October 2021 – Page 2 – Fishermens News

Alaska Symphony of Seafood Expands Competition

Expansion features are on tap for the 2021-22 Alaska Symphony of Seafood event, with salmon and whitefish product categories, in addition to retail, food service and beyond the plate. The annual competition, which began in 1994, was on hiatus in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic but is coming back in person under current health and safety guidelines, said Julie Decker, executive director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation. Product entries may be entered in all qualified categories and are eligible for multiple awards. The deadline for entries is Oct. 4. Special awards for this year’s competition include the grand prize, Seattle People’s Choice, Juneau People’s Choice and the new Bristol Bay Choice, sponsored by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Associ...

North Pacific Fixed Gear Sablefish Fishery Recertified by Marine Stewardship Council

The Marine Stewardship Council has recertified the North Pacific fixed gear sablefish fishery as sustainable and for the first time and has extended the rigorous certification to the Northern Southeast Inside’s sablefish fishery, as well. “This recertification rightly acknowledges the hard work of Alaska fixed gear fishermen and fishery managers to maintain healthy fisheries in balance with marine ecosystems,” said Bob Alverson, director of the Fishing Vessel Owners Association. “MSC certification requires continued improvement in best fishing and management practices and our sablefish fisheries met all identified criteria.” The client for MSC halibut and sablefish is “Eat on the Wild Side,” a nonprofit of the FVOC and Deep Sea Fishermen’s Union. MSC first certified the North Pacific f...

Investigation Urged into Toxic Chemical Impacts on Coho Salmon

Fourteen members of Congress are calling for an investigation into effects of 6PPD-quinone, a highly toxic degradation product from tires and recycled rubber on endangered salmon, aquatic species and watersheds nationwide. The House of Representatives members told the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the chemical may be contributing to widespread salmon mortality and would have profound implications for salmon recovery efforts. “Given the dismal trajectory of West Coast salmon populations, your agencies should be working with great urgency to gain a better understanding of this threat and to take any necessary actions to address it,” they said in an Aug. 19 letter. It was signed by California Representatives Jared Huffman, cha...

GAO Urged to Review Delay of Coast Guard Vessel Deliveries

A U.S. House committee looking into significant delivery delays of offshore patrol and polar security cutters to the U.S. Coast Guard has asked the Government Accountability Office to review the situation, as well as related budgetary issues. Given the significant budgetary commitment from Congress, the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard have made for the Offshore Patrol Cutters program to date, continued oversight is necessary to ensure that the program does not continue to experience cost growth or additional schedule delays, according to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Committee chair Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR, and ranking member Rep. Sam Graves, R-MO, told GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro that the Offshore Patrol Cutter fleet, the larges...

The Loss of the Linda

I first started crab fishing in San Francisco in 1957. The next summer, I fished for salmon with my brother “Fooz” on the boat Garnet. It was a very poor salmon season, but we were able to keep food on the table for our families and put a little in the bank, too. I leased the boat Fairway for that crab season, then I bought the boat Linda, a 33-foot, San Francisco-made boat the next salmon season. It was an old wooden boat, but had a reputation as a good sea boat. It had a Lathrup Marine gas engine in it and ran well, but had a gear-driven 6 volt, 6 amp generator on it. That really does not put out enough for much more than keeping the engine running. And with an automatic pilot and running lights at nighttime, it was not enough. So come that crab season, I felt I could not go to San Fra...

Sailing into the Unknown — Rough Seas Aheads

America’s commercial fishing families provide an invaluable service to all Americans. Often putting our lives at risk, we do so without unrealistic expectations. For the most part, we love what we do and prefer the dynamic and ever-changing ocean upon which we ply our trades. We are conservationists; we are aware of changes underway in our environment (often long before scientists and managers notice them) and constantly adapting to them; we are passionate and committed to providing the world’s citizen’s with a highly regulated, sustainable source of protein; we are essential workers; we are community members; we are engaged in the management of our marine resources; we are your next door neighbors; we are story-tellers, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters. We are you....

Crab Prices Soar in Restaurants and at Markets

Menus at top seafood restaurants these days from Anchorage to San Diego boast gourmet entrees from sockeye and king salmon to Pacific halibut and cod, plus Dungeness crab and a variety of crab cake starters. But those looking for an entrée of Bering Sea red king crab legs will find their listings on some of the West Coast’s finest restaurants few and far between, because of soaring prices. It’s the highest price in the marketplace for king crab “and I expect this year’s (price) to beat last year’s,” said Jake Jacobs, executive director of the Inter-Cooperative Exchange in Seattle. “Prices have been climbing. It has been a really strange market with (the) COVID (pandemic) going on and it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen,” he said. “Based on what the fishermen said I am optimistic....