Saving Seafood

New Comprehensive Bering Sea Climate Change Study to Focus on Fish and Fishing and Provide Insights for Management in a Changing Marine Environment

August 26, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

The southeastern Bering Sea is an enormously productive ecosystem. It produces over 40% of the nation’s total annual fish catch. The pollock fishery operates here — one of the nation’s most important commercial fisheries in both annual yield and value. It is also home to an exuberant diversity of wildlife, from seabirds to seals to whales. However, as the climate changes, the species here, and the people who rely on them, will have to adapt.

To understand these changes, government and academic scientists are working together to assess their possible biological and ecological consequences. This work will provide insights that fishery managers can use to help ensure the sustainability and resiliency of this rich and dynamic ecosystem.

An Unprecedented Effort with National and Global Implications

NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Research’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and the University of Washington, through the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, are taking a multi-disciplinary approach, combining physical oceanography and fisheries science, to provide abundance estimates for key fish stocks and potential management options for the future.

Scientists will produce various projections of what the Bering Sea ecosystem will look like under different climate and fishing scenarios. For instance, rising sea temperatures will likely cause some species to thrive and others to decline. Reliable predictions of these changes will allow fishermen and coastal communities to plan ahead and will help resource managers ensure that fisheries and the seafood supply remain stable over the long term.

Although this study focuses on the Bering Sea, it will generate new methods of interdisciplinary research that NOAA Fisheries hopes to replicate in other parts of the nation. Under the NOAA Fisheries Climate Strategy, staff are developing regional action plans to anticipate and respond to climate change. Information generated through this study will contribute to development of an Alaska regional action plan.

“We’re really excited about this project because it’s part of a broader effort to produce a global picture of fish productivity and best fishery management practices in a changing marine environment,” said Anne Hollowed, co-project lead and supervisory research fishery biologist at NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

NOAA Fisheries also plans to share the results of this project with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This international body is preparing a 2021 report on the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

Building Blocks in Place Making Effort Possible

Several models already exist for the region that look at climate, ocean and air circulation patterns, the ecosystem, fish stock health and the socio-economics of fishing communities and businesses.

“We plan to expand the scope of existing models by incorporating varied data and, in some cases, combining models to generate future climate scenarios,” said Andre Punt, project lead for the University of Washington.

Focus Species

Over this three-year project, scientists will use biological data for several commercially and ecologically important fish species, for which linkages exist between fish productivity and climate variability. Key species include walleye pollock, Pacific cod, arrowtooth flounder, northern rock sole and snow crab.

Scientists will try to account for what fish species eat and what eats them. In other words, they will add a range of data to the models that considers the entire food chain, from plankton through top predators like whales and humans. They will also incorporate oceanographic data such as water temperature, salinity, currents, and biogeochemistry into the models.

“It’s both exciting and daunting to see how environmental data are used in a multi-disciplinary framework. It raises new challenges for ocean and climate modeling, and opens new doors,” said Wei Cheng, a physical oceanographer from the University of Washington and NOAA affiliate with the Pacific Marine Environmental Lab participating in the project.

“We know that widespread change is coming to Alaskan marine ecosystems with the potential to affect everything from sea ice to fisheries,” said Kirstin Holsman, co-project lead and research scientist, NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “Through this coordinated, multi-pronged research effort, we can better understand what that change will look like, what uncertainty there is, and how we can adjust our management to continue the region’s legacy of sustainable fisheries under climate change.”

Read the full release from NOAA

 

It’s been a roller coaster season for salmon

August 21, 2015 — Fishermen say it will be a stretch for total catch to reach forecasted 221 million fish

Alaska’s salmon season so far has been characterized by ups and downs, and it will be a stretch for the total catch to make the forecasted 221 million fish.

“It just depends on how these late returning pink salmon at Prince William Sound perform, and whether or not pinks pick up at Southeast.

It’s possible, but we would still have to harvest around 30 million more salmon,” mused Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director of the state’s Commercial Fisheries Division.

One of the biggest fish stories of the season, of course, was the surprising double runs of sockeye salmon (reds) to Bristol Bay. As soon as a slow going first run petered out and the fishery was declared a bust, a surge of late reds caught everyone by surprise and pushed the catch to nearly 36 million fish.

Alaska’s sockeye salmon fishery sometimes accounts for almost two-thirds of the value of the total salmon harvest. A statewide tally of 51.5 million by August 14 makes it unlikely the sockeye harvest will reach the projected take of 58.8 million fish.

Read the full story at the Arctic Sounder

 

 

Further Investigation Planned in Whale Deaths in Alaska

August 20, 2015 — JUNEAU, AK — A federal agency announced plans Thursday for a more intense investigation into what caused the deaths of 30 large whales in the western Gulf of Alaska since May.

NOAA Fisheries declared the deaths an “unusual mortality event,” triggering a new-level investigation that brings with it access to additional resources. The agency said the deaths are about three times the historical average for the region.

Julie Speegle, a spokeswoman for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, said a leading hypothesis for the deaths is harmful algal bloom toxins but she noted that there currently is no conclusive evidence linking the two.

Officials have only been able to get samples from one of the 30 whales. Teri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries’ marine mammal health and stranding response coordinator, told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that large-scale whale deaths are among the toughest to investigate, partly because the carcasses often are floating, rarely beached and difficult to access for examination. In Alaska, bears feeding on washed-up whale carcasses create safety concerns for researchers who want to collect samples, she said.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Alaska’s salmon harvest numbers indicate large harvest despite perceptions

August 19, 2015 — Alaska’s salmon season so far has been characterized by ups and downs, and it will be a stretch for the total catch to make the forecasted 221 million fish.

“It just depends on how these late returning pink salmon at Prince William Sound performs, and whether or not pinks pick up at Southeast. It’s possible, but we would still have to harvest around 30 million more salmon,” mused Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director of the state’s Commercial Fisheries Division.

One of the biggest fish stories of the season, of course, was the surprising double runs of sockeye salmon (reds) to Bristol Bay. As soon as a slow-going first run petered out and the fishery was declared a bust, a surge of late reds caught everyone by surprise and pushed the catch to nearly 36 million fish.

Alaska’s sockeye salmon fishery sometimes accounts for almost two-thirds of the value of the total salmon harvest. A statewide tally of 51.5 million by mid-August 14 makes it unlikely the sockeye harvest will reach the projected take of 58.8 million fish.

Reds might be the big money fish but pinks are fishermen’s bread and butter, and Prince William Sound scoops the story there. Record returns to some hatcheries and better than expected wild pink salmon returns have pushed catches above 75 million and the humpies are still coming home. Will it top the Sound’s record 93 million pinks taken in 2013?

“You never know,” Bowers said.

Conversely, the much anticipated pink salmon boom at Southeast Alaska has yet to materialize with the catch nearing 23 million.

“There’s still a bit of fishing time remaining and the harvest will continue to tick upward, but right now it doesn’t look like we’ll hit that forecast of 58 million pinks,” Bowers said.

The statewide catch forecast for pink salmon this year is 140 million; the take by mid-August was 128 million fish.

Other salmon highlights:

Cook Inlet’s sockeye harvest of 2.7 million is just slightly higher than last year’s.

 

Read the full story at Capital City Weekly

 

Season of ups and downs leaves salmon short of forecasted 221 million

August 19, 2015 — Alaska’s salmon season so far has been characterized by ups and downs, and it will be a stretch for the total catch to make the forecasted 221 million fish.

“It just depends on how these late-returning pink salmon at Prince William Sound perform, and whether or not pinks pick up at Southeast. It’s possible, but we would still have to harvest around 30 million more salmon,” mused Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director of the state’s Commercial Fisheries Division.

One of the biggest fish stories of the season, of course, was the surprising double runs of sockeye salmon (reds) to Bristol Bay. As soon as a slow-going first run petered out and the fishery was declared a bust, a surge of late reds caught everyone by surprise and pushed the catch to nearly 36 million fish.

Alaska’s sockeye salmon fishery sometimes accounts for almost two-thirds of the value of the total salmon harvest. A statewide tally of 51.5 million by Aug. 14 makes it unlikely the sockeye harvest will reach the projected take of 58.8 million fish.

Reds might be the big money fish, but pinks are fishermen’s bread and butter, and Prince William Sound scoops the story there. Record returns to some hatcheries and better-than-expected wild pink salmon returns have pushed catches above 75 million — and the humpies are still coming home. Will it top the Sound’s record 93 million pinks taken in 2013?

Conversely, the much-anticipated pink salmon boom at Southeast Alaska has yet to materialize with the catch nearing 23 million.

“There’s still a bit of fishing time remaining, and the harvest will continue to tick upward, but right now it doesn’t look like we’ll hit that forecast of 58 million pinks,” Bowers said.

The statewide catch forecast for pinks this year is 140 million; the take by mid-August was 128 million fish.

Read the full story at the Homer Tribune

The O’Hara Fishing Dynasty: Their Secret? Knowing When to Fish or Cut Bait

August 13, 2015 –ALASKA — On July 31, O’Hara Corporation launched the first American fishing vessel that will be able to chase fish through polar ice off the coast of Alaska.

Now in its fifth generation, the O’Hara family business has shown the ability to adapt as fishing technology, two world wars, and changes in international fisheries laws  upended the industry.

“Every generation had its bad thing to deal with,” said Frank O’Hara Jr. from the O’Hara Corporation headquarters on Tillson Avenue in Rockland. Born in 1960, he is actually the fourth Francis J. O’Hara and is the company vice president. One of his three sons is the fifth-generation Frank. His father, who was Frank Jr. and is now Frank Sr., 84, is the company president.

All of the fifth generation is in the family business and working in management.

Frank Jr.’s great-grandfather started the fishing family dynasty in 1904 when he launched a Gloucester sailing vessel, the Francis J. O’Hara, Jr., which fished for cod, haddock, and halibut off of Georges Bank until it was sunk by a German U-boat in 1918.

The vessel’s namesake got a $5,000 family loan to start his own business: the Atlantic and Pacific Seafood Company in Boston.

Read the full story at The Free Press 

 

Alaska Salmon season might miss forecast

August 10, 2015 — The state’s salmon harvest topped 160 million fish over the weekend, but it’s questionable whether the catch will meet preseason expectations.

In Southeast, catches are running well below the forecast set earlier this year. As of Sunday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported 22.6 million salmon caught in Southeast, including only 15 million pink salmon. Heading into the season, the spot forecast called for 58 million pink salmon, and forecasters were 80 percent confident that the harvest would be between 37 million and 79 million fish.

Instead, figures now seem to indicate a harvest below the bottom end of that range.

In an average year, Southeast’s salmon harvest peaks in what ADFG calls “statistical week 32,” or between Aug. 2-8. The five-year average harvest for that week is 11.1 million salmon, mostly pinks, but recent years have been higher. Last year, 12.1 million fish were caught during that period.

Read the full story from Juneau Empire

Upcoming hearings could change Alaska’s salmon fisheries forever

August 9, 2015 — Two hearings this month could change the face of Alaska’s salmon fisheries forever.

On August 21, the Department of Natural Resources will hear both sides on competing claims to water rights for salmon streams at Upper Cook Inlet’s Chuitna River or to a proposed coal mine. If DNR opts for the mine, the decision would set a state precedent.

“It would be the first time in Alaska’s state history that we would allow an Outside corporation to mine completely through a salmon stream,” said Bob Shavelson, a director at Cook Inlet Keeper. “And the sole purpose is to ship coal to China. It is really a very dangerous precedent, because if they can do it here in Cook Inlet they will be able to do it anywhere in the state.”

Cook Inlet Keeper, along with the Chuitna Citizens Coalition and Alaska Center for the Environment, requested the hearing. They want to protect spawning tributaries of the salmon-rich Chuitna; PacRim Coal of Delaware and Texas wants to dewater the streams and dig Alaska’s largest coal mine.

DNR Water Resources Chief Dave Schade agreed that the decision is precedent setting, and it comes down to “saying yes to one applicant, and no to the other.”

The hearing is scheduled for August 21 at the US Federal Building Annex in Anchorage. Testimony is limited to participants in the case and no public comments are scheduled to be taken. A decision by DNR is expected on or before October 9.

Following the water rights hearing will be oral arguments before the Alaska Supreme Court on August 26 on the setnet ban proposed for Cook Inlet and five other “urban, non-subsistence” Alaska regions.

Read the full story from Sit News

ALASKA: Fish and Game hiring too many environmentalists, says Alaska state senator

August 6, 2015 — ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Sam Cotten is defending the recent hire of a former employee of the environmental group Oceana following a complaint from a Republican state senator that Cotten’s department is picking new employees from the “injunction industry” — a sarcastic reference to lawsuits filed by advocacy organizations.

Anchorage Sen. Cathy Giessel sent a letter to Cotten last week referring to a “steady stream of personnel changes” at Fish and Game, with replacements coming “overwhelmingly from the conservation advocacy sector.”

“It is my sincere hope that the arrival of individuals who have dedicated a part of their lives in an antagonistic relationship with the state of Alaska is not a reflection of a new philosophy in policy on the part of the department,” said the letter from Giessel, who chairs the Senate’s resources committee and is a mining- and oil-industry booster.

Cotten said in a phone interview Wednesday that he’d been hearing concerns about his department’s recent hiring of Chris Krenz, a former senior scientist at Oceana who worked on the group’s campaign opposing Shell’s oil drilling program in the Arctic.

Read the full story at Alaska Dispatch News 

 

Bering Sea Crabbers Issue White Paper on Measures to Deny IUU Crab Entry to US

The Bering Sea Crabbers along with Frequentz – a traceability company – have released a white paper on IUU crab.

The group has argued that large amounts of IUU crab entering the US have cut into the market value of Alaskan crab, although the amounts vary considerably from year to year.

The white paper supports three solutions that would cut back IUU crab even further.

The first is for the Senate, which has ratified the Port States Treaty, to pass the implementing legislation, which is necessary before the US ratification can be official. Ultimately, this would bring the policing practices of the rest of the world much closer to the standards that already exist in the U.S. and make it more difficult for illegal product to enter the supply chain and diminish the value of product caught by U. S. fishermen.

Secondly, the crabbers want to see country of origin labeling required on cooked king crab. Although many retailers disclose whether their king crab is a product of USA or Russia, because it is a cooked product normally sold unpackaged it does not fall under the same Country of Origin labeling rules as other seafood. Crabbers would like mandatory country of origin requirements on all forms of crab.

Read the full story at SeafoodNews.com