News – Page 31 – Fishermens News

Study Shows Changes in Yukon River Discharge May Be Impacting Salmon

Scientists studying new information on changes in river discharge from winter ice melt and temperature in the Yukon River in Alaska say it may be influencing the timing and duration of juvenile chum, Chinook and coho salmon migrations. They are trying to determine if, as salmon migrations change due to shifting environmental conditions, that leads to a mismatch with the availability of prey. Katharine Miller, a fish biologist and lead author of the study, which was released on March 20, said the work is important in helping communities better understand what is behind recent declines in salmon abundance and how climate-induced environmental changes may alter migration patterns in future years. The long-term decline of Chinook salmon along the Yukon River since the early 1990s resulted...

Warming Climate Expected to Boost Some Bristol Bay Stocks, Others Likely to Decline

As the climate warms, with some fisheries in decline as others rise, all options are still on the table for Bristol Bay as long as effort continues to protect the habitat, manage harvest responsibly and help each other, according to a fisheries researcher who has studied the bay’s fisheries for over two decades. The message was delivered March 24 to participants at the Bristol Bay Sustainability Conference in Dillingham by Daniel Schindler, a fisheries researcher and professor at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. “Some Bristol Bay stocks are likely to decline, offsetting the increases that could occur in other stocks,” he said. “It’s difficult to predict though. That is part of the message that has come out of looking at the last century of data, that...

ComFish Alaska Takes on Climate Change’s Challenges to Seafood Industry

Participants in ComFish Alaska 2023, undeterred by a spring snowstorm that halted jet traffic in and out of Kodiak for a day, tackled climate challenges to fisheries, as well as the prospective economic and environmental benefits of kelp mariculture efforts. The state’s biggest and longest-running commercial fisheries trade show—which began in a borrowed Alaska National Guard tent in 1980—incorporated into this year’s March 16-18 program a mix of presenters ranging from harvesters, fisheries managers, federal and state legislators to historians and experts in marine debris and kelp mariculture. The event also featured 50 trade show booths offering fishing marine supplies, vessel permits and sales, expertise in satellite technology, health care, recycling, seafood marketing and more. D...

Coast Guard Counternarcotics Patrol Confiscates More Than 7,500 Pounds of Cocaine

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returned to its Astoria, Ore. homeport on March 14 following a 69-day counternarcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where the crew confiscated over 7,500 pounds of cocaine valued at $85.6 million. The Steadfast had deployed with a Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and air crew based in Jacksonville, Fla. Temporarily assigned crews from the Coast Guard cutter Harriet Lane and soon-to-be commissioned Coast Guard cutter Argus joined in as well. When notified by a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of a suspected narcotics smuggling vessel transiting international waters, the Steadfast launched a crew and boarding team that interdicted the vessel after many hours of pursuit. The Coast Guard said the suspected smugg...

USCG Munro Returns from Alaska Patrol

After 105 days, the crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro have returned to their Alameda, Calif. homeport after a 10,000-nautical mile patrol in Alaska, the agency announced March 8. During the patrol, crew members of the 418-foot Legend-class national security cutter joined forces with the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement on two dozen commercial fishing vessel boardings as part of efforts to ensure sustainable fishing practices and federal compliance, the agency said. “The continued existence of these fisheries depends on a healthy and productive ecosystem,” said Capt. Rula Deisher, Munro’s commanding officer. “As a federal law enforcement agency, it is the Coast Guard’s responsibility to ensure the longevity of these resources and safety of the fishing fleet.” The crew was...

Vessel Owners Must Report Harassment, Coast Guard Says

Owners, masters or managing operators of a vessel are now required to report complaints or incidents of harassment and sexual harassment and assault to the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Investigative Service Director Jeremy Gauthier. In a Marine Safety Information Bulletin issued in March, Gauthier said recent law changes mandate that the vessel’s responsible entity must report misconduct to the Coast Guard. Bystanders, survivors and others would be able to report incidents through a CGIS Tips App or at CGISTIPS@uscg.mil. There’s also a 24/7 watch that can field sexual misconduct reports through the National Command Center at 202-327-2100. The reports can be anonymous or attributed, and are sent and reviewed by the Coast Guard Investigative Service. “Sexual misconduct that occurs onbo...

Coast Guard Offloads $166 Million Worth of Narcotics in San Diego

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Waesche offloaded more than 6,325 pounds of cocaine and more than 13,220 pounds of marijuana worth more than $166 million in San Diego on March 29. The five interdictions occurred in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Central and South America in February and March. “This marks Waesche’s first counter-narcotics patrol in several years and the crew did an outstanding job to work with international and inter-agency partners to successfully prevent $166 million dollars’ worth of illicit drugs from entering our country, cities and neighborhoods,” the Waesche’s commanding officer, Capt. Robert Mohr, said. “The Coast Guard is dedicated to preventing illicit drugs from entering our country via the maritime environment,” Eleventh Di...

Coast Guard Conducts Fishing Boat Search and Rescue Exercise in Hawaii

U.S. Coast Guard and Kauai, Hawaii agency personnel conducted a search-and-rescue exercise (SAREX) off Kauai’s coast on March 29. The exercise simulated a multi-agency response to the report of an overdue fishing vessel that failed to return to shore. The open-water exercise was held from 9 a.m. to noon, ending with the vessel being located. “The general scenario (was) an overdue vessel that didn’t make it back,” Senior Chief Petty Officer Timothy Elhajj, the officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Kauai, explained. “This scenario allows all the county, state, local, federal and (the) Coast Guard to practice search and rescue.” As part of the exercise, an incident command post was set up at Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor and the participants coordinated the on-scene assets while testing ...

BOF Restricts Area M Harvest Times as Part of Commercial-Subsistence Harvesters Battle

After hours of testimony and discussion regarding the intercept salmon fishery prized by both commercial and subsistence harvesters, Alaska fisheries managers on Feb. 25 reduced harvest times for Area M’s South Peninsula fishery in a manner that left nobody happy. Area M fishermen said the decision of the Alaska Board of Fisheries could mean huge loses for communities dependent on that income to pay for vital aspects of local governments in coastal Alaska. But for people from the Alaska-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) region of western Alaska, who have not been allowed even subsistence harvests with salmon run returns at record lows for three years, that decision was devastating. After the board voted down a proposal that would have significantly reduced commercial fishing times and areas in th...

Washington Salmon Still Face Multiple Challenges: State Report

Salmon at every phase of their lives are continuing to struggle from the impact of climate change and other challenges, including habitat loss, according to the latest biennial report of the Washington state Salmon Recovery Office. “We can’t wait to save them—we have to invest in their recovery right away by restoring habitats and doing everything possible to repel threats to their survival,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. Data compiled for the “State of Salmon in Watersheds” report concludes that of the 14 population groups of Washington salmon and steelhead listed as at-risk of extinction under the federal Endangered Species Act, 10 are in crisis or falling further from recovery goals. The report, released in late February, and accompanying website, https://stateofsalmon.wa.gov, n...