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News: Rumor Around Docks that Feds Rejected NPFMC Nominees ANCHORAGE -- Dock talk has been running hot that the feds rejected Gov. Sarah Palin’s nominees for two seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Such an action would be an unusual and serious provocation to the new governor. “There’s no truth to the rumor,” Sharon Leighow, the governor’s deputy press secretary, said. “We’ve gotten no letter, no verbal notification. The rumor started about a week and a half ago, and we have no clue where it started.” Council staffers, a spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service and state Fish and Game Commissioner Denby Lloyd all said they know of no letter or other communiqué from the feds turning back Palin’s nominees. As the rumor goes, NMFS chief Bill Hogarth supposedly rejected the nominees for lack of any sportfishing types in the group. Palin on March 15 submitted six names to the feds, and said she preferred these two for the council seats: Duncan Fields, a Kodiak salmon setnetter and community advocate, and Beth Stewart, a Juneau lobbyist for the Aleutians East Borough. Several people involved in sport fishing, specifically halibut charter boat captains, had sought a council seat but didn’t make the list of nominees. Of course, the bitter competition for halibut between the charter and commercial fleets is one of Alaska’s hottest fish fights at the moment. Here’s one thing that’s confirmed: Hogarth did send a letter in January to coastal governors emphasizing the need to “balance commercial and recreational representation” on all eight of the nation’s regional fishery management councils. – Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy, writing as Highliner in the Anchorage Daily News Analysis: Cold Winter, Spring to Affect Salmon KODIAK -- Fishery managers do not know how this long, cold winter and slow starting spring will affect salmon numbers over the next few years, but they have a good idea based on past data.Pre-emergent fry studies took place in Kodiak from the late 1960s, but a lack of funding cut the program several years ago. The program allowed Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists to fly to various river systems and excavate areas where pink salmon spawned to see how well the fish survived over the winter. “You could tell whether floods in the fall had washed the eggs out completely and if the fry were developing normally, or if there had been a problem because of freezing,” Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association (KRAA) executive director Kevin Brennan said. This past winter and early spring has been one of the coldest on record, he said. “This March was very similar to some of those very cold winters we had in the ’70s. There is the potential it is going to lower the pink salmon production specifically, and possibly some of the other species of salmon,” he said. This will not affect this years’ pink salmon run, but the 2008 run could be impacted. Brennan noted pink salmon are the least evolved salmon species and more likely to be affected by climate. They often spawn in shallow water and gravel with a lot of water in it and are subject to freezing. “Looking at the weather we had this year and comparing it to those years when I was involved in the pre-emergent salmon project, I can say there was more ice and the ice was on rivers longer than I had ever seen in my 15 years of working with pink salmon in Kodiak.” Pink salmon dig a shallow redd or nest 6 to 8 inches deep and deposit gravel over it. When the fish hatch, if there is enough water in the gravel they may move deeper to avoid the cold temperatures. As spring progresses, they move closer to the surface as they absorb their egg yolks. When the yolk is absorbed, they come up into the water column and are washed out to sea where they begin to feed. If they can’t get out of the gravel because it is frozen, or if they absorb their yolk before they are able to get out into open water, they won’t survive. Kodiak Island’s two salmon hatcheries also have had problems because of the cold weather. Colder-than-usual water slows the development of the fish. Fish in both hatcheries are weeks behind their normal maturity schedule, but it is unlikely they will freeze to death. – Kodiak Daily Mirror Analysis: Cold Winter, Spring to Affect Salmon KODIAK -- Fishery managers do not know how this long, cold winter and slow starting spring will affect salmon numbers over the next few years, but they have a good idea based on past data.Pre-emergent fry studies took place in Kodiak from the late 1960s, but a lack of funding cut the program several years ago. The program allowed Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists to fly to various river systems and excavate areas where pink salmon spawned to see how well the fish survived over the winter. “You could tell whether floods in the fall had washed the eggs out completely and if the fry were developing normally, or if there had been a problem because of freezing,” Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association (KRAA) executive director Kevin Brennan said. This past winter and early spring has been one of the coldest on record, he said. “This March was very similar to some of those very cold winters we had in the ’70s. There is the potential it is going to lower the pink salmon production specifically, and possibly some of the other species of salmon,” he said. This will not affect this years’ pink salmon run, but the 2008 run could be impacted. Brennan noted pink salmon are the least evolved salmon species and more likely to be affected by climate. They often spawn in shallow water and gravel with a lot of water in it and are subject to freezing. “Looking at the weather we had this year and comparing it to those years when I was involved in the pre-emergent salmon project, I can say there was more ice and the ice was on rivers longer than I had ever seen in my 15 years of working with pink salmon in Kodiak.” Pink salmon dig a shallow redd or nest 6 to 8 inches deep and deposit gravel over it. When the fish hatch, if there is enough water in the gravel they may move deeper to avoid the cold temperatures. As spring progresses, they move closer to the surface as they absorb their egg yolks. When the yolk is absorbed, they come up into the water column and are washed out to sea where they begin to feed. If they can’t get out of the gravel because it is frozen, or if they absorb their yolk before they are able to get out into open water, they won’t survive. Kodiak Island’s two salmon hatcheries also have had problems because of the cold weather. Colder-than-usual water slows the development of the fish. Fish in both hatcheries are weeks behind their normal maturity schedule, but it is unlikely they will freeze to death. – Kodiak Daily Mirror News: Fishermen Go Solar LUMMI ISLAND — A group of Lummi Island reef-netters say the addition of solar panels will cut the environmental impact of their salmon fishery to almost zero this season.Fishers who catch salmon with troll, purse seine or gillnet gear use motor vessels that can run up a big fuel bill. Reef-netters stay in one place, but they use electric motors to pull their nets up. Until now, Dave Hansen and his reef-netting partners Tom Munroe, Riley Starks and Ian Kirouac used battery power for the net motors. On Tuesday, Hansen watched as electrician Bruce Rasmussen worked on the array of solar electric panels. Rasmussen said each of the 12 panels produces 100 watts of 12-volt power. At a total cost of $8,000, the project won’t pay for itself in electricity costs any time soon, but it will eliminate the backbreaking routine involved in recharging the batteries. Kirouac said the solar panels also will save work and enable the reef-netters to market their fish to environmentally-conscious consumers who like the idea of a zero emissions fishery. “With this installation, Washington now has the most sustainable salmon fishery on the planet,” Kirouac said. Starks will offer the fish at his restaurant, The Willows, on Lummi Island. The Anthony’s restaurant chain, Haggen Inc. and Pacific Cafe in Bellingham also buy the partners’ fish. The reef-netters believe in recycling, too. Hansen said the electric motors on his boat once powered the bomb bay doors and landing gear of a World War II vintage B-17 bomber, and they use a transmission salvaged from Model T Fords. – Bellingham Herald Analysis: Air Transport Holding Back Alaska Fisheries ANCHORAGE -- Alaska seafood processors shipping fresh product face many logistical challenges in delivering premium fish, and increasing customer and government demands aren't going to make it any easier.Don Ehrlich, northwest regional manager in Seattle for Commodity Forwarders Inc., told the Anchorage Air Cargo Association in late March that greater efficiency is needed to assure that the quality of seafood shipped fresh is not compromised. Alaska's remote geography and weather conditions, with related flight delays, are part of the contributing factors in maintaining the integrity of fresh fish shipped out of state. Ehrlich also warned that shippers are likely to face increased security demands for air freight, and may have to meet growing customer demand to provide information on how much hydrocarbon energy was used to get the shipment to its destination. Seafood industry sources said it is common knowledge in the industry that employees of freight forwarders and their customers must have thorough background checks to have contact with the product being shipped. Anyone picking up or delivering products at an airline must have proper identification, and must also be on an approved list. While the prospect of opening shipments may not be a concern for many firms, it could pose quality assurance problems for shippers of perishable items like produce and seafood. To handle many of the quality assurance and other logistics problems, seafood processors are turning to companies like Commodity Forwarders Inc., which has a dozen domestic facilities and network relationships with others in U.S. cities, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Latin America, the South Pacific, Asia and the Middle East. The firm specializes in the transportation and distribution of perishable products worldwide. CFI also handles temperature-sensitive cargo through its perishable network relationships in many countries. Freight forwarders are very successful in delivering fresh product, said Rob Winfree of Tenth & M Seafoods, an Anchorage firm which ships thousands of pounds of seafood annually. "Without them it would be 100% relying on the airline," Winfree said. "They are like the knights at the castle, making sure the airlines are doing what they are supposed to do, so we can concentrate on the fish." Winfree said Ehrlich's point was well taken. "The fishermen, the processors, the trucking companies, everybody is doing their part to maintain the cool chain. The weak link is the airline," he said. Winfree said companies like his have come up with alternative ways to get product from point A to point B, and in fact, most of the seafood harvested in Alaska goes out by truck, rather than on airlines. He said, however, that firms shipping perishables would love to support the airline industry as a side benefit to supporting their own customers. "Fish is our second largest resource in the state of Alaska," he said. "You'd think the airlines would recognize that, but they have an entire industry (the seafood industry) looking for solutions to help the airlines. The airlines are not doing the research and development. It appears they are not embracing the industry to promote more shipping of fresh perishable goods." – Alaska Journal of Commerce News Brief: Bristol Bay Names Officer of Seafood Board DILLINGHAM -- Seven Bristol Bay commercial driftnet fishermen have been elected to the board of the fledging Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, acting executive director Bob Waldrop announced April 19. The three seats reserved for Bristol Bay permit holders from Alaska went to Robert Heyano, of Dillingham, for three years; Chris McDowell, of Juneau, for two years; and Mark Buckley, of Kodiak, for one year. Seats reserved for nonresident permit holders went to Nick Lee, of Seattle, for three years; and Michael LaRussa, of Seattle, for two years. Seats open to both residents and nonresidents went to Barney Johnson, of Arlington, Wash., for one year; and Buck Gibbons, of Bellingham for three years. The regional seafood development associations may use funds collected as a 1% tax on value of fish, paid by fishermen, to market and promote their region’s seafood, for infrastructure development for the seafood industry, and to raise quality standards of processed seafood. Waldrop said the new RSDA will get about $875,000 this fall from state officials who collected the tax on behalf of the RSDA. The new board must now determine policies, priorities and specific programs it will pursue. - Alaska Journal of Commerce Legislative Watch: Lawmakers Won’t Protect Aquatic Reserve OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire's Puget Sound restoration initiative passed out of the Senate on a 43-4 vote Friday after a related bill that would have protected the Maury Island aquatic reserve died, ending a last-hour standoff between the House and the Senate.The Senate had been holding up Senate Bill 5372, which will launch the $8 billion Puget Sound restoration, insisting that it made no sense to embark on the effort at the same time mining expansion is allowed in the Sound's only aquatic reserve. But after negotiating late into Thursday night, House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D- Hoquiam, refused to budge. She said the bill would not have enough support in the House if the Maury Island bill was added, and she refused to include it as a budget proviso. Sen. Erik Poulsen, D-West Seattle, fought to include provisions that would have protected the Maury Island reserve. Giving up on the bill essentially gives the Glacier Northwest mining operation a green light to dramatically expand its sand and gravel mining on the central Puget Sound island. Opponents, including most of the environmental community, said the prospect of subjecting one of the best aquatic habitats in the Sound to industrial expansion is a stunning contradiction to the goals of the new Puget Sound restoration effort. But officials of the company said the work would be done in an ecologically sensitive manner, including replacing polluting creosote pilings with steel and making sure the eelgrass remains healthy. "All we wanted was a study and a timeout," Poulsen said. "The House rejected that and every other proposal we made. This morning, it was clear we were at an impasse and the Senate believes the Puget Sound Partnership and the state budget are both too important to stop. We are taking the higher ground, and we will take this fight up another day. "The idea that the massive expansion of a gravel pit in the heart of Puget Sound can have no environmental impact barely passes the straight-face test," he said. - Seattle P-I News: 51 Sea Lions Die in Fish Farm Net TOFINO, B.C., The deaths of 51 California sea lions caught in the nets of a salmon farm is a sign of how the mammals' exploding population will affect other marine enterprises, a fish-farm operator says.Employees of Creative Salmon Co. Ltd. discovered the mass of dead animals April 12 while changing nets on the farm, located in Tofino Inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. “In 16 years of operation, we have never experienced anything like this,” said general manager Spencer Evans. The incident and other reported sea-lion drownings at fish farms have environmentalists calling for a move away from open-ocean net cages to closed-containment systems. But Evans, who farms coho, said it might be the first indication of escalating problems for Clayoquot Sound. He said over the last 16 months, the number of sea lions has gone from a handful to about 1,500 animals. “The impact will be huge on the other local fishers, the sport fishers, the salmon enhancement people, the stream keepers, the native fishery,” he said. So far this year, Creative Salmon has reported 110 drowned sea lions, up from 46 in 2006. Evans said divers initially discovered a few drowned sea lions between the grower net and shark guard while performing a routine inspection. The grower net houses the salmon. The shark guard, attached to the bottom of the grower net, is a false bottom designed to keep out dog fish. Grower nets and shark guards are surrounded by a larger net, called a predator net, which surrounds an entire fish farm. Evans said he thinks the sea lions chewed through the predator net and shark guard to get at the salmon in the grower net but drowned when they couldn't get back out. 'Once they find a good spot they typically remember that,' said Marilyn Joyce, a marine mammal coordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Pacific region. Provincial and federal officials are investigating this incident, said Andrew Thomson, Fisheries' acting director for aquaculture management. – Toronto Star News: Fish Farmers Establish Salmon Futures Market OSLO – NOS Clearing, the Oslo-based clearing house for commodity derivatives and Fish Pool ASA, the Bergen-based seafood futures market, have launched the world's first cleared futures contracts for fresh salmon.This marks a world first for exchange traded seafood futures in the fast growing seafood derivatives market. The service is being formally launched at the European Seafood Exhibition in Brussels, 24-26 April 2007, where NOS Clearing ASA and Fish Pool ASA will share a stand at the Norwegian Pavilion. “From now, financial seafood contracts can be traded in the market in the same way that soya beans, coffee, wheat and meats are traded on the big international commodity exchanges. Introducing clearing of salmon contracts is a milestone in the development of the salmon market both in Norway and internationally,” said FishPool's Managing Director Søren Martens. Clearing affords protection against credit risk to each party in a transaction. Because of the forward nature of financial commodity contracts, most participants have credit risk as their main concern. The risk of default is a powerful argument for clearing. Whatever happens, each party will be guaranteed settlements from NOS Clearing ASA. “The great thing with clearing is that every participant can be anonymous when trading because there is no credit risk. This means they can trade with every the other participant in the market place without concerns for credit, which helps to boost liquidity. Credit risk is not an issue when you are trading cleared contracts,” explains Erik Flingtorp from NOS Clearing. “The key advantage for the seafood marked is the freedom of choice being offered. Contracts traded at Fish Pool settle in Norwegian Kroner (NOK1 = USD 0.16) which combined with NOS Clearing's clearing network, makes access to the market both fast and easy,” says Flingtorp. “We are building a solid seafood exchange for Norwegian and International participants where creating liquidity is alpha-omega for everyone. Clearing services from NOS Clearing is an important corner stone for us to reach critical mass in the trading volumes at Fish Pool,” concludes Martens. – HedgeWeek Legislative Watch: No Funding for Rescue Tug this Year OLYMPIA -- For the eighth consecutive year, the Legislature failed to nail down a permanent way to fund a rescue tugboat that prevents oil spills in sensitive Washington waters.Legislators' new approach this year: Let's hope the federal government will take care of it. Lawmakers also balked at a request to build up the state's oil-spill watchdog council, leaving it with two staffers -- just half the number of, for example, the Washington Beef Commission. To raise more money for oil-spill prevention, legislators debated whether to boost petroleum taxes by a penny or two for every 44-gallon barrel of oil processed at Washington refineries. But oil company lobbyists succeeded in beating that idea down, saying their tankers are far from the only risk for oil spills. At the helm in all this was Gov. Chris Gregoire, who originally tried to take away the independence of the Oil Spill Advisory Council, moving it under a Department of Ecology that environmentalists characterize as overly deferential to the oil industry. "The governor's not interested in a competitive, conflict-oriented approach to this," said Keith Phillips, Gregoire's environmental-affairs adviser. "She'd like to see us do it with what she calls the Washington way, where we sit down and agree to work things out." Environmentalist Bruce Wishart of the group People for Puget Sound called the failure to augment the rescue tug's funding "extremely disappointing ... and especially ironic because the tug has been so successful this year." The tug is stationed at Neah Bay, near Washington's northwest corner, in the winter and spring to aid ships in trouble that could otherwise run aground and spill oil. It saved two stricken vessels last month, and aided more than 30 since 1999. Yet its last day on duty is Sunday. Then it returns next fall. But no funding was set aside to keep it operating after that deployment. Instead, state officials are looking to Sen. Maria Cantwell, head of a subcommittee in the Senate that oversees Coast Guard funding. She has advocated making the oil industry pay for the tug. Another possibility, say Gregoire and legislators, is the federal government picking up the costs, about $8,000 a day. They would also like the tug available all year long. Even aside from the tug, the state faces shortfalls in its regular program for heading off oil spills. But the Legislature failed to plug the funding gap. The state recently has augmented caches of oil-spill-cleanup equipment, dispatched extra inspectors to watch when oil is pumped near water, and taken other steps to help reduce the likelihood of a spill. But those efforts are outpacing available state funding by $2 million a year, Phillips said. Another estimate placed the overall shortfall at $7 million a year. Instead of raising a nickel-a-barrel tax on oil processed in the state by a penny or two, Gregoire and legislative budgeters decided to use reserves. They will hold an "oil-spill summit" this summer to try to agree how to fund the increased protections. Lawmakers also ordered a study of Ecology's oil-spill program. – Seattle P-I News: UFA Apologizes for Personal Attack Ad ANCHORAGE -- The United Fishermen of Alaska has apologized for sponsoring an anti-Pebble mine ad. The ad criticized former state legislator Gail Phillips, saying she had “smeared” Pebble opponents at a mining convention by calling them “un-American” and “un-Alaskan.” The UFA signed up as a supporter of the ad, among 29 other sponsors. Below is the letter to the Anchorage Daily News backing off. – Anchorage Daily News reporter and Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy. United Fishermen of Alaska would like to apologize to former House Speaker Gail Phillips for the inclusion of UFA’s name in a recent advertisement regarding the Pebble mine. It is not UFA policy to detour from the important issues at hand into negative personal attacks. While UFA currently opposes the Pebble mine, we will keep our discussions with proponents and opponents open and focused on the critical issues of the mine and potential effects on the region’s fisheries. We point to the history of fishing groups’ involvement on the Kensington mine, where local fishing groups initially opposed the proposed mine and worked with Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. for changes that would protect the area’s fisheries, leading to a UFA vote of support for the mine. We look forward to informed discussion on the Pebble mine, with attention to scientific, economic and social assessment of the risks and benefits, rather than impugning personalities of anyone who cares to weigh in on this important issue. Bob Thorstenson Jr., president News Brief: Fish Gelatin May Be Key to Frozen Fish FAIRBANKS -- Favorite foods stored in your freezer taste best if they have just the right amount of moisture--not too wet or dry. In the future, invisible edible coatings made from gelatin might provide a new way to make sure water vapor can't wreak havoc with frozen food tastes and textures.These thin, clear coatings might be made from gelatin extracted from the silvery skins of seagoing fish such as Alaskan pollock. That's according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Alaska and California who are experimenting with thin sheets of the gelatin. Skins left over after pollock and other fish are processed into fillets are typically ground up and dumped into the sea or processed into low-value fishmeal. Gelatin coatings may provide a profitable and environmentally friendly alternative to this approach. The coatings, which look something like everyday clear plastic wrap, have no seafood taste or odor, despite their marine origin. Food technologists Tara McHugh at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, CA, and Peter Bechtel at the Subarctic Agricultural Research Center in Fairbanks, AK, and colleagues are collaborating in the research. In laboratory tests, the fish gelatin proved a more effective barrier to both unwanted moisture and oxygen than films made from the traditional sources--cow and pig hides. Also, the fish gelatin would be acceptable in kosher and Halal cuisine, while the cow and pig gelatins are not, according to McHugh. - M2 Communications Ltd News In Depth: Clean Energy vs. Clean Fishery on the Klamath KLAMATH FALLS, OR -- The power company that owns four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River says the dams provide a crucial source of so-called clean energy at a time when carbon emissions have become one of the world's foremost environmental concerns.The American Indians, fishermen and environmentalists who want the dams removed note that they block endangered salmon from migrating; threaten Indian livelihoods; and, more recently, are responsible for the devastated commercial fishing industry along the Oregon and California coasts. They say the dams are anything but clean. They say the river is a mess. "Should we have to sacrifice water quality for air quality?" said Craig Tucker, coordinator of efforts by the Karuk tribe of Northern California to have the dams taken down. "Should Indians and family fishermen be the ones who have to sacrifice to address this problem?" Emphasizing an environmental argument that touches on climate change has added a new wrinkle to the longstanding debate over dam removal in the Pacific Northwest. In a region where plenty of residents measured their "carbon footprints" long before it was fashionable, PacifiCorp is suggesting that righting one environmental wrong could lead to another, one that could affect people more than fish. The Klamath dams provide enough power to serve about 70,000 homes, a small fraction of PacifiCorp's 1.6 million customers, which span six Western states. But the company says only coal or natural gas is likely to be reliable enough to replace the river, which hits hydroelectric turbines four times on its way to the sea from east of the snow-capped Cascade Range. Those who support removing the Klamath dams largely dismiss the clean-energy argument, saying the benefits of removal outweigh losing a relatively small source of hydropower. They say PacifiCorp's increased interest in the environment comes as recent rulings by judges and federal fisheries agencies have given new momentum for removal. The company's federal license to run the dams expired last year, and the government has said PacifiCorp must build fish ladders over the four dams to get a new license, a proposition that could cost $300 million and reduce the power the dams generate, potentially making removal a less costly choice. The Klamath runs more than 250 miles, or 400 kilometers, from southwest Oregon to the California coast, connecting two states where power and water supply have long been contentious issues. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Governor Theodore Kulongoski of Oregon are helping lead the push for clean fuel sources. Both governors have said removing the Klamath dams should be an option, but they have not taken firm positions, and a summit they have urged on the fate of the river has yet to happen. Earlier this year, Schwarzenegger proposed spending about $4 billion to build two dams on the San Joaquin River for water storage, an idea environmentalists have long opposed. Dams on the Elwa and White Salmon Rivers in Washington and the Sandy River in Oregon are scheduled to be removed in the next several years. Supporters of removal say conservation measures and new sources of energy like wind and sun can replace lost hydroelectric power. Dam owners in the region, including private utilities and the federal government, say the new sources of clean energy cannot replace dams. – International Herald Tribune News: National Fisheries Institute Supports Aquaculture WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) announced its support for H.R. 2010, the National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (WV-03).The proposed legislation, authored by the U.S. Department of Commerce, would strengthen the nation’s commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to an abundant amount of healthy seafood now and in the future. “The fact is we can’t sustain our level of consumption or expected increases in the future by solely relying on wild capture,” said NFI President John Connelly. “Cultured fish and shellfish are sustainable sources of food that help retailers and restaurants meet the ever-growing demand for seafood. NFI and the seafood community look forward to working with the Congress and the Administration to strengthen the domestic infrastructure that helps to provide a reliable supply of healthy seafood Americans enjoy.” As introduced, the legislation would provide the regulatory framework for aquaculture in federal waters called the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), located three to 200 miles off U.S. coastlines. Specifically, NFI supports the streamlined permitting process provided in the bill, increasing research to develop aquaculture technologies in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and allowing coastal states to opt out of offshore operations within 12 miles of its shores. Aquaculture is helping to fill the current 80 million metric ton gap between sustainable wild supplies and the public demand for seafood. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, global aquaculture production will need to nearly double by the year 2050 to meet consumer demand. NOAA Fisheries Service statistics reveal that over 70% of the seafood Americans enjoy is imported and at least 40% of those imports come from aquaculture farms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that in 2005, the value of U.S. aquaculture sales alone exceeded $1 billion. - NFI News Brief: Crowbar Wielding Fisherman Pleads No Contest UNALASKA, Alaska -- A fisherman who attacked his crewmate with a crowbar last month pled no contest to 1st degree assault in Unalaska's District Court on Wednesday. Nineteen-year-old Sione Pakalani was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended, on charges stemming from a fight onboard the F/V Deep Pacific. According to the criminal complaint, crew member Floyd Decker initially threatened Pakalani's cousin with the crowbar in the ship's freezer hold. Pakalani wrestled the crowbar away from Decker and hit him in the face with it, injuring him badly enough that he had to be medevac-ed to Anchorage for treatment. Decker was charged with 3rd degree assault for his role in the incident, but that charge was dropped last week. A minor consuming alcohol charged also filed against Pakalani was dismissed on Wednesday. - KIAL News in Depth: Seals and Sea Lions Not So Cuddly Example 1: JENNER, CA -- Signs have been posted on beaches near the mouth of the Russian River warning people to stay way from a stretch of the river where a rogue elephant seal has gone on a rampage in the past month, biting a surfer and a dog and killing several harbor seals, officials said.The seal, nicknamed Nibbles, is an adolescent male. Witnesses say the seal, who has been tagged, lunges at its victims like a crocodile. Officials are cautioning people not to swim in the estuary waters near Goat Rock Beach near Jenner, and not to approach the 2,500-pound animal should they see him "hauled out," or basking in the sun. – San Francisco Chronicle Example 2: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, AK -- Steller sea lions that thrash harbor seals to death in their powerful jaws have become surprise suspects in the mysterious harbor seal decline in Southeast Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park. The massive, sharp-toothed sea lions are known for eating fish, but evidence of attacks on harbor seals, until recent years, has been very rare, said Beth Mathews, a University of Alaska Southeast professor. In Glacier Bay, there's no record of any reports until 1995. Since then, the reports have become frequent enough to suggest that the attacks are putting a large dent in harbor seal numbers, she said. That's a new twist in the decline that's had scientists scratching their heads for years. Some people have blamed cruise ships for stressing the seals, forcing them off ice floes and into the water. That might drain energy reserves, resulting in lower reproduction or reduced survival, the theory runs. Raymond Sensmeier, a Native seal hunter who does harbor seal surveys near Yakutat for the Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission, said he's never seen a sea lion killing a harbor seal. He thinks cruise ships are a bigger factor in the decline than sea lions. Seal counts have fallen from about 6,200 in 1992 to 2,500 in 2002, said Mathews. State surveys conducted since then show continued decline. The ships, tightly regulated in the park to keep them from coming too close to seals, shouldn't have caused such a large drop, she said. As far as she knows, no one has ever documented a seal death directly from a cruise ship. On the other hand, there have been 13 reports of sea lions attacking seals between 1995 and 2006, some in open water, some on sandbars near Spider Island, said Mathews. – Anchorage Daily News News: Great Lakes Virus May Threaten Aquaculture CHICAGO - A virus in the U.S. Great Lakes that has killed tens of thousands of fish in recent years is spreading and poses a threat to inland fish farming, a U.S. Agriculture Department official said on Monday.The pathogen, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, causes internal bleeding in fish. It does not harm humans, even if they eat infected fish. The federal agency issued an emergency order in October to limit movement of live fish caught in the eight states bordering the Great Lakes and two Canadian provinces. "We're concerned that this virus could get out of the Great Lakes and affect other populations," said Jill Roland, a fish pathologist and assistant director for aquaculture for the USDA in Riverdale, Maryland. "The virus could potentially affect the catfish industry," she said. Catfish make up the largest sector of the $1 billion U.S. aquaculture industry, accounting for $462 million in sales, according to a 2005 USDA aquaculture census. The public first began hearing about the virus after a die-off of fish in Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the upper St. Lawrence River in May 2006 with dead fish washing up on beaches. There is little the government can do to prevent the spread of the disease, other than limiting human movement of fish that may have the virus. - Reuters News In Depth: Decades Later, Spilled Oil Remains WOODS HOLE, MA -- Nearly forty years after a fuel oil spill polluted the beaches of Cape Cod, researchers have found the first compelling evidence for lingering, chronic biological effects on a marsh that otherwise appears to have recovered.Through a series of field observations and laboratory experiments with salt marsh fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax), doctoral student Jennifer Culbertson and colleagues found that burrowing behavior, escape response, feeding rate, and population abundance are significantly altered when the crabs are exposed to leftover oil compounds from a 1969 spill. The study builds on previous work by researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which showed that oil compounds from the 1969 wreck of the barge Florida are still lingering in the sediments 8 to 20 centimeters below the surface of Wild Harbor in Falmouth, Mass. Burrowing fiddler crabs in the marsh still won't dig more than a few centimeters into the sediments in the areas most affected by the spill. Culbertson conducted the research in collaboration with WHOI marine chemist Chris Reddy, ecologist Ivan Valiela of the Marine Biological Laboratory, and several student colleagues from WHOI and BUMP. The findings were published in the online version of Marine Pollution Bulletin on April 20, 2007 and it will appear later this spring in a printed edition. Culbertson's experiments and field work were conducted in the summer of 2005 and 2006 in the Great Sippewissett and Wild Harbor marshes of Falmouth. On the surface, these neighboring marshes look quite similar, with common plants and animals, sediment types, and geologic histories. The difference is that WHOI researchers have detected residues of No. 2 fuel oil buried in the sediments Wild Harbor, while Great Sippewissett has no detectable residues of the 1969 spill. "There are outward signs that the marsh in Wild Harbor has recovered," said Reddy, whose lab group has been studying Cape Cod oil spills for nearly a decade. "But there is still chemical warfare going on just a few centimeters beneath the surface." To study the burrowing behavior of Uca pugnax—which digs burrows for shelter while aerating the soil—Culbertson and colleagues poured Plaster of Paris into 31 burrows in the two marshes. They later removed the casts of the burrows from the marsh mud and measured dimensions and shape. Crabs that burrowed into the relatively pristine marsh of Great Sippewissett made holes that were straight and stretched an average of 14.8 centimeters (the longest was 18 cm). In Wild Harbor, the burrows averaged 6.8 cm (none were deeper than 14) and showed erratic shapes as the fiddler crabs halted or turned laterally. The locations of the stunted, twisted burrows mapped closely with the location of residual oil in the sediments. - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Editorial Analysis: Time to Act Against Climate Change JUNEAU -- With the latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change, there is no more pussy-footing around it; greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are creating ecological, economic and social challenges around the world, including Alaska, which is ground zero for global warming.Warming here in Juneau? With all the snow and the late spring, it hardly feels like global warming. But it is. One of the major symptoms of climate change is more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. That's why the term "climate change" is a better descriptor of what's going on than global warming. In Alaska, we hear about climate-change problems everyday. Alaska's northern communities are seeing beach erosion, deep permafrost thaws and receding ice. All this wrecks havoc on infrastructure. In Anchorage, officials report shifting weather patterns are disrupting air travel. Changes in climate patterns and rising temperatures have caused a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, as well as an unprecedented increase in insect outbreaks. Alaska witnessed record-setting fire seasons in 2004-05, burning more than 11 million acres and costing more than $160 million to battle. On the Kenai Peninsula and around Anchorage, the spruce bark beetle has cost millions in property damage. Across rural Alaska, traditional hunting patterns are disrupted as animal movements shift in response to the changing climate. In Bristol Bay, unfamiliar weather patterns and the early arrival of marine mammals are throwing the annual fishing and hunting cycles off. Commercial and sport fishing, two of Alaska's economic mainstays, are taking hits, too. Temperatures in Kenai Peninsula streams now consistently exceed Alaska's standard to protect salmon-spawning areas. Diseased salmon are common in the Yukon River. The Bering Sea is seeing lower crab productivity as more Arctic ice melts each year. Finally, Gov. Sarah Palin and the Legislature are giving us glimpses of hope and of economic opportunity. Palin's choice to create a climate change sub-Cabinet position to address ways to reduce our contribution to the problem and mitigate its effects is visionary and sensible. This, with the renewable energy development fund (House Bill 152 and Senate Bill 96) currently being considered in the Legislature, will provide some essential tools to address this pressing challenge. It is important to note that many other states found policies addressing climate change were not a burden on commerce. Instead, they presented economic opportunities. Some states are using action on climate change to position themselves in new markets related to climate action: producing and selling alternative fuels, attracting high-tech businesses and selling carbon-reduction credits. Even BP is looking at climate change as a way to make money. As Alaskans, we pride ourselves on our ruggedness and our ability to get any job done, no matter how tough. We walked the path to statehood, figured out how to build the oil pipeline, and now climate change is that next grand challenge calling for the best from Alaskans. The time to act is now; let's pass the Renewable Energy Fund before the Legislature heads home in May and get Palin's climate change sub-Cabinet rolling. - Kate Troll, who splits her time between Juneau and Anchorage, is the executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance. She wrote in the Juneau Empire. Coasties Rescue Passengers from Halibut Charter JUNEAU -- The Coast Guard Auxiliary rescued 13 people from a life raft after the charter vessel, Halibut Endeavor, capsized near Homer on Wednesday. A passenger onboard the Halibut Endeavor called the Homer Police Department who then contacted the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Juneau at 4:00 p.m. stating that the 38-foot vessel was taking on water. The Coast Guard Cutter Roanoke Island and the Coast Guard Auxiliary were deployed to the scene. The vessel capsized at 4:41 p.m. after all 13 passengers were reportedly transferred to a life raft. The Auxiliary arrived on scene at 4:44 p.m. and loaded the crew and passengers, who were then transferred to the Roanoke Island and are expected to arrive in Homer at 6:30 p.m. The cause of the vessel taking on water is unknown at this time. – U.S. Coast Guard News: Stevens Wants to Modernize Coast Guard WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Vice Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Thursday called for the modernization of the United States Coast Guard, including improvements to its Deepwater program. These comments were made during a Commerce Committee hearing on the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fiscal Year 2008 budget.“The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska has the daunting task of patrolling an area over three and a half million square miles. Modernizing the Coast Guard must remain a top priority,” said Stevens. Stevens asked Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen about a report on the LORAN system, an important backup for the Global Positioning System (GPS) used by the aviation and marine sectors. Stevens expressed concern with the Coast Guard’s attempt to shut down LORAN before future GPS systems are fully developed. Allen listed three options available for the LORAN system: phasing it out; maintaining the status quo by repairing existing equipment; or transitioning to the E-LORAN system, which is an advanced LORAN intended to serve as a backup to future GPS systems. Allen said the report has not yet been filed because the Coast Guard is very close to making a final decision about LORAN. Stevens also addressed the problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) outside of the 200-mile limit, especially around Alaska. Senator Stevens asked Admiral Allen about the feasibility of equipping foreign commercial fishing boats on the high seas with transponders to ensure they do not engage in this destructive practice. Allen said he believes the concept is feasible and that talks are underway to establish technical standards and an implementation process. “To take care of this problem, of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing, there has to be an identification of who is fishing illegally, a capability to warn them, and if there is a persistent violation some kind of law enforcement,” said Senator Stevens. “There has to be some way to put the fear of God in those people to make them lay off our fish.” – The Office of Ted Stevens
Crime and Punishment Double Feature WASHINGTON – A former boat builder, Michael Bonner of Wetumpka, Ala. and a commercial fisherman, Gerald E. Andrews Jr. of Pensacola, Fla., were each sentenced today to three years of probation and fines of $25,000 and $40,000, respectively, the Justice Department announced. Both Bonner and Andrews pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of making false documents and writings in an attempt to violate a moratorium on charter vessel permits under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Act) regulations. In November 2003, the Magnuson Act placed a moratorium on charter vessel/headboat permits for Gulf coastal migratory ocean-going fish and Gulf reef fish in an effort to address concerns regarding over-fishing and declining fish stocks. The regulation requires that only individuals who could provide the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with documentation verifying that, prior to March 29, 2001, a charter vessel or headboat was under construction and that at least $5,000 had been spent towards construction as of that date, are eligible for the permit. According to the information filed on Feb. 6, 2007, Michael Bonner and Gerald Andrews agreed in two separate contracts that Bonner would build Andrews two 65-foot ommercial fishing vessels. The defendants are alleged to have submitted to the NMFS sales agreements signed and dated March 2, 2001 for both boats when in fact the agreements were actually signed on or about May 1, 2003 in an attempt to secure charter fishing permits prior to the moratorium’s going into effect in September 2003. The moratorium created a demand for the permits since they were not available to all charter boat owners. Anyone who could not meet the March 2001 deadline would have to purchase a permit valued up to approximately $50,000 from another boat owner. - NMFS 2: Disturbing Fishing Pots HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- An offshore dispute on the opening day of lobster season led to the arrest of an Eastern Shore fisherman. According to Halifax RCMP, one boat sped up to another in the waters off Ecum Secum on Saturday and then turned, creating a severe wake that swamped the second boat, causing it to lose 15 traps as well as buoys and ropes. People in the first boat then told the others to get out of the area. A day later, 30 of the second boat’s traps were cut loose or stolen. On Monday, RCMP arrested a 36-year-old commercial lobster fisherman from Marie Joseph. Police did not release the man’s name, but locals identified him as Leonard Jewers. He is to appear in Sheet Harbour provincial court on May 22 to face charges of dangerous operation of a vessel and mischief, the RCMP said. He is not in custody. Mr. Jewers has been to court before. He spent a night in jail in November after being accused of fishing out of season in the Bay of Fundy, and in 2005 he pleaded guilty to possession of snow crab contrary to the Fisheries Act. In 1999, he received an 18-month sentence of house arrest for a break-in and possession of stolen property. Fisheries and Oceans spokesman Allan MacLean said the charges are not related to the Fisheries Act so Mr. Jewers’ licence is not in jeopardy. - Chronicle Herald, Halifax News: Fishermen Dispute Hawaii Fishing Ban KAHULUI, Hawaii – Maui fishermen disputed data supporting a Hawaii seasonal bottom-fishing ban at a public meeting last week at Maui Community College.Officials from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council presented the data to around 35 people to show that overfishing is occurring in the main Hawaiian Islands and that a seasonal ban is needed. The council has approved the five-month ban on bottom-fishing in federal waters, up to 200 miles from the coastlines of the islands. But the ban in state waters, up to 3 miles from shore, still must go to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources for a final vote. The seasonal closure approved by the Wes Pac council would be from May 1 through Sept. 30. It would close waters around the main Hawaiian Islands to fishing for seven deep-water fish species: onaga, ehu, gindai, kalekale, opakapaka, lehi and hapuupuu. The temporary ban is proposed as a first step in an effort to manage the fish resources in waters around the Hawaiian Islands, with additional proposals pending to impose catch limits, modify state catch reports for commercial fishermen and impose new federal permit and reporting requirements for noncommercial fishermen. Fishermen at the Maui session charged that the data used to support the seasonal closure are invalid. Several said fishermen might not have been truthful about their catches and the data based on commercial fish catch reports may be inaccurate, while the scientists had no catch data from recreational fishermen. One fisherman disputed the report of a decrease of bottom fish numbers over the years, saying it may not have been related to overfishing. He said scientists need to factor in the effects of the introduction of taape, an aggressive fish that competes with the more desirable bottom fish, and which was introduced to Hawaii by the government. Researcher Gerard DiNardo said a study analyzing the stomach contents of the taape showed that it is not feeding on the bottom fish. Fishermen in the audience disagreed. Skippy Hau, aquatics biologist with the state Aquatics Division, told fisherman that closures should be analyzed further, but he said there is no assurance that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources would have funds to conduct studies on the effects of seasonal closures. - Maui News News: Alaska Air to Convert Another Freighter Seattle -- As part of a $100 million initiative to better serve cargo customers, Alaska Airlines today announced plans to convert a fifth Boeing 737-400 to carry passengers and freight simultaneously on the main deck.The 737-400 "Combi" will join one all-cargo freighter and two other mixed-configuration aircraft already in service. A third Combi is scheduled to be delivered this week and a fourth in May. Pemco World Air Services of Dothan, Ala., will begin converting the fifth Combi in early September, with delivery slated for late December. Each Combi carries up to 72 passengers in the rear of the aircraft and up to four cargo pallets in the front. The six converted aircraft are replacing nine 737-200s the airline recently retired, which have served the state of Alaska for 26 years. The new Combis feature more advanced flight-guidance capabilities for improved operational reliability, larger overhead bins and more comfortable seats. Transporting more than 150 million pounds of cargo annually, including seafood, mail and freight, Alaska Airlines operates the most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast of any passenger airline. The airline's cargo operation transports about 30 million pounds of fresh Alaska seafood from Alaskan fishing towns to Seattle, the Pacific Northwest and beyond each year. – Alaska Airlines |