon runs should be able to rely on a more comprehensive and holistic approach to science that considers all habitat, from the middle of the ocean to freshwater spawning streams far inland, according to a task force report on salmon research needs. The report was issued last week by the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force, a group established through a 2022 act of Congress to identify knowledge gaps and research needs. The task force comprises close to 20 members and includes scientists, fishers, Indigenous community representatives and agency managers. In addition to those members, the effort included a special 42-member working group focused on salmon problems in the Yukon and Kuskokwim River drainages. The report follows a year’s worth of meetings and consultations. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:34
U.S. Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery Achieves RFM Certification
The Certified Seafood Collaborative (CSC) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery (white, brown, and pink shrimp) for all five Gulf states and federal waters has achieved Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification. This is the first shrimp fishery certified to the RFM Standard. RFM Certification requires fisheries meet RFM Standard criteria which evaluate fisheries in four key areas: A) the fisheries management system; B) science and stock assessment activities, and the precautionary approach; C) management measures, implementation, monitoring, and control; and D) serious impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem. Third-party certification body Global Trust awarded the certification after a thorough evaluation of the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp fishery as reported in the Final Assessment Report. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:16
Salmon disaster relief applications for permit-holders due August 24
Federal disaster aid is on the way for some commercial fishing permit-holders in Haines and throughout the state, though many may be too wrapped up in the current season to apply for it right away. Applications for crew and subsistence users are currently available online. Unique applications for permit-holders and processors from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission were mailed out on June 26 and are due August 24. Once completed the application can be mailed back to the commission or uploaded online. There’s also aid for vessel crew, and those applications are not due until September 28, but they may be harder to find. They’ll also need an affidavit from the permit holder or vessel owner they worked with to apply. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:10
‘Deadliest Catch’ Survived Its Biggest Battle Yet
At the start of Season 19, Deadliest Catch was enduring an obstacle that could have sunk the entire program. When the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game canceled the entire season due to the population of winter snow and red king crab shrinking, production decided the show must go on. Deadliest Catch Executive Producer Aaron Starr-Paul told Deadline, “Fans can anticipate another great season of Deadliest Catch where we will document our captains as they participate in other sustainable Bering Sea crab and pot fisheries, such as Golden King Crab, Bairdi, and Cod.” For many fans, the type of catch holds little bearing. For the men and women braving the conditions, it certainly does; but what a difference a year can make! Season 20 of Deadliest Catch kicked off with the Red King Crab fishery reopening, leading to a derby-style race between the captains. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:09
Local fishermen report mixed results in commercial season so far
Nearly a dozen commercial fishing boats queued for gas and ice at the fuel dock on a foggy Saturday morning. The low tide set the pace slow enough for fishermen to talk to one another about the season even though they were eager to get underway. Boats bobbed up and down with names like Easy Street, Rustler, High Surf, Crown Haines, and Minnie A. Then the sun made its way through the morning clouds and the salty breeze carried the sounds of ice and fuel rolling through large plastic hoses hanging from the dock. It’s the third week since the season opener and fishermen like Matt Davis reflected on how the winds have shifted. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:30
Federal grants to state agency aim to expand markets for Alaska seafood
The federal government has awarded more than $5 million in grants to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to help the state agency find new ways and new places to sell the state’s fish. Of the federal money, over $4 million is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Agriculture Promotion Program, known as RAPP. That money is being sent to be used in specific areas of the state to help improve international markets, said Greg Smith, an ASMI spokesperson. In a statement, ASMI Executive Director Jeremy Woodrow thanked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for helping the state’s seafood industry in a time of economic crisis. “The timing of the RAPP funds is well-aligned with the Alaska seafood industry’s needs to combat numerous global economic pressures. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:24
Ocean Wise pulls eco-labels from southeast Alaskan salmon
Canada’s largest sustainable seafood label has pulled its recommendation for southeast Alaskan salmon fisheries amid ongoing claims they are intercepting millions of B.C.-bound fish before they reach endangered southern resident killer whales. Ocean Wise quietly delisted the Alaskan fisheries last week, and on Monday, sent emails to restaurants and grocery chains that sell the fish. The decision, which targets chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye salmon in Alaska’s District 104, comes within weeks of the Vancouver-based eco-label adding a handful of B.C. salmon fisheries to its sustainable list. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:47
U.S. fisheries could be devastated by Supreme Court’s ending the Chevron doctrine
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo the Supreme Court’s late June decision on regulatory agency authority, heralds the much-anticipated end of the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine, which required courts to defer to federal agencies when interpreting laws. No doubt, much will be written in the coming weeks about the impacts of Chevron’s demise on the administrative state. But, at its core, Loper Bright is a case about fisheries. What then are the implications of this decision for both the fishermen and the healthy fisheries of the United States? This case comes at a critical time for U.S. fisheries. Historically, the U.S. has seen many notable economically and culturally ruinous fisheries collapse — from the Atlantic cod collapse of the 1990s to the current collapse of Pacific salmon. The Magnuson-Stevens Act created the framework for the protection of U.S. fisheries and has been moderately successful since its enactment. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:21
Federal fishing monitoring program needs overhaul, GAO says
Only days after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the federal government’s program placing human observers on commercial fishing boats, a federal watchdog said NOAA Fisheries should do a better job monitoring the industry. A report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office said NOAA Fisheries — also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service — has failed to execute its program as Congress intended under law. “NMFS’ efforts to track its performance in reducing and monitoring bycatch do not align with key elements of evidence-based policymaking related to performance management,” GAO said in the report, which was requested by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:19
Horror on an Alaska fishing boat when a young crewman gets pulled into the sea
A 21-year-old fisherman died after his gear dragged him into the water in Southwest Alaska, officials said. Commercial fishing crewmember Corwin Wheeler fell from the boat in Kvichak Bay Friday, while fishing salmon. A mayday call reported him overboard at 12:31 pm, spurring a rescue operation. Officials said Wheeler first became tangled in his fishing gear, before being pulled overboard and into the water. Tributes have since poured in for the young angler, headed by his father. According to his social media, Corwin lived in Madison, and was born in Salem. Photos show him happily working the Bering Sea, as a salmon fisherman for Alaskan Leader Fisheries. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:10
Crewmember on Bristol Bay fishing vessel dies following net entanglement
A commercial fishing crewmember in Western Alaska died Friday after he was swept up in fishing gear and taken into the water, according to the Alaska State Troopers. In a dispatch on Saturday, Troopers identified the victim as 21-year-old Corwin Wheeler of Wisconsin. Troopers began a rescue effort shortly after noon Friday upon receiving a mayday call from a fisherman in Kvichak Bay, a body of water near Naknek, part of the Bristol Bay Borough. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Electrical fire aboard the Hannah reduces Northline Seafood’s processing capacity
A steady stream of frozen, whole fish emerges from a large spiral freezer. Each fish landing on a conveyor belt gets whisked away to the next stage in the production line. These frozen fish are some of the first sockeye salmon deliveries of the season from Bristol Bay fishing vessels to the Hannah — Northline Seafood’s brand-new floating freezer barge in the region. But on Sunday, June 30, an electrical fire under one of the Hannah’s freezers threw a wrench in that plan. According to Northline, the vessel’s team of marine firefighters were the first to respond to the incident and extinguish the fire. No one was injured. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:45
Bristol Bay Fisheries Report: July 3, 2024
The baywide catch yesterday was 860,000, with over half of those fish coming from the Nushagak district. Egegik daily catch numbers more than doubled, with big average drift deliveries. Test fishery crews out at Port Moller report another day of increased catch indices, and say with those numbers, a larger and later run is more likely. An electrical fire damaged one of three spiral freezers aboard the Hannah on Sunday, June 30 2024. That’s Northline Seafood’s new floating processor, which is anchored in Bristol Bay’s Nushagak district this salmon season. The vessel is currently operating at a reduced capacity, although other processors are taking on some of Northline’s fleet. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:14
Copper River/PWS catch exceeds 1M salmon
Commercial salmon harvests for the Copper River and the rest of Prince William Sound have now exceeded one million fish, including an estimated 959,946 sockeyes, in a season where retail prices continue to vary from $37.95 to $12.99 a pound. As more commercial fisheries opened statewide, Copper River, Bering River and Coghill district harvesters embarked June 24 on 36-hour commercial drift gillnet openers, and the Eshamy district began a 24-hour fishery. Commercial harvesters in the Unakwik, Montague and Southwestern districts were also fishing. As of late Monday, June 24, the salmon harvest in Prince William Sound stood at 973,000 sockeyes, 549,000 chum, 6,000 Chinook, and 1,000 pinks. Cook Inlet anglers had 42,000 sockeyes, and Bristol Bay districts — which are just getting started — had delivered 228,000 reds, bringing the Central Region total to 1.8 million fish, including 1.2 million sockeyes, 549,000 chum, 6,000 Chinooks, and 1,000 humpies. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:12
How the Supreme Court rescued my NJ fishing firm that bureaucrats almost sank
The Supreme Court just sided with my New Jersey-based, family-owned fishing business, and may have even saved it. That’s the reality of the court’s June 28 decision in a case called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the “Chevron doctrine” that gave unchecked power to federal bureaucrats. Yet the media reaction hasn’t focused on what the ruling means for regular people and job creators like me. The pundits say that Washington, DC, will descend into chaos because the justices stopped unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats from deciding for themselves what’s “reasonable” under federal law. But as I can attest, that power quickly leads to abuse. The Supreme Court has protected the American people from regulators run amok, and from a Congress that won’t do its job. I was one of the small business owners who sued the federal government in this case. By Wayne Reichle, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 21:20
Seiner goes aground in Anita Bay; all five crew rescued
Coast Guard Sector Southeast got a call Tuesday, shortly before 10 a.m., that the Petersburg-based seiner the F/V Pamela Rae was taking on water in Anita Bay, located on Etolin Island near Wrangell. The call came from the F/V Confidence, relaying a call from their sister fishing vessel F/V Barbara which was on the scene and providing Samaritan support, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Matt Naylor. The Pamela Rae was taking on water fast and was rolling over. It had five people on board. All of them safely made it off the vessel. A Wrangell Ranger District Forest Service vessel heard the radio and headed to the area right away. more, >> CLICK TO READ<< 09:50
An Optimist’s view: Death of the Chevron Deference
My name is David Goethel. I am a 55 year plus commercial fisherman, research biologist and former fishery manager. As author of Endangered Species/Chronicles of A new England Fisherman I discuss these topics and a lawsuit I filed in 2015 with the legal group Cause of Action over the legal concept known as Chevron Deference. Most people believe Congress writes laws, the Executive Branch carries out those laws and the Judicial Branch interprets and clarifies whether aspects of those laws are Constitutional and correctly applied. It turns out under a doctrine called “Chevron Deference” the regulatory bureaucracy can deem a law unclear or ambiguous and create any regulation the agency decides it needs to carry out its bureaucratic function. Until this past Friday, the courts gave deference to the regulators as the “recognized experts” even though no proof is required and no test for ambiguity is applied. The Supreme Court overturned Chevron Friday saying they had “placed a tombstone on its grave”. Fishermen, including me, had sued saying that unelected regulators should not have this vast power over our lives. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:18
Fishermen Who Were Forced to Pay $700 Per Day to Government-Mandated Observers on Their Boats Get Big News from SCOTUS
Members of the 18th-century British Parliament, unelected by American colonists, tried to take money from those colonists without their consent. Hence, the American Revolution ensued. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 40-year-old ruling that had allowed unelected federal regulators, acting the part of the British Parliament, to commit such travesties of justice as requiring fishermen to pay for government-mandated regulators on their boats — a requirement that, according to CBS, could cost the fishermen more than $700 per day. The true magnitude of Friday’s ruling, however, involved far more than fishing boats. In fact, it struck at the heart of American progressivism by eviscerating the insidious claim that federal “experts” know best. In so doing, it took one small-but-crucial step towards dismantling the permanent federal state that actually governs in Washington, D.C. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:18
Opinion: The Fisheries Act is crucial to speed disaster relief to American fisheries
By the time NOAA and OMB finally approve and allocate disaster relief, small businesses and fisheries are already devastated and, in some cases, may have already been forced to close shop. This self-induced, slow-moving bureaucratic process is unacceptable. Overall, the Fishes Act expedites the deployment of federal fishery disaster relief by cutting unnecessary red tape and enacting a 30-day decision requirement for the Office of Management and Budget to either deny or approve a state’s spending plan. What we hope to do with this bill is to throw American fisheries and coastal communities a life raft to stay afloat post-disaster. U.S. fisheries support millions of jobs and bring in billions of dollars to the broader U.S. economy each year. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:17
How a seagoing mentorship program trains ‘greenhorns’ and changes lives
As a student at Vermont’s Middlebury College, Lea LeGardeur loved being on the water. Which proved an asset for LeGardeur, who, after teaching geography at Middlebury, decided to commercial fish in Alaska. LeGardeur’s break came when she discovered the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, or ALFA, based in the small fishing town of Sitka, Alaska. The organization had an extensive record of fighting foreign fishing, trawling and depletion of resources. ALFA had recently secured a grant to fund its Crew Training Program, or CTP. The program was the brainchild of Karl Jordan, who suggested the concept to his father, Eric, shortly after Eric’s wife, Sarah, announced her decision to retire from fishing. Jordan père went on to propose the concept to Linda Behnken, the executive director at ALFA. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:50
Neil Gorsuch Cheers Supreme Court Placing ‘Tombstone’ on 40-Year Precedent
In Friday’s 6-3 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the justices wiped out 40 years of administrative law precedent in a move that will restrain federal agency powers. The court’s decision overturned the Chevron deference established in the 1984 case Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. The majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by the court’s other conservative justices, held that “courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous,” overturning Chevon deference. The court’s three liberal justices dissented. The majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by the court’s other conservative justices, held that “courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous,” overturning Chevon deference. The court’s three liberal justices dissented. In Gorsuch’s concurring opinion, he wrote: “Today, the Court places a tombstone on Chevron no one can miss. In doing so, the Court returns judges to interpretive rules that have guided federal courts since the Nation’s founding.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:49
Petersburg seiner overturns in Anita Bay; one crew member injured
A Petersburg seiner overturned just south of Wrangell in Anita Bay at about 10 a.m. this morning. Multiple entities responded – the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, and Wrangell Search and Rescue helped evacuate all five crewmembers aboard the 58-foot F/V Pamela Rae. The crew made it out unharmed, except for one person who sustained a minor injury. Lieutenant Matt Naylor, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, said they don’t know what caused the Pamela Rae to overturn, but it could have been a mechanical problem. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:05
Jake Anderson’s Struggles With the Saga on ‘Deadliest Catch,’ Explained
For 19 years, Deadliest Catch viewers have gotten a firsthand glimpse into some of the deadliest ocean waves surrounding the U.S. Crabbers and fishermen are the stars of this series, a few of whom have been there since day one of the show. Captain Sig Hansen has been the primary captain featured in this series, and he has mentored several others who have since become captains of their own boats. One of those captains and former mentees is Jake Anderson, who is presently dealing with big issues. In 2015 with his lifesavings, he invested in the Saga as his new boat with another co-owner. Unfortunately, thanks to some financial problems his partner allegedly caused, Jake Anderson lost the Saga. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:17
As salmon season kicks off, some Alaska fishermen fear for their futures
On a brilliant spring morning, Buck Laukitis, a longtime fisherman from this Kenai Peninsula town, stood at the city dock watching his catch come ashore. Crew members aboard Laukitis’ boat, the Oracle, filled bags with dozens of halibut — some of the fatter ones worth $200 or more — which a crane would lift up to the dock. There, processing workers on a small slime line weighed the fish, tossed crushed ice into the gills and slid them into boxes for shipment to Canada. Harvest, unload, sell, repeat — exactly how the iconic Alaska commercial fishing industry is supposed to work. Until you ask Laukitis about the Oracle’s sister vessel, the Halcyon. Instead of fishing for another species, black cod, like it’s built for, the Halcyon is tied up at the dock. For Laukitis to make money, processing companies would need to pay $2.50 for each pound of black cod delivered to a plant. But right now, buyers aren’t paying much more than $1.50, he said. With Laukitis on the dock last month were his young grandkids and adult daughters — fishermen who run a popular brand called the Salmon Sisters. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:40
Copper River continues lead in PWS commercial salmon harvests
With ice essentially gone from river systems, the sockeyes continued to weigh in heavier than through the same period a year ago, said fisheries biologist Jeremy Botz, in the Cordova office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Bering River and Coghill districts were also open for 36-hour commercial runs on Monday, and the Eshamy district for a 24-hour period. Montague District opened for purse seiners for 24 hours, and the Southwestern district for 48 hours, also for seiners. Even with other wild Alaska salmon fisheries opening for the season, Copper River sockeyes were holding their own in Anchorage restaurants, with entrees of Copper River reds offered at $49 at Simon and Seafort’s and $32 for the entree at Orso. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Nearly $12 million headed to Alaska in latest infusion of fishery-disaster aid
The aid money is for disasters declared for the 2022 chum salmon failure on the Kuskokwim River and the 2021-2022 sockeye salmon failure that affected Upper Cook Inlet setnet fishers. Aid for the Kuskokwim River disaster totaled $331,920, while aid for the Upper Cook Inlet sockeye disaster totaled nearly $11.5 million, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is a branch of the Commerce Department. Alaska is not the only state affected by poor salmon returns. Along with Friday’s announcement of aid for those affected by the Alaska salmon disasters, the Commerce Department announced $403,978 in aid for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s 2021 Puget Sound fall chum and coho salmon fisheries in Washington state. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:50
