Disaster dollars for crab and salmon fisheries

Several Alaska fisheries are in line for a piece of more than $220 million in federal disaster funding.

Slicing the pie

Federal officials have posted a plan for distributing the $300 million included in the CARES Act for fisheries assistance.

Under the plan, Alaska and Washington state would be the top two recipients with $50 million each.

More details in this press release.

What's the best use of disaster funds?

Several groups from the Yukon-Kuskokwim and Cook Inlet regions have been tabbed to help fashion a spending plan for $20.8 million in federal disaster relief coming to Alaska in response to poor Chinook salmon runs. Details here.

Dismal news for Chinook trollers

Here's the announcement on this year's Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon quota.

"The commercial troll fishery preseason Chinook salmon harvest allocation for 2013 is 129,862 fish, a decrease of 67,410 Chinook when compared with last year's troll allocation of 197,272 fish," the announcement says.

Chinook take a dip for Southeast trollers

Southeast Alaska commercial trollers have a Chinook salmon harvest allocation this year of 197,272 fish, down 20,788 from the 2011 preseason allocation.

Here's the announcement from the Department of Fish and Game.

A concise assessment

This letter to the editor in Sunday's Anchorage Daily News captures perfectly, it seems to me, the situation the commercial halibut industry faces in its perennial struggle with the competing charter halibut fleet.

First, allocate by half and half

When the halibut are allocated on a 50-50 basis between the sport fishery and the commercial fishery, then there should be talk about reducing the sport catch.

— Greg Svendsen, Anchorage

Southeast Chinook quota improves considerably

Southeast Alaska commercial trollers will have a Chinook salmon harvest allocation this year of 218,060 fish, an increase of 54,178 over last year.

Here's the press release from the Department of Fish and Game.