Fishermens News

Alaska Ship and Drydock Inc. (ASD) and Vigor Industrial yesterday jointly announced their intent to make ASD a Vigor company.ASD will transition its business and assets to Vigor pending approval of the transfer of ownership by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), the owner of the Ketchikan Shipyard where ASD is based. The private companies hope to finalize their agreement on or before March 1st.ASD would operate the Ketchikan Shipyard (KSY) as the Alaska Ship & Drydock LLC subsidiary, in continuation of its thirty year AIDEA operating agreements.“The purchase of ASD by Vigor will increase the capacity and competitiveness of the Ketchikan Shipyard in many ways, positioning Ketchikan and the State of Alaska to not only continue our high level of service to exis...

By Terry DillmanFebruary 2012A long-debated groundfish management system that officially weighed anchor last January remains controversial as everyone involved tries to adjust to new relationships and managers continue to tinker with and tweak procedures.The Northwest Regional Office of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service inaugurated what’s known as a catch share or quota system for groundfish trawlers who harvest off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California on Jan. 11, 2011. The overall aim, according to NOAA officials, is to “increase individual fishermen’s accountability, fully harvest the quota the trawl fishermen are granted, increase the economic and biological stability in the fishery, and sustain fishing jobs and fishing communities.”Managers say the fishery – which inc...

The International Pacific Halibut Commission wrapped up its 88th annual meeting in Anchorage on Jan 28, with recommendations for combined Canadian-US catch limits in 2012 of 33,540,000 pounds, down 18.3 percent from 41,070,000 pounds in 2011.The cut was no surprise to those in attendance, who expressed growing concern over the declining resource. The IPHC itself expressed concern over continued declining catch rates in several areas and took aggressive steps to reduce harvests.The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is meeting today through Feb. 7 in Seattle, has set aside eight hours for an initial review of a fishery management plan amendment to set Gulf of Alaska halibut prohibited species catch limits.A number of halibut fishermen also would like to see the council place fu...

Southeast Alaska harvesters are gearing up for the start of the golden king and tanner crab fisheries, which open concurrently at noon on Feb. 16. The guideline harvest level for the golden king crab fishery is 625,000 pounds. Adam Messmer of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game notes that the quotas are set on a three-year basis and this is the third year for that quota allowance.For the golden king crab fishery, vessels are limited to 100 pots; for the tanner crab fishery, 80 pots. Vessels fishing for both harvests are limited to 10 pots.The registration deadline for both fisheries was Jan. 17 and there is a $45 late fee for registration after that date. Last year a total of 35 vessels were registered for the golden king crab fishery, which is about average, Messmer said.In some areas...

Final action on Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab economic data reports revisions is scheduled this week during the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s meeting at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle. In advance of the meeting, council staff prepared a regulatory impact review and initial regulatory flexibility analysis, which is online at www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/PDFdocuments/catch_shares/Crab/CrabEDR212.pdfStaff note in their report that, as part of the crab rationalization program which went into effect in 2005, the council developed an economic data collection program to provide information to analysts to assess effects of the program and future amendments to the program.The nine crab fisheries managed under the rationalization program include Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering sea Ch...

The second session of the 27th Alaska Legislature now underway has before it several measures dealing with fisheries related issues, including Senate Bill 152, to require legislative approval for operation of a large scale metallic sulfide mining in Southwest Alaska.The measure by Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, does not name the Pebble Mine. It states simply that the legislators would have to approve operation of such a mine that could aversely affect the waters of the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. The measure is specific that it would not apply to existing mining operations in Alaska or mines that do not affect the waters of Bristol Bay. The bill has been referred to the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee chaired by Sen. Donny Olson, D- Golovin.House Bill 184, sponsored by...

By Margaret BaumanAlaska’s chief fish pathologist said Dec. 7 that the state’s wild Pacific salmon stocks are in no immediate danger from the infectious salmon anemia virus, a pathogen linked to fish farming that has killed millions of salmon in Chile and Europe.“I think science will prevail and at some point we will get some answers, but I don’t think our wild stocks are in immediate jeopardy,” said Ted Meyers, in a telephone interview from his Juneau office.“I think we need to get more information. We need to first corroborate the research that has already been done (in Canada) and reexamine it. The current testing in Canada has looked at over 5,000 farmed fish and 500 wild fish and they have never found a pathogenic virus,” he said.As for the newly released reports that the virus was de...

Legislation introduced in the second session of the 27th Alaska Legislature by Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D- Dillingham, would amend the state’s Commercial Fishing Loan Act to allow lower-interest loans for entry permits under section B of the revolving loan fund.Edgmon said the purpose of the legislation, currently before the House Fisheries Committee, is to increase Alaskan ownership of Alaskan fisheries by enabling a larger number of state residents to purchase limited entry commercial fishing permits.House Bill 261 would modify Section B of the Commercial Fishing Loan Act to allow loans for entry permits of two percent below the prime rate with an interest floor of three percent, Edgmon said. Additionally, to address the reality of today’s permit costs, the bill would increase the maximum loan...

A federal judge in Anchorage says that commercial fishing restrictions to protect Steller sea lions in the western Aleutian Islands were properly imposed, but likely will order the National Marine Fisheries Service to prepare an environmental impact statement.US District Judge Timothy Burgess handed down his decision Jan. 19 in Anchorage, in litigation brought against NMFS by the state of Alaska and the Alaska Seafood Cooperative. Burgess set a Feb. 8 deadline to file briefs responding to the court’s proposed decision. The case is seen by some as critical to the future of the commercial Pacific cod and Atka mackerel fisheries in the western Aleutians, and by others as critical to the future survival of the endangered Steller sea lions.Commercial fishing interests engaged in the Pacific cod...

Seafood industry veterans and newcomers alike are vying for top honors in the 2012 Alaska Symphony of Seafood, with judging in Seattle on Feb. 2 and winners to be announced at a gala soiree in Anchorage on Feb 10.First place winners in the retail, food service and smoked products categories, along with grand prize and people’s choice winners, will get a trip to and booth space at the International Boston Seafood Show in March.Among the competitors in retail products are Trident Seafoods, with Trident Cheddar Crumb encrusted Pollock and Wild Alaskan Smoked King Salmon, Ocean Beauty Seafoods’ Echo Falls Sockeye Salmon Pinwheels and Louvier’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Cajun Rice Dressing.Maria Louvier, who owns the fledging Anchorage company Louvier’s with her husband, Jason, said their entries use...