Issue: January 2024

Federal legislation that would provide $20 million annually to boost and protect working waterfronts has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. It is backed by the Fishing Communities Coalition, a national association of community-based small-boat commercial fishing groups. The Working Waterfront Preservation Act, initiated with support from the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, was introduced Nov. 1 by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Jack Reed, D-RI. “All across Alaska, fishing communities are facing infrastructure challenges and need upgrades to harbors and boatyards,” said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association in Sitka, who helped to promote the legislation. “This bill would support that. It’s a great start.” If approved by Congress, ...

Conclusions of a two-year federal study suggest that snow crabs are well adapted to face projected increases in ocean acidification within the next two centuries, with no detectible effects on embryo development, larval hatching or female calcification. Authors of the study, which was published Oct. 18 in the open access online journal Plos One, said that given the number of strongly negative effects they have documented over the years it was refreshing to be able to report relatively good news in regard to how high the level of carbon dioxide needs to be to affect a commercial crab species. In both years of the study, starvation-survival, morphology, condition and calcium/magnesium content were assessed for larvae. The difference in response to high partial pressure of carbon dioxide...

Two Bristol Bay tribal groups have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to counter Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act veto of the proposed Pebble mine in Southwest Alaska. “EPA finalized Clean Water Act protections in Bristol Bay with the strong support of the people of our region and across Alaska,” said Russell Nelson, board chair of the Bristol Bay Native Corp. (BBNC), which has offices in Dillingham and Anchorage. The EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, Nelson said, “is grounded in solid science and an important regulatory obligation to protect the invaluable salmon resource that has sustained our people since time immemorial.” He also said in a Nov. 9 statement issued by BBNC and United Tribes of Bristol Bay ...

Two California-based fishing organizations are suing U.S. tire manufacturers over allegations that the use of the chemical 6PPD in rubber tires is largely responsible for “urban runoff mortality syndrome,” which kills up to 100% of coho salmon returning to spawn in many urban streams. The environmental law firm Earthjustice is representing the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.  The 13 tire manufacturers named in the litigation include Bridgestone; Continental Tire; Giti Tire; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.; Hankook Tire America Corp.; Kumho Tire USA; Michelin North America; Nokian Tyres; Pirelli Tire North America; Sumitomo Rubber North America...

The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) on Nov. 28 announced the appointment of Kristy Clement as the organization’s new chief executive officer. Clement currently serves as chair of the Afognak Native Corporation Board of Directors. Clement, who was raised in the Village of Port Lions on Kodiak Island, holds a bachelor’s in organizational management from Alaska Pacific University and a master’s degree from the University of Washington. “I am thrilled to join an organization that plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Alaska’s economy,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with the AFDF board and staff to ensure that Alaska’s blue economy is well positioned for future growth.” “My goal,” she continued, “is to create lasting value for all stakehol...

Federal funds totaling nearly $32 million are being invested across seven Oregon projects and programs, with a goal of reducing toxic materials in fish and water and addressing climate change issue, to restore the health of the Columbia River Basin. The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $79 million allocation for the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, who announced the new funds on Nov. 16, said the program is proving essential to the Pacific Northwest’s tribes, communities and economy, all of which rely on the watershed. “Our rivers and waterways are the lifeblood of our communities. If they are dirty and polluted, our homes, schools, and businesses are dirty and polluted,” Merkley said. “The federal investments for these ...

NOAA Fisheries has withdrawn a proposed rule to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), saying that instead, the agency will review the program to explore ways to enhance and strengthen its overall impact and effectiveness. The decision to withdraw the proposed rule stems from extensive feedback received during the public comment period, said Alexa Cole, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of International Affairs, Trade and Commerce. She announced the withdrawal on Nov. 14. “While we do not have a set timeline, NOAA Fisheries will prioritize this important work and aim to complete this review and implement any needed changes as soon as possible,” NOAA Fisheries spokesperson Lauren Gaches said. Meanwhile, SIMP continues operating in its current form, with the list of prior...

Federal funds totaling $6 million have become available for fiscal year 2024 for commercial fishing safety research and training, with the first deadline for apply for funds being Jan. 30, 2024. Currently, grantee training work includes a focus on training fishermen in safety measures, developing first aid and training materials, and community-based “train the trainer” efforts, with varying degrees of reach, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said in a Nov. 7 announcement. Research cooperative agreements include work in assessing the suite of electronics available for fishing vessels that could save lives when emergencies occur at sea, improving equipment to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and falls overboard, and looking into how sleep deprivation affect...

Wild Alaska seafood sold by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Association (ASMI) through its Global Food Aid Program already feeds millions of beneficiaries of federal and international food aid programs. ASMI’s Bruce Schactler hopes to feed many more in 2024. “We are dealing with product development, new generations of people eating more seafood and we are trying to distribute seafood to 30 million to 40 million people who have never eaten seafood before,” Schactler said in his Nov. 2 report to ASMI’s “All Hands on Deck” conference in Anchorage. Schactler, who leads ASMI’s Global Food Aid Program, told the conference that through October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had purchased over $205 million in wild Alaska seafood. “Last year was a record year of purchasing seafood and we are...