November 2022 – Fishermens News

California Worker Classification

Some important news for professional fishermen and women in California occurred in September: the state’s governor signed a bill that provides anglers a two-year exemption from the state’s so-called ABC test, which is used to determine whether workers are employees or independent contractors. Under the ABC test, a person being paid to provide labor or services is considered an employee rather than an independent contractor unless the hiring entity can prove that the person is an independent contractor. A worker is considered an employee and not an independent contractor unless the employer satisfies all three of the following conditions: The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for...

EPA Extends Consideration Period for Proposed Pebble Mine

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended its consideration period for proposed restrictions on mining at the proposed Pebble mine site in Southwest Alaska, this time until Dec. 2. The comment period was originally set to end in July, then continued to early September. While the comment period is now closed, the EPA is giving itself additional time to render a decision. The crux of the issue is the potential adverse impact of the mine on the Bristol Bay watershed, home of the world’s largest run of sockeye salmon. The 2022 season was a record breaker for the millions of salmon caught in Bristol Bay, providing thousands of jobs to workers and millions of dollars to the industry and economy of Alaska. The EPA is currently faced with whether to withdraw proposed restrictions ...

Bristol Bay Marks Record Run & Salmon Harvested

The 2022 inshore Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run of 79 million fish proved the largest inshore run on record, with harvesters delivering 60.1 million reds to processors, the largest harvest on record, with the preliminary exvessel value estimated at $351.7 million, data show. According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists, the ex-vessel value —the price paid to harvesters—is based on major buyers’ base price and do not include future price adjustments for icing, bleeding, floating or production bonuses. The run itself was 81% above the 43.6 million average run for the latest 20-year period (2002-2021), and was just the fourth time on record that the Bristol Bay inshore sockeye salmon run has exceeded 60 million fish, data show. State fisheries biologists said all sockeye sa...

On to the Future

By the time you read this, PCFFA will be under new leadership. Unlike some partings, this one is very amicable. When I came aboard, PCFFA needed a uniter. I think we were very successful in bringing unity to our organization as well as reestablishing relationships with commercial fishing organizations we had lost touch with. Today, PCFFA is in need of someone who can lead the organization to become even more prosperous. Like most fishing organizations, PCFFA has operated on a shoestring budget. COVID-19 provided challenges, but thanks to some generous donations and COVID relief funds, we persevered. But to accomplish our organizational goals and objectives, we realized we need leadership which has a primary focus of raising funds. With those funds, we will be better situated to remain ...

Fishing Vessel Stability Requirements—Adding Clarity to the Murky Applicability

This is the second article in a three-part series on the topic of fishing vessel stability. Last month’s column covered awareness and training and next month’s will address operational stability and how the use of a vessel can drastically affect its stability. But this issue’s article focuses on regulations and requirements and how some in the industry and even the Coast Guard, fail to recognize when they apply. What, When, Who? – Does This Apply to Me? When it comes to commercial fishing industry vessels 79 feet or greater (that are not required to have a load line), the stability rules are within 46 Code of Federal Regulations Part 28, Subpart E (Stability). You can look up those on your own if you want to read it word for word. They are most helpful if you are having difficulty fa...

Fishermen Sound Off on Modern Apparel

There they are on the television screen—images of flimsy little tents huddled together, flapping in the wind at Mount Everest’s base camp. One can’t help but wonder how these tiny, toy-like shelters can shield their occupants from the horrendous conditions on the Earth’s tallest mountain. The answer: technology. The research and testing that goes into perfecting those tents protect the climbers from hypothermia. And likewise, the sports apparel industry has spent plenty of time crafting the gear that protects commercial fishermen from the ravages of the mighty seas. Everything that fishermen wear, from head to toe, needs to fulfill the function of keeping them dry and comfortable. Commercial fishermen don’t wear puffy parkas—they need suits that repel water. They need to be able to p...

Navigate Commercial Maritime Financing in a Rising Rate Environment

Lingering post-pandemic challenges, supply chain issues, and pent-up demand has led to rising prices, resulting in a level of inflation not seen in 40 years. It seemed inflation might slow by the end of the summer with a drop in fuel prices. Unfortunately, the government’s September report on the Consumer Price Index showed inflation to be persistent. The Federal Reserve’s response has been a series of interest rate hikes in an attempt to cool this inflationary trend. In turn, borrowers are seeing rates increase on everything from business loans to home mortgages. Increasing rates mean higher loan payments. In this economy, it’s not surprising to feel concerned as the costs of borrowing rise. Many commercial maritime projects are financed. Whether buying new permits or planning vessel ...

Vessel Profile: The Western Flyer Returns

The Tacoma-built purse seiner of Steinbeck fame prepares for a new working life. The Western Flyer was in dire straits when it was found by John Gregg on the Swinomish Channel in 2015. The 1937-era wood purse seiner had endured two sinking episodes from 2012 to 2013 and appeared no different than the many doomed derelict workboats of the world. Yet Gregg, inspired, eagerly bought the Western Flyer for around $1 million. The reason? The Western Flyer is the same purse seiner John Steinbeck and his colleague and marine biologist Ed Ricketts chartered to the Gulf of Mexico in 1940. The expedition to collect and catalogue tidal marine animals is the subject Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize-winning book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Out of the Grave & Back to Work Gregg, who’s based in the...

Fishing Safety: Caution Advised Re: Energy Drinks, Electronics for Good Health, Sleep

Eating bad food makes you feel good, because nothing makes you happier than a satisfying meal, but seafood harvesters devoted to that career should make better choices, according to Jerry Dzugan, an outspoken advocate for the longevity of Alaska’s graying fleet of fishermen. As the director and an instructor for the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association for well over three decades, Dzugan has plenty of experience in teaching ergonomics, the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. He informs fishermen about how to use specific exercises to avoid and also recuperate from injuries sustained at sea. An advocate of fishing safety, Dzugan also has plenty of tips for all age groups in the fishing industry on diet, exercise and getting enough rest to be in top form when...

IYS Research Continues on Salmon in Open Ocean

Researchers participating in the International Year of the Salmon (IYS) are preparing to bring a team to Vancouver, British Columbia in October for a preliminary review of expedition findings on what happens to salmon in the North Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of Alaska. Organizers of the IYS Synthesis Symposium, slated for Oct. 4-6 in Vancouver, identified as the ultimate goal developing a roadmap for the resilience of salmon and people through 2030. Synthesis papers and presentations given during the symposium are to be used to identify critical knowledge or method gaps and potential solutions to inform that roadmap, they said. Lab work is ongoing as scientists from the five international research vessels that participated in the IYS Pan-Pacific Winter High Seas Expedition— from ...