December 2022 – Page 2 – Fishermens News

NASEM Committee to Advise on Offshore Wind Development

A new committee being formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) is expected to provide ongoing assistance to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in efforts to engage the fisheries industry as it manages development of offshore winds, it was revealed in late October. The standing committee is to serve as a forum to discuss the state of science and pressing concerns related to the development of offshore wind and its potential impacts to fisheries. The committee is expected to meet regularly and engage in discussions and exchange of information on key related topics and to provide expert assessment of recent developments in selected fields of science and technology and general advice on gaps and priorities for research. The committee would ...

Pacific Coast Partnership

The governors of three U.S. Pacific Coast states and British Columbia’s premier gathered in San Francisco recently to sign an agreement that looks like it could result in additional environmental initiatives being launched across the West Coast’s maritime industry. The initiatives could include offshore wind power, something that’s been controversial and not popular so far within the commercial fishing industry. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia Premier John Horgan signed the Pacific Coast Collaborative Statement of Cooperation on Oct. 6. The Statement of Cooperation (SOC) promotes collaboration between the four regional governments on accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy, investing in climate infrastru...

PWS Advisory Council Takes Position Against Oil Spill Dispersants

A citizens’ advisory group established in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound has taken a stance against use of dispersants in cleanup operations, saying prevention and mechanical recovery are the preferred alternatives. The updated position of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council says that chemical dispersants applied to floating oil slicks should not be used on Alaska North Slope crude oil spills in the region. Such dispersants are substances used on floating oil slicks to break the oil into smaller droplets that disperse into the water column. The council has for years supported mechanical recovery, with use of booms and skimmers as the primary tool for cleaning up oil spills. The council said conditions in Prince Wi...

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...

Fishermen’s Organizations Join Ranks with Wind Power Venture

Two commercial fishermen’s organizations in California are partnering with a joint venture of wind power entities to facilitate communication, coordination and cooperation between the two industries for their mutual coordination and financial benefit. Partners in the Morro Bay Lease Areas Mutual Benefits Corporation (Morro Bay MBC), which was announced in mid-October, include the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization (MBCFO), the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association (PSLCFA) and Castle Wind LLC, a joint venture between Trident Winds Inc. and TotalEnergies Renewables USA. The partners said the new entity creates a pathway for the industry to demonstrate to fishermen, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the California Coastal Commission the commit...

Navy Destroyer Aids Distressed Commercial Fishing Boat Near Hawaii

The guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye assisted the commercial fishing vessel Sea Diamond in a towing operation back to Honolulu following a problem with Sea Diamond’s engine in mid-October, the U.S. Navy said. At about 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, the Daniel Inouye received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard to assist the commercial fishing vessel Sea Diamond. The vessel had lost all propulsion and reported a shafting propeller casualty. Upon making contact with the fishing boat, the Daniel Inouye decided to tow the Sea Diamond back to Honolulu. The ship maintained a speed of 6 knots for about 12 hours before turning over custodianship to the Coast Guard five nautical miles outside of Honolulu Harbor. Sea Diamond is a 35-year-old U.S.-flagged trawler. The 71-foot long commercial fish...

Pacific Salmon in Hot Water—Again

One of the most dramatic natural resource tragedies of our times, and one which directly affects our fishing industry by destroying thousands of fishing jobs coastwide, has been the thoughtless and sometimes deliberate destruction of the West Coast’s once abundant salmon runs. Everywhere on the West Coast (both U.S. and Canada) these once abundant wild salmon runs are in steep decline, with many of them already extinct. The steady decline of West Coast salmon runs was an unacknowledged disaster until the prestigious American Fisheries Society (AFS) published a peer-reviewed, comprehensive scientific survey of the problem in “Pacific Salmon at the Crossroads: Stocks at Risk from California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington,” (Nehlsen, et al., Fisheries, Vol 16, No. 2, pp. 4-21 (March-April, 19...

Operational Stability—Stay Upright and Watertight

Continuing our series on fishing vessel stability, this month’s article focuses on operational stability and offers some tools to help the folks on board keep things ‘Upright and Watertight.’ In the previous two articles we covered the importance of stability training: fishing vessel-specific-training, and which vessels and at what thresholds do stability regulations apply. Now, you put your vessel to use. The decisions made by the skipper, engineer and crew, combined with the physical forces of nature, make for a complex and dynamic scene that if allowed to get out of hand, can cause catastrophe. Here are some ways to mitigate the risks while at sea. Maintain Watertightness Keep doors and hatches always secured except while using them. If the manually operated six-dog door is too muc...

Fishing Careers: Efforts Being Made to Attract, Keep Young Harvesters

Twenty-one-year-old Megan Wallace of Kodiak readily admits that commercial fishing is a gamble, one involving hard work, long hours and yes, at times, danger. “But I like how the hard work pays off,” she told Fishermen’s News. “It’s a great feeling when you catch a lot of fish.” On a break from harvesting in mid-October, Wallace mused about the adventures she’s had of late. In 2021, Wallace spent 10 months crewing at sea, harvesting salmon in Bristol Bay, halibut in Area 4A near Dutch Harbor for halibut, Pacific cod in the Central and Western Gulf of Alaska, and then the Bering Sea A season for cod and the western Bering Sea for Bairdi crab. “I just love everything about it, the challenge,” she said. “This is something a girl can do. I just love the rush and the whole process. My goa...

Vessel Profile: R/V Resilience

The Department of Energy anticipates its first hybrid-electric research vessel. The r/v Resilience, a hybrid electric research vessel being built by Seattle-based contractor Snow & Company, is expected to join the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-Sequim (PNNL) fleet in April 2023. The PNNL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, managed by the department’s Office of Science. The laboratory houses several scientific user facilities and research facilities. “They (PNNL) have a fleet of two boats right now and they wanted to expand with (the addition of) a larger vessel with more capabilities,” Snow & Company Project Manager and Estimator Chris Watson told Pacific Maritime. “Snow & Company is the builder, doing all the production engineering, and Inc...