Tag Archives: Fish Radio

Discharge exemption ok’d; USCG Act reauthorized

 Fishermen can safely hose down their decks without fear of violating the Clean Water Act. Congress yesterday voted unanimously to extend a moratorium for three years that exempts commercial fishing vessels from needing incidental discharge permits. Senator Lisa Murkowski spearheaded the bipartisan push –Read the rest here    18:35

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch! Big hauls expected in 2015 for AK pollock, pinks, reds

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Some big fish predictions are coming in for next year from state and federal managers. For the state’s largest fishery – Alaska pollock stocks have more than doubled their ten year average to  more than 9 million tons, or 20 billion pounds!  Read the rest here 16:24

Hired skipper ban heads to court; Silver Bay goes global; Snazzy AK salmon updates

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Since the IFQ plan was put in place in 1995, the number of hired skippers has topped 50% and the quota owners have been charging high rents for the fish which has inflated the cost for IFQs.  The goal is to get back to a predominantly owner operated fleet that provides entry level opportunities for coastal Alaskans. Read the rest here 20:21

Juneau wants more AK researchers to be based in AK

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Researchers at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center are tops at the work they do – the Center is the research arm of NOAA Fisheries. Their science forms the basis for setting Alaska fish quotas, running observer programs, tightening bycatch limits, to name a few. But … the Alaska Fisheries Science Center is located in Seattle. wants bring those science jobs closer to the resources they study. Listen and read the rest here 21:21

A New Fisheries Supervisor for Alaska’s Westward Region

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522There’s a new man at the helm of fisheries management for Alaska’s Westward region. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently named long time fisheries biologist Nick Sagalkin Regional Supervisor. Listen Read the rest here 20:45

Abandon(ed) Pots Can be a Killer

Dive into Women’s Bay, an inlet located on the island of Kodiak and you will find a graveyard of lost or abandoned crab pots or as NOAA’s diving biologist Pete Cummiskey likes to call “Ghost Pots.” “King crab love structure, and that is one of the reasons I think that ghost fishing hits king crab harder then tanner crab; because king crab like to crawl on things and pile up against things. So king crab are a little more vulnerable  in that way.” Listen, and read more here 16:10

Dock prices by AK region/species, 2011-2013

Ports-valuesFishermen talk prices more than just about any other topic, but prices can often be tough to come by. Most of Alaska’s seafood catches are sold long after a fishery closes and final settlements aren’t known for several months. There is one place to find out how fish prices are tracking. Read the rest here 16:25

This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. – Southeast Alaska and Kodiak Dive for Dollars

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Diving for sea cucumbers, geoduck clams, and sea urchins is. Southeast holds the title for the biggest dive fisheries in Alaska. Around 70 divers have been searching the bottom of the ocean for sea cumbers since opening day on October 1st. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s dive fisheries Stock Assessment Leader Mike Donnellan in Juneau gives us the scoop. Listen, and read the rest here 16:45

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Support for Frankenfish surfaces in DC.

A group of 90 scientists and biotechnology execs from around the world are pushing President Obama to expedite approval of genetically modified salmon for US markets. They urged in a letter last week that the Food and Drug Administration put an end to the long wait for final approval of laboratory produced salmon made by Aqua Bounty Technologies. Listen, and read the rest 17:54

Sean O’Brien is the Global Director for Xtratuf. He says that the boots are better than ever.

This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Improving the Tuf in Xtratuf. Sean O’Brien  says that the boots are better than ever. “We addressed all of the concerns and actually made the boots better. We upgraded our materials and really upgraded processes to make sure there were no errors.” Listen, and read the rest here 17:20:14

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – AK fishing updates; high halibut $

Alaska’s total salmon catch looks like it will come in at just over 150 million fish – that’s about 20 million more than expected. That’s due in part to a healthy run of reds in many regions, notably Bristol Bay. With sockeye salmon shortfalls in Russia and a lower run than expected at B.C.’s Fraser River, market reports are putting Alaska sockeyes at a premium. Speaking of premiums – halibut prices are,,, Read the rest here 18:18

North Carolina Beginnings: Community Supported Fisheries from Coast to Coast

Buying local is a trend that has really taken off, and from coast to coast people are making sure that it applies to fish.  The idea started on the east coast and has been embraced by many Alaska communities from Sitka, to Juneau and Kodiak.  The marketing concept is called community supported fisheries. Listen, and read more here 12:27

“The Deadly Winch.” A Kit to Prevent Injuries and Fatalities On Deck.

Yet another Fisherman’s limb was nearly ripped off by one of the deadliest pieces of equipment on deck.  Last week in Kodiak a man’s leg was severely damaged and his foot was crushed when it was sucked up into the winch. Read the rest here 19:43

AK retaliates against Russian seafood boycott; Mariculture RFPs wanted

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Alaska retaliates against Russia’s seafood boycott reactions and help wanted to get Alaska mariculture moving.  If Russia won’t buy US salmon roe, pollock, whiting and other seafoods, we won’t buy theirs.  Read more here 16:53

Ak jig fleet grows 224% – Updated fleet profiles

This is Fish Radio. I’m  – Who fishes where – for what and where they call home. Alaska fishing fleet updates name names.  Alaska’s jig fleet, which fishes primarily for P-cod, now numbers 244 boats – a nearly 220 percent increase through 2012. The jig influx is mainly from Southeast based boats in what’s been a Kodiak dominated fishery. <Read more here> 17:14

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Southeast AK has best Dungeness season ever; More fishing updates

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch … Lots of fishing going on from one end of Alaska to the other. With a few exceptions, most of Alaska’s salmon fisheries are rather lackluster. statewide the salmon catch has topped 87 million and more than 47 million of those fish are sockeye salmon. Nearly 29 million of the reds are from Bristol Bay,,, Read more here 19:57

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Putting a price tag on corrosive oceans and the KSM mine sails through approval.

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Fishing communities in Southeast and Southwest Alaska face the highest risk from increasingly corrosive oceans.,,  In another threat to the Panhandle’s fisheries – British Columbia’s KSM mine has sailed through the permitting process. Read more here 16:26

Alaska Salmon Fish Skins are a Work of Art

I’m Stephanie Mangini. Her teachings and passion is Alaska. It was September 4th 2002 when Audrey Armstrong was mesmerized by a king salmon she had caught. From that day on she has turned salmon skins into beautiful pieces of art.   Read more here  14:31

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Do it yourself energy audits for fishing boats.

 Just as with a home audit to try and understand where your energy is going, how your vessel is consuming energy and finds places where it might be wasted or not used as efficiently as possible, and frankly, most fishing vessels are not very energy efficient.  Listen to the audio, and Read more here 16:33

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Sockeye price posted at Bristol Bay; Lots of red salmon rivals

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522An advance sockeye price of $1.20 a pound has been posted at Bristol Bay by Alaska General Seafoods, with an extra 15 cents for chilled fish. Other processors are likely to match, according to reports from the Alaska Independent Fishermen’s Marketing Association. That compares to a base price of $1.50 a pound for Bristol Bay reds last year. The Bay catch yesterday was approaching 28 million sockeyes, 11 million more than forecasted and the fish are still coming. Read more here 18:29

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Bristol Bay reds already 10 million over forecast, other AK fisheries updates

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Bristol Bay continues to have one million or more red salmon days and the catch total continues to climb. The sockeye take was at 27 million, already 10 million over the forecast, and all signs point to more fish on the way. Read more here 17:38

Crabs can hear! This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Creepy soundtracks of noises made by predators had crabs running for shelter and proved, for the first time, that the animals can hear. Marine acoustic experts at Boston’s  made the discovery in lab tests on 200 mud crabs during a two year study. Read more here 18:44

Fisher or fisherman? What do Kodiak harvesters prefer?

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Is the word fisherman gender biased?  Since the beginning of time the word fisherman has been used to describe a person who captures fish and other animals from a body of water. Fish Radio asked fishing men and women of Kodiak what they thought of the more gender neutral name change. Listen, and read more here 16:21

Risky business this summer at Bristol Bay: Sockeye Market Analysis

Uncertainty best sums up the mood as fishermen and processors await the world’s biggest sockeye salmon run at Bristol Bay. In fact, it’s being called the riskiest season in recent memory in the 2014 Sockeye Market Analysis. The biannual report is done by the McDowell Group for the fishermen-run Regional Seafood Development Association. Read more here 17:05

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Senator Begich talks about fed bashing.

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Both of Alaska’s US Senators are on the powerful which has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. That gives them combined clout when it comes to delivering multi-millions of dollars to their home state. Listen, and Read more here 18:09

This is cool, A new free iPhone app tracks your vessel’s stability.

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522Fishing boats rock and roll, pitch, yaw, surge, sway, and heave.  Skippers respond to the movements as they navigate rough seas in tough weather.  Now, a new iPhone app provides stability indicators in time to make corrections. It is called SCraMP – for Small Craft Motion Program, and has a variety of tools boat operators can select – Listen to Laine Welch here  22:28

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – The expanded observer program’s first annual report is revealed this week.

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522The category with the most new coverage and information was the catcher vessel hook and line in the Gulf of Alaska   —  in that fishery we did see some substantial discards in those fisheries compared to some other gear types — in the skate fisheries, rockfish, shark and halibut discards in the directed halibut fishery in particular   – that we didn’t have information on before. Read more here 19:19

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch — Salmon and other fisheries are opening across the state

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522More salmon fisheries are opening across the state and the warm weather has fish showing up bit earlier than usual. Copper River kicked things off on May 15 with runs of reds and kings. Read more here  19:10

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Landings and poundage and values, oh my! What a difference a word makes

FISH-With-Mic-Logo-GRAPHIC-303-x-400-e1360148757522For years Fish Radio claimed that over 84 percent of Alaska’s seafood landings hail from federal waters, or from three to 200 miles from shore. But that’s not correct. That high percentage applies to the volume or poundage taken, not the landings. When it comes to fish deliveries, the state takes it hands down. Read more here  08:32

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Labels for Frankenfish get a bipartisan nod in DC

If  gets a green light by the FDA, it will be labeled as such if US Senators have their way. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Murkowski-Begich amendment last week requiring that consumers be advised of what they are buying. Senator Murkowski – Listen, and read more here  16:37