Saving Seafood

North Pacific Council Approves Three Halibut Proposals, Rejects Two on Friday

May 19, 2020 — The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, in their first-ever special electronic meeting, acted on five requests for emergency rules triggered by the corona virus outbreak, in less than a day last Friday.

Halibut fishermen and fleet associations asked the 11-member council for relief on requirements to make medical quota transfers during the pandemic. Council members agreed to an option that would “allow the temporary transfer of halibut and sablefish IFQ for all quota share holders for the remainder of the 2020 fishing season,” without changing anything else in the program.

Read the full story at Seafood News

NPFMC May Special Meeting Newsletter

May 19, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council met via web-conference on May 15th for a special Council meeting. The digital newsletter is published. For those interested, all the articles on one page to print is available here, and you can listen to the recording on box.net, or through the Adobeconnect app.  As always, you can access all other meeting information through the Agenda.

The Council will also hold its June meeting virtually through Adobeconnect, with the added component of the public able to provide public comment over the phone during the meeting. The intent is also to use web cameras for Council members and presenters during discussion and deliberation. The SSC and the AP will also be using the same platform and format. The meeting link will be the same throughout all of the June meetings. Detailed instructions for the public for joining and how to give public comments will be posted on the Council’s eAgenda and website.

NPFMC schedules special meeting via webconference May 15, 2020

April 21, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council will meet May 15, 2020, at 12 pm Alaska time, via webconference for a special meeting to review emergency rule requests that have been submitted for Council consideration. The AGENDA is now available. Additional information and details will be added there and on NPFMC.org.  It is strongly encouraged to submit comments in writing through links on the Agenda. The deadline for written comments is Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 5:00 pm (Alaska time). If you have questions about the logistics of the meeting or concerns about logging in, please email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov.

NPFMC Meets June 1-10 via webconference

April 14, 2020 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Council will meet June 8-10, 2020, via webconference, and the SSC and the Advisory Panel will meet beforehand on June 1-5, 2020. The AGENDA and SCHEDULE are now available. You can submit and review comments through each Agenda Item. The deadline for Council comments is  Sunday, June 7, 2020, at 12:00 pm (Alaska time). More information about how to join the webconference will be posted in May on our website NPFMC.org as well as on the agenda linked above. If you have questions about the logistics of the meeting or concerns about logging in, please email npfmc.admin@noaa.gov.

Read the full release here

Meet Dr. Anne Hollowed, Renowned For Her Work Assessing the Effects of Climate and Ecosystem Change on Fish Stocks

April 13, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Dr. Anne Hollowed is a Senior Scientist with the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center. She conducts research on the effects of climate and ecosystem change on the current and future status of fish and fisheries. She leads the Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessment program. Anne currently serves as co-chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. She is also an Affiliate Professor with the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington.

We asked Anne to share a little bit about herself, what inspired her to pursue a career in fisheries science and what she would recommend for other young scientists interested in getting into the field.

When did you know you wanted to be a fisheries scientist?

My mother was a chemist and she nurtured my interest in science. I spent my summers in Kansas, at a family retreat. Time spent disconnected from the fast pace of the world allowed me to explore the diversity of nature and animal behavior. By the time I entered college I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in biology. My decision to pursue a career in ocean studies was formed during my semester abroad. I attended Lawrence University, a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. My professors taught an interdisciplinary course in oceanography that included field work on Andros Island in the Bahamas. It only took one open ocean dive for me to know that I wanted to spend the rest of my career studying the ocean.

Read the full release here

Alaska fishing industry grapples with fallout from coronavirus response

March 26, 2020 — Like almost all industries and institutions across Alaska, the novel coronavirus pandemic is shaking up the fishing industry.

With restrictions changing almost daily and cases spreading across the United States, fishermen are still fishing, but the normal seasonal progression of the industry is likely to hit some rough waters.

Travel in and out of Alaska has dropped after federal and state advisories against it, and questions are hovering about how seafood processors and fishing vessels will find the employees they need for upcoming seasons. Demand for seafood has fallen in restaurants after sweeping closures, and large numbers of layoffs may affect demand as workers scale back their expenses after losing incomes.

Status-quo industry events have been disrupted, too. Hiring events have been postponed or canceled; the North Pacific Fishery Management Council cancelled its April meeting, and Kodiak’s annual ComFish exposition has been rescheduled for Sept. 17-19 due to concerns about gatherings where the COVID-19—the name for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus—could be spread. As of March 24, Alaska had reported 42 cases of the illness in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, Ketchikan, Sterling, Seward, Juneau and Palmer.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Gulf of Alaska cod exemplifies commitment to sustainability

February 19, 2020 — Recent headlines discussing a potential suspension of the Marine Stewardship Council’s certification for Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod have included some misleading and even inaccurate depictions of the status of the fishery. As the client for both MSC and Responsible Fisheries Management certifications for all Alaska Pacific cod, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation feels it is important to provide necessary context and clarification.

Most importantly, all Alaska Pacific cod is currently certified under both the MSC and RFM programs, with only a small percentage (6 percent or less) of the commercial harvest under review in 2020 by the certification bodies. Alaska’s Pacific cod fishery is split into three primary commercial fishing regions — the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska — which will account for about 78 percent, 16 percent, and 6 percent of the 2020 harvest, respectively. Only the Gulf of Alaska harvest is under review and subject to a potential change in certification status. The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands produce 343 million pounds of Alaska Pacific cod, and recent surveys from these fisheries show abundant populations.

To say that sustainability certification and fisheries management standards are complicated is an understatement. Yet every aspect of fisheries management in Alaska is based on the best available scientific data, effective management practices, and a precautionary approach designed specifically to sustain the long-term health of the species and ecosystem. In Alaska, we are now challenged by the fact that climate or environmental changes are often the key drivers in fisheries health and management. This makes our investment in and commitment to federal surveys, annual stock assessments, monitoring, and catch accounting data even more important.

Adherence to our robust management systems, even when climate-driven events necessitate a fishery closure, is the strongest demonstration of Alaska’s sustainable fisheries.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Alaska Sea Grant Deadline for Fellowship Program is Tomorrow

February 14, 2020 — The Alaska Sea Grant Program wants to remind soon-to-graduate or recently finished graduate students interested in the science and policy that applications for their 2020 state fellowship program must be in by tomorrow.

Six positions are available — Alaska Sea Grant Mariculture Fellow, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region, National Park Service, North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the United States Geological Survey.

Read the full story at Seafood News

North Pacific Council to Hear From Alaska Charter Operators on Halibut Catch Limits

January 30, 2020 — This week the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) will hear from eminent scientists about prioritized research in Alaska that is underfunded, ways to change data reporting that maintains “best science available” standards, how to best fund the all-important observer program in areas not yet 100% covered, how to balance bycatch with directed halibut fishing, and what will done about the sablefish overage from last year, among other agenda items.

The solidly-packed agenda is not unusual, but among those weighty issues, the one that has illicited the most comments from industry — 62 compared to 5 for the next most commented-on topic — was the halibut catch limit for Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A) charter operators.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Marine Stewardship Council’s Certifier MRAG Americas Calls for Audit on Gulf of Alaska Cod

January 9, 2020 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Marine Stewardship Council’s certifying agency for Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod, MRAG Americas of Florida, announced an expedited audit for the GOA Pcod based on the new stock assessment that resulted in the fishery’s 2020 closure last month.

“New information on stock status provided by NOAA Fisheries and decisions of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council in December of 2019” is the basis for a desk-based audit covering Principle 1 (stock status) only, the MSC announcement reads.

Read the full story at Seafood News