News – Fishermens News

Commerce Dept. Allocates $220M for Alaska, Wash. Fisheries Disasters

24May

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Commerce Dept. Allocates $220M for Alaska, Wash. Fisheries Disasters

Congress has appropriated over $220 million to address fishery disasters that occurred in multiple Alaska and Washington fisheries from 2019 through 2023. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced the allocation on May 19, noting the devastating effects these disasters have had on local communities in both states, and on the blue economy. Additional funds for fisheries disasters in Oregon and California are still pending. Raimondo said the money would provide much needed assistance to the fishing industry in both states and that the Commerce Department would work with affected Alaska Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries for 2021/2022 and 2022/2023; 2021 Alaska Kuskokwim River salmon and Norton Sound chum and coho salmon fisheries; 2021 Alaska Chignik salmon f...

24May

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NMFS Renews Prohibited Species Donation Permits for SeaShare for Pacific Salmon, Halibut

A major contributor of seafood to food banks nationwide located on Washington’s Bainbridge Island will benefit from a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision to renew its prohibited species donation (PSD) permits to benefit their work to provide food for the hungry. NMFS announced in the Federal Register on May 18 that the agency had renewed the donation permits for Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut caught with trawl gear off Alaska. This action is necessary to comply with provisions of the PSD program and is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. SeaShare has received permits for distribution of these donations since 1994. Participating donors to SeaShare of this prohibited species catch include 12 shoreside processo...

CDFW, Winnemem Wintu Tribe Sign Agreements for Salmon Restoration Project

24May

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CDFW, Winnemem Wintu Tribe Sign Agreements for Salmon Restoration Project

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), NOAA Fisheries and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe have signed agreements to restore Chinook salmon to the mountains north of Redding, California. The goal is the ecological and cultural restoration of the Chinooks to travel to cold mountain rivers now blocked by the Shasta Reservoir, and one day renew fishing opportunities for the tribe that for many years depended on the once-plentiful salmon for food and more. CDFW officials described the collaboration as a historic achievement that advances common goals. Three years of drought have taken a toll on endangered winter-run Chinook salmon, who migrate and spawn in the Lower Sacramento River. The river can warm to temperatures lethal to the salmon eggs. In the summer of 2022, tribes worked wit...

Copper River Commercial Drift Gillnet Harvest Climbs

24May

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Copper River Commercial Drift Gillnet Harvest Climbs

Breakup is happening slowly in Alaska’s famed Copper River commercial salmon fishery, where more than 300 drift gillnetters have delivered an estimated 24,444 fish from the first two 12-hour openers, and a third 12-hour opener was underway on Monday, May 22. The harvest from those first two openers includes approximately 21,822 sockeyes, 1,859 Chinooks and 763 chums. The entire 2022 Prince William Sound salmon season commercial and hatchery cost recovery harvest was 33.14 million fish, composed of 13,000 Chinook, 1.61 million sockeye, 89,100 coho, 28.39 million pink and 3.04 million chum salmon. The 2022 harvest included overall 28.4 million commercial and 4.72 million hatchery cost recovery and broodstock fish. In advance of the Monday, May 22, 12-hour opener, the Alaska Department...

BBRSDA Offers Advice on How to Get Work in the Bristol Bay Fishery

24May

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BBRSDA Offers Advice on How to Get Work in the Bristol Bay Fishery

As commercial fishermen gear up for the upcoming Bristol Bay salmon fishery, with the usual forecast of a robust season involving the harvest of millions of sockeye salmon, the demand for good, hard-working crew is a priority item. While many vessel owners and skippers rely on the same crew each year, others may be scrambling to fill crew slots and the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association offers guidelines on how to get those jobs. First of all, anyone who helps with the commercial harvest of salmon in Alaska must have a crew member license. For Alaska residents, the cost is $60. For out of state residents, the cost is $252. Crew members should be sure to have a printed copy of that license, plus a photo ID, with them onboard fishing vessels. Information about crew m...

17May

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Peter Pan, Silver Bay Working on Possible Processing Partnership

A top official with Peter Pan Seafood says his company is working with competitor Silver Bay Seafoods on possible joint venture processing opportunities in Valdez, Alaska. “Even though it looks like nothing will happen regarding a JV (joint venture) between Peter Pan and Silver Bay in Prince William Sound, we will continue to try to find synergies that benefit community, fleet, and our customers, while at the same time boosting Peter Pan‘s bottom line,” said Peter Pan Seafood owner Roger May, who’s also president, chief growth officer and founder of Northwest Fish Co., LLC. May’s comments came on the heels of reports from a seafood industry publication that Peter Pan, which came under new ownership two years ago, and Silver Bay, founded in 2007, were stalled in negotiations to enga...

2023 Copper River Salmon Fishery Harvest Begins

17May

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2023 Copper River Salmon Fishery Harvest Begins

An above average run of salmon was forecast for the 2023 Copper River commercial salmon opener, which began on May 15, with processors planning to move much of the first catch via Alaska Airlines to the annual ceremonial welcome mat at SeaTac Airport in Seattle. OBI Seafoods and Copper River Seafoods, along with Trident Seafoods, which is marking 50 years in the industry in 2023, were slated to have Chinook and sockeye salmon on the flight to Seattle, arriving on May 16. Trident Seafoods chief executive officer Joe Bundrant said his company is grateful to all the independent fishermen who continue to partner with Trident and deliver the fresh, high quality fish. “Our history of partnership with Copper River goes back many years and we look forward to continuing working together in res...

Researchers Discover New Information Regarding Atmospheric Dust Nourishing Oceans

17May

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Researchers Discover New Information Regarding Atmospheric Dust Nourishing Oceans

Research led by Oregon State University (OSU) scientists has identified new information on the role that dust plays in nourishing global ocean ecosystems while helping regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. OSU oceanographer Toby Westberry said this is the first time it has been shown that nutrients carried by dust being deposited on the ocean are creating a response in the surface ocean biology. Westberry, the lead author of the study, collaborated with other scientists from OSU, the University of Maryland, Baltimore Country (UMBC) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on the research published in the journal Science. Study results released in mid-May revealed the extent and magnitude of the impact of the dust, particles from sources such as soil that are lifted by the wind and t...

Biden Salutes Defense of Bristol Bay Salmon Fishery

17May

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Biden Salutes Defense of Bristol Bay Salmon Fishery

President Joe Biden celebrated his administration’s defense of the Bristol Bay watershed and other environmental achievements during a mid-May gathering at the White House’s Rose Garden with Alaska guests including tribal leaders and conservationists. “Bristol Bay is an extraordinary place, unlike anywhere in the world,” Biden said. “Six rivers meet there, traveling through 40,000 miles of tundra, wetlands and lakes, collecting freshwater and salmon along the way … making this the largest sockeye salmon fishery on all the earth.” The president spoke also of a number of other conservation achievements in ceremonies in the Rose Garden on May 11, while concentrating on the importance of the Southwest Alaska watershed where millions of sockeye salmon are harvested every summer by commercia...

Alaska Files Criminal Charges for Illegal Trawling Near Kodiak

17May

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Alaska Files Criminal Charges for Illegal Trawling Near Kodiak

On May 12, criminal misdemeanor charges were filed by the state of Alaska against a vessel operator for allegedly operating non-pelagic trawl gear within the Kodiak, Alaska groundfish registration area. U.S. Coast Guard officials said trawl gear used in the area had chafing gear attached to it and chain rib lines suitable for fishing in contact with the seabed, all of which are not authorized for legal pelagic trawl gear. The Coast Guard did not identify the boat or operator other than to say it was an 88-foot fishing vessel and that a boarding team determined that it was in violation for trawling in the Barnabas closure are while having a non-pelagic trawl on board. Alaska Wildlife Troopers Sgt. Josh Boyle said the violation is significant in the potential it has for negatively effec...