A Seattle sinking

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

Badass boat

During last month's Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, Deckboss went looking for fish boats and found the Ocean Rover tied up at Terminal 91. The 256-foot factory trawler, part of the American Seafoods fleet, fishes Bering Sea pollock.

Alaskan Leader Fisheries fined $11K for fuel spill

Here's a press release from the state of Washington:

Jan. 15, 2015

Fishing vessel owner fined for 2013 Seattle spill

SEATTLE — The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Lynden-based Alaskan Leader Fisheries LLC $11,000 for a 2013 oil spill to Elliott Bay from one of its fishing vessels in Seattle.

The Bristol Leader, a 167-foot catcher-processor, spilled 181 gallons of diesel fuel into the bay on Sept. 13, 2013, while taking on fuel from a tank truck at Terminal 91.

Incoming fuel — intended for empty tanks on the Bristol Leader — went instead to a partly full tank. Ecology determined that the vessel's chief engineer had not followed the company's written procedures and loading plan. These specified which tanks would receive fuel and in what order, and required the chief engineer to monitor tank levels and valve settings.

"The company could have prevented the spill if they had kept a close watch on the valves and fuel levels," said David Byers, Ecology's spill response supervisor.

To read more, click here.

Seattle real estate news

Glacier Fish Co., a major player in Alaska's pollock fishery, has landed a new home in Seattle.

Glacier's $5.1 million purchase of this new Class A office building near Fishermen's Terminal was a bargain, says this Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce story reposted on a commercial real estate firm's website.

Glacier will occupy one of the building's three floors.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission leases one of the other floors.

Glacier operates three factory trawlers targeting pollock and other groundfish in the Bering Sea.

Looking at halibut bycatch

A public workshop is planned for April 24-25 in Seattle to review how, and how well, halibut bycatch is estimated in the trawl and longline groundfish harvests off Alaska.

Deckboss imagines many of you would argue the estimates, especially in the Gulf of Alaska, are not nearly good enough.

Anyway, this three-page workshop overview is definitely worth checking out.

Pardon my rant

So, I took the redeye out of Anchorage last night, heading to Fish Expo. Thus far the trip is not going well.

My Boeing took off nearly three hours late. It's raining in Seattle, of course. McDonald's put cheese on my dang sausage biscuit. And Starbucks is playing nonstop Christmas music. On Nov. 16.

Expo time

Step right up, gents. Deckboss photo

It's a question you hear often this time of year: "Are you going to Fish Expo?"

Officially known as Pacific Marine Expo, Fish Expo is a huge trade show in downtown Seattle where working fishermen can find just about anything — from engines to electronics, buoys to bait.

This year's event will run Thursday through Saturday in the exhibition hall at CenturyLink Field, where the Seattle Seahawks play.

The show strongly targets Alaska fishermen, and many figure to be walking around with extra cash this year thanks to strong prices in salmon, halibut and other fisheries. I've heard the Expo will have more vendors than usual, all looking for a piece of the action.

Fish Expo also features some panel discussions on safety, marketing and other topics.

One session sounds particularly intriguing: "The North Pacific Fishery Management Council: Public process under scrutiny." The one-hour session, scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, could generate some fireworks, considering the discussion we've heard recently about perceived political imbalances on the council. The panel includes well-known industry players Arni Thomson, Larry Cotter, Lori Swanson, Steve Minor and Merrick Burden.

So, are you going to Fish Expo?

Deckboss will be there. Find him hanging around Pacific Fishing magazine, booth 729.

So long, Seattle

I wrapped up my visit to the Emerald City today. Naturally, I spent considerable time walking around Fishermen's Terminal taking pictures, despite what seemed like gale conditions all week.

The harbor was full of seine boats targeting fall salmon in Puget Sound, plus a lot of longliners that I assume just finished up the halibut season.

Anyway, here are a few postcards, including one at the end showing a good activity for a really soggy Seattle day.

Expo time!

Today's the start of the three-day Pacific Marine Expo, a showcase for everything from engines to electronics to bait. It's billed as the largest such event on the West Coast, and is being held in the grand Qwest Field Event Center smack in downtown Seattle. Qwest Field, in case you don't know, is home to the Seattle Seahawks. Deckboss will be hanging out in there today and looking to score a few new contacts among Alaska commercial fishermen. Wesley Loy photo

Pollock holds steady

Federal scientists meeting in Seattle this week appear primed to advise only a slight change in next year's eastern Bering Sea pollock catch.

I haven't spoken to the scientists directly, but it looks like KUCB radio out in Dutch Harbor did, and they favor an "acceptable biological catch" of 813,000 metric tons.

If that number is adopted as the commercial quota, it would be only a nibble off this year's limit of 815,000 tons.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will recommend a quota at its December meeting in Anchorage. The final say belongs to the U.S. commerce secretary.

Bering Sea pollock is the nation's largest commercial fishery by weight. Pollock are used predominantly for goods such as fish sticks and surimi, a protein paste that's fashioned into an array of specialty products in Asia.

The pollock stock is at a low ebb right now, scientists say. That's why the catch quota is way off its peak of 1.49 million tons in 2004.

Sleeping well in Seattle

Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle, hub harbor for North Pacific commercial fisheries. Wesley Loy photo

Deckboss is on the road for a spell, and Seattle is my first stop.

What a city. I could spend hours walking the piers at Fishermen's Terminal looking at fish boats of every size and shape. The restaurants, entertainment and general pace of Seattle is marvelous. Heck, I even like the rain.

I do have some business here. I'll be attending Pacific Marine Expo, also known as Fish Expo, starting on Thursday.

If you go to the expo and see me walking around, by all means step up and say hello.