June 2023 – Fishermens News

The Battle Over Columbia River Salmon

Over the next several months, the West Coast has a golden opportunity to push for a serious Columbia River salmon recovery plan. This chance to finally get it right comes after decades—and more than $15 billion—spent by the federal government trying to fix a broken system, along with more than 20 years of litigation. After decades of dam building, four final dams—Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite—were built on the Snake River, the Columbia River’s largest tributary, in the 1960s and ‘70s. Before they were constructed, Washington’s Department of Fisheries warned that the Lower Snake River dams would spell trouble for salmon: “The development would remove part of the cost of waterborne shipping from the shipper and place it on the taxpayer, jeopardizing more than...

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton Departs Japan

Northern California-based U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton departed Yokosuka, Japan on May 3, following a scheduled port visit while deployed to the Indo-Pacific. Stratton is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific to engage with ally and partner nations and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. “Deploying U.S. Coast Guard assets to the Indo-Pacific promotes security, safety, sovereignty and economic prosperity in the region while strengthening relationships between the U.S. and partner nations,” Stratton’s commanding officer, Capt. Brian Krautler said. Yokosuka was Stratton’s third port visit since departing its homeport of Alameda, California. The cutter’s crew was conducting exercises in the region to share best practices and expertise in search-and-rescue and law enforcement. U....

New Alaska Airlines Jet Celebrates Salmon

Alaska Airlines in early May unveiled the first domestic airline jet to have an Alaska Native language name and to depict the ancestral importance of salmon through Northwest Coast formline art. The artwork on Xáat Kwáani, designed by Alaska Native artist Crystal Kaakeeyáa Rose Demientieff Worl, took 117 gallons of paint and more than 12 days to complete, according to the airline. The jet left on its inaugural flight out of Anchorage on May 12, bound for Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Seattle. Photo courtesy of Alaska Airlines.

Fishery Closure Issues on Tap for June NPFMC Meeting

Specifications for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab harvests and an initial review of Bristol Bay Red King Crab closure areas are on tap when federal fisheries managers convene their June 5-11 meeting in Sitka, Alaska. The meeting agenda for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) is online at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2993. Topics for the council’s meeting include reports from NPFMC’s executive director, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the council’s Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical Committee. Officials are accepting written comments on all matters before the council and its advisory panel from May 12 through noon June 2. Submitted comments are to be...

NMFS’ Furuness Honored with Distinguished Service Award

Federal fisheries managers have honored Mary Furuness, a supervisory fish management specialist with the agency’s Alaska regional office, with the Bob Mace Distinguished Service Award for her years of work moving in-season management to the electronic system used today. During its April meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council cited her day-to-day management of some of the most complex and controversial fishery programs in Alaska over the past 33 years, including community development quota, rockfish, Amendment 80 programs and salmon bycatch management. The award, only occasionally bestowed by the council, is named for Mace, who represented the state of Oregon on the council for 23 years. Since 2009, when she became chief of the Inseason Management Branch of NMFS, her are...

Offshore Wind Update: Developments in Oregon, Washington

Two years ago, the Biden administration announced that the West Coast would be open to offshore wind (OSW) development for the first time, starting with areas along the northern and central coasts of California, as part of the administration’s larger efforts to create 30 gigawatts of domestic offshore wind by 2030. Now the government’s offshore wind efforts are moving farther up the West Coast. Last spring, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the lead agency handling the offshore wind development process, announced possible leasing off the Oregon coast, in the proposed Coos Bay Call Area (872,854 acres) and the Brookings Call Area (about 286,444 acres). Washington state isn’t far behind. While BOEM hasn’t announced any call areas in the Evergreen State, there’s been at least...

Report: Ocean Biodiversity in California Threatened by Set Gillnet Fishery

A report released April 17 by two environmental entities contends that the set gillnet fishery targeting halibut and white seabass off Southern California is threatening the health and diversity of the ocean ecosystem. The gillnets are injuring and killing myriad ocean animals, including rare and vulnerable species, while the fishery remains largely unmonitored, according to Oceana and the Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN). Their analysis concludes that the fishery throws overboard 64% of animals caught, ranking its untargeted catch as among the highest bycatch of any fishery in the country. Caitlynn Birch, a Pacific marine scientist with Oceana, said the set gillnet fishery is clearly a risk to the health and resilience of California’s oceans. As climate change continues to crea...

PFMC: Offshore Wind Energy Development May Not be Compatible With Fisheries

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), in a letter to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, has raised concerns about potential adverse impacts to fisheries from offshore wind (OSW) energy in ocean waters off the state’s coast. In an April 6 letter, the PFMC suggested to Kotek that the state rescind the Coos Bay and Brookings call areas, and that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) not proceed with Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) at this time. The council said it’s not opposed to development of offshore wind energy, but seeks a development process that considers multiple ocean uses, and sites OSW energy facilities to be compatible with multiple uses. The council urged the BOEM to restart the process of identifying call areas off Oregon by considering all areas greater than 12 miles offsho...

Peter Pan, Silver Bay Working on Possible Processing Partnership

A top official with Peter Pan Seafood says his company is working with competitor Silver Bay Seafoods on possible joint venture processing opportunities in Valdez, Alaska. “Even though it looks like nothing will happen regarding a JV (joint venture) between Peter Pan and Silver Bay in Prince William Sound, we will continue to try to find synergies that benefit community, fleet, and our customers, while at the same time boosting Peter Pan‘s bottom line,” said Peter Pan Seafood owner Roger May, who’s also president, chief growth officer and founder of Northwest Fish Co., LLC. May’s comments came on the heels of reports from a seafood industry publication that Peter Pan, which came under new ownership two years ago, and Silver Bay, founded in 2007, were stalled in negotiations to engage in ...

Peltola Supports International Watershed Board for Alaska-British Columbia Border

Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, is speaking out in support of an international board for specific rivers along the Southeast Alaska and British Columbia border to ensure environmental protection for these salmon-rich waterways. Peltola announced her support for an International Watershed Board in late April, in advance of meetings by the International Joint Commission of the U.S. and Canada in Washington D.C. The commission’s mandate is to prevent and resolve disputes under the U.S.-Canada Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. “Alaska and Canada share more than just a border; we share many watersheds and rivers that are critical to our people,” Peltola said. The representative added that she’d heard from many Alaska communities and tribes regarding their concerns about the potential impacts o...