April 2023 – Page 2 – Fishermens News

Washington Salmon Still Face Multiple Challenges: State Report

Salmon at every phase of their lives are continuing to struggle from the impact of climate change and other challenges, including habitat loss, according to the latest biennial report of the Washington state Salmon Recovery Office. “We can’t wait to save them—we have to invest in their recovery right away by restoring habitats and doing everything possible to repel threats to their survival,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. Data compiled for the “State of Salmon in Watersheds” report concludes that of the 14 population groups of Washington salmon and steelhead listed as at-risk of extinction under the federal Endangered Species Act, 10 are in crisis or falling further from recovery goals. The report, released in late February, and accompanying website, https://stateofsalmon.wa.gov, n...

PCFFA Principles Regarding Marine Protected Areas

Introductory Note: There is no scientific doubt that the world as a whole is facing serious biodiversity loss, as well as a potential extinction crisis, both being driven by rapid climate change, and that serious biodiversity protection and habitat conservation mandates are needed, based on sensible, science-driven solutions. But unfortunately, some groups are still championing ever more ocean marine protected areas (MPAs) as “the solution” to ocean ecosystem problems that are all too often also resulting in major fisheries declines. For some groups this has become a form of “magical thinking,” rather than only one of many management tools to be deployed with forethought and guided by good science. Marine protected areas (MPAs) especially are back in the limelight with the recent public...

Preventing Onboard Overdose Fatalities

Watching friends, family, or crew members struggle with addiction is devastating. It is tempting to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that addiction won’t impact our family, friends or crew, but denial doesn’t change the odds. Over the last few decades, deaths due to overdoses have continued to rise. There are three distinct waves of opioid use, defined as Rx opioids in the 1990s, heroin in 2010 and synthetic opioids in 2013. We are still experiencing the effects of the synthetic opioid wave. Unfortunately, synthetic opioid use has proven to be the deadliest to date, killing 8.5 times as many people as in 1999. As firmly as we believe that we will never have to deal with an overdose on our vessel, the truth is that each year, as addiction rates continue to rise, you are at an incr...

“Well, That Was Fun.”

“Well, that was fun,” said nobody, ever. Oh wait, what?You weren’t there? Let me explain. First off, I’m the Super Glamorous Fishwife of the Old Man of the Sea and I feel the need to share our world of commercial fishing. I formerly wrote for another fishing magazine, but then they decided to embrace ocean wind energy. That didn’t sit too well for me, so I basically stopped writing for them. So basically, we have some catching up to do. (Let this be a lesson: do not tick a fishwife off, especially one with a big mouth, ‘er I meant pen, or keyboard.). Now where was I? Oh, that’s right. Dungeness crab season in California. First, we had a season start delay which is turning into the new not-fun normal, and then California Fish & Wildlife threw a new one onto the fire—50% gear ...

Deadliest Catch Season 19: A Witness to History in Hard Times

How will the Alaskan commercial fishing fleet adapt to the historic closures of Bering Sea red king, blue king and snow crab? We’re about to see on reality TV. Season 19 of the consummate commercial fishing reality TV show Deadliest Catch, expected to premiere in April, promises to be as historic as the devastating closures of the season 2022-23 Alaskan red king, blue king and snow crab Bering Sea fisheries. And much like the commercial fishing season, the show must go on. “Fans can anticipate another great season of Deadliest Catch where we will document our captains as they participate in other sustainable Bering Sea crab and pot fisheries, such as golden king crab, bairdi and cod,” Deadliest Catch Executive Producer Arom Starr-Paul said in a October 2022 statement. For viewers,...

Hawaii and California Commercial Fisheries: A Status Update

The commercial fisheries of Hawaii and California may not be quite as active or receive as much media coverage as those in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, but that doesn’t mean that they are stagnant. In fact, fisheries in both the Aloha State and Golden State have had plenty of activity over the past year. This article provides a roundup and update of what’s been happening with the Hawaii and California commercial fishing industries over the past several months, and a preview of what could be on the horizon. Restricted Bottomfish Areas Reopen On Feb. 25, Hawaii’s Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the re-opening of eight Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas (BFRA) that had been closed to fishing since 2007. The re-openings were effective immediately. The approval f...

Designed, Built and Delivered: F/V Uyak, a New Fishing Boat from an Iconic Team

The 50th Fred Wahl Marine Construction in-house commercial fishing vessel joins the fleet. Fred Wahl Marine Construction (FWMC) has been busy of late, notably with the launch of the brand-new combination fishing vessel (Dungeness crabber/shrimper/salmon tender) f/v Uyak. The steel-hull Uyak is a FWMC-designed 68-foot by 29.6-foot model named after Uyak Bay in Kodiak Island, Alaska. It is the 50th new hull designed, built and delivered in-house by FWMC, based in Reedsport, Ore. “The design considerations for the f/v Uyak were built upon years of experience and feedback from constructing the 58-foot combination vessels that FWMC is known for,” the firm’s marine designer Kendall Blake said. “The design of the f/v Uyak is unique when compared to the 58 in various ways, both in aesthe...

Coast Guard Cutter Munro Arrives in Juneau

The Coast Guard cutter Munro arrived in Juneau, Alaska, for a scheduled port visit on Feb. 27. The port call marks Munro’s final stop before returning to its homeport in Alameda, Calif., following 11,500 miles and 105 days away. During the patrol, Munro served as the primary search and rescue (SAR) asset in the Bering Sea, performing 452 flight evolutions with five separate aircraft from Air Station Kodiak, qualifying seven pilots and ensuring SAR readiness. Munro also partnered with the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement to conduct 24 boardings of commercial fishing vessels with the goal of enforcing sustainable fishing practices and ensuring compliance with federal regulations. The cutter was on scene for the opening of the Pacific Cod Pot derby and the Alaska Pollock trawl season, two ...

Coast Guard Cutter Juniper Returns to Honolulu After 43-Day Patrol

The Coast Guard cutter Juniper returned to its Honolulu homeport in late February following a mission in the Pacific to deter illegal fishing, among other goals, as part of Operation Blue Pacific. Blue Pacific is an overarching multi-mission Coast Guard endeavor, promoting security, safety, sovereignty and economic prosperity in Oceania while strengthening relationships between partner nations in the Pacific. The Juniper departed Honolulu in mid-January and covered about 8,200 nautical miles in the effort to assist Pacific Island partners in protecting maritime governance and international order. “Combining efforts to deter illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing throughout Oceania is more important than ever,” the Juniper’s commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Bonner, said. Th...

Hawaii Coast Guard Cutter Returns from Oceana Operation

The crew of the Coast Guard cutter William Hart returned to Honolulu Feb. 27 after completing a 42-day patrol in Oceania in support of Operation Aiga. Operation “Aiga,” the Samoan word for family, is designed to integrate Coast Guard capabilities and operations with America’s Pacific Island country partners in order to protect shared national interests, combat IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and strengthen maritime governance on the high seas. “During the 8,616 nautical-mile patrol, the cutter’s crew conducted operations to counter IUU and strengthened relations with foreign allies,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. On the first port call of the patrol at Kiritimati Island, Kiribati, the William Hart’s crew delivered COVID-19 personal protective equipment donated...