Issue: April 2022

Researchers with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have raised concerns that ocean acidification and global warming are interfering with the way fish interact in groups, posing a threat to their survival that could impact seafood supplies. In a new report, they note that marine ecosystems worldwide have shown an increased dominance of warm-water species following seawater temperature rise, with parallel changes in the species composition of fish catches since the 1970s. The report was released in February through IYBSSD 2022, the UN International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development, and is available on the website of the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center. Total global fish catches amount to 80-105 million tons annually, genera...

Kelp-seasoned tortillas for fish wraps, not to mention crispy tortilla chips, haven’t hit the market yet, but with the growing abundance of kelp in Alaska, the race is on to market this nutritious seaweed as a versatile munchie for tasty snacks. Kelp is high in trace minerals and iodine but very low calorie, says Chris Sannito, a seafood technology specialist with Alaska Sea Grant in Kodiak, Alaska, who has worked with the tortilla and chip company Taco Loco in Anchorage on snack possibilities.  In November of 2021, Sannito introduced kelp-seasoned tortillas and chips during an Alaska Symphony of Seafood event held during Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. Both were well received, Sannito said.    Kelp-flavored tortillas, which look like spinach tortillas, have a unique ocean-type flavor...

A study of potential new Pacific salmon habitat in western North America as a result of glacial retreat through the year 2100 poses benefits to salmon, but also warns of the need for forward-looking management decision making and conservation planning. The study, published recently in the journal Nature, projects that by 2100, glacier retreat will create 3,818 miles (6,146 kilometers) of new streams accessible for colonization by Pacific salmon, of which 1,200 miles (1,930 km) have potential for spawning and juvenile rearing within 18 sub-regions. “With climate change, the distribution (of salmon habitat) is probably going to be different than the distribution for salmon now, because of changes in temperature and precipitation which affect stream flow,” said Daniel Schindler, who con...

National Maritime Center officials say that on average more than 10% of the 50,000 applications received annually for medical certificates are missing information, causing delays in processing and frustration for mariners. And on Feb. 14, the Maritime Center announced that a total of 7,882 “awaiting information” reasons were issued in 2021 for medical certificate applications. The NMC has said that it would not accept incomplete medical certificate applications. The top reasons why mariners received an “awaiting information” letter include: Visual acuity not meeting regulations as listed in the Merchant Marine Medical Manual Commandant Instruction Manual, in that additional tests were not provided when there was an abnormal vision exam. Conditions listed in the Commandant Instruction M...

Legislation introduced in February by Alaska’s two U.S. senators would ban the import of all Russian seafood products into the U.S. to response to Russia’s ban on the import of U.S. and other western seafood products since 2014. Senate Bill 3614, the United States-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act of 2022, which was introduced on Feb. 9 by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, would prohibit import of any Russian Federation seafood or seafood products into the U.S. The prohibition would be terminated only if and when the Russian Federation ends its ban on the import of U.S. seafood products. The bill notes that in 2014 the Russian Federation invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and that the U.S. and its allies responded by imposing sancti...

An allocation of $62 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will pay for repairs to the South Jetty in Tillamook Bay, Ore. by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “The health of Tillamook’s economy goes hand-in-hand with the health of the port, and local residents and businesses should not be burdened by unsafe conditions caused by severely degraded infrastructure,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. “It is long past time we made critical investments in the safety and stability of South Jetty, one of Garibaldi’s major economic hubs, which is long overdue for crucial upgrades,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who worked with Merkley to secure the funds. The senators noted that the degradation of the South Jetty has been a growing public health hazard in recent years, cr...

A 10-year “tree-to-sea” plan is underway for Washington state’s Snohomish River watershed, to boost salmon habitat for as many as 16 populations of salmonids listed as endangered or threatened, an issue that impacts the entire marine food web up to Puget Sound’s iconic orcas. Washington Department of Natural Resources plans include identifying priority restoration needs across the watershed, such as kelp and eelgrass in nearshore environments and forest canopies to shade spawning streams and filter pollutants. State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said the Watershed Resilience Action Plan is designed to coordinate, enhance and maximize protection and restoration of salmon habitat along the 20-mile river, adding that despite decades of focus and nearly $1 billion spent in recover...

Teknotherm Inc., which has served the Seattle fishing fleet since 1987, acquired another Seattle-based company, Bowman Refrigeration Inc. (BRI), in December. The acquisition is the latest addition to the Dutch Heinen & Hopman Group, a heating, vent, air conditioning and refrigerating supplier that serves the marine fleet globally. The firm has more than 50 locations across the world. Bowman Refrigeration has been delivering services and products supporting the fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest for more than three decades. The company is also active in industrial refrigeration, offshore and HVAC services that are similar to those offered by Teknotherm. “I am proud of what we have accomplished at Bowman Refrigeration over the years,” company President Dave Bowman said. “We h...