What a year

Fish of the year: This bumblebee halibut, caught by the crew of the fishing vessel Atka Pride in September in the Aleutians.

Deckboss took a few minutes over the weekend to review the news of 2010 and compile this Top 10 list of the biggest stories. By all means, tell me where I've gone wrong!

Crossing the bar: Iconic former Sen. Ted Stevens dies in an August plane crash that also takes the life of Bill Phillips, owner of the Bering Sea pollock mothership Excellence.

Super salmon season: Alaska's commercial salmon harvest was worth $534 million dockside, the best since 1992.

Lisa's fight: Sen. Lisa Murkowski retains her job after an unlikely write-in victory.

Drilling ban: The Obama administration nixes oil and gas leasing in Bristol Bay.

Business breakup: Partners American Seafoods and Coastal Villages Region Fund divide the fleet and go their separate ways.

We're watching you: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council overhauls the groundfish observer program, extending coverage to new classes of fishing boats including the halibut fleet.

Steller troubles: The National Marine Fisheries Service moves to close Aleutian fishing grounds to conserve fish endangered Steller sea lions need for food. The state in turn sues NMFS in a bid to block the restrictions.

Exxon Valdez money: The slow and tedious payout of winnings from the Exxon Valdez oil spill case continues, with a $99 million chunk disbursed just before year's end.

Personnel moves: Obama administration names Eric Schwaab of Maryland as the new head of NMFS; Juneau's Jim Balsiger returns home to head NMFS in Alaska; Cora Campbell takes over for Denby Lloyd as Alaska's fish and game commissioner.

Semper paratus: The U.S. Coast Guard reports saving 142 lives in Alaska, but loses three of its own from Sitka in a July helicopter crash off the coast of Washington state.

Time capsule

An icon falls. Wesley Loy photo

Now that we’ve clicked over to 2010, let’s review the Top 10 Alaska fish stories from the past decade.

Salmon depression: Global fish farmers and low prices ravage the state’s wild salmon industry. Fishermen quit and canneries close as the total harvest value hits bottom in 2002 at $163 million. The value has more than doubled since.

Tragedy: All 15 crewmen lost in the Arctic Rose sinking … seven hands lost in the Katmai sinking … five lost in the Alaska Ranger sinking … three killed in the Galaxy explosion and fire. A deadly decade indeed.

Crab rationalization: Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fisheries convert from intense derbies to individual shares for fishermen as well as packing companies. Crabber deaths are now rare, but controversy continues over the new regime.

Court rulings: The U.S. Supreme Court disappoints thousands of fishermen plaintiffs in 2008 by cutting a multibillion-dollar award to $507.5 million for the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In 2003, Bristol Bay salmon processors easily beat price-fixing allegations after an epic, four-month civil trial in Anchorage.

Politics: U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, author of the nation’s most important ocean fishing laws, loses his re-election bid in 2008 after a corruption conviction that later was tossed. Bristol Bay salmon setnetter Sarah Palin becomes governor then moves on to national celebrity as a vice presidential candidate.

Village power: The state’s six Community Development Quota organizations quietly build big fishing businesses, rural jobs and mountains of cash.

Endangered species: The state’s billion-dollar bottomfish industry undergoes a tumultuous management makeover to create more space between fishing boats and endangered Steller sea lions.

Halibut wars: Conflict escalates between the commercial and charter boat fleets as regulators flounder for a resolution.

Fish sticks: The nation’s largest commercial fishery, Bering Sea pollock, sees annual catches boom to almost 1.5 million tons early in the decade, then bust to roughly half that amount last year.

We love Sig: For better or worse, the Discovery Channel reality show “Deadliest Catch” probably does more to expose the world to Alaska commercial fishing than anything ever has or ever will.

From your boy Deckboss, happy New Year y’all!