(AP) Tkacz, who covered the Legislature and specialized in writing about the commercial fishing and seafood industries, died last May at age 61. He was one of five inductees by the trade association. The others were retiring state Sen. Fred Dyson of Eagle River, Albert Ball Sr., Jim Kallander and Keith Jefferts. The fishermen’s group says Ball, Kallander and Jefferts died this past year. , Veteran Alaska Journalist Tkacz Found Dead 12:21
Tag Archives: United Fishermen of Alaska
Alaska Legislature approves seafood task force for sector in ‘crisis’
The Alaska Legislature on Sunday approved creating a task force to make policy recommendations to help the beleaguered commercial fishing industry. The task force is modeled be off another legislative task force created more than 20 years ago to help the salmon industry. At the time, salmon fishermen were struggling with the impacts of low prices and competition with farmed salmon. Alaska’s commercial fishing sector has recently struggled with low prices, a global market swamped with low-priced Russian seafood, and the closure of several seafood processing plants. Salmon returns have crashed in critical fisheries across Alaska. The United Fishermen of Alaska estimates that the state’s economy lost over $2 billion in 2023 alone as a result of the commercial fishing sector’s struggles. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:00
Bill will allow higher insurance reimbursements for injured commercial fishermen
Injured commercial fishermen and boat owners in Alaska will now be able to access higher insurance reimbursements, thanks to Senate Bill 93, which was signed into law last month. The bill was sponsored by the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, which Nikiski Republican Sen. Jesse Bjorkman chairs. It concerns the fishermen’s fund, which was established pre-statehood as a service to commercial fishermen who are injured while fishing. It’s funded by fees from commercial fishing licenses. “The Alaska fishermen’s fund reimburses licensed fishermen and boat owners for their out-of-pocket medical costs if they have been injured or have a qualified illness while fishing off-shore, or doing fishing-related work on-shore,” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:00
New halibut catch share plan included in federal bill
Charter operators in the Gulf of Alaska will soon be able to buy halibut quota from willing commercial fishermen. That’s after funding was included for a new catch-sharing program in the federal omnibus budget bill, passed at the end of last month. Seward’s Andy Mezirow is on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and has been a champion of the program for a while. He said it’s a long time coming. The program was vetoed by President Donald Trump in his final weeks in office and had to go through the Congressional approval process — twice. >click to read< 14:37
Nearly $132 million allocated for Alaska fishery disasters
The U.S. Commerce Department announced on Thursday that several Alaska fisheries are eligible to share in almost $132 million of federal disaster relief. The Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are included after a chum and king salmon collapse last year. Impacted fishermen can share in $55 million, but that is also set to be split between fishermen from Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound and Chignik. Gov. Mike Dunleavy submitted the disaster declaration to the federal government when applying for relief. >click to read< 10:53
Commercial Fisherman Timothy J. Moore of Homer, Alaska, has passed away
Timothy J. Moore, age 65, of Homer, Alaska, passed peacefully from this world into the loving arms of Jesus, the Great Fisher of Men on Dec. 2, 2021. After his family, Tim enjoyed hunting and sport fishing, but commercial fishing was his passion. his first fishing experience was set netting for salmon on his Uncle Pat McElroy’s sites as a skinny 13-year-old during a summer visit to Alaska in 1967. In 1991 the acquisition of the F/V Iliamna Bay allowed him to expand his herring fisheries to include Togiak and to participate in the halibut fishery during those crazy “derby” days before IFQs. The F/V Iliamna Bay was also the beginning of his Prince William Sound salmon seining career where he made many memories fishing with the family and some amazing crew. >click to read< 15:19
A Fundraiser: Memorial Expenses for Sig and Helen Decker
On July 28, Julie and Gig Decker learned that they lost both their children, Helen and Sig Decker in a car accident in Petersburg, Alaska. Helen was 19 and Sig was 21. Although both were born and raised in Wrangell, Helen and Sig were in Petersburg fishing side-by-side for the summer to help pay for college. This unimaginable loss comes during an already challenging time. The initial $10,000 in funds raised will go towards funeral costs and related expenses. We are looking to raise $50,000 to fund the rest of the brand new Wrangell Mariner’s Memorial where Helen and Sig will be the first names on the wall. Additional funds raised after that will be used to start a Memorial Scholarship Fund,,, >click to read, and, please donate if you can<21:17
United Fishermen of Alaska dismiss Al Gross, endorse Senator Dan Sullivan
The announcement comes as a bit of a body blow to the campaign of his opponent, Al Gross, who presents himself as a commercial fisherman from Petersburg. This is an endorsement that should have come easily for someone with an Alaska gill net permit. Many in the fishing industry are independent voters, and Gross also presents himself as an independent, although he is running on the Democrats’ ticket and with the Democrats’ resources and endorsement. Sen. Sullivan has demonstrated leadership and effectiveness in advancing the interests of Alaska’s fisheries and fishermen across the state, said UFA President Matt Alward. by Suzanne Downing, >click to read< 11:51
An open letter to the Alaska commercial fishing fleets from Matt Alward, President, United Fishermen of Alaska
Our industry and communities are facing an unprecedented challenge in the COVID-19 pandemic. With the 2020 salmon season nearly here, we must all take extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of our crews, and the communities we work within. Fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic will not be “business as usual,” and we must all commit to a high standard of caution and personal responsibility.,, To help you through that process, we have put together a summary of what is required. This is not a complete list, however, and should not substitute your own reading and understanding of the document. There are three elements of the mandate: planning, documentation/reporting, and compliance. >click to read< 12:54
With coronavirus pandemic procedures in place, Copper River salmon season ready to open
Hundreds of vessels and workers flood into Prince William Sound each May for a chance to harvest the first fresh wild king salmon of the year, followed by the famous Copper River sockeye and the broader Prince William Sound pink salmon fisheries. However, with limited road access and health care facilities, city and state officials have been coordinating with the fleet and stakeholders about how to safely allow in deckhands, captains, and processing workers from Outside without inviting the pandemic to Cordova as well. “Fishermen are very concerned and have been concerned since day one,” said Francis Leach, the executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska. “Now that procedures have been put in place, there are a lot of questions. It’s always a learning curve. Folks are really going to have to pay attention to (the mandate).” >click to read< 14:36
Coronavirus: Fishing community takes precautions as it readies for salmon season
“We know the fish are coming regardless of COVID-19 or not and we can’t ask them to stay home.” Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink made the comment during a March 30 press briefing, adding that the state has a specific fisheries work group trying to figure out ways small communities can handle an influx of fishermen and processing workers while also adhering to important health guidelines that run counter to the realities of a traditional fishing season. While Alaska’s diverse fisheries continue year-round, the famed Copper River sockeye and king fishery that unofficially kicks off the salmon harvest in mid-May each year will be one of the first testing grounds for trying to find that balance. >click to read< 16:51
Coronavirus: Dear UFA Members and Friends, people arriving in Alaska are required to self-quarantine
As we all try to understand the magnitude of Covid-19, UFA is closely monitoring the evolving situation. We are actively engaged on the issue at the state and federal level and we will continue to provide you with information as soon as we get it. Last night, Governor Dunleavy issued a Health Mandate for the State of Alaska. All people arriving in Alaska, whether resident, worker or visitor, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor for illness. Arriving residents and workers in self-quarantine, should work from home, unless you support critical infrastructure (see Attachment A). (Food and agriculture, company cafeterias, cultivation, including farming, livestock, and fishing;) >click to read, links< 17:45
The last colony
News Analysis-The United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) has issued its annual report on who got the fish of the 49th state, and the winner is? Outside fishing interests. Of the 6.4 billion pounds of seafood harvested in Alaska in 2017, UFA’s 2018 Alaska Commercial Fishing and Seafood Processing report lists 4.6 billion pounds – almost two-thirds – harvested by permit holders from Washington, Oregon or California. Alaska became a state in large part to break the chokehold Seattle-based interests held on state fisheries. The late George Rogers,,, >click to read<17:45
Late Petersburg man named 2018 Fisherman of the Year
United Fishermen of Alaska, the state’s largest organization for commercial fishermen, has posthumously named Michael Bangs of Petersburg as its Fisherman of the Year for 2018. Bangs helped develop the roe-on-kelp and dive fisheries in Southeast Alaska. He’s the former president of the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association. Bangs had been chair of the Southeast Regional Subsistence Advisory Council and served on that body since 2003. He also served on the Petersburg Fish and Game Advisory Committee. Bangs passed away at his home in February.>click to read<12:29
UFA Announces Officer and Executive Committee Changes
United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) announced the transition in its leadership effective April 15, with the election of Matt Alward succeeding Jerry McCune as president, Bob Kehoe replacing Alward as vice president, and new executive committee members Rebecca Skinner and Sue Doherty. Jerry McCune has served most recently as UFA president since 2014, as well as from 1992 to 1996, and has served as a paid or volunteer lobbyist for UFA throughout the past two decades. He was named to the UFA Alaska Seafood Industry Hall of Fame among the initial inductees in 2009, and will continue to serve on the UFA executive committee. Matt Alward represents North Pacific Fisheries Association on the UFA board and,,,>click to read<18:37
Fighting the tide
After three years of work, a University of Alaska Fairbanks study of the state’s commercial fishing industry has reached one conclusion nobody in the 49th state wants to talk about and another that not even the authors of the report seem willing to confront. The first conclusion is barely disguised in the report: “Since limited entry programs were implemented in state commercial fisheries, permit holdings by rural residents local to their fisheries have declined by 30 percent. Some regions like Bristol Bay have lost over 50 percent of their local rural permits.” A systemic fail? click here to read the story 17:11
Fishermen trouble
The 68-year-old president of the United Fishermen of Alaska – one of the 49th state’s most powerful lobbies – and three other commercial fishermen have been cited in Cordova for failing to report salmon catches.Jerry McCune said earlier this week that he simply made a mistake after dropping his commercial catch at a tender. McCune said he told the tender to record his catch for the day plus three salmon – a “little teeny king” and two sockeye – he was taking home with him. When he got his “fish ticket” back from the tender, he said, he tossed it into the cabin of the boat without checking to see if his so-called “home pack” catch had been recorded.,,, Some Cordova commercial fishermen reacted to the charges against McCune and the others with claims the actions were politically motivated. Some subsistence, personal-use dipnet, and rod-and-reel fishermen from communities upriver on the Copper or elsewhere in Alaska cited the accusations as evidence of widespread under reporting of Copper River king salmon harvests in the Cordova area. There was no evidence to support either of those ideas, but emotions run hot in Alaska fishery politics or what is often just referred to as “fishtics.” click here to read the story 14:18
Alaska fishing group flags concerns with income tax proposal
A trade group for Alaska commercial fishermen is flagging concerns with a state House proposal that would reinstitute a personal income tax. United Fishermen of Alaska says many fishermen will have “major difficulties” complying with withholding requirements on payments to fishing crew. Association leaders, in a letter to the House Finance Committee co-chairs, say withholding requirements would fall on skippers who don’t have the information they would need to estimate a crew member’s potential federal tax liability. The tax, as proposed, would be 15 percent of what a person owes the federal government in taxes. They raised other concerns, too. The association, which says it has not taken a position either way on the bill, suggested a fix that would treat fishermen the same as people who are self-employed. Link 16:15
United Fishermen of Alaska home in on salmon habitat issues
United Fishermen of Alaska is beginning to get an idea of what its new Salmon Habitat Information Program – or SHIP – will look like. The program is aimed at engaging commercial fisherman around the state in salmon habitat issues. UFA, which represents 35 Alaska commercial fishing organizations, conducted a survey this summer to understand what fishermen cared about. SHIP Director Lindsey Bloom said they were asked to list their priorities. “Fisherman, while they’re concerned about a variety of issues, mining, climate change and pollution scored the highest,” said Bloom. “At a local level, people mentioned the proposed [Bristol Bay] Pebble Mine and mining development in the transboundary region as the most mentioned specific concerns.” Fishermen’s worries about mining reaffirmed UFA’s previous advocacy for State Department involvement in transboundary mining. Read the rest here 11:19
Processors working with harvesters on budget plan
Fish harvesters and processors might not agree on much, but everyone hates taxes. Commercial fishing stakeholders took turns in 2016 tearing apart a commercial fisheries tax plan from Gov. Bill Walker that the Legislature batted around during the marathon session but eventually dropped. The industry has such diverse needs and complex features that the bill couldn’t hit the revenue target without hurting one industry segment more than another. Stakeholders also objected to a holdup with a range of other industry taxes introduced by Walker. As none of the other taxes moved out of committee, House Fisheries Committee Chair Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, tabled the fishing taxes until she could be sure the industry wouldn’t take a hit none of the other industry’s would face. Months later, Walker bundled the fisheries tax into a bill with mining and fuel taxes. The bill stalled. Fisheries stakeholders might have a fix. At an October meeting of the United Fishermen of Alaska, the state’s largest harvester group, fishermen decided to knock heads together instead of against the legislative wall. Read the story here 17:44
United Fishermen of Alaska launch survey for fishermen’s input on habitat
The United Fishermen of Alaska launched its Salmon Habitat Information Project on Tuesday in an effort to keep fishermen and the organization more connected with habitat information across the state. The initiative kicks off with a survey to gain more information from fishermen about habitat conditions in their home fishing grounds and how they would engage with the organization, said Lindsey Bloom, the program manager and a UFA board member. The survey asks fishermen about what conditions they observe in their local environments. One question asks about the words fishermen use to describe salmon habitat, from “spawning bed” to “open ocean,” and another asks how well the taker feels Alaska is managing its salmon populations. The other part is to touch base with how fishermen want to be engaged. As technology has changed, fishermen may use cell phones, text or email, so the UFA wants to stay updated on how to reach them. “We’re launching with the survey because we want to get a better idea of what fishermen really care about, where their strongest interests lie, and how they want to be engaged, and how do they want to be contacted,” Bloom said. Read the rest here 08:39
Gillis resignation was over board appointment, say’s Walker undermined her credibility as Boards and Commissions director
Gillis said in an interview on Wednesday that she quit her position on May 13 after learning that Walker had decided to appoint Roberta “Bobbi” Quintavell to a vacant seat on the Alaska Board of Fisheries. The appointment rumors surfaced in a May 15 letter from commercial fishing organization United Fishermen of Alaska urging its members to contact the governor’s office to object to Quintavell’s possible appointment based on her close ties to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, or KRSA, which led the fight that sunk Walker’s previous choice for the board seat, Robert Ruffner. Read the rest here 08:55
United Fishermen of Alaska re-elect’s Mr. Jerry McCune of Cordova District Fishermen United as President.
United Fishermen of Alaska Announces New Officers and Executive Committee – United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), the largest statewide commercial fishing industry trade association representing 35 member organizations, announces the re-election of Mr. Jerry McCune of Cordova District Fishermen United as President. Joining President McCune is Mr. Matt Alward of North Pacific Fisheries Association as Vice President, and Ms. Megan O’Neil of Petersburg Vessel Owners Association as a co-PR & Membership Chair. Read the rest here
Alaska Fish Factor: Seventh Time Lucky for Personal Fisheries Priority? Fishy bills to watch, ComFish is coming!
The priority shift has been introduced during each of the last seven legislative sessions by (now) Senator Bill Stoltze (R-Chugiak), but has never made it past a first hearing – until now. Lawmakers said PU fisheries “need more protections from commercial fishermen.” The United Fishermen of Alaska’s position on the PU issue has remained the same for seven years: the legislature should leave prioritization of fishery allocations to the Board of Fish and management to the Department of Fish and Game.Read the rest here 07:29
What’s Alaska’s biggest fishing town? UFA Fishing Fact Sheets has all the answers
What Alaska town ranks as #1 for total commercial fishing participation? Based on the number of fishing permits, crew licenses and skippers, Anchorage comes out on top. That’s just one of the facts available in seafood industry fact sheets complied by . The facts include well-documented statewide data; added new this year are breakdowns for the Nome and Wade Hampton Census Areas, as well as for Washington, Oregon and California, which rank as the top three states for nonresident fishermen in Alaska. Read the rest here 16:49
United Fishermen of Alaska has inducted Late journalist Bob Tkacz into its Hall of Fame
Kenai man named ‘Fisherman of the Year’
It was hard to hear the announcement over the din of the 150 people who attended 40th Anniversary banquet for the United Fishermen of Alaska — but when a table mate leaned over and said “Boy that’s great,” to Jim Butler, the Kenai man knew something was up. Longtime commercial fisherman and Kenai attorney Butler and three others were given UFA’s “Fisherman of the Year” award during a Sept. 26, ceremony at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. Read the rest here 09:06
Alaska: As debate approaches, Sullivan swims upstream to challenge Begich on fisheries
The difference in reception for the two U.S. Senate candidates was stark. The Republican, Dan Sullivan, got 45 minutes Friday morning to make his pitch to the United Fishermen of Alaska’s board of directors in a dimly lit hotel conference room in Anchorage — a pitch that at best would draw just a few votes away from his opponent, incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, whom the group had endorsed months earlier. Read the rest here 11:41
The United Fishermen of Alaska has updated their “Community Fishing Fact Sheets”
The fact sheets cover specific areas that are generally either municipalities or census areas. The updated community fact sheets cover 27 area of Alaska and something new for this year is a fact sheet for the State of Washington. more@kdlg 16:39
ASMI All-Hands Meeting Information
UFA members and friends, UFA is headed to Sitka for our semi-annual Board meeting which runs from October 23rd to 25th at Centennial Hall (http://www.ufa-fish.org/ ). For those of you who can’t make it to the UFA meeting, hopefully we can encourage you to attend the ASMI All-Hands meeting next week in Anchorage. more info @Public Notices 13:38
United Fishermen of Alaska At-Large board member Kevin Adams elected as Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Chair
The United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), the largest statewide commercial fishing industry trade association representing 36 member organizations, is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Kevin Adams as Chairman of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) Board of Directors. This is the first time a commercial fisherman has held this position in over a decade. continued @ ADN.com
