Burned car carrier sinks off Aleutians

Here's an Associated Press news story.

Russian naval vessel seen south of Aleutians

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

A death in the Aleutians investigated

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Aleutian Islands
Type: Deceased person

On 9/7/22 at approximately 1445 hours, Alaska State Troopers received a report of human remains and a survival raft found on a beach at the west end of one of the Aleutian Islands. Investigation is ongoing. The specific information on the island and location is being withheld pending investigation.

State secures convictions against three trawlers, wins forfeiture of Pacific cod worth $106,326

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kagalaska Strait
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 2/24/15 Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers received information regarding three commercial trawl vessels that had fished within closed waters between 175 and 178 degrees W longitude in the Aleutian Islands area. The three vessels were the 296-foot Katie Ann operated by Daniel Skauge, of Oregon; the 102-foot Muir Milach operated by David Willmore, of Washington; and the 88-foot Aleutian Challenger operated by Michael Murdock, of Washington. Investigation revealed the three vessels made multiple tows with their trawls through state waters in violation of state regulations. A non-pelagic trawl used to harvest Pacific cod during the state waters A season may not be more than 60 feet in overall length. Skauge pled guilty to three counts of commercial fishing in closed waters, with a $6,000 fine and forfeiture of 6,989 pounds of cod. Willmore pled guilty to one count of commercial fishing in closed waters, with a $3,000 fine and forfeiture of 248,035 pounds of cod. Murdock pled guilty to one count of commercial fishing in closed waters, with a $3,000 fine and forfeiture of 138,767 pounds of cod. The approximate value of cod forfeited to the state was $106,326.

Editor's note: All three defendants entered their pleas on Aug. 25 in Unalaska District Court.

NMFS, industry win Steller sea lion case

A federal judge has ruled in favor of the National Marine Fisheries Service and industry in a case in which Oceana and Greenpeace challenged expanded commercial fishing in the Aleutian chain.

Here's the 18-page order.

Marine sanctuary proposal turned back

Federal officials have rejected the nomination of vast waters along the Aleutian chain as a national marine sanctuary.

The sponsor of the idea vows to persevere.

Alaska Congressman Don Young, in a press release last week, listed the considerable local opposition to the proposed marine sanctuary.

No support here

The Aleutians East Borough Assembly unanimously passed a resolution opposing the nomination of the Aleutian Islands as a national marine sanctuary. Here's a press release.

Vast Aleutian marine sanctuary proposed

Environmental groups want the Obama administration to designate the Aleutian Islands as a national marine sanctuary.

As you can see from the map above, the sanctuary would take in far more than just local waters along the chain. Rather, it would encompass Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea shelf, where some of the nation's most important commercial fisheries occur.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is spearheading the proposal. The Center for Biological Diversity is among other groups listed in the nomination letter.

Here's a press release discussing the basis for establishing an Aleutian Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

Oceana, Greenpeace sue over sea lions

Environmental groups Oceana and Greenpeace this week filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in a bid to block expanded commercial fishing in the Aleutian chain.

The suit is a reaction to the new federal policy on Steller sea lion protections.

Groundfish industry gets good news on Stellers

A new biological opinion supports a partial rollback of controversial commercial fishing restrictions imposed in 2011 to protect endangered Steller sea lions in the Aleutians.

That's the upshot of this announcement today from the National Marine Fisheries Service.

State, industry lose Steller sea lion appeal

Here's the opinion from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Aleutians golden king crab quotas stay steady

The state today announced Aleutian Islands golden king crab quotas totaling 6.29 million pounds for the 2013-14 season opening Aug. 15.

The quotas match those of last season.

More details in this Department of Fish and Game announcement.

Litigation update

Here's a quick update on a couple of big court cases brought against federal fishery regulators.

First, processors challenging the new Central Gulf of Alaska rockfish catch shares program have filed this amended complaint in federal court in Seattle.

You will note that International Seafoods is no longer listed as plaintiff. Now it's just Trident, Westward, North Pacific and Ocean Beauty taking on the feds.

Second, the state as well as several industry groups on Monday signaled they will appeal their recent defeat in the Steller sea lion case.

They contend the National Marine Fisheries Service lacks justification for imposing extensive fishing closures in the Aleutians to protect the endangered marine mammals.

Tsunami warning canceled

Here's the notice.

Tsunami warning issued for Aleutian chain

We have a tsunami warning in effect for the Aleutians from Unimak Pass west to Amchitka Pass, with special notice to Adak Island.

Feds extend comment period on Steller closures

The National Marine Fisheries Service is giving us an extra 45 days to comment on its "interim final rule" to restrict cod and mackerel harvests in the Aleutian Islands.

The restrictions are designed to reduce the commercial harvest of fish endangered Steller sea lions need for food.

Here's the press release.

Industry players sue feds over Steller restrictions

As expected, commercial fishing groups have gone to court in an effort to block federal restrictions on fish harvests in the Aleutians.

Here's the lawsuit, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage.

The restrictions, which took effect at the first of the year, are designed to leave more Pacific cod and Atka mackerel in the water for endangered Steller sea lions to eat.

The industry's concerns are summarized in this press release.

Looking at the lawsuit, the plaintiffs appear to be mainly trawlers at this point.

Gazing into my Aleutian crystal ball

We could see two interesting developments soon with respect to the seafood industry in the Aleutian Islands.

First, some commercial fishing companies are likely to seek intervenor status in support of the state's lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service on the Steller sea lion issue. The state and industry players hope to block restrictions, set to take effect Jan. 1, to curtail harvests of Aleutian fish the endangered Stellers rely upon for food.

Second, the troubled processing plant on Adak Island soon might have a new tenant. The leading candidate looks to be Icicle Seafoods Inc., which flew a team out to Adak in recent days to look things over. Icicle, you might recall, once was a partner in the plant. The big question is whether the plant can be readied in time for the upcoming Pacific cod season.

State sues NMFS over planned sea lion closures

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has made a habit of suing the federal government. Now he's suing again.

Here's the press release:

Dec. 14, 2010

State sues to overturn NMFS decision on western Steller sea lions

ANCHORAGE — The state of Alaska today filed suit in the U.S. District Court for Alaska against the National Marine Fisheries Service over the agency's decision to significantly curtail fishing in the western Aleutian Islands out of concern for Steller sea lions.

The state argues that NMFS failed to make "a rational connection" between the facts it found and the conclusions it reached, given that western Steller sea lions had an average annual population growth between 1 and 1.5 percent between 2000 and 2008, and now number more than 70,000.

"The agency's conclusion that additional fishing restrictions are necessary is not supported by the best available scientific information," Gov. Parnell said. "The drastic measures proposed by NMFS are simply not necessary given the overall health of the Steller sea lion population. This decision will have immediate and significant impacts on local communities and fishermen in the area."

As many as 900 people are employed by fishing fleets in the area facing restrictions. NMFS acknowledges that implementation of its decision would cost fishery losses of up to $66 million annually.

State officials also believe the federal agency committed numerous procedural violations, which had the effect of limiting the opportunity for public and expert comments.

"The state submitted extensive comments on both the process and the foundational science used to reach this decision," said acting Fish and Game Commissioner Cora Campbell. "We are extremely disappointed that NMFS did not adequately consider these concerns and did not more fully incorporate the recommendations of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in its action. We are also very disturbed about the lack of meaningful public process."

A copy of the complaint is available here.

NMFS stands firm on fishery closures in Aleutians

The National Marine Fisheries Service is sticking to its guns on a range of fishery restrictions beginning next year in the Aleutians to conserve prey for endangered Steller sea lions.

Here's a press release with a helpful map at the bottom.

The news had industry players grumbling today at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Anchorage. The speculation is that fishing companies, and perhaps the state of Alaska, will sue the feds over what some consider questionable closures of productive cod and Atka mackerel fishing grounds.

Others, however, applauded NMFS.

"By providing more food for sea lions in the western Aleutians, these measures should help stem the continued decline there," Oceana said in this press release.