The board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority today again tabled the SMOG deal.
Wish I could tell you more, but Deckboss was unable to attend the meeting.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Off and running in Sitka
The view from a spotter plane. HaulingGear.com photoAfter days of waiting, seiners in Sitka Sound are finally chasing fish for keeps.
The sac roe herring fishery opened at 1:40 p.m., the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.
Deckboss is still chasing confirmation of the opening price.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Does this SMOG deal smell right?
The board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state lending agency, is scheduled to hear a pitch on Thursday from a company called SMOG LLC.
SMOG is an unappetizing acronym for the Sitka Meal, Oil and Gelatin Co.
The company wants to start a plant at Sitka to process fish waste into goods such as aquaculture and pet feed and human nutritional products.
And it wants the state agency, AIDEA, to finance and own the plant — a project that will cost more than $9 million, agency documents show.
Fish waste, of course, is a monumental headache for Alaska's seafood industry. In many cases, the only option is to grind up the fish heads, frames and guts and pipe the gurry offshore.
SMOG wants to dry and process the waste into marketable products.
It's not the first time fish waste has been processed into something usable, such as fishmeal.
But SMOG has a "new method" to better stabilize the waste, to dry it faster and to extract products higher in nutrients and thus more valuable, AIDEA says.
This newfangled Sitka plant has the support of seafood processors such as Icicle, Ocean Beauty and North Pacific Seafoods, who say they're under pressure from regulators such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find a better way to deal with fish offal.
But SMOG's technology apparently has never been tried on a commercial scale. AIDEA board members, at a meeting on March 2, had lots of questions regarding feasibility, and ultimately tabled a funding request until the next meeting.
SMOG initially seeks $450,000 from AIDEA for engineering, legal work and other steps necessary to bring the project back to the board for final consideration.
Under a proposed "user agreement," SMOG is obligated to reimburse AIDEA if either party decides to back out of the project.
"However, due to the fact that SMOG has limited financial capacity to reimburse AIDEA's expenditures, there is a substantial risk that if the project terminated, AIDEA will not be able to recover its investment," an agency memo says.
The AIDEA staff, however, seems sold on the project.
Read the agency memo and letters of support from processors here.
SMOG's organizer is Peter J. Stitzel of Seattle, state records show. Stitzel or other SMOG representatives are scheduled to give a presentation to the AIDEA board on Thursday.
Of course, AIDEA might well proceed with caution when it comes to "value-added" fishery projects.
The agency ended up with an embarrassing white elephant after a Anchorage venture called Alaska Seafood International went bust in 2003. AIDEA was landlord for the $50 million, state-owned processing plant, which today serves as a church.
SMOG is an unappetizing acronym for the Sitka Meal, Oil and Gelatin Co.
The company wants to start a plant at Sitka to process fish waste into goods such as aquaculture and pet feed and human nutritional products.
And it wants the state agency, AIDEA, to finance and own the plant — a project that will cost more than $9 million, agency documents show.
Fish waste, of course, is a monumental headache for Alaska's seafood industry. In many cases, the only option is to grind up the fish heads, frames and guts and pipe the gurry offshore.
SMOG wants to dry and process the waste into marketable products.
It's not the first time fish waste has been processed into something usable, such as fishmeal.
But SMOG has a "new method" to better stabilize the waste, to dry it faster and to extract products higher in nutrients and thus more valuable, AIDEA says.
This newfangled Sitka plant has the support of seafood processors such as Icicle, Ocean Beauty and North Pacific Seafoods, who say they're under pressure from regulators such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find a better way to deal with fish offal.
But SMOG's technology apparently has never been tried on a commercial scale. AIDEA board members, at a meeting on March 2, had lots of questions regarding feasibility, and ultimately tabled a funding request until the next meeting.
SMOG initially seeks $450,000 from AIDEA for engineering, legal work and other steps necessary to bring the project back to the board for final consideration.
Under a proposed "user agreement," SMOG is obligated to reimburse AIDEA if either party decides to back out of the project.
"However, due to the fact that SMOG has limited financial capacity to reimburse AIDEA's expenditures, there is a substantial risk that if the project terminated, AIDEA will not be able to recover its investment," an agency memo says.
The AIDEA staff, however, seems sold on the project.
Read the agency memo and letters of support from processors here.
SMOG's organizer is Peter J. Stitzel of Seattle, state records show. Stitzel or other SMOG representatives are scheduled to give a presentation to the AIDEA board on Thursday.
Of course, AIDEA might well proceed with caution when it comes to "value-added" fishery projects.
The agency ended up with an embarrassing white elephant after a Anchorage venture called Alaska Seafood International went bust in 2003. AIDEA was landlord for the $50 million, state-owned processing plant, which today serves as a church.
Waiting and worrying in Sitka
Checking roe maturity. Melati Kaye photo for KCAW-FMAs we wait for the start of the always frenetic Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery, radio station KCAW-FM in Sitka and reporter Melati Kaye are providing some great insights on herring market conditions.
Many worry the herring price could be down substantially this season because of the troubles in Japan, the main market for herring roe.
My thanks to Melati and KCAW for allowing Deckboss to post one of her fine photos.
Here's the latest fishery update from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Aleut looks to join Steller sea lion fight
The Aleut Corp. and its subsidiary, Aleut Enterprise LLC, are seeking to intervene in the Steller sea lion lawsuit.
Aleut Enterprise owns the seafood processing plant and runs the fuel terminal on Adak Island.
The state and numerous fishing industry players are challenging the federal government's closure of some fishing grounds in the Aleutian chain to protect the endangered sea lions.
Aleut, the Native regional corporation for the Aleutians, and Aleut Enterprise want to intervene in the suit as a plaintiff.
Rudy Tsukada, president of Aleut Enterprise, says in this affidavit the government's fishing restrictions likely will cut Adak marine fuel sales by half, cause fuel prices to spike by nearly 90 percent, cost five employees their jobs, decimate Adak tax revenues, and result in sundry other bad things.
Aleut Enterprise owns the seafood processing plant and runs the fuel terminal on Adak Island.
The state and numerous fishing industry players are challenging the federal government's closure of some fishing grounds in the Aleutian chain to protect the endangered sea lions.
Aleut, the Native regional corporation for the Aleutians, and Aleut Enterprise want to intervene in the suit as a plaintiff.
Rudy Tsukada, president of Aleut Enterprise, says in this affidavit the government's fishing restrictions likely will cut Adak marine fuel sales by half, cause fuel prices to spike by nearly 90 percent, cost five employees their jobs, decimate Adak tax revenues, and result in sundry other bad things.
Butterflies at Sitka
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery goes on two-hour notice effective at 8 this morning.
That means the fleet will stand ready to drop its nets quickly once fishing conditions are right.
Here's the latest update from the Department of Fish and Game.
That means the fleet will stand ready to drop its nets quickly once fishing conditions are right.
Here's the latest update from the Department of Fish and Game.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Governor names newcomer Jeffrey to Fish Board
This just in from the governor's office:
March 26, 2011
Gov. Parnell names appointees for fish, game boards
JUNEAU — Gov. Sean Parnell today appointed Susan Jeffrey and reappointed Bill Brown and John Jensen to the Board of Fisheries. He also appointed Nick Yurko and reappointed Stanley "Stosh" Hoffman and Ted Spraker to the Board of Game.
The Board of Fisheries is responsible for conservation and development of the state's fishery resources by setting seasons, bag limits, methods and means for the state's subsistence, commercial, sport, guided sport and personal use fisheries. The board sets fishery management policy and makes allocation decisions for the Department of Fish and Game to implement.
Jeffrey, of Kodiak, has served as a member of the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly since 2005 and has been the borough representative to the Kodiak Fishery Advisory Committee since 2007. She is a commercial salmon fisherman at a Kodiak family setnet site, and a subsistence halibut and salmon fisherman. A former reporter and editor for the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Jeffrey has also written and edited a number of fisheries publications. A co-founder of the Kodiak Maritime Museum, she brings a wide variety of fisheries-related experience to the board.
Brown, of Juneau, is the owner and operator of Taku Reel Repair. He also serves on the Recreational Fisheries Subcommittee for the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. Brown earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Colorado, and has taught college-level economics courses throughout the country, including at the University of Alaska Southeast. He was first appointed to the Board of Fisheries in 2008.
Jensen, a lifelong resident of Petersburg, was first appointed to the Board of Fisheries in 2003. A commercial fisherman since 1965, Jensen has owned and operated four fishing vessels, and is the owner of Jensen's Boat Rentals. He has fished in Southeast Alaska, Bristol Bay, the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, Western Alaska and in waters around the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian chain. Jensen has fished for salmon, halibut, red king crab, Tanner crab, brown king crab, octopus, Dungeness crab and herring.
The Board of Game works to conserve and develop Alaska's wildlife resources by regulating the protection and consumption of game species, establishing methods and means of harvest, setting allocations of game resources, and taking other action to meet the Alaska Constitution's mandate to manage wildlife for the maximum benefit of Alaskans.
Yurko, of Juneau, worked for the Juneau School District for 27 years, eventually retiring as the senior heating and ventilation technician. He has worked as a commercial fisherman, and is now a part-owner of Wings Airways. Yurko served on the Juneau-Douglas Fish and Game Advisory Committee for nearly 30 years, including service as chairman. He is also a longtime volunteer for the Golden North Salmon Derby and is the chairman of Helping Hands of Juneau, a nonprofit food distribution agency.
Hoffman, a lifelong Alaskan and resident of Bethel, was first appointed to the Board of Game in 2008. He currently serves as the director of corporate facilities for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. He is a licensed assistant guide, a commercial and subsistence fisherman, and also owns and manages three businesses in Bethel: S&A Rentals, Nunapik Dish Network and Tundra Fencing.
Spraker, of Soldotna, was first appointed to the Board of Game in 2003. He is a career biologist, having worked briefly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and for nearly 30 years with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, ultimately retiring as the area wildlife biologist for the Kenai Peninsula. Spraker has also worked as a commercial halibut fisherman and is a member of the Alaska Trappers Association, Safari Club International and the National Rifle Association.
All six of the governor's appointments are subject to confirmation by the Alaska Legislature, and their terms of service begin July 1, 2011.
March 26, 2011
Gov. Parnell names appointees for fish, game boards
JUNEAU — Gov. Sean Parnell today appointed Susan Jeffrey and reappointed Bill Brown and John Jensen to the Board of Fisheries. He also appointed Nick Yurko and reappointed Stanley "Stosh" Hoffman and Ted Spraker to the Board of Game.
The Board of Fisheries is responsible for conservation and development of the state's fishery resources by setting seasons, bag limits, methods and means for the state's subsistence, commercial, sport, guided sport and personal use fisheries. The board sets fishery management policy and makes allocation decisions for the Department of Fish and Game to implement.
Jeffrey, of Kodiak, has served as a member of the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly since 2005 and has been the borough representative to the Kodiak Fishery Advisory Committee since 2007. She is a commercial salmon fisherman at a Kodiak family setnet site, and a subsistence halibut and salmon fisherman. A former reporter and editor for the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Jeffrey has also written and edited a number of fisheries publications. A co-founder of the Kodiak Maritime Museum, she brings a wide variety of fisheries-related experience to the board.
Brown, of Juneau, is the owner and operator of Taku Reel Repair. He also serves on the Recreational Fisheries Subcommittee for the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. Brown earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Colorado, and has taught college-level economics courses throughout the country, including at the University of Alaska Southeast. He was first appointed to the Board of Fisheries in 2008.
Jensen, a lifelong resident of Petersburg, was first appointed to the Board of Fisheries in 2003. A commercial fisherman since 1965, Jensen has owned and operated four fishing vessels, and is the owner of Jensen's Boat Rentals. He has fished in Southeast Alaska, Bristol Bay, the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, Western Alaska and in waters around the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian chain. Jensen has fished for salmon, halibut, red king crab, Tanner crab, brown king crab, octopus, Dungeness crab and herring.
The Board of Game works to conserve and develop Alaska's wildlife resources by regulating the protection and consumption of game species, establishing methods and means of harvest, setting allocations of game resources, and taking other action to meet the Alaska Constitution's mandate to manage wildlife for the maximum benefit of Alaskans.
Yurko, of Juneau, worked for the Juneau School District for 27 years, eventually retiring as the senior heating and ventilation technician. He has worked as a commercial fisherman, and is now a part-owner of Wings Airways. Yurko served on the Juneau-Douglas Fish and Game Advisory Committee for nearly 30 years, including service as chairman. He is also a longtime volunteer for the Golden North Salmon Derby and is the chairman of Helping Hands of Juneau, a nonprofit food distribution agency.
Hoffman, a lifelong Alaskan and resident of Bethel, was first appointed to the Board of Game in 2008. He currently serves as the director of corporate facilities for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. He is a licensed assistant guide, a commercial and subsistence fisherman, and also owns and manages three businesses in Bethel: S&A Rentals, Nunapik Dish Network and Tundra Fencing.
Spraker, of Soldotna, was first appointed to the Board of Game in 2003. He is a career biologist, having worked briefly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and for nearly 30 years with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, ultimately retiring as the area wildlife biologist for the Kenai Peninsula. Spraker has also worked as a commercial halibut fisherman and is a member of the Alaska Trappers Association, Safari Club International and the National Rifle Association.
All six of the governor's appointments are subject to confirmation by the Alaska Legislature, and their terms of service begin July 1, 2011.
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