Issue: January 2025

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Proposes Critical Habitat for Longfin Smelt in Northern Calif.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Proposes Critical Habitat for Longfin Smelt in Northern Calif.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Jan. 14 announced that it was designating 91,630 acres of critical habitat for the San Francisco Bay-Delta distinct population segment of the longfin smelt. Longfin smelt are found along the Pacific Coast of the United States from Alaska to California. The fish are small and shiny, 3.5 to 4.3 inches long, with a lifespan of 2 to 3 years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the population of Bay-Delta longfin smelt as endangered in July 2024 due to significant declines throughout the San Francisco Bay estuary in recent decades. Bay-Delta longfin smelt are found in open water areas in both fresh and saltwater habitats from the estuary to the Farallon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. “This proposed critical habitat spans key areas within the estu...
Larger Volumes of Salmon, Pollock in 2025 Have Potential for Revenue Increases

Larger Volumes of Salmon, Pollock in 2025 Have Potential for Revenue Increases

By Margaret Bauman 2024 failed to be a recovery year for the total ex-vessel value of Alaska’s seafood harvest, but the potential of greater harvests of salmon and pollock in 2025 could bring a revenue boost, even with static prices, according to a consultant monitoring the state’s fisheries. Potential larger volumes of salmon and pollock are positive price signals, said seafood economics consultant Sam Friedman of McKinley Research Group. Friedman presented the economic update on Dec. 3 during the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s annual “All Hands on Deck” gathering at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. Friedman estimated the impact on prices given two factors—the likelihood that the incoming Trump administration could impose heavy tariffs on imports from China, where a lot of ...
Research Team Designs Technology to Measure Carbon Dioxide in Oceans

Research Team Designs Technology to Measure Carbon Dioxide in Oceans

New technology developed by University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers and their industry partners would enable an unmanned underwater vehicle to measure carbon dioxide in the ocean in order to help develop climate change adaptation plans. The design is now available to the scientific community, researchers at UAF’s International Arctic Research Center said Nov. 26. It was published Oct. 29 in the journal Ocean Science. Over the past six years, a team from the UAF International Arctic Research Center (IARC) and private companies developed a way to equip an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) called a Seaglider with a sensor that monitors carbon dioxide.  The sensor communicates with a satellite to provide high spatial and temporal resolution data for weeks at a time. This continuous f...
NPFMC Plans Special Council Meeting in Anchorage

NPFMC Plans Special Council Meeting in Anchorage

Members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council are planning a special council meeting in February at the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage to focus on two issues: a second review of a chum salmon bycatch analysis that the council last reviewed in April, and harvest specifications for Cook Inlet salmon. The council is scheduled to meet Feb. 6-12 to address Cook Inlet salmon harvest specifications and begin staff presentations on the chum salmon bycatch analysis on Feb. 7. The council noted that because this is a special issue meeting it won’t take up a full range of agency reports as it usually does, nor does it plan to take up staff tasking. Instead, the agenda items are to be resumed at the April council meeting, which is also scheduled to be held at Anchorage’s Egan Center. ...
New Report Says SEAK SeaBank Contributed Billions to Area Economy

New Report Says SEAK SeaBank Contributed Billions to Area Economy

A report highlighting the value of Southeast Alaska’s terrestrial and marine environment, including its commercial fisheries, concludes that annual economic dividends from fisheries and tourism are valued at $1 billion and 16,500 jobs. The 2024 Seabank Annual Report, released Nov. 17 by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust in Sitka, notes that in 2024 the SeaBank had a value of $5.3 billion in ecosystem services such as marine nurseries and wetland buffers from 850,000 acres of estuaries and 2.7 billion metric tons of carbon sequestered in the SeaBank forest. The report also identifies threats to that natural capital—industrial logging, trawling, mining and climate change. “This incredible bank supports over 72,000 human shareholders in 33 communities, along with citizens worldwide, ...
Studying Fish DNA in Water Samples Helps Researchers Estimate Multiple Species’ Biomass

Studying Fish DNA in Water Samples Helps Researchers Estimate Multiple Species’ Biomass

A new study by NOAA Fisheries in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks shows that it’s possible to estimate fish biomass at once for more than one species, using environmental DNA. The study, released by NOAA Fisheries on Oct. 31, found that researchers can estimate the abundance of ecologically and commercially important Alaska fish species—Arctic cod, walleye pollock and Pacific cod which are difficult to distinguish in eDNA samples.Top of Form DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule found inside cells that carries the genetic information necessary for an organism’s development and function, essentially acting as a blueprint for all the proteins in an organism and passing this information from one generation to the next. eDNA is the genetic material ...
From the Editor: A New Era

From the Editor: A New Era

Hello and welcome to a new era for Fishermen’s News magazine.  If you missed the announcement that ran in this space last issue, here’s the news: beginning with this issue, Fishermen’s News will be available exclusively as a digital publication.  To be clear, the publication is still being produced in a magazine format and is offered electronically, but not in physical form.  The digital edition’s available both online and offline, and has added features that aren’t available in print, including the ability to zoom in & out on text and images, and the ability to click on ads to go directly to the advertiser’s website.  The electronic magazine capability also allows readers to read the magazine on a phone, tablet or computer. Plus, it automatically scales to the proper screen size f...
ASMI Awarded $8.5M International Marketing Grant

ASMI Awarded $8.5M International Marketing Grant

A federal grant for $8.5 million has been awarded to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute for the purpose of increasing its international marketing efforts over the next five years, ASMI announced in mid-December. “We were pleasantly surprised,” said ASMI Executive Director Jeremy Woodrow, who announced receipt of the grant, which is specifically designed for marketing and trade efforts, on Dec. 19. The $8.5 million grant come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service Regional Agricultural Program (RAPP). Key uses for the USDA RAPP funds include expansion of trade and foodservice promotions in Southeast Asia and Latin America, adding consumer marketing programs to both regions, plus expanded efforts in Brazil to include consumer marketing and helping that ...
Fisheries Entity Cites Southeast Alaska as Climate Change Resistant

Fisheries Entity Cites Southeast Alaska as Climate Change Resistant

Research by Oregon scientist Dominic A. DellaSala showing Southeast Alaska to be a climate stronghold in the midst of global warming is being hailed by an educational partner of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. “Rainforest scientists such as Dominick DellaSala say we’re warming more slowly than nearby regions,” Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) Board President Linda Behnken said. “They believe there is potential for our region to become a stronghold where everything from wild salmon to big conifers can still find habitat,” she added. This information and more is part of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust’s SeaBank initiative, a multi-disciplinary approach to identify, assess and communicate the value of the Southeast Alaska ecosystem. “Our goal is to empower r...
Maritime Institute Acquires Compass Courses

Maritime Institute Acquires Compass Courses

San Diego-based training provider Maritime Institute announced Nov. 4 that it’s acquiring Edmonds, Wash.-based Compass Courses. The acquisition closed Dec. 1, and training programs are now being held in Edmonds. Compass Courses provides training to mariners throughout the Pacific Northwest, providing service to the commercial fishing, cargo and passenger transportation industries that drive the regional economy. “Compass Courses has an outstanding reputation as a training provider that really cares about their mariners,” Maritime Institute CEO Dave Abrams said. “Adding Compass Courses facilities, staff and great instructional team to our organization will allow us to expand training opportunities for mariners in the Pacific Northwest region.” “We are thrilled to have the Compass Cours...