Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Commercial herring fishery winding down

April 12, 2021 — The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring Fishery is winding down, and state biologists expect to close the fishery soon.

In an interview on Thursday (4-8-21), Area Management Biologist Aaron Dupuis said the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is shifting out of “active management” mode.

“We’re still going out there. We’re flying, we’re monitoring the commercial fishery. We’re not leaving it alone to do its thing,” he said. “So we’re definitely on top of this, but it’s for sure winding down. I’d expect it to go another day or two tops.”

Dupuis said the bulk of the fishing fleet has left Sitka. Fewer than three processors and three permit-holders are still participating, but due to confidentiality rules, Dupuis could not disclose the exact number. As of April 6, the commercial fishing fleet had harvested around 15,700 tons of herring.

Read the full story at KCAW

As halibut decline, Alaska Native fishers square off against industrial fleets

April 9, 2021 — Each year in mid-June, Father John, dressed in long black robes, heads to the small boat harbor on St. Paul, a tiny island of 500 souls in the middle of the Bering Sea. It’s the start of the fishing season, and the Blessing of the Fleet is a community affair, an opportunity to give best wishes to the fishermen heading out into the unforgiving northern waters in search of halibut.

The island’s small, independent fishing fleet of only 15 vessels needs all the help it can get: Far offshore, factory trawlers targeting other fish species net and chuck overboard as waste millions of pounds of the valuable fish each year. “They’re killing our halibut,” says St. Paul fisherman Myron Melovidov, who fishes with his grown sons.

Pacific halibut are flat and bottom dwelling, and can weigh hundreds of pounds. About 20 years ago, the population started taking a dive, and St. Paul fishermen—as well as halibut fishermen across Alaska—faced increasing cuts in their harvest limits.

Read the full story at Food & Environment Reporting Network

Alaska Symphony of Seafood – 2020/2021 Events Cancelled

April 9, 2021 — The following was released by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation:

The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), organizer of the Alaska Symphony of Seafood (Symphony), announces the cancellation of the rescheduled Symphony events planned for Spring 2021 due to ongoing health and safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual Symphony event is planned to resume with the Call for Product to be released in August 2021.

The Symphony is an exciting platform that encourages companies to invest in product development, helps promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets. Product development is critically important to the Alaska Seafood industry. Innovative new products enable the industry to remain competitive and relevant to consumers.

Before making the decision to cancel the Symphony events, AFDF polled industry partners and participants, and the results were clear that COVID-19 has hindered the industry’s ability to produce new value-added products or participate in large events. Without healthy participation by industry, the benefits of an in-person or virtual event are limited. Additionally, Diversified Communications recently announced the cancellation of the 2021 Seafood Expo North America (SENA), originally rescheduled for July 11-13 in Boston. SENA is the central event at which AFDF promotes the winning products of the Symphony each year. AFDF will continue to feature Symphony winners at SENA, including entrance in the Seafood Excellence Awards, when the in-person SENA resumes in March 2022.

AFDF will continue to monitor the COVID-19 health crisis and will provide updates to industry and partners on the 2021-2022 competition and events. Additionally, AFDF will explore exciting new opportunities throughout the year to promote past Symphony winners, as a part of the effort to expand the reach and positive impact of the annual competition.

Thank You to Sponsors
AFDF would like to recognize and thank our sponsors from last year. Major sponsors include Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, Lineage Logistics, Trident Seafoods, Marine Stewardship Council, Northwest Fisheries Association, Alaska Air Cargo, At-Sea Processors Association and the United Fishermen of Alaska. See here for a complete list of sponsors.

About the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
Founded in 1978, AFDF is dedicated to identifying common opportunities in the Alaska seafood industry and developing efficient, sustainable outcomes that provide benefits to the economy, environment and communities. For more information, visit www.afdf.org.

Climate Change Concerns Play Key Role in Federal Fisheries Act Update

April 8, 2021 — Two U.S. congressmen are working on updating and reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary legislation governing fisheries management in federal waters extending 3 to 200 nautical miles off the coast.

At last week’s virtual ComFish, one of those congressmen, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), updated Alaskans on his efforts to draft a bill reauthorizing the act.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Investors call on EPA, Congress for ban on development in Alaska’s Bristol Bay

April 8, 2021 — On Wednesday, 50 investors representing $105 billion sent a letter calling for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Congress to permanently protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay against large-scale mining.

The signatories are concerned about the long-term social and environmental impacts of the Pebble mine, a massive open-pit gold and copper project in the Bristol Bay headwaters proposed by Canadian junior Northern Dynasty Minerals (NYSE: NAK).

On Tuesday, Northern Dynasty announced it had written to the recently confirmed Administrator of the EPA Michael Regan with a status update on the Pebble project and had urged the new Administrator to support a full and fair process for the project.

The investors said that while recognizing the importance of natural resource development to support economic growth, they are concerned waste from the proposed mine would threaten the world’s largest wild salmon fishery, located in the Bristol Bay area.

Read the full story at Mining.com

NOAA awards contract to rebuild the agency’s Ketchikan, Alaska port facility

April 8, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA has awarded a contract to Ahtna Infrastructure & Technologies, LLC for a project to revitalize its port facility in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Under the terms of the $18,771,041 contract, the Alaska-based company will make major improvements, including the construction of a new office building, large floating pier, steel access trestle, and updated power and water utility systems for servicing visiting ships. The project will begin with the removal of the existing pier and related structures.

“This NOAA port revitalization project is a great example of building back better by investing in modern and sustainable infrastructure,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “The improvements to NOAA’s Ketchikan facility will enable the agency to support safe navigation and commerce in Alaska and the region more effectively than ever.”

Upon completion of this project, NOAA will have a fully functioning homeport in Alaska capable of supporting Ketchikan-based NOAA Ship Fairweather and other visiting NOAA and government vessels. NOAA expects the project to be completed by December 2022.

“We look forward to serving Alaska and the nation from this greatly improved facility,” said Rear Adm. Nancy Hann, deputy director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). “This represents a major milestone in NOAA’s effort to recapitalize the agency’s fleet and supporting infrastructure.”

NOAA’s fleet of research and survey ships is operated, managed and maintained by OMAO, which is composed of civilians and officers with the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, one of the nation’s eight uniformed services.

Read the full release here

ALASKA: Commercial fishery hauls slow down as major spawning begins in Sitka Sound

April 8, 2021 — The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring fishery remained open for the 11th day in a row Tuesday (4-6-21)

Seiners hauled in around 900 tons of herring during Monday’s opening, according to a press release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Estimates are not yet available for today’s/Tuesday’s opener. To date, the commercial fleet has harvested around 14,700-tons of herring, cumulatively.

Read the full story at KTOO

Tech-forward seafood firms join forces to upload product quality data to blockchain

April 7, 2021 — Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.A.-based Envisible has joined forces with Juneau, Alaska, U.S.A.-headquartered Certified Quality Foods, Inc., which does business as Seafood Analytics, in a push to capture quality product data on the former’s blockchain-enabled Wholechain traceability system.

The initiative will initially focus on sockeye salmon sold by Northline Seafoods in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Utilizing Seafood Analytics’ handheld certified quality reader (CQR) device, Northline will gather product quality metrics and measure the electrical properties of its salmon at the point of harvest.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Alaskan fishing communities ask for seat at climate policy table

April 7, 2021 — Alaskan fishing organizations are urging the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to listen to coastal communities and fishermen while crafting an ecosystem-based approach to climate change and fisheries policy.

The message from Alaska fishing communities came through recent public comments hearing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on the new administration’s executive order on climate change.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ALASKA: Investors Say No to Pebble Mine, Yes to Bristol Bay—Again

April 7, 2021 — The following was released by the Natural Resources Defense Council:

Fifty investment firms representing more than $105 billion called on EPA and Congress to permanently protect Alaska’s invaluable Bristol Bay from the destructive Pebble Mine.

Led by Trillium Asset Management, investors released a letter urging EPA to “use its authority under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to immediately restrict mine waste disposal in wetlands, rivers and streams within the Bristol Bay watershed.” The letter also urged Congress to “enact legislation to establish a National Fisheries Area to provide permanent federal protection against large-scale mining within the Bristol Bay watershed.”

The letter echoes the formal requests from United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB), Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay (CFBB), and Representatives Peter DeFazio and Jared Huffman asking EPA to use its Clean Water Act 404(c) authority to protect Bristol Bay from the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine. NRDC also sent a letter to EPA urging permanent protection.

Read the full release here