A federal appeals court on Friday reversed a judge’s decision that would have effectively shuttered an Alaska salmon fishery, a result environmentalists sought in order to protect endangered whales and threatened wild Chinook salmon populations. A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that a judge in Seattle last year abused his discretion by vacating a key authorization issued by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Services for the fishery’s summer and winter Chinook salmon harvests. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones at the urging of the Wild Fish Conservancy had in May 2023 vacated part of a so-called incidental take statement the fisheries service issued in 2019 that authorized the commercial Chinook salmon troll fishery in southeast Alaska. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:39
Tag Archives: Oregon
Commercial Dungeness crab season delayed until at least Dec. 16
Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season is delayed coastwide until at least Dec. 16, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today. Pre-season testing shows Dungeness crabs are too low in meat yield in some ocean areas and have elevated domoic acid in crab viscera (guts) in two areas on the south coast. Targeted to open Dec. 1, Oregon’s ocean commercial Dungeness crab season can be delayed so consumers get a high-quality product and crabs are not wasted. The next round of crab meat yield and biotoxin testing will occur in the coming weeks. Results help determine if the season opens Dec. 16 or is further delayed or split into areas with different opening dates. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:28
Expensive Offshore Wind in Jeopardy in a Trump Administration
Offshore wind is much more expensive than onshore wind with costs to build at 4.5 times the cost of natural gas generation and operational costs at 2.3 times. President-elect Trump recognizes offshore wind’s high costs and limited utility and is likely to end its massive subsidies promulgated by the Biden-Harris Administration. Immediate actions available include revoking Biden’s executive order that paved the way for higher cost, less reliable electricity. Biden-Harris officials have heaped subsidies upon offshore wind through the Inflation Reduction Act and cut corners on regulations to expedite the technology. Offshore wind has had recent catastrophic failures including broken blades that have closed beaches in a tourist town and imperiled fishermen. Biden’s Executive Order 14008 issued on February 1, 2020–only two weeks after his Inauguration– launched the offshore wind program in the United States. This is an executive order that President-Elect Trump could easily rescind on his first day in office by just issuing a counter-executive order, which would stop the onslaught of this very expensive energy being added to the U.S. grid. Another way is to remove the excessive tax credits that encourage its adoption, which would take new legislation and add time to the process. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:47
Pacific Seafood Halts All Processing in Eureka, Laying Off an Undisclosed Number of Employees
Pacific Seafood, the processing and distribution giant based in Clackamas, Ore., has halted all processing activity at its Eureka plant, dramatically scaling back its operations there and laying off an undisclosed number of local employees. The seafood getting unloaded here in Eureka is now being shipped north for processing at Pacific Seafood plants in Oregon, Ogan said. The 83-year-old company has nearly 40 locations across the country — from Kodiak, Alaska, to Miami, Fla. — and employs somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 people nationwide. Local fisherman Mike Cunningham, who has been selling his catch to Pacific Seafood for 35 years, said the company has removed much of its processing equipment and shipped it north to plants in Oregon, where it anticipates more abundant crabbing. “They are going to continue to buy crabs here, and they have some residual processing capacity,” Cunningham said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:37
Election Jitters, Industry Headwinds Undermine Biden’s Final Offshore Wind Auction
A U.S. auction of offshore wind development rights in the Gulf of Maine on Tuesday drew bids for only half of the eight offered leases, for a total of just $21.9 million in high bids, in the latest sign of deep industry malaise. The sale was a stark display of the lack of industry appetite for new investment after a year of high-profile setbacks that include canceled projects, two shelved lease sales in Oregon and the Gulf of Mexico and a construction accident at the nation’s first major offshore wind project. The auction was the last before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, leaves office in January. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:25
Offshore wind looked like a sure thing for Oregon — until it wasn’t.
A push to bring floating offshore wind technology to the Southern Oregon coast was gaining momentum. The Oregon Department of Energy saw floating offshore wind playing a critical role in the state’s, and the region’s renewable energy goals. The Biden administration had ambitious national goals for developing offshore wind, and the Oregon Coast played a key role. For the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, the years-long process of identifying areas for development and selecting potential bidders to see if the technology would work off the coast was coming to a close. And then, in a single week in late September — after years of effort, and less than three weeks before BOEM officials expected to choose a company to develop offshore wind — everything fell apart. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:09
Salmon Spotted in Klamath Basin for First Time in More Than a Century
On Wednesday, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist spotted a first-in-a-century sight on a tributary to the Klamath River in the Klamath Basin: A fall-run Chinook salmon. Just weeks after the last remnants of the four hydroelectric dams that used to clog the lower Klamath River were hauled away, concluding what was the largest dam removal effort in United States history, the first salmon was spotted in the Klamath Basin area since 1912, when the first of the dams was installed, blocking fish passage to the hundreds of miles of historic habitat. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:40
All hail the king of tuna, Oregon’s prized catch
One of Oregon’s most valuable seafoods is more popular than ever, but its nickname may fool you: chicken of the sea. It’s albacore tuna, and it is a fish that is grounded in Oregon commercial fishing history that reaches back nearly a century ago. Back then, West Coast fishermen went far out to sea in search of the albacore, also known as “chicken of the sea.” Albacore tuna entered Oregon fish markets in the 1930s when Oregon ports from Coos Bay to Astoria were home to large fishing fleets, dozens of canneries and thousands of employees who processed the catch. While Oregon’s large-scale canneries are long gone, albacore fishing techniques haven’t changed much at all, according to Steve Fick of Fishhawk Fisheries. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:55
Galveston business entangled in net of fraud allegations and whistleblowers
A shrimp business and former market that has been a cornerstone of Galveston for more than 45 years is in the muck, as it and its parent company are mired in a number of lawsuits alleging everything from fraud to shorting an employee. Galveston Shrimp Company was founded in 1978 by Sicilian immigrant Rosario Cassarino. For nearly 20 years, Rosario and wife Giovanna sold fish and shrimp that was brought onto the island. Their son Nello Cassarino assumed a leadership role in Galveston Shrimp Co. in 1994, and in 2011 he re-formed the company under the umbrella of Pacific Seafood, a family-owned market and business out of Portland, Ore. But now there’s a rift between Cassarino and Pacific Seafood, which owns 80 percent of Galveston Shrimp Co. According to ongoing litigation as reported by the Galveston Daily News, Cassarino is suing Pacific Seafood for $1 million, accusing the company of shorting him on revenue and self-dealing. Cassarino originally filed the lawsuit in Texas in 2023, but a judge moved the suit to Oregon. More, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:04
Helicopter Logger/Commercial Fisherman James Michael Modderman, of Brownsville Oregon has passed away
James Michael Modderman, 72, of Brownsville Oregon passed away peacefully in hospice care at Helping Hearts, Saturday, October 5, 2024. He was born November 7, 1951 at Naeve Hospital in Albert Lea, MN to Russell and JoAnn (Floyd) Modderman. In 1975, James and wife Marian moved to the Oregon coast and raised two children. James was one of the 1st in the Helicopter Logging Industry cutting cedar. He owned and operated a commercial bay crabbing boat and worked on commercial fishing boats off the Oregon coast. In 1989 James and his family moved back to Albert Lea to be closer to family. James then moved back to the Oregon coast in 2007 and in 2021 moved to Brownsville, Oregon. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:56
Lawsuit claims Oregon-based Pacific Seafood fired employee for reporting scheme to cheat shrimp boats out of millions
A former Pacific Seafood employee has filed a $2.25 million lawsuit against his former employer, one of the nation’s biggest seafood companies, claiming it fired him after he discovered one of the brands had been falsifying the weights of catches it bought from shrimp boats and wrongly pocketed an extra $10 million to $20 million. The Portland-area company disputes the allegations in Justin Ottman’s lawsuit, filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Ottman’s suit, however, describes him as a whistleblower — claiming he’d documented the alleged years-long fraud in a 170-page report he presented to top executives. But his suit says when he continued to push the company to make it right, the company demoted him from his position as interim chief financial officer, forced him to work remotely and gave his desk to an intern before ultimately firing him by telling him his position had been “eliminated” in December 2023. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:23
“I am glad this auction has been canceled”: City of Brookings responds to BOEM wind energy plan delay
In response to the auction being postponed Brookings mayor Isaac Hodges said, “I’m happy that even a pause shows that there’ll hopefully be a little bit more input from the community to allow for a little bit more of our voices to be heard. There definitely was a lot of trust lost with the way that this was pushed forward.” His colleague on the Brookings City Council gave a statement, calling this a positive move for the city. “I am glad this auction has been canceled. There was very little local support for the offshore wind energy project – it was not cost effective, the impacts on recreational and commercial fishing were ignored by the federal government, along with the adverse impact on marine mammals, birds, shellfish and other wildlife. It is absurd the state and federal government ignored concerns about the impact on our way of life on the southern Oregon Coast. We would have been forced to see offshore wind mills day and night and would have had to deal with the environmental impacts of giant windmills washing up on our shoreline after major winter storms. The city of Brookings has opposed this project from the beginning. I am glad this has fallen apart now, instead of after major environmental and economic damage was done to our region.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:48
Humboldt Fisherman’s Wives Holding Burn Recovery Fundraiser for Captain and Two Crews Members of Mariah K
The Humboldt fisherman’s wives has generously offered to put on a Burn recovery fundraiser for my nephew and his 2 crew members that sustained severe burns while commercial fishing off of Oregon Coast a month ago when the boat engine exploded. The 2 crew were released from the hospital a couple weeks ago and are now recovering at home. My nephew Emanuel, the captain of the Mariah K is still in the intensive care unit at St Francis burn center in San Francisco. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:02
US offshore wind projects pelted with suits to end, delay progress
There are 13 cases pending in federal courts targeting offshore wind projects, according to the American Clean Power Association, an offshore wind trade group. An undetermined number of additional lawsuits is active in state courts, they said. Robin Shaffer is president of Protect Our Coast NJ, a citizens group that has filed numerous lawsuits in New Jersey against two offshore projects currently or previously proposed. Shaffer said his group was at least partly responsible for scuttling two New Jersey wind farms proposed by Orsted that the Danish wind giant scrapped in October, saying they were no longer financially workable. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:57
Oregon Tribes sue federal government to stop offshore wind auction
The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians are suing the federal government in an attempt to stop Oregon’s first-ever offshore wind energy auction scheduled to take place next month. The lawsuit, filed late on Friday, challenges the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s environmental analysis and decision to proceed with the sale of leases for two offshore wind energy areas totaling nearly 195,000 acres, one near Coos Bay and the other near Brookings. The wind energy areas are within the tribes’ ancestral territory. The tribes say they contain critical fish and marine wildlife habitat, viewsheds of significant cultural and historic significance and key tribal and commercial fishing grounds. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:27
Hammond crab fisherman serving jail time for illegal pots
A North Coast man recently found guilty following a 2007 commercial crab enforcement operation off the Oregon Coast began serving his sentence last week in Tillamook County. Dennis Sturgell, 56, of Hammond was lodged in Tillamook County Jail to serve a 30-day sentence after he pleaded guilty in Tillamook County Circuit Court Feb. 6 to two counts of unlawful use of commercial crab pots. Tillamook County Circuit Court Judge Rick Roll handed down a sentence of 30 days and $41,200 in restitution to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commercial Fish Fund. The conviction was the result of a 2007 case when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division conducted a joint enforcement operation. That was the first year the state of Oregon introduced a limit on the number of commercial crab pots that any one vessel could fish. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:05
Fiercest fisherman roils crabbing world – He has filled boats with crab and fish, and he has kept law enforcement busy. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<
Coos County Commissioners question offshore wind farms
Coos County commissioners have a number of questions and concerns about a proposed offshore wind farm. In a letter dated Sept. 3 to Gov. Tina Kotek, Commissioners Rod Taylor, John Sweet and Robert “Bob” Main have posed several questions they would like the state to ask the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). On Aug. 29, the U.S. Department of Interior, which encompasses BOEM, announced the final sale notice for offshore wind leasing for one site offshore 10-15 miles between Reedsport and Florence and another 6-10 miles offshore between Brookings and Gold Beach. Commissioners are raising their questions as the result of the “current environmental crisis” that has occurred off Nantucket, MA, resulting from wind turbine blade failures and breakage. The commissioners also are sending their questions to other coastal county commissioners “in hope that they too will voice their concerns with BOEM’s offshore wind plan in Oregon.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:49
Offshore wind energy development: A David vs Goliath story
As the aggressive pursuit to privatize and industrialize our oceans with offshore wind turbine factories marches on, the small yet powerful voices of coastal communities around the nation continues to fight to be heard in the process. It is a veritable David versus Goliath story. Closer to home in Oregon, I believe that Goliath may be the elitists who live in urban settings like Portland and Salem who believe that they know best what the coastal residents of Oregon need. Oregon is not unique; however, this story is unfolding around the nation where urbanites believe they know best for rural communities that they do not live or work in. These people tout their desire to uplift marginalized voices while they steamroll rural voices, whether it is Tribes, coastal community members, or commercial fishermen. They attempt to downplay the concerns of coastal residents, claiming “we just don’t understand”. But here’s the thing. We actually do understand. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Heather Mann 15:57
Wave Energy: Big waves off Oregon coast fuel cutting-edge effort to harness the ocean for electricity
The effort is different from the contentious offshore wind leases planned along the southern Oregon coast. The wave test site is experimental, has a smaller footprint and could directly benefit coastal economies. It also was developed with community input, winning local support. “Wave energy is incredibly attractive as a future renewable power source,” said Bryson Robertson, director of the Pacific Marine Energy Center at Oregon State University. (more project links) “Not only is it capable of generating power close to where we need it, but it can generate it at the time we need it and we can predict it. Which is very useful and powerful for meeting consumer demand.” “It’s different from wind and solar because wave energy just keeps going and going,” Hales said. “It’s more reliable. It could become an essential part of a diversified energy portfolio.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:39
Federal government will hold first-ever offshore wind auction off the Oregon coast in October
The federal government says it will hold Oregon’s first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in mid-October to auction two areas where developers can build floating wind turbines. The announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Thursday cements the development of offshore wind in Oregon despite vehement opposition from coastal communities, the state’s fishing industry and local tribes who say the process was rushed and ignored local input. The auction, to be held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Oct. 15, will include two areas totaling nearly 195,000 acres. The Coos Bay lease area consists of 61,203 acres and is about 32 miles from shore and the Brookings lease area is 133,792 acres and around 18 miles from shore. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
New state report shows solid year for commercial fishing in Oregon, Lincoln County-based fleet
Oregon’s commercial fishing industry had a solid, if not record-breaking, year in 2023, according to a new report from the state Employment Department. Statistics covering everything from pounds of seafood landed, revenues from individual fisheries and total employment showed strong signs of at least keeping up with historical averages, said the report’s author, Shaun Barrick, a workforce economist for Lincoln, Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties. “Typically, commercial fishing in Oregon is really a mixed bag because of how many species we target,” Barrick said. “But, as always, it’s hard to overstate how important it is for employment. And the cultural impact of fishing is huge.” Here are some numbers highlighting Barrick’s report. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:10
US appeals court allows Alaska fishery to remain open
Three Rescued From Burning Vessel Off Brookings Tuesday Evening; GoFundMe Set Up For Survivor
Three people are in a San Francisco-area hospital after their fishing vessel caught on fire about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Brookings on Tuesday. According to Petty Officer Briana Carter, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District, a good Samaritan got the three survivors out of the water and transferred them to a Coast Guard vessel, which brought them to shore for care. According to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Emanuel Silveira, the Mariah K is “gone due to the engine exploding.” The campaign was created by Jaimie Ouellette, who said Silveira is his/her son-in-law. Silveira has burns covering 60 percent of his body and is expected to stay in the hospital for about three months “due to many estimated surgeries.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:33
Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $105 Million for West Coast and Alaska Salmon
Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced more than $105 million in recommended funding for 14 new and continuing salmon recovery projects and programs. Located along the West Coast and in Alaska, these state and tribal efforts will be funded through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF). The funds include Fiscal Year 2024 annual appropriations as well as $34.4 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $7.5 million under the Inflation Reduction Act, and will aid programs and projects in Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington that include habitat restoration, stock enhancement, sustainable fisheries and research and monitoring. “This $105 million investment, made possible thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, will build on decades of salmon recovery work, while helping Pacific coast Tribes and Alaska Natives sustain their communities and cultural traditions in the face of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This is a result of the most ambitious climate agenda in history, and I am proud that nearly half of all funds in this announcement are being awarded to Tribal applicants.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:55
For 54 years the Newport Fishermen’s Wives have been supporting the coastal fishing community in times of need
“One day I’m going to die at sea,” Josh Porter said as he walked into his living room to greet his wife, Denise. He was fresh off a crabbing boat, the fishy, salty smell permeating his clothes. “You need to be a part of the Fishermen’s Wives,” he said. “They’re the ones that are going to be there for you.” Fishing communities all share one thing in common — their dynamics shift when boats leave for months at a time. In Oregon, nearly 1,000 fishing vessels depart from the state each year. Over 300 of those boats touch base in Newport, where many of those left on shore must endure the unpredictability of the fishing industry. One group supports the unique needs of Newport’s community, their fishermen and their families. The Newport Fishermen’s Wives was established in 1970 and is the only nonprofit of its kind on the West Coast. What was first a social club has become a backbone of the community in the last 54 years. Co-president Taunette Dixon was raised within the fishing community of Newport and inherited the responsibilities of the generations before her. Growing up, Dixon spent her fair share of time on a fishing boat. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:18
A new report acknowledged the ongoing damage done by dams on the Columbia River. But that’s only part of the story.
The Biden administration released a report this week acknowledging “the historic, ongoing, and cumulative damage and injustices that the federal dams on the Columbia River have caused and continue to cause to Tribal Nations.” In government documents from the 1940s and 1950s, obtained by OPB and ProPublica, officials openly discussed what they called “the Indian problem” on the Columbia River. At times, they characterized the destruction of the last major tribal fishery as a benefit of dam construction. The documents reveal that the government’s 1950s era of dam-building on the Columbia was marked not by a new report, but rather by a well-informed and intentional disregard for Native people. “These documents shine a spotlight on a historic wrong” U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said in a statement. “The government’s actions wiped out tribal communities, houses, villages, and traditional hunting and fishing sites with thousands of years of history.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 21:10
Letter: Dear BOEM
Your project of installing a wind power farm off the coast of Southern Oregon is in total disregard for the environment, economics, and people therein. The vibrations of the offshore turbines will alter the fishing grounds and the migration of whales, tuna, and salmon for years and destroy commercial fishing that feeds millions of people. The turbines will have to be in restricted waters. That will be followed by restricting the waters where the cables are laid (can’t have nets, anchors, et cetera dragged through). Next, your $$$moneymen will have to find land to bring the cabled power on shore thus trashing even more of the scenic coast of Oregon. And where will you house all the needed labor considering the critical housing shortage at this location? Confiscation via eminent domain perhaps? more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Raymond J Van Eck 07:11
Governor urged to use ‘Oregon way’ in ocean wind energy development
Oregon’s state seafood commodity commissions have expressed their concerns in a letter to Kotek over federal offshore wind energy development plans proposed for the southern Oregon coast. The letter emphasizes what the commission states are adverse effects on the ocean environment and Oregon’s sustainable seafood industry. Oregon Trawl, Oregon Dungeness Crab, Oregon Albacore and Oregon Salmon Commissions urged Kotek to prioritize Oregon’s own planning process under the auspices of the state official “Roadmap” initiative, intended to guide responsible offshore wind energy development in Oregon. The Oregon groups opposing the development said the offshore wind facilities will be built in the pristine ocean ecosystems that support remarkable marine biodiversity, including many protected species. No environmental studies have been performed to assess the risks of large-scale offshore wind energy production which risks overwhelming this unique remote ocean region, according to the opponents. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:32
A fishing boat captain and two deckhands died in a disastrous Oregon bar crossing. Could it have been prevented?
Joshua Porter got dressed for his job around 4 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2019, sat down at the end of the bed, buried his face in his hands and told his longtime partner he didn’t want to go. He was scared. A storm was brewing off the Oregon coast, where the Mary B II would be competing with dozens of other fishing boats in the first days of the Dungeness crab fishing season. In the handful of days he had worked on the Mary B II, Porter had become concerned. The 50-year-old captain, Stephen Biernacki, new to the Pacific Northwest’s waters, repeatedly refused advice from experienced sailors, had once ran his boat aground and seemed to be unfamiliar with the most elementary aspects of fishing for crab. “Well, why are you going?” Denise Barrett Ramirez, standing in the bedroom doorway of their Toledo home, asked him that morning. “Got bills to pay,” Porter replied. “I have to go.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:44
Oregon U.S. lawmakers seek federal help for West Coast seafood industry
Last year, Oregon’s seafood industry got a much-needed boost from the federal government. But it continues to struggle and still needs help. That’s the message from five Democratic members of Congress from Oregon, who’ve written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to request aid for West Coast seafood fishermen, processors and distributors. “Commercial fishing and seafood processing on the West Coast are significant contributors to the nation’s seafood production and agricultural economy,” the lawmakers said. “The industry serves as the economic backbone for numerous small ports and rural coastal communities in Oregon. Fishing activities are deeply ingrained in the local culture and way of life across the Oregon Coast.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:44
Rare 7-foot fish washed ashore on Oregon’s coast garners worldwide attention
A massive, rare fish thought to only live in temperate waters in the southern hemisphere has washed up on Oregon’s northern coast, drawing crowds of curious onlookers intrigued by the unusual sight. The 7.3-foot (2.2 meter) hoodwinker sunfish first appeared on the beach in Gearhart on Monday, the Seaside Aquarium said in a media release. It was still on the beach on Friday and may remain there for weeks, the aquarium said, as it is difficult for scavengers to puncture its tough skin. Photos provided by the aquarium showed a flat, round, gray fish lying on its side in the sand. Photos of a person kneeling next to it, and another of a pickup truck parked next to it, gave a sense of its large scale and size. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:32
