Thursday, October 16, 2014

Togiak could yield another big herring haul

A huge volume of herring is expected again next spring at Togiak, with the forecast calling for a potential harvest of 29,012 tons in the sac roe fishery.

The industry took 25,136 tons last season. The grounds price was $50 per ton.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Snow crab quota jumps 26 percent

The Bering Sea snow crab quota is 67.95 million pounds, a nearly 26 percent increase from last season.

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

The snow crab season opens at noon Oct. 15, but typically the industry waits until the new year to harvest the bulk of the crab.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Mixed fortunes on the Yukon

Zero Chinook salmon were reported sold on the Yukon River this summer, and the commercial harvest of nearly 531,000 chums was 79 percent above the recent five-year average.

That's the gist of this season summary from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Bristol Bay red king crab quota up sharply

The catch quota for the upcoming Bristol Bay red king crab fishery is just under 10 million pounds, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

That's a 16 percent increase from last season's 8.6 million pounds.

Here's the official announcement. The fishery opens at noon Oct. 15.

Bristol Bay red king crab is one of Alaska's most valuable crab fisheries.

The department also posted a small quota for St. Matthew Island blue king crab.

We're still waiting for an announcement on Bering Sea snow crab, another lucrative crustacean crop.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

USDA buys $12.8 million in canned pinks

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently completed a major purchase of canned pink salmon, spending a total of $12.8 million.

Four seafood processors made sales: Icicle, Ocean Beauty, Peter Pan and Trident.

The fish will go to child nutrition and other domestic food assistance programs, the USDA says in this purchase summary.

The government purchase helps reduce high inventories built after last year's enormous pink salmon catch in Alaska.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

UniSea penalized $142,175

UniSea Inc., which operates a major seafood processing plant at Dutch Harbor, has settled a case involving alleged Clean Air Act violations.

The settlement includes a $142,175 penalty for UniSea, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says in this press release.