Saving Seafood

ALASKA: With pandemic procedures in place, Copper River fishery set to open

May 4, 2020 — With about two weeks until the Copper River salmon season, the industry is pulling together the details of how to execute a safe fishery amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of vessels and workers flood into Prince William Sound each May for a chance to harvest the first fresh wild king salmon of the year, followed by the famous Copper River sockeye and the broader Prince William Sound pink salmon fisheries. However, with limited road access and health care facilities, city and state officials have been coordinating with the fleet and stakeholders about how to safely allow in deckhands, captains, and processing workers from Outside without inviting the pandemic to Cordova as well.

As of April 28, Cordova had not reported any positive tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. With no ferry service this winter and no connection to the road system, Cordova has limited physical contact with the rest of Alaska and the Lower 48 except during the fishing season. Bringing in seafood workers from outside the area poses a risk, but not doing so means the fishery — a vital economic driver in the region — wouldn’t be able to operate as normal.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration released Health Mandate 17 on April 23, offering guidelines for commercial fishermen to help control the spread of COVID-19. Fishermen often work in close quarters on boats and in harbors, as do processing workers. The mandate outlines requirements such as screening procedures for crew, quarantine for workers coming into the state, and prohibiting non-essential trips into town for non-local crew, among others.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

In Alaska town, calls to shut down fishing season amid coronavirus fears

May 4, 2020 — Robin Samuelson grew up hearing stories about mass death in his Alaska community, victims of a pandemic so brutal that dogs were found feeding on human bodies.

The 68-year-old’s father-in-law was among the hundreds of children orphaned by the 1918 flu epidemic, which some scholars estimate killed at least 30 percent of the population in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region.

Some locals fear that history could repeat itself unless Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) shuts down the upcoming salmon fishery, which attracts more than 12,000 workers from across the country for a frenetic, two-month season that begins next month.

Dunleavy’s administration has pledged to implement safety measures to prevent the importation of the novel coronavirus, including a mandated two-week quarantine for arriving fishers. But some local officials say they’re not convinced the state can enforce those rules.

“Our streets, they start looking like Fifth Avenue in New York during the summer,” Samuelson said. “It puts you in a real funny mood listening to the stories [about the 1918 pandemic] and what our people had to go through.”

There have been no confirmed infections of the coronavirus in the region, and Alaska has one of the lowest infection rates of any state. It has recorded just 368 cases and nine deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Read the full story at The Washington Post

Alaska’s salmon season: Hundreds of fishermen chime in

May 1, 2020 — Alaska’s summer fisheries are fast approaching.

Although this season is loaded with uncertainty, there are a few things that are given: the salmon are on their way home to Alaska’s cold, clean, free-flowing watersheds, and the tide waits for nobody.

If you’re an Alaska fisherman and covid-19-related, pre-season fishing dreams and anxieties have begun to take over your sleeping and waking hours, then SalmonState wants to hear from you.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Alaska Chinook Fishermen Push Back on Wild Fish Conservancy Injunction to Stop Fishery

April 29, 2020 — Alaska environmentalists, commercial fishermen, charter operators and recreational anglers have pushed back on an injunction filed by Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy that would prevent Chinook salmon trolling in Southeast Alaska.

WFC sued NOAA Fisheries in March for mismanaging Chinook salmon, a prime prey for the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. While that lawsuit is pending, WFC filed an injunction on April 17 to prevent Chinook salmon trolling in Southeast Alaska effective July 1, 2020.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Fever pitch: Alaska implements new covid-19 mandates for the fishing industry

April 29, 2020 — Strict new rules are now in place for Alaska fishermen and their vessels to protect against and prevent the spread of covid-19 during the 2020 salmon season.

Effective April 24, Gov. Mike Dunleavy provided 11 pages of mandates that specifically apply to those who have not “agreed to operate under a fleet-wide plan submitted by a company, association or entity” representing them.

Developing Vessel Procedures and Performing Symptomatic Crew Assessment in the Midst of COVID-19.

Among other things, each independent skipper must sign a Health Mandate Acknowledgement Form prior to going fishing. They are required to maintain a written or time-stamped electronic log acknowledging that they will comply with the mandates, along with a clear description of which protective plan they are enforcing on their vessel. Skippers also must certify that crew members have been screened upon arrival and that they have completed self-quarantines.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Washington lawsuit targets Alaska trollers

April 29, 2020 — Nearly 1,600 trollers who fish for king salmon in Southeast Alaska could be beached this summer over a lawsuit to protect killer whales — in Washington’s Puget Sound.

On April 16 the Wild Fish Conservancy filed an injunction against NMFS to block the summer king salmon season set to open July 1 until the lawsuit is resolved.

KCAW in Sitka reported the Conservancy claims NOAA has failed to allow enough king salmon to return to Puget Sound to feed endangered resident killer whales. Their lawsuit says that 97 percent of the kings caught in Southeast’s troll fishery are from British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Alaska data show catches range from 30 to 80 percent, depending on the year.

Amy Daugherty, director of the Alaska Trollers Association, said her group is in shock and has intervened in the lawsuit.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Alaska steps up COVID-19 safety measures ahead of summer salmon season

April 29, 2020 — Governor Mike Dunleavy’s administration released an extensive new health mandate laying out the latest guidelines for Alaska’s upcoming fishing seasons last week, amidst concerns of the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas of the state.

Health Mandate 17 – which went into effect on Friday, 24 April, and which will be reevaluated on 20 May – is designed “to ensure a safe, productive fishing season this year, while still protecting Alaskan communities to the maximum extent possible from the spread of the virus,” according to the document.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ALASKA: Mandate restricts movement of fishing vessel crews

April 28, 2020 — With May just around the corner, Kodiak Island is gearing up for salmon fishing season, and captains and their crew from off-island will soon join local fishery participants.

However, a recent health mandate released by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, which requires boat captains to implement new protective measures aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus, will restrict where crew members can go.

Mandate 17, which went into effect Saturday, affects independent commercial fishing vessels, defining them as “all catcher and tender vessels that have not agreed to operate under a fleet-wide plan submitted by a company, association, or entity that represents a fleet of vessels.”

The new mandate adds screening and quarantine requirements for crew, and also limits their movement.

“I’m glad to see that the governor is focused on the protocols for the independent fishing vessels,” said Duncan Fields, the chairman of the Kodiak Salmon Work Group and a member of the Kodiak Economic Task Force. “I appreciate that the administration worked with the United Fishermen of Alaska Matt Alward to vet their plan and to receive input.”

Read the full story at the Kodiak Daily Mirror

ALASKA: Sole Bristol Bay Health Care Provider Says 2020 Fishing Season Should Remain Closed

April 27, 2020 — With no promises from the State of Alaska or the City of Dillingham to strengthen the health care response to a COVID-19 outbreak this season, the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation opposes opening the world’s largest salmon fishery “in order to protect the 28 villages [we] serve in the area.”

BBAHC’s statement came just hours before Alaska’s Govenor Mike Dunleavy issued his now nearly daily update on COVID-19 in Alaska. When asked to comment on the statement, Dunleavey reiterated the administrations ongoing discussions with health experts in coastal communities.

Read the full story at Seafood News

ALASKA: Debate over closing Bristol Bay fishery continues as new fishing mandates are issued

April 27, 2020 — There are more calls to close the commercial fishery this season in Bristol Bay.

“To date, there are no reported cases of COVID-19 in Bristol Bay, and BBAHC fears the arrival of several thousands of people from around the world will put its communities and resources at risk,” read a news release from the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation.

The BBAHC says it is the sole provider of medical care in the region and has a surge plan in place for year-round residents, but does not have the resources for an influx beyond that surge.

“BBAHC has not received a commitment from the State of Alaska or the City of Dillingham regarding what additional resources would be provided in the case of an onset of COVID-19. Without a plan of action, BBAHC resources will most likely will be strained and overwhelmed,” according to the release.

Read the full story at KTVA