State posts Southeast Chinook run forecasts

Details in this advisory announcement.

Seafood industry task force to meet again

Here's a press release with details.

Board of Fisheries to weigh PWS proposals

The Alaska Board of Fisheries is meeting this week in Cordova to consider dozens of proposals for the Prince William Sound region.

Here are a few attracting our interest:

Proposal 16, from the Chenega IRA Council, would close the Prince William Sound pollock trawl fishery.

Proposal 43, from Cordova District Fishermen United, would establish a directed octopus fishery in Prince William Sound.

Proposal 73, from James Burton, and several other proposals deal with permit stacking in the salmon seine and driftnet fisheries.

Proposal 78, from Virgil Umphenour, would reduce Prince William Sound pink salmon hatchery production by 25 percent.

It's all over

Another long commercial halibut season closes at midnight tonight.

Canned pollock for school kids?

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is holding its annual All Hands on Deck conference this week at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage.

One interesting item on the agenda is a proposed pilot project to demonstrate the acceptability and feasibility of canned Alaska pollock in international school meal programs.

Search underway for multiple people in Southeast

The U.S. Coast Guard and good Samaritans are searching for five people from a fishing boat that reportedly capsized near Point Couverden in Icy Strait.

The boat involved is the Wind Walker, the Coast Guard says.

Juneau watch

With the election behind us, leadership is taking shape for the 34th Alaska Legislature set to begin in mid-January.

It looks like Rep. Bryce Edgmon, independent from Dillingham, will serve as speaker of the House.

Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, will chair the House Special Committee on Fisheries. She previously held the gavel from 2015-20, and will take over for Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer.

Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, will serve again as Senate president.

For more on the legislative leadership, here are press releases from the House Majority Coalition and the Alaska Senate Majority.

'It's a sad story'

Buck Laukitis, a Homer commercial fisherman and former member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, has submitted a blistering commentary on the poor state of the halibut fishery.

"I have no confidence in the IPHC's approach," he writes, referring to the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Fishermen's News ends print edition, again

Fishermen's News, a magazine covering the North Pacific commercial fishing industry, is ending its print edition and, going forward, will be "presented in digital format only," its publisher says.

Read the announcement in the magazine's December issue.

To our knowledge, this leaves our region with no print publications devoted to covering the commercial fishing industry.

National Fisherman magazine earlier this year went online only, and publication of Pacific Fishing magazine has been suspended throughout 2024.

"While I am a big believer in print publications, and it is my preferred medium for reading magazines, the economics of printing and mailing magazines continues to move in the wrong direction. Our revenues simply cannot keep pace with the ever-increasing costs," Fishermen's News Publisher Dave Abrams writes.

Fishermen's News halted publication in 2020, but Abrams revived it the following year.

Opinion: Appreciate CDQ program, pollock fishery

In an Anchorage Daily News opinion piece, three community development quota executives tout the value of the CDQ program and the pollock fishery that underpins it.

Pro-fish Peltola defeated

Alaska Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola, who made fish a focal point of her campaign, has lost her bid for a second term.

Republican challenger Nick Begich is the winner.

A new skipper for American Seafoods

American Seafoods Co. announced Inge Andreassen, chief operating officer and president, has "assumed leadership of American Seafoods," succeeding CEO Einar Gustafsson.

Here's a press release.

Seattle-based American Seafoods operates a fleet of Bering Sea pollock factory trawlers.

Southeast pink salmon forecast

The Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest in 2025 is predicted to be in the "average" range at 29 million fish.

More details in this advisory announcement.

Biden beseeched

President Biden has only a few weeks left in office, and a fishing industry who's who is urging him to "resist all proposals to create or expand" marine national monuments. Here's the letter.

Expo time!

Pacific Marine Expo is set for tomorrow through Friday at the Lumen Field Event Center in downtown Seattle. More information here.

A down year for salmon

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released its summary of the 2024 commercial salmon season, and the numbers are nothing to shout about.

The total catch managed to crawl above 100 million fish, finishing at 101.2 million. That's a 56 percent decrease from the 2023 total.

"The 2024 commercial salmon fishery harvest for all species was valued at approximately $304 million, a significant decrease from $398 million from the 2023 season," the department reports.

Trump's pick for commerce secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has named Wall Street billionaire investor Howard Lutnick as his choice for commerce secretary.

The Commerce Department houses key agencies including the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Weather Service.

An update on that Kodiak trawling case

An interesting case involving an alleged trawling violation has been pending quietly for about a year and a half in Kodiak District Court.

Now, the matter seems to be heating up.

The defendant, Steven Spain, who was operator of the fishing vessel Mar Pacifico, has filed a motion to dismiss the case against him.

The Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions appears determined to press on with the case, filing this 19-page opposition to the motion to dismiss.

Spain, 63, is charged with a misdemeanor. He's accused of operating nonpelagic trawl gear in state waters closed to such gear.

The case raises an important question for the fishing industry: What constitutes a pelagic trawl — that is, gear that doesn't contact the bottom?

The complaint filed against Spain says a claimed pelagic trawl net on the Mar Pacifico had prohibited attachments including chafing gear and chain rib lines "making this net suitable for fishing on the seabed."

Prosecutors argue the state definition of pelagic trawl gear is clear.

Their opposition filing includes details about Operation Bottom Drag, an enforcement action said to have reverberated throughout the trawl industry.

A second Bristol Bay forecast

The University of Washington's 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon forecast projects a harvest of 37.8 million fish.

That compares to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game forecast of 34.8 million fish.

Uncle Sam wants fish

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking to buy large quantities of salmon products as well as pollock products.

Seafood task force to meet Wednesday, Thursday

Here are details including the lineup of speakers.

USCG helicopter rescues three near Kayak Island

Click here for further details and a video.

Floaters begin to multiply

Circle's second barge

This past salmon season saw a notable twist in Bristol Bay with the entry of a new floating processor, the Hannah, from Bellingham-based Northline Seafoods.

The processor is the first in an emerging class of freezer barges whose developers say will revolutionize the fishing industry by improving efficiency, fish quality, and prices.

A second company, Circle Seafoods, based in Aberdeen, Washington, has been building its own freezer barge, and this week announced the purchase of a second barge for conversion as a fish processor.

This second barge is "even bigger and badder" than the first, measuring nearly 500 feet long, the company said. The barge currently is named Mineral Creek.

Circle is targeting the 2025 salmon season in Southeast Alaska for its barge debut. The company is inviting seiners to join its efforts.

Trawlers lose

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging new regulations tightening halibut trawl bycatch limits in the Bering Sea.

Here's the 39-page decision.

A bigger Bristol Bay catch expected next year

The state has released its 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon forecast, which predicts a harvest of 34.8 million fish.

That would surpass the 31.6 million sockeye taken this past season.

Another major announcement from Silver Bay

Silver Bay Seafoods says it will acquire processing plants at Dillingham and Port Moller, adding: "As part of this acquisition, Silver Bay has committed to participating in the working group formed by Rodger May to address the future of the former Peter Pan Seafoods facility in King Cove."

More in this press release.

Silver Bay, APICDA to partner at False Pass

Here's a press release.

A big cutback for Kodiak crab

The state has set a catch quota of 560,000 pounds for the Kodiak District Tanner crab fishery set to open at noon Jan. 15.

That's a big reduction from the 3 million pounds allowed last season.

Personnel file

Andrea Keikkala will be the new executive director for United Catcher Boats, taking over for Brent Paine, who is retiring after many years leading the organization.

Keikkala currently is assistant director of the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

United Catcher Boats is a trade association representing trawlers delivering Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska pollock and other groundfish to shore plants.

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.

What is pelagic trawl gear?

State Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, weighs in with a letter to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is meeting this week in Anchorage.

Another big day in court

As previously reported, a Bering Sea bottom trawl fleet, operating under the banner Groundfish Forum, is suing in an effort to kill new regulations to tighten halibut bycatch limits.

The fleet argues it's being unfairly singled out and faces potential financial ruin.

The National Marine Fisheries Service — as well as several fishing, processing and conservation players in the halibut sector — are defending the regulations.

The case has been cooking for several months and is now set for an important round of oral argument beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in federal court in Anchorage.

To listen, dial (571) 353-2301 and use call ID 275666327.

Trident proposes trawl experiment

According to this agency letter, Trident Seafoods is applying to test trawl gear designs that "aim to minimize seafloor contact when targeting pollock."

A Kodiak trawl Chinook bycatch blowout

Here's the story from Nathaniel Herz and his Northern Journal.

Interesting reading

Here are a couple of notable items in print.

The New York Times published a big story on Red Lobster's descent into bankruptcy. It's rollicking, rapacious, revolting read.

Also, Doug Vincent-Lang, Alaska's fish and game commissioner, has a piece on the Anchorage Daily News site headlined Safeguarding Alaska offshore habitat and providing a path forward for trawling.

Big day in court

As previously reported here on Deckboss, two tribal organizations are suing the National Marine Fisheries Service in federal court, challenging the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries.

At 9 a.m. tomorrow in federal court in Anchorage, lawyers will square off for oral arguments, each side seeking summary judgment — a knockout victory.

The tribal organizations — the Association of Village Council Presidents and Tanana Chiefs Conference — are represented by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm.

The public may listen to the hearing by dialing (571) 353-2301 and using call ID 275666327.

Third snow crab season to receive disaster aid

Federal officials have allocated another large sum of money as disaster relief for the troubled Bering Sea snow crab fishery.

This latest sum of $39.5 million covers the 2023-24 season.

Previously, officials allocated much larger amounts for Alaska crab fisheries, including:

• $96.6 million for the 2022-23 Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab fishery disasters

• $94.5 million for the 2021-22 Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab fishery disasters.

The snow crab fishery has been closed the past two seasons due to weak stocks, and we're expecting word soon on whether the closure will extend to a third season.

Cook Inlet court battle

For those interested in following the never-ending legal conflict over Cook Inlet salmon management, here's a litigation update provided to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Federal disaster dollars reportedly inch closer

Here's a press release from Alaska's congressional delegation.

Reviewing an industry in distress

Here's a summary of this week's meeting of the legislative task force on Alaska's struggling seafood business.

Factory trawler charged with salmon violation

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

• C/P Northern Eagle — Owners American Seafoods Co. LLC and Northern Eagle LLC were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with failing to ensure no salmon of any species passed the observer collection point. A $15,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

Deckboss invites readers to visit our companion blog The Brig for more fisheries enforcement news.

The Peter Pan fire sale

Rodger May, half owner of the collapsed processor Peter Pan Seafood, has won an auction for an assortment of the company's remaining assets, edging out a competing bid from Silver Bay Seafoods.

A notice filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, where Peter Pan is being liquidated through receivership proceedings, indicates May bid $37,324,000 to Silver Bay's $37,067,320.

Results of the bid are subject to court approval.

May's bid consists of a $25,324,000 cash component and a $12 million credit bid, court papers show.

Here's a table designating the purchase price for individual assets.

Some of the prices seem shockingly low for properties once regarded as crown jewels in Alaska's seafood industry. For example, the price for the huge King Cove processing plant is $200,000 cash ($1 for the real property and fixtures, and $199,999 for the equipment and machinery).

The Dillingham processing plant has a purchase price of $11 million, but only $3 million of that in cash.

The most expensive sale item appears to be equipment and machinery in the Port Moller processing plant, priced at $8.75 million cash. This makes sense, as the Port Moller plant was rebuilt in 2018 following a fire.

Will these Peter Pan assets function again as they once did? That remains to be seen.

Halibut dinner for orcas?

A four-page paper posted on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council website looks at the practice of halibut deck sorting on certain trawl vessels operating off Alaska.

The idea with deck sorting is to quickly collect halibut hauled aboard as bycatch and return them to the sea, hopefully to swim away alive and uninjured.

There's concern, however, that these halibut don't swim away, but instead are chomped by feeding orcas hanging around the vessel.

With the paper, regulators are looking to better account for marine mammal feeding on halibut discards.

Here's a slideshow on how halibut deck sorting works.

This year's Permanent Fund dividend $1,702

Here's the official announcement.

Legislature to the rescue?

The legislative task force evaluating the economic troubles facing Alaska's seafood industry is meeting this week, with the second and final session set for tomorrow. Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang and others are scheduled to make presentations.

For more information, check out the task force website.

Please help?

As expected, this season's pink salmon bust is beginning to spawn calls for assistance.

State Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, chair of the House Special Committee on Fisheries, has sent a letter asking the governor to seek federal fishery disaster relief for Prince William Sound and other areas.

Bigger price, smaller fish at Bristol Bay

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has posted its summary of the 2024 Bristol Bay salmon season, and the numbers certainly are interesting.

• The average ex-vessel price for sockeye was 89 cents per pound, way better than the 52 cents indicated in the 2023 season summary.

• The high proportion of younger fish in this year's run resulted in the smallest average sockeye weight on record at 4.53 pounds. Last year's sockeye averaged 5.54 pounds.

• The year's harvest tallied 31.6 million sockeye, well below the more than 40.5 million last year.

• Despite the smaller fish and reduced harvest, this year's sockeye fishery was worth more at a preliminary value of $127.4 million, compared to last year's $116.8 million.

Those sneaky Russians

Writing in the Anchorage Daily News, Einar Gustafsson, CEO of American Seafoods, which operates a fleet of Bering Sea pollock factory trawlers, complains about market competition from Russia.

Russian submarines, frigate spotted

Details in this U.S. Coast Guard press release.

Embattled Alaska

National Fisherman today published an article examining the many legal and administrative challenges currently facing Alaska and its fisheries.

The article includes an insightful Q&A with Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang.

Is industry behind Peltola?

Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, holds the lone Alaska congressional seat and is righting for reelection with a "pro-fish" campaign slogan.

But how does Alaska's commercial fishing industry feel about her?

To find out, Deckboss followed the money — that is, the campaign contributions to Peltola and her main challenger, Republican Nick Begich.

We searched recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, specifically the July 15 quarterly reports for each candidate.

We're sure we didn't catch everything, but we found several significant fisheries contributions from processors, fishermen and others in the Mary Peltola for Alaska committee report. We compiled this list of Peltola contributions.

The Alaskans for Nick Begich committee, by contrast, showed only a handful of minor contributions from fishermen.

Salmon notes

Here's an update on the 2024 season, which is all but done.

• This will finish as a poor season, at least in terms of harvest volume. The statewide, all-species catch stands at 96.2 million fish. The season likely will finish with a harvest under 100 million for the first time in 37 years, since 1987, when the tally was 96.5 million.

• The Prince William Sound purse seine fishery closes today, perhaps appropriately on Friday the 13th. It's been a nightmare year for seiners with a catch of less than 5 million pink salmon, far below forecast. Expect pleas for disaster relief coming out of Cordova.

• Alaska never has produced many salmon north of the Arctic Circle, but this season's production was particularly paltry at Kotzebue. "The 2024 commercial harvest of 5,392 chum salmon was below the 1962-2023 average harvest of 231,196 chum salmon and the poorest harvest since the state started managing the Kotzebue District in 1962," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

• It wasn't gloomy everywhere this season. On Aug. 12, OBI Seafoods blew the cannery steam whistle in Petersburg to mark 100,000 cases of canned salmon produced.

'Challenging times'

Here's an interesting letter from Janet Coit, head of the National Marine Fisheries Service, to Angel Drobnica, chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Trident names Microsoft man as COO

Here's the press release.

The salmon situation

The latest weekly harvest update from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute offers a concise summary of the waning salmon season.

More Russian naval activity possible

Details in this U.S. Coast Guard advisory sent to the fishing industry.

Endangered Chinook?

Public comments are rolling in on a National Marine Fisheries Service finding that listing Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered "may be warranted."

The finding was in response to a petition from the Wild Fish Conservancy, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington state.

The idea of listing Chinook has raised considerable alarm across Alaska's fishing industry, with many organizations and individuals warning of serious economic damage were such an action actually taken.

NMFS is taking public comment until Sept. 6. You can read all the comments here.

We'll update this post periodically with links to select comments.

Alaska legislators

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

United Fishermen of Alaska

Kenai River Sportfishing Association

Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

Wild Fish Conservancy

Alaska resource associations

Alaska Trollers Association

Purse Seine Vessel Owners' Association

Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association

Southeast Alaska Guides Organization

Petersburg Borough

Alaska Marine Conservation Council

Pacific Seafood Processors Association

Mayors stick up for embattled pollock industry

Here's their column in the Anchorage Daily News.

311 brilliant ideas

The Alaska Board of Fisheries has posted its proposal book for the 2024-25 meeting cycle.

The board will hold meetings in Cordova, Ketchikan and Anchorage, and has accepted 311 proposals for review.

Blotter

Catch our companion blog The Brig for interesting enforcement news.

Twelve more for trollers

Southeast Alaska trollers are getting a shot at 4,000 additional treaty Chinook salmon.

A 10-day fishery opens after midnight tonight, with 12 Chinook allocated per permit, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

A halibut history on the horizon

Gustavus author James Mackovjak, who books have included histories of Alaska's Pacific cod and herring fisheries, is now nearing completion of a halibut fishery history.

The book is headed for review by the University of Alaska Press.

Here's a brief description of the epic book, which will cover the years 1888 to 2023.

Deckboss is looking forward to adding this one to his fish library!

Kodiak fish debate set for congressional candidates

Details in this press release from the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce.

This will be completed really fast, right?

The Government Accountability Office is reviewing the federal fishery disaster assistance program.

The review comes at the request of Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

Farmed salmon? How about sablefish instead?

Here's an interesting column today in The Seattle Times.

Task force reportedly gets to work

The legislative task force on Alaska's seafood industry has begun its work, holding its first meeting recently. That's according to one of the members, Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau.

To our knowledge, no public notice of the meeting was given, which is disappointing.

Kiehl, in his latest newsletter, wrote the following about the task force:

Alaska's seafood industry is in crisis. That's an ugly phrase, but it's no exaggeration. Processors are closing, fishing families are paying more for fuel than the value of the fish they catch, salmon numbers are below projections, and halibut and crab stocks aren't healthy. Low prices, international competition, and poor markets all compound the problems. High interest rates make weathering the storm harder than usual.

Alaskans know how vital our fisheries are — seafood is a huge sector of our economy, a critical natural resource, and an essential part of our way of life. This year the legislature passed SCR 10, creating a task force similar to one from the early 2000s, when the salmon industry looked bleak. We had slightly different issues to work on back then, but a series of changes the task force suggested helped the state's single largest employer bounce back.

I'm proud to report Senate President Gary Stevens appointed me to the new Seafood Industry Task Force. We had our first meeting last week, where we hammered out a schedule for our work on solutions for the industry.

We'll meet with fishing families and stakeholders, communities and financial types. This effort will need all hands on deck, so if you have ideas I'd love to hear from you, too. Come next session, we want to be ready with serious, impactful legislation to help Alaska seafood businesses get back on their feet.

Crab fleet rep reportedly wins council seat

Jamie Goen, executive director of the trade group Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, has been appointed to replace the late Kenny Down on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

So says this Facebook post. We've yet to see any official announcement from federal officials.

Goen was one of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's nominees for the seat, though not his top pick.

Another big Bristol Bay sockeye harvest in 2025?

A preliminary forecast from the University of Washington projects a harvest of 32.4 million sockeye next year in Bristol Bay.

That would slightly top this year's solid harvest, which is all but finished.

What caused the great snow crab collapse?

NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center sent this today:

In a new paper published in Nature Climate Change, NOAA Fisheries scientists attribute the abrupt collapse of snow crab to borealization, or an ecological shift from Arctic to sub-Arctic conditions during the marine heatwave in 2018-2019 in the southeast Bering Sea due to human-caused climate change. Scientists determined that climate change affects crabs at different life stages. A combination of factors, all associated with borealization, likely played a role in the decline including a decrease in sea ice, increase in the prevalence of bitter crab disease, which can be fatal for snow crabs, increased Pacific cod abundance (snow crab predator) and prey limitations. Scientists ruled out trawl fisheries bycatch to explain the mortality associated with the collapse because the estimated bycatch is orders of magnitude too small to explain this level of mortality. Results indicate that over the next 1-2 decades, the Arctic characteristics necessary for the snow crab stock may become scarce in the southeastern Bering Sea.

More legal trouble for trawlers

The environmental group Oceana is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service in Alaska federal court, accusing the agency of failing to protect corals, sponges and seafloor habitat from "the destructive effects of trawling."

Here's a press release from Earthjustice, the law firm representing Oceana.

Man reported killed on troller near Sitka

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

A boat seizure and arrest in Southeast

State troopers have seized the commercial fishing vessel Silver Surfer and arrested a Ketchikan man following a "remote operation" in Southeast Alaska. More details in this press release.

A big win for trollers

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today issued an opinion reversing a lower court ruling that could have idled Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon trollers.

Cook Inlet EEZ closes

Commercial fishing for salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone closes for the year at 7 p.m. today, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced.

This was the first season for a separate, federal fishery in the EEZ — a result of ongoing court battles over Cook Inlet salmon management.

It appears the salmon harvest has been modest in the EEZ. The latest tally shows a catch of 323,680 sockeye, or 66 percent of the quota.

Manufacturer of the Year

The state has presented an award to Copper River Seafoods.

Body of missing Bristol Bay fisherman recovered

Here's a press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Trawlers to court: Please hurry

A trawl fleet challenging tighter halibut bycatch limits is pleading with the Alaska federal court to issue a decision by Nov. 1.

That's the latest the trawlers can "reasonably make decisions regarding which and how many vessels to activate, how many people to employ, and what supplies to purchase for the 2025 fishing year," says this motion to expedite.

Russian naval vessel seen south of Aleutians

Here's a U.S. Coast Guard press release with details and a photo.

Salmon notes

Here are a few interesting items as the salmon season steams ahead.

• The statewide commercial salmon harvest stands at just over 70 million fish. The preseason forecast called for a harvest of 135.6 million fish this year. That could be unattainable with the pink salmon harvest lagging badly, especially in Prince William Sound.

• It appears Southeast Alaska trollers might be denied a second summer opener and the chance to catch 15,000 highly valuable Chinook salmon. The Alaska Trollers Association is livid.

• Juneau-based Alaska Glacier Seafoods has acquired Triad Fisheries for an undisclosed price. Triad, based in Sitka the past 16 years, works with a group of independent hook-and-line, frozen-at-sea boats primarily fishing king and coho salmon in Southeast Alaska, with the catch marketed under the Bruce Gore brand.

• Saturday, Aug. 10, is Alaska Wild Salmon Day!

More Peltola fisheries legislation

Alaska Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is fighting for reelection, has put in a bill that appears designed to shield the Alaska fishing industry from offshore fish farm competition, while also subsidizing development of community seafood processing capacity.

Fishing finance

Legislation the governor signed into law this week enhances the state's commercial fishing loan program to help the seafood industry cope with "challenging economic conditions."

Another big landslide causes B.C. salmon concern

In 2019, a huge rockslide into the Fraser River north of Lillooet, British Columbia, created a serious impediment to salmon runs.

Now comes word of another big slide blocking the Chilcotin River, an important Fraser tributary.

Read about it in this Pacific Salmon Commission report.

Three appointed to North Pacific Council seats

The commerce secretary has appointed John Moller and Brian Ritchie to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and has reappointed Anne Vanderhoeven to a second term.

Moller and Ritchie were Gov. Mike Dunleavy's top picks for Alaska seats on the council, which has 11 voting members and helps regulate commercial fisheries off Alaska.

The Vanderhoeven reappointment to a Washington seat is notable in that Gov. Jay Inslee had named Becca Robbins Gisclair, of the Ocean Conservancy, as his top choice. The governor did, at least, include Vanderhoeven on his list of recommendations. Vanderhoeven is government affairs director for trawl company Arctic Storm.

A missing person in Bristol Bay

Authorities have been searching for a person reported overboard from a fishing vessel at Egegik in Bristol Bay.

The missing person was first reported to the U.S. Coast Guard last week, said Mike Salerno, a Coast Guard spokesman in Juneau.

Coast Guard aircraft, the cutter Aspen, and several fishing boats mounted a search of area waters. The missing person reportedly wasn't wearing a life jacket.

The vessel involved was the Warmaster, Salerno said. State records list the owner of the 32-foot boat as Guy Hoy, of Everson, Washington.

Salerno said the Coast Guard, by policy, would not release the missing person's name.

Deckboss has asked the Alaska State Troopers for identification.

Salmon notes

Here are a couple of items of interest from the salmon season so far.

• The industry has notched a productive season in Bristol Bay. The total catch stands at 30.8 million sockeye, well above the preseason forecast of 25 million. The fish, however, reportedly are quite small this year. Deckboss remains in the dark on prices. Evidently they were good, as we've heard no bellyaching from fishermen.

• The Prince William Sound seine fishery is struggling. The common property pink salmon harvest through July 26 was "very poor" at 3.9 million fish, or 68 percent below the even-year average for 2004-22, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

A bill to ban octopus farming

U.S. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have introduced legislation to ban commercial octopus farming in the United States and prohibit imports of farmed octopus from foreign countries.

"Octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures in the oceans. And they belong at sea, not suffering on a factory farm," Whitehouse said in this press release.

The bill "protects Alaska's marine ecosystems and supports wild harvest opportunities for Alaska's fishermen," Murkowski said.

Outlaws at Egegik

Citing "numerous reports of illegal fishing activity in closed waters," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game today is closing commercial fishing with driftnet gear in Bristol Bay's Egegik District.

A big canned salmon deal

The court-appointed receiver for Peter Pan Seafood is looking to sell the company's canned salmon inventory to Silver Bay Seafoods in a $27.3 million deal.

Silver Bay would use the inventory to help fulfill a U.S. Department of Agriculture contract, according to this motion filed in King County Superior Court.

Turning the page on paper logbooks

The International Pacific Halibut Commission has launched a trial of electronic logbooks in Alaska.

The commission distributed tablets to several vessel captains to record fishing activity normally put down in paper logbooks.

Here's a press release with further details.

More Peter Pan news

Proceedings continue in the case of Peter Pan, the legacy seafood processor now in receivership.

The latest twist is an offer from Peter Pan's president, Rodger May, to acquire certain assets, including the Port Moller processing plant, for $15 million.

For more details about the proposal, plus some interesting remarks about Silver Bay Seafoods, see this 18-page motion filed in King County Superior Court.

Salmon notes

Here are a few important developments in the salmon fisheries.

• The Bristol Bay sockeye fishery continues and the harvest has now exceeded the preseason forecast. The catch currently stands at 26.5 sockeye, well above the projected 25 million.

• Northline Seafoods says its Bristol Bay freezer barge is back to full operations following a fire that hobbled the platform earlier in the season.

• Hannah Heimbuch tells the story of how salmon setnetters at Alitak, on the remote south end of Kodiak Island, saved their season after processor OBI Seafoods dropped the fleet this year. The setnetters found a helping hand in Silver Bay Seafoods, Heimbuch writes.

• It's a big day for Alaska's troll fishery tomorrow in San Francisco, where the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral argument in the Wild Fish Conservancy case. The organization has been trying to shut down the fishery, which it claims is harmful to endangered killer whales.

Eagles on the attack in Kodiak

KMXT radio has the story.

Capitol salmon

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has been working on spending bills, and a press release from her office notes the following:

Senator Murkowski inserted report language in the Legislative Branch FY25 Appropriations Act that encourages the Senate Dining Room and food-service facilities in the Capitol to source domestic seafood products, including wild-caught salmon. Alaska-caught seafood should be available for those who visit the capitol to enjoy and to appreciate that when it comes to seafood, there's no substitute for Alaskan seafood.

Legislative task force membership named

Eight state legislators have been appointed as members of a special task force established to address the "economic peril" swirling around the seafood industry.

Here's an Alaska Senate Majority press release with details.

Southeast salmon crossed off Canada's list

Canada's largest sustainable seafood label has pulled its recommendation for Southeast Alaska salmon fisheries, the Times Colonist newspaper reports.

Salmon notes

Here's a news roundup from the salmon season thus far.

• The Bristol Bay catch now stands at nearly 21 million sockeye. Fishing remains strong with more than 1 million fish taken yesterday.

• Driftnetters have taken nearly 1.3 million sockeye in the Copper River District, and Eshamy Main Bay has produced more than 1 million sockeye.

• Circle Seafoods confirms the first of several planned processing barges will not be ready in time to take part in this year's Southeast Alaska salmon fisheries. In the interim, the company is renting plant space in Metlakatla this summer to handle pinks and chums from a handful of seiners, the Ketchikan Daily News reports.

• In Canada, the Fraser River sockeye run size forecast is the lowest on record. More details in this Pacific Salmon Commission report.

'It is critical that we take action now'

The congressionally mandated Alaska Salmon Research Task Force has released its final report.

A big new bycatch report

The U.S. Government Accountability Office today released a report titled Federal Fisheries Management: Efforts to Reduce and Monitor Unintentional Catch and Harm Need Better Tracking.

Chinese military reported in the Bering

The U.S. Coast Guard says it encountered multiple Chinese military ships over the weekend in the Bering Sea. Details in this press release.

Mark your calendars

The organizers of Pacific Marine Expo, the big Seattle trade show, today announced dates and times for this year's event, and they're kinda different.

"This year's show will follow a new schedule pattern," a press release said, with the show floor opening as follows:

• Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Thursday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Any takers for American Seafoods?

The American Seafoods factory trawler Ocean Rover moored in Seattle. Wesley Loy photo

Seattle-based American Seafoods has been for sale for years. But a sale has proved elusive, and now the company has "paused its sale process."

"Our business remains strong," CEO Einar Gustafsson said in this press release. He said the company would revisit sale discussions "when the macroeconomic environment improves."

American Seafoods is one of the biggest players in Alaska's groundfish industry. It operates several enormous factory trawlers and controls a large percentage of the total allowable catch of pollock in the Bering Sea.

It's not surprising that American Seafoods is a hard sell.

The company has operated on a foundation of risk and debt. Risk, in that it's largely dependent on the health of a single stock — pollock. And American Seafoods historically has dragged a heavy debt load, though we can't quantify the company's current status in that regard.

Another concern for American Seafoods is the advanced age of its fleet. Most of its vessels were built originally in the 1960s and '70s.

The major shareholder of American Seafoods is Bregal Partners, a private equity firm.

Crewman reported dead in Bristol Bay

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: King Salmon

Type: Drowning

On 7/5/24 at approximately 1231 hours, Department Of Public Safety patrol vessel Stimson received a mayday call from a commercial salmon fisherman in Kvichak Bay stating he lost a crewman over the side of his vessel. Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to the area with two patrol skiffs and arrived just as the reporting vessel had located and retrieved their unconscious crewmember out of the water. AWT performed lifesaving measures for approximately one hour prior to pronouncing the crewman deceased. Investigation revealed Corwin Wheeler, 21, of Wisconsin, had become entangled in fishing gear and was pulled overboard and underwater. Next of kin has been notified.

Bristol Bay comes to life

After an easygoing start, the Bristol Bay salmon fishery is starting to gallop.

Yesterday was the first really big day of the season with a catch of more than 1.6 million sockeye, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

Total catch for the season now stands at nearly 7 million fish.

The forecasted harvest for this year is about 25 million sockeye, so still a ways to go.

Blotter

As the summer fisheries ramp up, so does enforcement. We're tracking the action on our sister blog The Brig.

Northline barge at 'reduced capacity' after fire

Here's a press release with further details.

Halibut bycatch case attracts Sullivan, Peltola

A court fight over halibut trawl bycatch is escalating.

Two members of Congress from Alaska, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic Rep. Peltola, are looking to weigh in on the case of Groundfish Forum v. National Marine Fisheries Service.

The lawmakers appear to be siding with regulators who imposed tighter halibut bycatch limits in the Bering Sea. A 17-vessel fleet, operating under the banner Groundfish Forum, has sued NMFS arguing the action is financially ruinous.

Council appointments on standby

The federal government announced appointments to six of the nation's regional fishery management councils, but said appointments to the Pacific and North Pacific councils "will be announced later this summer."

A regulatory revolution?

An opinion out today from the U.S. Supreme Court could have a major impact on how fisheries are regulated.

The ruling is getting a lot of press. Here's the clearest media report we've seen.

Summer troll fishery set

The summer troll fishery will open July 1 targeting 64,700 treaty Chinook salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

That's a considerable drop-off from last year's opening period target of 74,800 treaty Chinook.

Southeast seiner mishap

Petersburg radio station KFSK reports the seiner Pamela Rae overturned just south of Wrangell, but the five crewmembers were mostly unscathed.

Salmon snapshots

Here are market bulletins for each of the five salmon species, compiled by McKinley Research Group for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

What about disaster funding for trollers?

The Alaska Trollers Association has posted an update.

Cook Inlet setnetters in line for disaster dollars

The federal government today announced disaster funding for the 2021 and 2022 Upper Cook Inlet eastside setnet salmon fisheries.

Are Alaska Chinook really endangered?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has written a briefing paper questioning the Endangered Species Act review of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon and spelling out the serious consequences of a listing.

Backlash for Peltola trawl bill

Commercial fishing groups nationally have sent a letter asking U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, to withdraw her Bottom Trawl Clarity Act.

Canada's big news

Canada today announced it will ban open net pen salmon aquaculture in British Columbia coastal waters by June 30, 2029.

Peltola drops another fisheries bill

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, has introduced a bill to "amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to establish the Fisheries and Ecological Resilience Program and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to Congress a report on the competitiveness of domestic seafood producers in domestic and global seafood trade."

Here's a press release from Peltola's office.

Bits and pieces

• The new salmon season is gaining steam, and you can track the catch on the Blue Sheet. We just clicked over 1 million fish statewide.

• The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today announced the Aleutian Islands golden king crab quotas and season dates.

• Pacific Seafood has been hit with a big pollution penalty in Washington state.

• Coastal states reportedly have failed to agree on a protocol for commercial fishing in the central Arctic Ocean.

• A new United Nations report says that in 2022, production of animal species from aquaculture surpassed for the first time that from capture fisheries.

An interesting note from the Peter Pan meltdown

This filing in the Peter Pan Seafood receivership reveals a "collaboration among competitors" involving the storage, labeling and distribution of canned salmon.

Nick Mavar crosses the bar

Here's the story in The New York Times.

Blotter

Catch our sister blog The Brig for some interesting items posted today.

Fish and the farm bill

Two top commercial fishing organizations like the new farm bill taking shape in Congress.

United Fishermen of Alaska

Seafood Harvesters of America

The U.S. Coast Guard's new chaplain

Here's the announcement.

Next up for the CFEC

The governor has appointed Rick Green to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission.

The commission is a small state agency that issues commercial fishing permits and vessel licenses. The commission also limits the number of participants in the fisheries, though this work by and large was completed many years ago.

As many as three commissioners head the agency, but it will have only two with Green's appointment.

Green is best known for his years hosting a radio show as "Rick Rydell." More recently, he was special assistant to state Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang.

He takes the place of Mike Porcaro on the commission. Porcaro, an advertising executive who also hosts a radio talk show, in May failed to win legislative confirmation to the position.

Nathaniel Herz, of Northern Journal, was first to break the news of Green's appointment.

More time, please

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is joining the state in requesting more time for public comment on an Endangered Species Act review of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon. Here's the letter.

Northline drops anchor in Bristol Bay

Northline Seafoods says its new processing barge, the Hannah, has arrived in Bristol Bay for its inaugural salmon season. "Our four 22,000-pound anchors and 90,000 pounds of chain were placed over the weekend," the company announced today on LinkedIn. "The Hannah is positioned at Clarks Point in the Nushagak fishing district and will be buying fish from all districts until the end of the season."

More disaster relief

The feds today announced disaster determinations for two more Alaska fisheries — the 2023 Upper Cook Inlet eastside setnet salmon fishery and the 2022 Chignik salmon fishery.

The state of the industry

The National Marine Fisheries Service is preparing a report in response to "an urgent request from Alaska seafood producers and associations for an independent evaluation of the current state of federal Alaska commercial fishing and seafood markets."

NMFS moves to 'modernize' surveys, cut costs

Deckboss recently posted an industry letter to Congress expressing "urgent concern" about adequate funding for federal fisheries surveys.

Now comes word that the National Marine Fisheries Service is consolidating, reducing and suspending a number of Alaska surveys.

Silver Bay to acquire Trident's False Pass plant

Here's the press release.

Tragedy near Wrangell

The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting one person dead after a 58-foot fishing vessel collided with a skiff.

Liquidating Peter Pan

The court-appointed receiver for Peter Pan Seafood Co. has filed his initial report outlining efforts to sell off the company's assets, including millions of dollars in canned and frozen fish inventory.

The report also summarizes several lawsuits pending against Peter Pan.

The receiver also discloses he has collected $5 million in insurance proceeds related to two fires that occurred before the receivership.

More legal conflict in Cook Inlet

For over a decade now, Cook Inlet salmon management has been enmeshed in legal battles.

Now, predictably, another lawsuit has been filed as the federal government takes over salmon management in the inlet's federal waters.

Here's the 35-page suit: United Cook Inlet Drift Association v. National Marine Fisheries Service.

NFI decries Peltola's 'misguided' trawl bill

Here's the statement from the National Fisheries Institute.

State wants more time for Chinook listing comment

Here's the letter. And here's the background.

'Nothing is more critical'

Fishing and processing groups recently sent this letter to Congress urging adequate funding for federal fisheries surveys.

Bristol Bay eastside salmon announcement No. 1

Read it right here.

CEOs discuss the salmon situation

National Fisherman has published interviews with the chief executives of three leading Alaska salmon processors.

The CEOs offer their takes on the 2024 season and challenges facing the industry.

Silver Bay Seafoods CEO Cora Campbell

OBI Seafoods CEO John Hanrahan

Trident Seafoods CEO Joe Bundrant

Trident to continue Kodiak operations

Trident Seafoods today announced it would continue operating its Kodiak processing plant through "B" season for pollock, an important Gulf of Alaska fishery.

The announcement helps allay anxiety over the status of the plant, which Trident is attempting to sell as part of a company restructuring.

"We're currently in the middle of sale negotiations for Kodiak," Trident CEO Joe Bundrant said.

The potential buyer remains confidential.

Copper River update

The Copper River District commercial salmon fishery will resume at 7 a.m. Thursday for a 12-hour period, but the Chitina dipnet fishery will remain closed at least through June 9 due to a low sonar count.

A leadership transition at AMCC

Here's the announcement.

Northline processing barge heads to Bristol Bay

Here's the press release.

USCG reports fire and vessel tow

A U.S. Coast Guard enforcement report to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council includes this note:

May 15 — F/V Defender reported fire onboard. The fire was extinguished, and a tug towed the vessel into Dutch Harbor while being escorted by USCG cutter Midgett.

Another problem for Peter Pan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is suing Peter Pan Seafood Co. to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act at processing plants in Valdez and King Cove.

Under a proposed consent decree, Peter Pan and another company, PSF Inc., would pay a civil penalty of $750,000.

The decree lays out requirements to monitor and manage seafood processing waste discharges.

The EPA lawsuit also names Silver Bay Seafoods as a defendant, due to Silver Bay's recent purchase of Peter Pan's Valdez plant.

Eye on the competition

A couple of weeks ago, Deckboss saw a Publix circular offering "Bluehouse Atlantic Salmon Fillets" at $11.99 a pound.

The ad further described the product as "Fresh From Florida, Sustainable, Farmed."

A timeout for the Copper River

The Copper River is off to a hot start this season, with the first three fishing periods yielding stronger than expected catches of sockeye salmon.

Now, the fishery is taking a break.

The Copper River District will remain closed on Monday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today. The department didn't say when the fishery might reopen.

The problem appears to be lagging escapement upriver. The cumulative sonar count through Friday was 2,808 fish whereas 44,862 had been projected, the department said.

The cumulative harvest to date in the Copper River District is about 168,000 sockeye and 4,100 Chinook.

Misreporting, whale shooting land longliner in court

Federal prosecutors say a longline fisherman, Dugan Paul Daniels, of Coffman Cove, misreported sablefish and halibut catches and had a crewman shoot a sperm whale, an endangered species.

The misreporting is a felony and the shooting is a misdemeanor, court records say.

Under a plea agreement, Daniels is expected to plead guilty with prosecutors recommending a sentence of no more than six months in prison. He'll be fined $25,000, and also agree not to engage in commercial fishing for a year.

The case is set for a June 6 hearing in Juneau.

Alaska's very own pet food brand?

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is in line for a $500,000 federal grant for "development and marketing of an Alaska seafood pet food brand."

Learn more about this and other grants here.

Agency to entertain Chinook listing

The National Marine Fisheries Service announced today that listing of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered "may be warranted."

This is a preliminary, pro forma finding by the agency; we remain far from any actual listing under the Endangered Species Act.

The NMFS announcement comes in response to a petition from the Wild Fish Conservancy, the same organization that's fighting in court to shut down the Southeast Alaska troll Chinook salmon fishery.

Peltola takes on trawlers

Alaska Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola, currently running for reelection, today introduced two bills to "restrict bottom trawling and reduce bycatch."

The Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance issued this statement expressing disappointment in one of the bills.

Red Lobster files for bankruptcy

Here's a news account.

And here's a press release.

Feds declare Bering Sea snow crab disaster

Details in this news release.

Fast start for the Copper River

Yesterday's Copper River season opener produced an estimated 43,000 sockeye salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

That's way above the projected harvest of 14,900 sockeye for the 12-hour period.

Fishermen also took 1,100 Chinook, the department said.

Larry Cotter crosses the bar

Here's more sad news.

Larry Cotter, of Juneau, died on May 9, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council staff reports.

Cotter was a former council member and the former CEO of APICDA, the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association.

Kenny Down crosses the bar

Kenny Down, a North Pacific Fishery Management Council member from Washington state, died recently. Here's the announcement.

Silver Bay's big sale to Uncle Sam

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has purchased more than $7.5 million in canned pink salmon from Silver Bay Seafoods.

The purchase is in support of child nutrition and other domestic food programs, the agency said in this announcement.

A Seattle sinking

The fishing vessel North American has sunk at a pier east of the Ballard Bridge, the U.S. Coast Guard reports.

Trident's $56.6 million fire

A National Transportation Safety Board report says the probable cause of the fire aboard the Trident Seafoods factory trawler Kodiak Enterprise was "an unknown electrical source within the dry stores room."

The dry stores room was in the bow just forward of the galley.

The devastating fire broke out in April 2023 while the vessel was docked in Tacoma.

The Kodiak Enterprise was declared a total loss and had an estimated value of $56.6 million, the NTSB report says.

Governor's appointees clear Legislature, mostly

The Alaska Legislature on Tuesday confirmed Gov. Mike Dunleavy's fishery-related appointments, with one exception.

Märit Carlson-Van Dort, of Anchorage, was confirmed to the Board of Fisheries by a vote of 53 yeas 7 nays. This is a reappointment, as she already has served one term on the board.

Curtis Chamberlain, an Anchorage attorney and newcomer to the Board of Fisheries, was confirmed by a vote of 55 yeas 5 nays.

Megan O'Neil, of Petersburg, was confirmed to the Fishermen's Fund Advisory and Appeals Council by unanimous consent.

Mike Porcaro initially won confirmation to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission by a vote of 31 yeas 29 nays. But on a reconsideration vote, his confirmation failed 30-30. Porcaro is an Anchorage advertising executive and radio talk show host with no background in commercial fisheries.

Here's the legislative journal supplement with complete details on confirmation of the governor's appointments.

Southeast sablefish drawing winners announced

Here's the lucky list.

Another MSC objection

We previously reported how the Alaska salmon fishery is up for Marine Stewardship Council recertification.

Now, another organization is objecting.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which describes itself as the UK's largest nature conservation charity, is raising concerns about possibly significant gillnet bycatch of seabirds, particularly the marbled murrelet.

Fukushima and fish

State agencies have put together a new two-page fact sheet titled Fukushima Incident and Seafood from Alaska.

The fact sheet basically says the dumping of slightly radioactive wastewater from the 2011 catastrophe at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant hasn't been a problem for Alaska seafood.