May 2022 – Page 2 – Fishermens News

Spill Response and Resiliency Profile: Resolve Marine

The word ‘resolve’ has multiple definitions, but two of the more commonly used meanings are ‘to settle or find a solution to a problem’ and ‘firm determination to do something.’ Both definitions fully apply to Resolve Marine, a global maritime solutions provider with a large presence on the West Coast. Resolve, which has particularly large operations in Alaska, offers a range of services for commercial fishing boats, container ships and other types of vessels. They include emergency response, marine salvage and fire response, wreck removal, diving and underwater surveying, vessel stability modeling and remediation, coastal erosion control and recovery, wreck deposition, lightering, towing and damage-assessment services. In an exclusive interview with Fishermen’s News, Todd Duke, the co...

Gulf of California Fisheries – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Gulf of California, aka the Sea of Cortez, is the body of water below Southern California that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It’s one of the more productive and biodiverse marine ecoregions in the world. But according to various reports, there are multiple issues affecting the region’s commercial fisheries including overfishing, the potential collapse of the tuna fishery and rampant organized crime that has managed to gain control of the entire seafood production chain. The Good As mentioned above, the Sea of Cortez is home to a very rich ecosystem and is considered one of the most diverse seas on Earth, as well an environment filled with natural beauty that has yet to be spoiled by man and industry. The region also has a long history as a com...

Pacific PARS Moves Forward and Takes on New Work

Last July, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the start of a Port Access Route Study (PARS) along the entire U.S. Pacific Coast (PacPARS). This is the first such all-encompassing Pacific Ocean study, although regional PARS were done in the past. There have been two recent important study developments. One, expected and procedural, was the close of the public comment period on Jan. 25. The Coast Guard received comments from 52 individuals and organizations. The comments present the top challenges and concerns, at least on the public side, that the USCG must confront as it starts the next phase of the study. The second development is something of a showstopper. On Feb. 25, the USCG announced a big change within PacPARS: that USCG District 11—which encompasses California, Arizona, Nevada, and U...

Maintaining Your Immersion Suit

Protect yourself and your crew by inspecting and maintaining your survival suits regularly Immersion suits have saved thousands of fishermen’s lives. Most fishing vessels on the West Coast and Alaska are required to carry them. They are your “parachute” if staying on the vessel is more dangerous than being in the water, but survival suits need attention and care. After the sinking of the F/V Wayward Wind, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation revealed that corroded zippers on immersion suits most likely contributed to the deaths of three crewmembers. The suits were not fully zipped, allowing cold water to ﬂush in and out. Inﬂation bladders were not attached to all of the suits and none had lights. The NTSB concluded that the crewmembers may have survived if the su...

California Closes Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Protect Humpback Whales

Because of two recent humpback whale entanglements that occurred off San Mateo County and in Monterey Bay involving California commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in early April closed the commercial Dungeness crab fishery. The closure, which affects Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border) was effective at noon on April 8, nearly two months earlier than originally planned. All Dungeness crab traps were ordered to be removed from the fishing grounds by the closure date. “While this closure shortens the season for many fishermen, the RAMP (Risk Assessment Mitigation Program) regulations are designed to minimize risk and provide for a long-term viable fishery for all Californians,” the CDFW exp...

Washington Seafood Processor Accused by DOJ of Distributing Bad Products

The United States Department of Justice in March filed a complaint to stop a seafood processor in Monroe, Washington, from what the DOJ said is the processing and selling “adulterated” seafood products. In a civil complaint for permanent injunction filed at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the DOJ alleges that Diane Zollinger, through her business, Felix Custom Smoking, violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by distributing impure ready-to-eat seafood products, including fish jerky and cold- and hot-smoked salmon. According to the complaint, Zollinger sells products directly to consumers from her business and at farmers’ markets. She also provides custom processing for commercial fisherman and other wholesalers. The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. Di...

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton Returns to Alameda After Completing Operation Blue Pacific Patrol

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton returned to Alameda, California in March after a 20,348-mile patrol to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on the high seas and in partner nations’ exclusive economic zones. The Stratton crew worked with Pacific partner nations during its deployment, including Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Australia and the United Kingdom. During the mission, crew from the Stratton boarded 11 vessels and found 21 violations, according the USCG. Commander Steve Adler said that collaboration with partners and utilization of shiprider agreements gave them the ability to accomplish their mission to maintain regional stability and protect the fishing industry. “By bringing aboard shipriders from Fiji, we were able to patrol their exclusive...

USDA Awarding $50 Million in Grants to Support the Seafood Industry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an investment of about $50 million in grants to support facilities and vessels through the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program (SPRS). The funding, which was announced in mid-February and is to be distributed through state agencies, is to help defray costs incurred by seafood processing facilities and processing vessels preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is funded as part of pandemic assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. SPRS recipients include state agencies, commissions or departments responsible for agriculture, fisheries, wildlife, seafood, commercial processing or related commerce activities. West Coast an...

Alaska Togiak Herring Forecast is Robust

Alaska state fisheries biologists are predicting a 2022 mature herring biomass of 357,536 tons of sac roe herring at Togiak, the highest forecast since an age-structured assessment model was first used for the 1993 forecast. Under a 20% exploitation rate, the 2022 potential harvest is 71,507 tons in all fisheries and 65,107 tons in the Togiak sac roe fisheries, both purse seine and gillnet. Fishery managers said that due to the more normal cold winter, including ice, the first fishery would likely occur about the first part of May. The forecast is primarily due to the largest estimated recruitment of age-4 fish on record in 2021, preceded by another large recruitment event in 2020. These cohorts are projected to make up an even larger portion of the population in 2022 due to increasing...

Canadian Research Vessel Completes Winter High Seas Expedition

The Canadian research vessel CCGS Sir John Franklin returned to its home port in British Columbia in late March after a month at sea taking part in the 2022 International Year of the Salmon Pan-Pacific Winter High Seas Expedition. The survey completed aboard the Franklin was a fully integrated ecosystem study, with complete oceanographic sampling. The scientists who were aboard the Franklin will now analyze data and samples from the survey in collaboration with U.S. colleagues and Canadian academic partners. Expedition organizers said that the enthusiasm and hard work of young scientists from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria, coupled with the international effort needed to understand the winter ecology of Pacific salmon in a changing North Pacific Ocean...