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Numbers of Temporary Foreign Worker Visas To Nearly Double in 2023
26Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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Numbers of Temporary Foreign Worker Visas To Nearly Double in 2023

The number of temporary nonagricultural worker visas to be issued for 2023 is expected to nearly double under a new H-2B plan from the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Labor Department. The plan, which also protects foreign workers from exploitation from unscrupulous employers, was announced by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in mid-October, allowed for making these supplemental visas available on Oct. 1, the outset of the new fiscal year. American industries ranging from seafood processing, hospitality and tourism to landscaping and others depend on seasonal workers to meet demand. The supplemental visa allocation addresses seasonal worker needs where too few American workers are available for hire. Mayorkas said announcing the full year alloca...
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Survey Shows Rise in Demand for Wild Alaska Pollock Products
19Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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Survey Shows Rise in Demand for Wild Alaska Pollock Products

Year-over-year survey results show a leap in Americans’ intent-to-purchase wild Alaska Pollock over the next 30 days, according to an international marketing firm tracking product demand for the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP). Survey results presented by Ketchum Global this week during the fourth Wild Alaska Pollock annual meeting in Seattle on Oct. 17 said nearly seven million more consumers now know more about wild Alaska Pollock than a year ago. Mary Elizabeth Germaine, head of analytics for marketing firm Ketchum Global, said the likelihood of purchasing and eating wild Alaska Pollock within the next 30 days is now 31%, closing the gap between wild Alaska Pollock and Pacific cod. The gap between wild Alaska Pollock and cod is now narrowed by 2%, she sa...
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NPFMC Requests December Review of Crab Fisheries Emergency Rule Request Analysis
19Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NPFMC Requests December Review of Crab Fisheries Emergency Rule Request Analysis

Federal fisheries managers have requested a December review of National Marine Fisheries Service’s analysis of an emergency rule request to prohibit pelagic trawl, pot and hook-and-line fisheries in the Red King Crab Savings Area and Subarea from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023. Council members said they would review the information in the analysis so that they can make an informed recommendation on the emergency rule request. During its October meeting in Anchorage, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) declined to impose any restrictions on trawl fisheries, as requested by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC) and others concerned that trawling is having an adverse impact on crab abundance. The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery subsequently was closed for a secon...
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Oregon Dungeness Crab Industry Public Meeting Set for Today, Oct. 19
19Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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Oregon Dungeness Crab Industry Public Meeting Set for Today, Oct. 19

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Resources Division will hold its Oregon Dungeness Crab Industry Public meeting today, Oct. 19, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Bend Public Library in North Bend, Oregon. Everyone is welcome to join the meeting in person or virtually via computer or by mobile app at https://tinyur.com/CrabMeet2022, via Microsoft Teams by entering meeting ID:285971280551, Passcode: 4BCCeD or by calling (audio only) 1-503-446-4951 and entering phone conference ID:26462035#. From 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. the meeting is expected focus on marine life entanglement, beginning with presentation of the conservation plan and an incidental take permit status update, including planned upcoming changes, advisory group status and a three-year evaluation of ri...
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Bycatch Review Task Force Nears Time for Report to Alaska Governor
19Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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Bycatch Review Task Force Nears Time for Report to Alaska Governor

The Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force, created last November by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, is preparing to submit its final recommendations to the governor next month. One draft recommendation on the table for the task force would put a firm numerical cap on chum salmon bycatch by the Pollock trawlers in the Bering Sea. Last year alone, the Bering Sea Pollock fishery took 540,000 chums as bycatch, as well as halibut, crab and other species. Salmon runs have been so low on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) hasn’t allowed residents of these river villages even a salmon subsistence fishery, a fishery critical to their food supply and cultural heritage. The recommended cap on chum salmon taken as bycatch is a phased-in one, as any ca...
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Kroger-Albertsons Merger Expected to Impact Seafood Product Sourcing
19Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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Kroger-Albertsons Merger Expected to Impact Seafood Product Sourcing

Two major national retail supermarket chains, Cincinnati-based Kroger and Albertsons, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, have entered into an agreement to merge their organizations. In an announcement this past week the two companies said that they plan to expand customer reach to delivery fresh, affordable food to some 85 million households. The online publication SeafoodSource said the acquisition is likely to impact how the retailer sources its seafood products. Kroger operates over 2,700 stores compared to nearly 2,300 owned by Albertsons. Insider Intelligence Senior Analyst Blake Droesch said in a statement provided to SeafoodSource that seafood suppliers are likely to be negatively impacted, as the two mammoth retailers – given an expanded base of 85 million households an...
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USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns to Astoria, Oregon
12Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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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...
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ODFW Seeks Commercial Salmon Industry Applicants for Fish Restoration Board
12Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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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...
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Bristol Bay Sockeyes Delivered to Communities Where Fishing Was Banned
12Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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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...
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NOAA Hosts First Responder Training on Responding to Entangled Whales
12Oct By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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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...
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