March 27, 2017 — The once-thriving sardine population — made famous in John Steinbeck’s novel “Cannery Row” — has taken a nosedive along the West Coast, where regulators are considering a ban on reeling in the tiny bait fish for a third year in a row.
Congress to consider relief funds for California crab fleet
March 24, 2017 — Long-awaited federal funds to alleviate California’s crabbing fleet after last year’s dismal season could be approved by Congress as early as the next few weeks, according to California 2nd District Rep. Jared Huffman.
Huffman (D-San Rafael) said Congress is set to vote on a supplemental budget appropriation to prevent a government shutdown in the coming weeks. He said he and a bipartisan group of legislators have signed on to a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urging them to include fishery disaster funds in this budget bill.
“I don’t want to say ‘mission accomplished’ at this point,” Huffman told the Times-Standard on Wednesday. “I think the fact that we’ve got a nice bipartisan request in and that it’s not tied to President Trump’s budget is a good thing.”
Meanwhile at the state level, local legislators and fishing organizations are protesting Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to increase commercial fishing landing fees by as much as 1,300 percent in order to help close a $20 million shortfall in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife budget.
North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), who also serves as the vice chairman on the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, stated Wednesday that he is “adamantly opposed” to Brown’s proposal.
“I recognize that the department’s budget is unsustainable and a solution must be found, but not on the backs of the men and women in California’s commercial fishing industry,” Wood said in a statement.
Commercial disasters declared for nine West Coast fisheries
March 21, 2017 — The Commerce Secretariat determined that nine salmon and crab fisheries in Alaska, California and Washington experienced commercial failures, which will enable fishing communities to seek disaster relief assistance from Congress, NOAA Fisheries Division reported.
The decision was taken by US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker due to the fact that in recent years, each of these fisheries experienced sudden and unexpected large decreases in fish stock biomass due to unusual ocean and climate conditions.
The fisheries deemed to have experienced commercial failures are the following:
- Gulf of Alaska pink salmon fisheries (Alaska/2016)
- California Dungeness and rock crab fishery (California/2015-2016);
- Yurok Tribe Klamath River Chinook salmon fishery (California/2016);
- Fraser River Makah Tribe and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe sockeye salmon fisheries (Washington/2014);
- Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay non-treaty coho salmon fishery (Washington/2015);
- Nisqually Indian Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and Squaxin Island Tribe South Puget Sound salmon fisheries (Washington/2015);
- Quinault Indian Nation Grays Harbor and Queets River coho salmon fishery (Washington/2015);
- Quileute Tribe Dungeness crab fishery (Washington/2015-2016);
- Ocean salmon troll fishery (Washington/2016).
“The Commerce Department and NOAA stand with America’s fishing communities. We are proud of the contributions they make to the nation’s economy, and we recognize the sacrifices they are forced to take in times of environmental hardship,” said Samuel D. Rauch III, deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs, NOAA Fisheries.
Rauch stressed their commitment to helping these communities recover and achieve success in the future.
PACIFIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL CHOOSES OPTIONS FOR 2017 SALMON SEASON
March 13, 2017 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
VANCOUVER, Wa. — The Pacific Fishery Management Council today adopted three public review alternatives for the 2017 salmon seasons off the West Coast of the United States. The Council will select a final alternative at their next meeting in Sacramento, California on April 6-11. Detailed information about season starting dates, areas open, and catch limits for all three alternatives are available on the Council’s website at www.pcouncil.org or http://tinyurl.com/salmon2017.
Fisheries south of Cape Falcon (in northern Oregon) are limited by the need to protect Klamath River fall Chinook, and south of Point Arena (in northern California), they are also affected by the need to protect Sacramento River winter Chinook. Returns of spawning Klamath River fall Chinook are projected to be the lowest on record in 2017 due to drought, disease, poor ocean conditions, and other issues. At the same time, the Council must protect Sacramento winter-run Chinook, which are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Because both of these fish intermix with other stocks in the ocean, fisheries targeting more abundant stocks must be constrained.
“The salmon runs this year will present a challenge for ocean fishermen and managers throughout the West Coast,” said Executive Director Chuck Tracy. “In the north, several coho runs will keep ocean quotas lower than normal. In the south, the low forecast for Klamath River fall Chinook is unprecedented, and the most restrictive alternative the Council will consider allows no ocean fishing between Cape Falcon, Oregon and the U.S./Mexico border after April 30 this year.”
“This year will be an exceptionally difficult year for ocean salmon fisheries, especially in Oregon and California. However, there are alternatives that may provide at least limited opportunity for both commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing along much of the coast,” said Council Chair Herb Pollard.
Northern Oregon and Washington (north of Cape Falcon)
Sport season alternatives
Ocean sport fishery options north of Cape Falcon in Oregon and off the Washington coast are focused on Chinook salmon this year. One alternative includes a mark-selective Chinook fishery in June, while all alternatives include Chinook fishing opportunity in June or July-September, which are not mark-selective. Chinook recreational quotas range from 40,000 to 54,500. For coho, two alternatives allow modest coastwide opportunity. One allows opportunity for 58,800 hatchery coho in late June through September; the other allows opportunity for 50,400 hatchery coho in late June through September. A third alternative permits limited coho fishing only in the Columbia River area between Cape Falcon and Leadbetter Point, with a coho quota of 18,900 hatchery coho that starts in July and runs into September.
Commercial season options
Non-Indian ocean commercial fishery alternatives north of Cape Falcon include traditional Chinook seasons between May and September. Chinook quotas for all areas and times range from 40,000 to 50,000, compared to 35,000 in 2016. Two commercial fishery alternatives allow retention of coho, with quotas of 5,600 and 9,600 marked coho (compared to only one alternative in 2016 with a quota of 7,200 marked coho). A third alternative prohibits coho retention in the commercial fishery.
Tribal ocean fisheries north of Cape Falcon
Chinook and coho quotas for tribal ocean fishery alternatives range from 30,000 to 50,000 for Chinook salmon, and from 12,500 to 40,000 for coho. Seasons open May 1 and run through September 15.
California and southern Oregon (south of Cape Falcon)
Sport season options
From the north, recreational season alternatives south of Cape Falcon are heavily constrained this year to protect Klamath River fall Chinook. Alternatives for Oregon Chinook fishing in the Tillamook, Newport, and Coos Bay areas all open March 15 and run either continuously through October 31 or are closed May through August.
Oregon ocean recreational alternatives include mark-selective coho fishing seasons starting in June or July, and running through July or into early August in the area between Cape Falcon and the Oregon/California border. Quotas range from 20,000 to 30,000 marked coho. In addition, a non-mark-selective fishery is proposed for the area between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mt. in September, with a quota of 10,000 coho.
Due to the poor status of Klamath River fall Chinook, none of the alternatives provide for Chinook–directed fisheries in the Klamath Management Zone, which extends from Humbug Mt., Oregon to Horse Mt., California. One alternative does include a mark-selective coho fishery in the Oregon portion of the Klamath Management Zone and extending north to Cape Falcon.
California ocean sport fishing alternatives for areas south of Horse Mountain provide seasons that are fairly conservative in comparison to recent years to protect Klamath River fall Chinook and Sacramento River winter Chinook. These protective measures include shortened seasons and mid-season closures.
Commercial season options
As with recreational seasons, commercial season alternatives south of Cape Falcon are heavily constrained this year to protect Klamath River fall Chinook. Chinook salmon seasons under Alternative 1 include an opening in the Tillamook and Newport areas from mid-April through October, with several closed periods.
In Alternative 2, the Tillamook, Newport and Coos Bay area seasons would be open most days beginning in mid-April through early June and two days in August. Under Alternative 3, commercial salmon fishing would be closed in these areas.
As in the sport fishery, commercial salmon fishing is not allowed in the Klamath Management Zone in any of the alternatives to protect Klamath River fall Chinook.
Commercial season alternatives south of the Klamath Management Zone are also heavily constrained this year to protect Klamath River fall Chinook and Sacramento River winter Chinook. In the Fort Bragg management area (Horse Mt. to Pt. Arena), two of the alternatives are completely closed, and the third only provides for a September fishery. There is more opportunity south of Pt. Arena, but seasons are still constrained compared to recent years. Two of the alternatives include August-October fisheries in the San Francisco management area (Pt. Arena to Pigeon Pt.) and May-June fisheries in the Monterey management area (Pigeon Pt. to the U.S./Mexico border), but the third alternative has these areas closed for the whole season.
Management Process
Public hearings to receive input on the alternatives are scheduled for March 27 in Westport, Washington and Coos Bay, Oregon; and for March 28 in Fort Bragg, California. The Council will consult with scientists, hear public comment, revise preliminary decisions and choose a final alternative at its meeting April 6-11 in Sacramento, California.
The Council will forward its final season recommendations to National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for its approval and implementation by May 1.
All Council meetings are open to the public.
Council Role
The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 for the purpose of managing fisheries 3-200 miles offshore of the United States of America coastline. The Pacific Council recommends management measures for fisheries off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Hawaii legislature kills bills tightening rules on commercial fishing licenses
March 9, 2017 — Two separate legislative efforts to increase state oversight of commercial fishing licenses in Hawaii, initiated in response to an Associated Press investigation into the working conditions of foreign fishermen in the Hawaiian fleet, have failed to advance.
One bill would have required fishing license applicants to apply in person, “creating a logistical barrier because most of Hawaii’s foreign fishermen are confined to their boats,” according to the AP. Supporters of the bill said that interaction would give foreign fishermen “a chance to tell state officials if they were victims of human trafficking or having problems such as withheld wages,” the article reported.
The second bill had called for records of employment and fishermen contracts to be retained with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
However, following opposition by the Hawaii Longline Association, which argued that state officials should not be put in the position of having to review labor contracts, Hawaii’s House Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on International Affairs and the Arts deferred action on the legislation, making the bills ineligible for further consideration in the state’s current legislative session.
“I think we all share an interest to ensure that there’s safety for the crews of these boats, but we just felt like the bill was more of a federal issue,” state Rep. Scott Nishimoto told ABC News. “I read through the bill and I didn’t really see how collecting contracts in different languages would do anything to ensure their safety.”
American Samoa Congresswomen Asks President Trump To Remove Fishing Prohibitions
March 9, 2017 — U.S President Donald Trump has been asked to remove all marine monument fishing prohibitions and reinstate fisheries management in accordance with federal law.
The request, made yesterday in a two-page letter by US Rep. Rob Bishop, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and American Samoa’s Congresswoman Aumua Amata, says prohibitions on commercial fishing in waters around marine monuments have impacted US fishing fleet as well as one cannery operation in Pago Pago.
“Using the Antiquities Act to close U.S waters to domestic fisheries is a clear example of federal overreach and regulatory duplication and obstructs well managed, sustainable U.S. fishing industries in favor of their foreign counterparts,” the letter from the Republican lawmakers point out.
Oregon Sea Grant funding in the crosshairs
March 7, 2017 — A budget proposal reportedly being floated by the Trump administration would end Oregon State University’s Sea Grant program and could potentially gut other OSU programs as well.
The proposal calls for a 17 percent budget reduction to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which funds research on climate change, ocean conditions, weather patterns and other aspects of earth science. Among the NOAA programs targeted for elimination is Sea Grant, a research and education initiative at 33 U.S. universities, including Oregon State.
The proposed cuts were reported on Friday by the Washington Post, based on a four-page budget memo that has not been made public by the administration.
Oregon Sea Grant Director Shelby Walker said the funding cuts, if approved, would devastate her program. Currently, Walker said, Oregon Sea Grant gets about $2.4 million of its annual budget of $5 million from the federal agency, with another $1.2 million in matching funds from OSU tied directly to NOAA dollars.
“It would basically eliminate the program,” she said of the White House budget proposal.
West Coast Trawlers Receive Permits to Target Rebuilt Rockfish Stocks
March 6, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — West Coast groundfish trawlers are fishing for rockfish again — finally.
Rockfish was once targeted by trawlers and a popular item sold in stores and restaurants, but some species were listed as overfished in the early 2000s. Measures to rebuild the stocks to healthy levels led to constraints on both targeted and non-targeted species. Recent stock assessments show rockfish are abundant and healthy.
That situation helped support the National Marine Fisheries Service approving an exempted fishing permit for trawlers in the catch shares program. The exempted fishing permit, or EFP, could result in significant harvest increases for rockfish species in Oregon and Washington waters, according to the EFP applicants.
The EFP was developed as a workaround to a regulatory backlog at NMFS and will allow fishermen to target a burgeoning biomass of pelagic rockfish: widow, yellowtail and other rockfish species. The overall allocation for canary rockfish, one of the primary constraints to increased landings of widow and yellowtail, increased by more than 1,000 percent, but NMFS was unable to lift certain restrictive gear rules in time for the 2017 season.
Four groups — the Environmental Defense Fund, West Coast Seafood Processors Association, Oregon Trawl Commission and Pacific Seafood — worked together to craft the EFP that was recently approved. Trawlers received their permits to start fishing Friday.
“We look forward to the agency’s approval of the final gear regulations package – it’s overdue. But in the meantime, this EFP gets us on the water with effective gear and the chance to target some very abundant stocks,” Warrenton, Ore.-based groundfish trawler Paul Kujala said in a press release.
The EFP, for which more than 30 vessels signed up to participate, lifts a requirement implemented in 2005 that mandated West Coast trawlers use a “selective flatfish trawl.” Selective flatfish trawls allow rockfish to escape by swimming upward as they are swept toward the cod-end, while flatfish stay low and are caught.
“Like a lot of these older regulations, the selective gear requirement made sense before we had observers and 100 percent accountability, when managers had to maximize rockfish avoidance,” OTC Director Brad Pettinger said in the release. “Now that rockfish species are largely rebuilt, these antiquated gear restrictions would have impeded fishermen’s ability to actively target the over 60 million pounds of rockfish that is available to them this year.”
Originally the EFP included California waters, but concerns over Klamath River salmon bycatch caused NMFS to scale it back. The southern portion of the EFP may be approved later in the year.
“We felt the bycatch avoidance measures we built into the EFP were sophisticated and sufficient to minimize bycatch to very low levels, but historically poor abundance of Klamath Chinook has them taking an extremely conservative approach,” EDF Pacific Region Director Shems Jud said. “So we’ll keep working on that, to ensure the agency that California trawlers can avoid Chinook while accessing these prolific groundfish stocks.”
The EFP process started in September 2016,, when it became apparent trawlers would not be able to use less restrictive gear at the start of 2017. The applicants also garnered the support of 13 West Coast Congressmen, led by Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., in urging NMFS to move the EFP along quickly.
The original goal was for implementation by the first week of January 2017 so processors could hire, train and prepare for an influx of rockfish in time for Lent. A number of delays led to NMFS issuing the permits almost two months later than originally planned.
Applicants and state and federal fishery managers plan to continue discussions at the March Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting next week in Vancouver, Wash.
This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.
California faces another bleak salmon-fishing season, a holdover from the drought
March 6, 2017 — California salmon anglers are looking at another bleak fishing season, despite the remarkably wet winter – a lingering impact from the state’s five-year drought.
This week, state and federal fisheries regulators released their estimates for the numbers of adult fall-run Chinook salmon swimming off California’s coast. The news was even more grim than the drought-weakened numbers of fish last year.
An estimated 54,200 adult fall-run Chinook salmon reared in the Klamath River are swimming off the Pacific Coast – among the lowest number on record and down from 142,000 in 2016. Of the adult fish reared in the Sacramento River and its tributaries, biologists estimate there are 230,700 in the Pacific Ocean – 70,000 fewer than last year.
The reason for the declines? The adult fish set to return to Central Valley rivers to spawn were hatched two to four years ago, during the peak of California’s record-breaking drought when river and ocean conditions were abysmal.
Salmon from the Sacramento and Klamath river systems account for the vast majority of salmon caught by anglers in California’s rivers and along the coast. They’re considered critical to the state’s commercial and recreational salmon industries, which account for an estimated $1.4 billion in annual economic activity.
Environmental Group Warns Of ‘Trans-Shipping’ Dangers In Pacific
February 27, 2017 — An environmental group dedicated to ocean conservation is warning Pacific nations to be alert to the dangers of what’s called trans-shipping, which it says can be used to mask illegal fishing activity.
Trans-shipping means fishing boats can stay at sea for an extended period of time, in some cases more than a year, by transferring their stock to another boat and receiving fuel and supplies.
The US-based group, Oceana, said that practice could often involve the laundering of fish, human rights abuses, and labour violations.
Its senior campaign director, Beth Lowell, said trans-shipping was a huge problem around the world and it was also likely to be happening in the Pacific due to its large tuna fisheries.
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