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USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns to Astoria, Oregon
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USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns to Astoria, Oregon

After 55 days on narcotics enforcement patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returned to Astoria, Oregon on Oct. 3. The 210-foot medium endurance cutter traveled over 11,000 miles between Oregon and Central America, doing training, law enforcement, search and rescue and helicopter operations in international waters, the agency said. The crew was deployed with Maintenance Augmentation Team Seattle, Electronic Support Detachment Petaluma and the cutter Argus, which is expected to be commissioned soon, according to the Coast Guard. During its tour, the Steadfast pursued a high-speed, panga-style vessel suspected of smuggling contraband before handing off the case to a partner nation, USCG said. “This was a wildly productive deployment with noteworthy enhancements to cr...
ODFW Seeks Commercial Salmon Industry Applicants for Fish Restoration Board
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ODFW Seeks Commercial Salmon Industry Applicants for Fish Restoration Board

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking applicants from the commercial salmon industry to serve on the Fish Restoration and Enhancement (R and E) Program Board. The deadline to apply is Oct. 16. According to the ODFW, the ideal commercial fishing candidate would be an Oregon resident who can effectively represent Oregon's commercial salmon industry. Individuals that can represent seafood processors, the commercial troll fleet, or gillnet fleet are encouraged to apply. Desirable attributes include involvement with local fishing groups or fish management, previous experience with boards or commissions, and knowledge of, or involvement with commercially caught salmon in Oregon. The R and E Program was created by the Oregon Legislature in 1989 to help fund fish resto...
Bristol Bay Sockeyes Delivered to Communities Where Fishing Was Banned
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Bristol Bay Sockeyes Delivered to Communities Where Fishing Was Banned

A collaborative effort of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) has brought thousands of pounds of sockeye salmon to communities in the Chignik and Yukon River regions of Alaska banned from fishing because of low salmon runs. “It was really important to us that we expand our salmon distributions to the Yukon where they are facing a true food security crisis due in part to climate change’s impacts on our marine ecosystem and the health of our wild salmon runs,” said Linda Behnken, a veteran commercial harvester who’s the executive director of ALFA and president of the ASFT board. “We recognize that this summer’s salmon donations are a band-aid at best and that we ultimately need to address the underlying causes of these de...
NOAA Hosts First Responder Training on Responding to Entangled Whales
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NOAA Hosts First Responder Training on Responding to Entangled Whales

NOAA Fisheries, which leads the Alaska Large Whale Entanglement Response Program, held workshops in four Alaska communities this fall on how to best respond to entangled whales. The training sessions in Metlakatla, Auke Bay and Gustavus in Southeast Alaska, and Cordova, on Prince William Sound, taught safety skills needed to approach whales in distress, especially entangled whales. Participating NOAA employees and partner agencies included a team of advanced, authorized responders and trainers who use specialized equipment to safely and legally respond to entangled whales. The program emphasized the importance of assessment and documentation from a safe, legal distance from the on-water communities. The response program includes a team of advanced, authorized responders and tr...
PWS Advisory Council Takes Position Against Oil Spill Dispersants
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PWS Advisory Council Takes Position Against Oil Spill Dispersants

A citizens’ advisory entity established in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in Alaska’s Prince William Sound (PWS) has taken a tightened stance against use of dispersants in cleanup operations, saying prevention and mechanical recovery are the preferred alternatives. The updated position of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) says that chemical dispersants used on floating oil slicks should not be used on Alaska North Slope crude oil spills in the PWS region. Chemical dispersants are substances used on floating oil slicks to break the oil into smaller droplets that disperse into the water column. The council has for years supported mechanical recovery, with use of booms and skimmers as the primary tool for cleaning up oil ...
From the Editor: California Worker Classification
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From the Editor: California Worker Classification

Some important news for professional fishermen and women in California occurred in September: the state’s governor signed a bill that provides anglers a two-year exemption from the state’s so-called ABC test, which is used to determine whether workers are employees or independent contractors. Under the ABC test, a person being paid to provide labor or services is considered an employee rather than an independent contractor unless the hiring entity can prove that the person is an independent contractor. A worker is considered an employee and not an independent contractor unless the employer satisfies all three of the following conditions: The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for...
EM Program Regulations to be Implemented for Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program
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EM Program Regulations to be Implemented for Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program

NOAA Fisheries has announced that effective Nov. 2, a new rule will implement electronic monitoring (EM) program regulations for vessels using groundfish bottom trawl and non-whiting midwater trawl gear in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program. This move is expected to allow vessels using bottom trawl and non-whiting midwater trawl gear to use EM in place of human observers to meet their requirements for 100% at-sea catch monitoring. The final rule is intended to boost operational flexibility and reduce monitoring costs for vessels in this groundfish trawl fishery. It also revises some language in existing regulations for EM vessels and EM service providers to clarify and streamline EM program requirements. The Pacific Coast Groundfish Management Plan (FMP) sp...
Crab Rebuilding Issues on NPFMC’s Oct. 9-10 Agenda
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Crab Rebuilding Issues on NPFMC’s Oct. 9-10 Agenda

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is set to hear reports on shellfish stocks and adopt acceptable biological catch limits and overfishing limits during its Oct. 6-11 meeting in Anchorage. King crab and snow crab are among the major issues up for discussion, with final action still months off, as Bering Sea crabbers face a second year of multi-million-dollar loses due to the demise of Bristol Bay red king crab as well as snow crab. The October meeting will be held virtually and in person at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Anchorage. The Zoom link is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81451130091 and the meeting ID is 814 5113 0091. The council is also slated to take final action on Pacific cod small boat access, to provide greater stability for participants with smaller than 60-...
Deadline Extended for Habitat Restoration, Resilience Grants
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Deadline Extended for Habitat Restoration, Resilience Grants

NOAA Fisheries has extended the deadline for underserved communities in fiscal year 2022 to apply for $10 million in funds for habitat restoration and resilience awards made available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The deadline for proposals is now Oct. 14. The deadline was extended on Monday, Oct. 3 to accommodate challenges being faced by potential applicants severely impacted by recent typhoons and hurricanes. The funds are intended to provide capacity for these communities to participate more fully in developing future transformational habitat projects. NOAA officials said such engagement the goal is to ensure that communities are integral in the visioning and decision-making for coastal habitat restoration projects affecting their communities, and that benefits ...
Swordfish Caught With Harpoons, Deep-Set Buoy Gear Make Aquarium’s ‘Green List’
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Swordfish Caught With Harpoons, Deep-Set Buoy Gear Make Aquarium’s ‘Green List’

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program has added West Coast swordfish caught with harpoons and deep-set buy gear to its new “green list” of well managed seafood. Aquarium officials in Monterey, California, put out the “green list” of recommendations for businesses and consumers based on ways seafood is caught that cause little harm to habitats or other wildlife. The environmental entity Oceana applauded use of the harpoons and deep-set buoy gear over the huge mesh drift gillnets used in recent decades, saying that those mile-long nets deployed at dusk and left to hang 200 feet below the ocean’s surface for up to 12 hours entangle large open ocean travelers like whales, dolphins, sharks and sea turtles, with more than half of what is caught thrown overboard, often dead or...