Factory trawler hit with $122K penalty

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports this case charged in September:

• F/V America's Finest — Owner America's Finest Fishing LLC was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with directed fishing for groundfish with trawl gear in the Nearshore Bristol Bay Trawl Area when that area was closed to trawling. A $121,984.48 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

Tad Fujioka crosses the bar

The Alaska State Troopers report the death of Tad Fujioka as the likely victim of a bear mauling.

Fujioka, 50, of Sitka, was a commercial fisherman and owner of the F/V Sakura. He chaired the Seafood Producers Cooperative board of directors. A remembrance is posted here.

MSC victory for Alaska salmon

A decision turning back objections out of Canada clears the way for Marine Stewardship Council recertification of the Alaska salmon fishery.

The fishery has been certified since 2000. The certification was due to expire on Nov. 11.

Certification allows Alaska salmon to carry the blue MSC label signifying the product has been independently verified for sustainability.

No on Ballot Measure 1, says PSPA

The Pacific Seafood Processors Association is opposing Ballot Measure 1 and explains why here.

Personnel file

• Stephanie Madsen, longtime executive director of the At-sea Processors Association, will retire at the end of the year. APA represents Bering Sea pollock factory trawlers.

• Michelle Stratton is the new executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

• At its meeting this month, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council reelected Angel Drobnica as chair. She is director of fisheries and government affairs for the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association.

Do we have a harbor porpoise problem?

Federal and university scientists have published a study better defining Alaska's harbor porpoise population.

The research seems to lay the groundwork for measures to limit bycatch of harbor porpoises in the Southeast Alaska salmon gillnet fisheries.

A turning point for Prince William Sound herring?

The Prince William Sound herring food and bait fishery will open in November with a guideline harvest level of 500 tons, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

Several years of favorable spawning biomass estimates and signs of improving recruitment "support opening this small-scale fishery," the department said, adding: "This is the first time the food and bait fishery has been open since 1998."

A herring heads-up

A committee on Alaska herring industry revitalization is set to meet via web conference from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 31.

The committee is a joint effort of the state Board of Fisheries and the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

"The purpose of this meeting is to review economic and market research that occurred over the summer, review Western Alaska herring fisheries and stocks, hear an update on the Kodiak herring food and bait optimum numbers study, provide for open public testimony, and plan for future meetings," a public notice said.

Written public comments may be submitted through Oct. 29.

Click here for further details.

A gruesome year for Prince William Sound seiners

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today released its summary of the Prince William Sound salmon season, and many of the results are ugly.

"The 2024 season marked the worst pink salmon harvest since 1993 and the second-worst since the late 1970s when PWS hatcheries were established," the department said.

Total pink salmon harvest was 9.95 million fish, including a commercial catch of 5.07 million and 4.88 million taken for hatchery cost recovery and broodstock.

Hatchery pink salmon run failures punished purse seiners. Average permit earnings were $42,500 compared to a 10-year average of $203,000.

The 205 seine permit holders reporting at least one delivery was the lowest number since 2011.

"The last delivery was reported on Aug. 15, at least two weeks earlier than expected," the department said.

4 million pounds of cod up for grabs at Chignik

But does anyone want it?

More details in this Alaska Department of Fish and Game announcement.

Remember the Storis?

Here's a U.S. Coast Guard history essay on the legendary cutter Storis.

Farewell to a famous boat

A page from Trident's history book featuring the crabber Bountiful. Wesley Loy photo

An Alaska fishing vessel instrumental in the early development of seafood titan Trident Seafoods has new ownership.

"Yes, I can confirm that Shelford Fisheries purchased the Bountiful on Sept. 20," Trident's Alexis Telfer tells Deckboss.

The Bountiful is prominent in "Catching a Deckload of Dreams," a book on the history of Trident.

Trident founder Chuck Bundrant and his partners had the 165-foot boat built on the Ohio River in Indiana.

"Launched in 1978, the Bountiful was the second in a new generation of catcher-processors, designed to harvest, cook, and freeze king crab right aboard the vessel," the book says.

State records indicate a current value of $2 million for the Bountiful, which is expected to take part under its new ownership in this season's Alaska crab fisheries.

The situation with the halibut survey

The International Pacific Halibut Commission will meet in special session on Oct. 31 to talk about the setline survey.

The annual summer survey is crucial for managing the halibut fishery. But it's facing serious financial challenges as the halibut stock struggles.

"The spawning biomass of Pacific halibut is near the lowest levels observed since the 1970s and catch rates in nearly all IPHC regulatory areas are at or near the lowest levels observed in 40 years," says this brochure posted on the IPHC website.

The commission historically has paid for the survey by selling catches, but low catch rates and low fish prices coupled with rising costs have created a funding crunch, the brochure says.

In the special session, commissioners plan to discuss survey design for 2025 and beyond.

Man overboard at Chignik

The Alaska State Troopers today reported the following:

Location: Chignik

Type: Search and rescue

On 10/10/24 at approximately 0810 hours, Alaska State Troopers received a report of a man overboard in Chignik Bay. Jimmy Prokopeuff, 45, of Chignik, fell over the railing of his fishing vessel coming into the fueling dock. The captain attempted to rescue him with a mooring line and life jackets, but the individual was ultimately rescued by search and rescue volunteers who deployed in a skiff at 0829 hours. They retrieved him and transported him to the local clinic for treatment.

Trident to deal Kodiak plant to Pacific Seafood

Here's the press release.

Ship in distress at Unalaska

The U.S. Coast Guard is keeping a close eye on a struggling cargo ship near Unalaska.

"Although intense weather conditions put the vessel in danger of running aground, the vessel is anchored and stable," the Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard helicopter removed four of the ship's crewmembers and took them to Dutch Harbor.

For updates, check the USCG Alaska X feed.

Halibut all year in British Columbia?

A commercial fisherman is proposing a year-round halibut fishery in Area 2B (British Columbia).

"This proposal would allow the retention and sale of Pacific halibut year-round in Canadian waters," says this International Pacific Halibut Commission memo.

The commission is slated to hold its interim meeting electronically Nov. 25-26 and its annual meeting Jan. 27-31 in Vancouver, B.C.

Debating fish

Candidates for Alaska's lone congressional seat will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Kodiak for a fisheries debate.

The candidates include incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, Republican challenger Nick Begich and John Wayne Howe, of the Alaskan Independence Party.

The debate will be broadcast live on Kodiak radio station KMXT and streamed at kmxt.org.

For more information, including debate topics, click here.

Snow crab comeback!

After a two-year closure, the Bering Sea snow crab fishery will reopen at noon Oct. 15 with a modest quota of 4.72 million pounds, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Friday.

The department also announced a quota of 2.31 million pounds for the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery, which likewise will open Oct. 15. That's a slight increase from last season's 2.15 million pounds.

And the Bering Sea bairdi Tanner crab season will open Oct. 15 with a quota of 1.77 million pounds, down from last season's 2.08 million pounds.

Potential victory for the troll fishery

The federal government has released documents that could put an end to the Wild Fish Conservancy's lawsuit challenging the Southeast Alaska salmon troll fishery.

Here's an Alaska Department of Fish and Game press release that explains further.

Whither Peter Pan?

Tomorrow, we may learn the ultimate fate of Peter Pan, the legacy Alaska seafood processor that halted operations earlier this year.

Contenders including Rodger May and Silver Bay Seafoods are vying for what remains of the company.

May is a Seattle-area entrepreneur who's been involved in everything from seafood to movies. He became the lead owner of Peter Pan in early 2021, when he and other investors acquired the distressed company from Japanese seafood titan Maruha Nichiro.

In April, Wells Fargo Bank petitioned for appointment of a receiver for Peter Pan.

Since then, the court-appointed receiver has moved to sell off Peter Pan's assets.

May's bid for the company's remaining assets has been deemed the top offer, valued at about $37.3 million.

Wells Fargo likes the offer, but several other parties have filed objections.

A hearing on approval of the sale of assets is set for tomorrow in King County Superior Court in Seattle.

Foreign coast guard vessels reported in Bering

Here's a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.