Sunday, March 17, 2024

Another fishery headed for limited entry

Dozens of Alaska commercial fisheries are limited — that is, restricted to a maximum number of participants.

Now, another fishery is headed for limited entry.

Regulations to limit the Prince William Sound shrimp pot fishery will be the subject of a Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission public hearing on March 26 in Anchorage.

More details are available here.

Friday, March 15, 2024

It's halibut time!

The commercial fishery for Pacific halibut opened at 6 a.m. today.

Good luck to the fleet and please be safe!

E.C. Phillips to acquire Trident's Petersburg plant

Here's the press release.

Dunleavy likes Moller, Ritchie for council seats

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named John Moller and Brian Ritchie as his top choices for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Can we revitalize our herring fisheries?

We're approaching new seasons for herring, a vast resource in Alaska with major concentrations at Sitka, Kodiak, Togiak, Goodnews Bay and Norton Sound.

For years, however, herring hasn't produced much of a payoff for Alaska's commercial fishing industry. The herring are valued mainly for their eggs, or roe, and demand for roe has been weak in the main Asian market.

A stupendous volume of herring will be up for grabs this year at Sitka Sound, but only a portion of the 81,246-ton quota is expected to be harvested, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says.

A huge volume of herring also will be available at Togiak, historically the scene of Alaska's largest herring fishery. But for a second consecutive year, no commercial fishery is expected due to lack of industry interest.

Some industry players have long lamented Alaska's underutilized herring resource. They wonder, could the fish be used to feed hungry people around the world? Could herring roe markets be revived or expanded? Could more Alaska herring be taken for use as bait?

These and other questions could receive an airing soon with the formation of a "herring revitalization committee."

It's a joint effort of the state Board of Fisheries and the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

The committee would work to "better understand current and potential markets, and review potential regulatory change to facilitate those markets," according to this charge statement the Board of Fisheries recently approved.

Expect to hear more about this committee soon.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Silver Bay to acquire Trident's Ketchikan plant

Here's the press release.

National Fisherman to go online only

National Fisherman magazine is halting its print edition.

"After 78 years of delivering the latest in commercial fishing through our printed pages, National Fisherman is taking a leap into the future by transitioning to an exclusively online platform," the magazine announced on its website Tuesday.

National Fisherman covers the commercial fishing industry from New England to Alaska. The magazine used to publish monthly, but more recently had come out only quarterly.

The publisher, Diversified Communications, of Portland, Maine, also produces trade shows including Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle.