November 2022 – Page 2 – Fishermens News

Acid Drainage from Abandoned BC Mine Now Closer to Cleanup

Efforts to halt acid drainage from an abandoned British Columbia mine flowing into the salmon-rich Taku River watershed in Southeast Alaska have come a step closer to resolution, with the future of the Tulsequah Chief Mine now in the hands of the provincial government. The BC government is currently in its third season of preliminary work at the site upstream of Southeast Alaska and has committed to its environmental cleanup. But efforts were slowed because the Tulsequah Chief’s bankrupt owner, Chieftain Metals, was searching for a new owner for the copper, zinc and lead mine, which ceased operations in 1957. In mid-August, a court-mandated deadline ended for West Face Capital, the creditor that had hoped to find a buyer for the mine. The conclusion of the receivership process is a majo...

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...

Alaska Strategic Plan Focuses on Next 5 Years

NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region strategic plan for 2022-2027 focuses on the most impactful ways the agency can refine its internal processes to leverage its people and apply financial resources to deliver better results, according to regional administrator Jon Kurland. The document, which aligns with the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans for the same years, calls for open communications with staff, partners and stakeholders, and a transparent, priority-based approach to allocate and reallocate staff and discretionary budget over time. The 10-page document, online at https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2022-09/akro-strategic-plan-2022.pdf, was released in early September. Its vision is that by 2027 the Alaska region will lead the nation in ...

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...

UBC Urges Strong Action to Mitigate Climate Change

A new study released by the University of British Columbia is projecting what impact global temperature increases and ranges of fishing activity will have on biomass, or the amount of fish by weight in a given area. The simulations, for a period from 1950 to 2100, suggest that climate change has reduced fish stocks in 103 of 226 marine regions studied, including Canada, from their historical levels. These stocks will struggle to rebuild their numbers under projected global warming levels in the 21st century, the researchers concluded. According to lead study author William Cheung, a professor at Canada’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, more conservation-oriented fisheries management is essential to rebuild exploited fish stocks under climate change. But that alone is not enough, ...

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 ...

Commerce Dept. Allocates $17.4M For West Coast Fisheries Disasters

Six tribal entities have been awarded $17.4 million by the U.S. Department of Commerce for salmon fisheries that from 2014 to 2019 have been determined to be disasters. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo made the announcement in early September. She said it is her hope that the disaster declaration will help affected tribes recover and increase their ability to combat such challenges in the future. In order to allocate funds across the eligible disasters, NOAA Fisheries used data on commercial revenue loss. The agency also took into consideration traditional uses that cannot be accounted for in revenue losses alone, such as cultural and subsistence uses. The funds went to the: 2019 Fraser River & Skagit River Salmon Fisheries (the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Tulali...

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...

Study Notes Potential Impact of Climate Change on Maritime Boundaries

A new study released Sept. 12 concludes that the rules for atolls and coral reefs in international law of the sea, already subject to interpretation due to their shifting nature, will be under greater stress as sea levels rise and ocean acidification disrupts reef integrity. These reef islands, found across the Indo-Pacific, are already growing and shrinking due to complex biological and physical processes yet to be fully understood. Now climate change is leading to new uncertainties for legal maritime zones and small island states, according to the University of Sydney study, which was published in Environmental Research Letters. Thomas Fellowes, a postdoctoral research associate at the university and the lead author of the paper, called the situation “a perfect storm that is bringing...

Mature Snow Crab Struggling in Eastern Bering Sea, But Immature Numbers Rising

A NOAA Fisheries analysis, released Sept. 2, of the summer survey of Bering Sea crab stocks has concluded that in the wake of consecutive years of record warm temperatures, numbers of mature male and female snow crab are still down, but there’s a significant increase in immature snow crab abundance. “Depending on how many of these young crabs actually survive to adulthood, this could be one bright spot for the fishing industry in a few years,” said Mike Litzow, survey lead and director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Kodiak Laboratory. “We are providing these early results to stock assessment scientists and resource managers to inform science and management discussions that will occur over the next few months to identify fishery management measures for the 2023 fishing year,” ...