Saving Seafood

ANDY SABIN: The conservative case against developing Alaska’s Pebble Mine

August 28, 2020 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week warned that the proposed Pebble project — a vast gold and copper mine near the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay — was impossible to build without causing significant damage to the region’s pristine waters and salmon fishery.

The Corps stopped short of halting the mine but found the developer, the Pebble Limited Partnership, was unlikely to meet the level of mitigation that would be required under the Clean Water Act to offset the impact on wetlands.

The Trump administration has now done what the previous administration would not — it gave the proposed Pebble project full consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While the previous administration pre-judged the project with an unprecedented preemptive veto, the Trump U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and all cooperating agencies have given it a full review.

It is time for President Donald Trump to be the decider. Given an already strong conservation record, President Trump should instruct his agencies to declare the Pebble project unworkable. 

I am a miner and a fisherman. I am also a dedicated conservationist who believes that we have a duty as conservatives to leave this great land better than we found it. I am also a staunch supporter of the president and his policies.

Read the full story at The Hill

ALASKA: Pebble mine must now clear an unusually high hurdle before it can be developed, experts say

August 28, 2020 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday left a narrow path toward construction of the proposed Pebble mine in Southwest Alaska, setting stricter requirements for its development than for other big projects in Alaska, according to people familiar with permitting laws.

Whether mine developer Pebble Limited Partnership can meet the requirement will determine whether the controversial project can be built.

Following statements from prominent supporters of President Donald Trump expressing opposition to the mine proposal, including Donald Trump Jr., the Trump administration this week announced Pebble can’t be permitted “as currently proposed” under the federal Clean Water Act.

The copper and gold prospect could be worth tens of billions of dollars over its life, but critics say its location in the Bristol Bay region poses a risk to the valuable salmon fishery there.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

ALASKA: Petersburg’s testing program aims to keep COVID-19 out of seafood plants

August 28, 2020 — Hundreds of seafood processing workers come to Petersburg every year, creating a high-risk scenario for COVID transmission. Workers at the town’s two processing giants – OBI Seafoods and Trident Seafoods – live on a closed campus. But there are also Petersburg residents who work at the plants. So the local COVID testing program aims to identify and isolate positive cases before they can transmit from town into one of the plants.

At the beginning of the summer, seafood companies went to great lengths to safely fly the seasonal workforce to Alaskan towns like Petersburg. It took careful planning and millions of dollars to test and quarantine the workers.

“It could decimate the economy of the community and also impact the fisheries. We saw that in meat packing situations down south,” said Liz Bacom, manager of infection prevention at the Petersburg Medical Center. “And so they were very aggressive with getting a plan where they tested their seasonal workforce in Seattle before they came up here, and they were automatically quarantined for 14 days.”

As a result, two positive cases – one worker for Trident and one with Ocean Beauty Icicle Seafoods – were detected and isolated this summer.

Read the full story at KTOO

Guidelines for Safely Deterring Marine Mammals

August 28, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries is soliciting input on a proposed regulation for safely deterring marine mammals from damaging fishing gear or catch, damaging personal or public property, or endangering personal safety. MMPA section 101(a)(4)(B) directs the Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA Fisheries, to publish guidelines for safely deterring marine mammals and recommend specific measures to non-lethally deter marine mammals listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This is an opportunity for the public to provide input on these guidelines and recommended specific measures. NOAA Fisheries has included in the guidelines and recommended specific measures those deterrents that are unlikely to kill or seriously injure marine mammals; we have not evaluated the effectiveness of deterrents.

Copies of the draft Environmental Assessment prepared in support of this action are available and accessible via the Internet at: https://www.regulations.gov/. We are accepting comments on the proposed rule for 60 days through 10-30-2020.

Legal limbo: Alaska fisheries reps set to vote rogue

August 27, 2020 — Two unconfirmed and controversial Alaska Board of Fisheries members will likely be voting on issues in meetings that begin in October and run through mid-March.

The board oversees management of Alaska’s subsistence, commercial, sport and personal-use fisheries and will be focusing this cycle on Prince William Sound, Southeast and statewide shellfish issues.

Appointments were made by Gov. Mike Dunleavy on April 1 and would normally go through a rigorous vetting process by the Alaska Legislature with public input. But covid-19 sent lawmakers home early from the last session, leaving the confirmation process in limbo.

A public hearing on appointments of Abe Williams of Anchorage and McKenzie Mitchell of Fairbanks is set for Sept. 3 starting at 10 a.m. at the Legislative Information Office in Anchorage. John Jensen of Petersburg also is up for reappointment.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Corps sets conditions for Pebble Mine that may be impossible to meet

August 26, 2020 — The Army Corps of Engineers has not killed the proposed Pebble Mine — just issued a letter imposing conditions that may be impossible to meet.

Mine opponents say the Corps is finally listening to fishermen and the people of Bristol Bay who say the mine threatens the salmon and their way of life.

In an emailed statement, Bristol Bay Native Corporation President Jason Metrokin said the Pebble Partnership “has never, even after decades of planning and outreach, been able to prove that it can be built and operated without causing significant degradation to the Bristol Bay region and its fisheries.”

The Corps’ letter outlines what Pebble’s developers would have to do to mitigate damage to wetlands and streams.

Read the full story at KTOO

California startup turns Bristol Bay salmon skins into a fried snack

August 26, 2020 — A flash-fried snack made from Bristol Bay sockeye salmon skins has been spawned by a Los Angeles-based company called Goodfish, which aims to “propel sustainable seafood into our mass-market consumer culture.”

It is the second venture for partners Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud, a well-financed duo who are committed to trailblazing brands that have “higher standards of sourcing, manufacturing, and social ethos.”

A decade ago they co-founded Harmless Harvest, the world’s first sustainably harvested, organic coconut water. That product, now found in 70,000 U.S. outlets, helped economize non-timber forest products made from renewable resources.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Rep. Huffman Statement on Pebble Mine Permitting Decision

August 26, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA):

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) issued the following statement regarding the United States Army Corps of Engineers announcement to delay the permitting decision for the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska:

“Delaying the permit for the Pebble Mine is welcome news, but let’s be clear: the only reason this environmental atrocity came this close to happening is because the Trump administration is a favor factory for polluting industries,” said Rep. Huffman. “The previously rejected permit was revived and fast-tracked by this administration, and the only reason they finally hit the pause button is because – thankfully – some individuals close to President Trump made a personal appeal. We can welcome the outcome, but let’s not confuse any of this with environmental stewardship or good government.”

Representative Huffman led 53 of his colleagues last June in a letter to the United States Army Corps of Engineers urging them to deny the flawed permit for the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Rep. Huffman has continued to be a vocal opponent of the project, including leading amendments in both the FY2020 and FY2021 appropriations bills barring the federal government from moving forward with the flawed permit. Both amendments passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

Alaska Pebble Mine opposed by Trump Jr. hit with unexpected setback

August 25, 2020 — The federal government Monday announced that a controversial copper and gold mine in Alaska would cause substantial environment damage, could not receive a permit with its current proposed plan, and ordered the company to offset those impacts in order for the project to move forward.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter to Pebble Limited Partnership, the company behind the proposed mine, that said the footprint of the mine’s adverse impacts would cover nearly 3,000 acres of wetlands, 132.5 acres of open water and 130 miles of streams, along with areas affected by other infrastructure. Pebble has 90 days to reply with a plan to mitigate the damage.

While the letter does not outright block the mine, environmentalists and former officials call it a significant setback for the project that has in recent weeks attracted opposition from prominent Republicans including the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff Nick Ayers, and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. The Army Corps said in a statement that the project “as currently proposed, cannot be permitted” under the Clean Water Act.

Read the full story at CNN

Call for products to compete in Alaska Symphony of Seafood issued

August 25, 2020 — The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) has issued a call for products for the organization’s 2020-2021 Alaska Symphony of Seafood program.

The program has been hosted since 1994 and allows Alaskan value-added seafood products to compete against each other which “encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source