April 2024 – Fishermens News

Commercial Fishermen Have Questions, Concerns About West Coast Offshore Wind

Although offshore wind projects are common along the East Coast, the West Coast has yet to see any turbines dot the horizon. That’s likely to change in the coming years, however, as the waters have been opened up in California by the federal government. Plans for floating systems are in the works, as well as land-side support facilities. Although the process is moving forward, fishermen still have concerns, and more questions than answers. In 2021, several federal departments announced a shared goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy in the U.S. by 2030. And in 2022, President Biden followed that up with another objective: 15 GW of floating offshore wind (OSW) energy by 2035. The first offshore wind lease sale in the Pacific Ocean took place in December 2022. It was a...

A Safer World for Commercial Fishermen

Advances in policy, best practices and technology are saving lives. If there’s one fact known to both commercial fishermen and landlubbers alike, it’s that the profession is dangerous. But humanity has come a long way since we first cast off the dock lines, and fortunately there is positive news on the mariner safety front. According to the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), the latest research from on Alaska commercial fishing fatalities shows a 57% decrease from 2013 to 2022. The bottom line: mariners are not alone when it comes to emphasizing safety, whether the effort includes National Institute of Occupational Safety (NIOSH), which tracked the decrease in fishing deaths, or the U.S. Coast Guard. “Commercial fishing is still one of the most dangerous occupations,...

Oregon State Working to Refine Ocean Oxygen Monitoring Sensors in Fisheries

Researchers at Oregon State University are collaborating with fishing industry and tribal partners on a project to refine and expand use of oxygen monitoring sensors to be deployed in fishing pots to learn more about changing ocean conditions. The three-year, $1.2 million Ocean Technology Transition grant, announced by the university on Feb. 27, is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The dissolved oxygen sensors were initially developed by Oregon State researchers over a decade ago in response to concerns from crabbers who were pulling up pots full of dead crabs caught in hypoxic dead zones. The sensors helped them to gather information on how hypoxia, or low oxygen, is impacting crabbing in the Pacific Northwest. These oxygen sensors have proven to be an ef...

NOAA Fisheries Gathers Experts to Combat Forced Labor in Seafood Sector

The summit marked the conclusion of a 15-month initiative to address forced labor. On Feb. 28, NOAA Fisheries brought together more than 100 officials representing government agencies, labor and environmental advocacy organizations, and the seafood industry to reflect on progress and identify next steps in their efforts to address labor issues within the seafood supply chain. The Seafood Labor Summit was the final step in a 15-month initiative known as the Collaborative Accelerator for Lawful Maritime Conditions in Seafood, or CALM-CS. NOAA developed the initiative to promote legal and safe working conditions throughout the fishing and seafood industry by combating forced labor and advocating for lawful and secure working conditions within the seafood sector. Its goals included ident...

Trident Seafoods Nearing Sales of Alaska Shoreside Plants

Trident Seafoods officials said March 8 that they’re in the final stages of closing deals on the sales of Alaska shoreside plants in Petersburg, Ketchikan and False Pass, with multiple parties interested in a fourth plant. Trident announced in December that it was seeking buyers for all four plants as part of a strategic restructuring initiative. At the same time, the company revealed its plans to reduce the workforce at its Seattle headquarters by 10%. Trident CEO Joe Bundrant said that his company has been intentional about finding buyers “who will take great care of the fleet and employees and who will integrate themselves into the communities.” As of mid-March, the potential buyers for the plants have not been publicly identified. Trident Senior Vice President of Alaska Operation...

$20.6M in Chinook Disaster Funds Goes to California

An allocation of $20.6 million in federal fishery disaster funds is now earmarked to help California communities impacted by 2023 events in the Sacramento River Fall Chinook and Klamath River Fall Chinook ocean and inland salmon fisheries. Congress provided the funds, which were announced Feb. 1 by Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo, in the 2022 and 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Acts. A positive determination means the fisheries are eligible for appropriations to improve the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of impacted fisheries. Funds may be used to assist impacted fishing communities, including commercial and recreational harvesters, charter businesses and subsistence users, the Commerce Department said. Activities for which these funds can be ...

Highland Farms, SK Foods Win Big at Seafood Expo

Highland Farms won the “Best New Retail Product” award for its salmon salami dish, and Social Kitchens Professional/SK Foods Brands won the “Best New Foodservice Product” award for its premium shrimp sliders during the annual Seafood Expo North America held March 10-12 in Boston. The 2024 winners were selected March 10 from a group of 11 finalists during live judging by a panel of seafood buyers and industry experts from the retail and foodservice industries. The products were judged based on several criteria, including uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality. This year’s judges included HEB Vice President of Seafood Jason Driskill, Ivar’s Restaurants President Bob Donegan and HF Foods Group Director...

Enhancing Wild Red King Crab Populations Through Hatchery-Rearing Programs

Scientists examine effects of release timing and size at release on survival of hatchery-reared red king crab. A new study found that releasing red king crab as early as possible after they are reared in a hatchery may improve young crab survival and save operational costs. Scientists from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center observed that the best time to release hatchery-reared red king crab is right after they transition from free-swimming planktonic larvae to bottom dwelling juveniles. Red king crab is an important commercial and subsistence fishery species in Alaska. It was commercially important around Kodiak, Alaska in the 1960s and 1970s, but the Kodiak stock crashed in the late 1970s. The causes of the population crash are still not fully understood. It was likely due to a co...

‘Big Squeeze:’ Government Purchases of Canned Salmon Help, But Processors Still Cutting Back

Federal government solicitations for canned salmon bids are boosting spirits a bit in Alaska’s commercial fisheries industry, but, overall, gloom prevails due to the selloff of some processing facilities and announced cutbacks on 2024 fishing season processing. Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture purchased over $200 million in Alaska seafood and the current solicitation for canned pink and sockeye salmon is expected to help clean up inventory of the sockeyes, Bruce Schactler, food aid program and development director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, said. “It will pretty much put a big dent in inventory,” he remarked. Meanwhile, three major processors—Trident Seafoods, OBI Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafoods—have announced plans for selling off some facilities, along ...

Wild Alaska Pollock Options Added to New York Sports Arena’s Menu

Wild Alaska pollock dishes are now menu options for a second major sports venue, New York’s UBS Arena, home of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders, in a partnership negotiated by the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP). The deal was announced on Feb. 14 by GAPP CEO Craig Morris, who said there’s a massive opportunity for seafood at sports and events venues, something the association has been invested in capitalizing on. “The Wild Alaska Pollock menu items at Climate Pledge Arena’s Fork & Fin marketplace (in Seattle) have been incredibly successful, and we have no doubt that wild Alaska pollock will perform just as well in New York at UBS Arena,” Morris said. The partnership, funded by GAPP and Trident Seafoods, is expected to continue for the next se...