More catch shares coming

Quite a few Alaska fisheries operate under some form of catch shares.

Now comes another catch share program, the first implemented in Alaska since 2012.

This program applies to the Pacific cod trawl catcher vessel sector in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.

Fishing under the program is scheduled to start in January. Read more about it here.

Are they in or out?

Setnet permit holders will vote by mail in October on whether to pay a landings tax to join the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association.

More details in this notice of election.

A new factory trawler arrives

A brilliant new factory trawler, the Arctic Fjord, has landed in Seattle.

Built at the Thoma-Sea shipyard in Louisiana, the vessel is expected to be ready to fish next year's Bering Sea pollock season, operator Arctic Storm Management Group says.

The new vessel originally was announced in 2018 at 328 feet long.

Click here for more on the Arctic Fjord, including a video of its arrival in Seattle.

Salmon notes

Here are a few interesting observations from the salmon season thus far.

• The statewide commercial salmon catch just clicked over 100 million fish. We still have a long way to go to reach the preseason forecast of more than 189 million. But it's certainly possible as the high-volume pink salmon fisheries start to kick in.

• It appears the Southeast Alaska pink salmon run is "much higher than forecasted," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports. Effort is down this season with an estimated 180 purse seine boats fishing compared to 194 last year and 208 in 2021.

• The Bristol Bay sockeye fishery is all but done, and it's another strong catch this year of nearly 39 million fish, well over the preseason forecast of 36.7 million. Fishermen are unhappy, however, as processors are paying 50 cents per pound, a huge drop from last season.

• The nearly 12 million sockeye taken in Bristol Bay's Nushagak District ranks as the sixth-largest harvest since 1893.

• In Area M, the Alaska State Troopers have charged several cases of "salmon chucking," or the unlawful discarding of fish. Details on these cases can be found on our sister blog The Brig.

• Copper River driftnetters have tallied a decent 842,000 sockeye this season.

• Chignik has produced 668,000 sockeye.

Calling out Copper River salmon fishermen

Federal officials came out today with some pointed counsel: "Do not kill or injure seals and sea lions and harm the good name of your world-class fishery."

Bristol Bay price mediation?

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association says it has developed a petition to have the state of Alaska initiate price mediation between fishermen and processors.

Four reported safe after seiner capsizes at Kodiak

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kodiak

Type: Rescue

On 7/22/23, at 12:50 p.m., Alaska Wildlife Troopers became aware of a commercial seine vessel that had capsized in Whale Passage, with four people onboard. Troopers responded to the scene and contacted the four occupants of the vessel, as well as residents of a nearby lodge, who saw the vessel shortly after it capsized and were able to render aid. When the vessel capsized, the skipper was in the wheelhouse and the crew was in the main cabin. The crew estimated they were trapped for approximately three minutes before they were able to escape the inverted vessel. They were then able to get aboard their seine skiff, which had remained upright. They all declined medical attention and appeared to have received only minor cuts and bruises. Another fishing vessel volunteered to tow the seiner to shallow water, by a nearby beach, and secure it. The four crewmembers of the seiner were transported to Kodiak aboard the P/V Cama'i.