Bristol Bay salmon notes

Here are a few items of interest.

• The projected Bristol Bay harvest next year is 26.4 million sockeye. That's according to a preliminary forecast from the University of Washington Fisheries Research Institute. A harvest of that size would be much smaller than this year's 39.4 million sockeye.

• Bristol Bay setnetters are voting now by mail on whether to self-impose a 1 percent tax on their harvest to join the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, whose membership currently includes only driftnetters. The election closes on Oct. 19.

• Michael Jackson has resigned, creating a vacancy on the BBRSDA board of directors.

• The Alaska Board of Fisheries is being asked to clarify the rules regarding the 32-foot vessel length limit in the Bristol Bay fishery. The board will meet for a work session Oct. 12-13.

Russian military activity planned in the Bering Sea

The U.S. Coast Guard is advising of a Russian notice of missile operations set for Sept. 14-19 in the Bering Sea.

The affected area includes a portion of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone along the Maritime Boundary Line south of St. Lawrence Island.

"We will be positioning a Coast Guard asset in the area to provide a continued U.S. presence and facilitate commerce," a U.S. Coast Guard officer said in an email to industry.

The Russian notice comes in the form of a HYDROPAC message. Search for "Russia" to find the notice of Bering Sea missile operations daily Sept. 14-19 in an area bound by certain coordinates.

Crewmember death on factory trawler reported

A crewmember on the American Seafoods factory trawler Northern Eagle died at sea, likely from an ammonia leak, KUCB radio reports.

Al Burch, Kodiak fisheries pioneer, crosses the bar

Here's an obituary.

Alaska Native tribal AP member resigns

Shawaan Jackson-Gamble recently resigned from his seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Advisory Panel.

His appointment to the AP was notable, as he was the first to fill the newly designated Alaska Native tribal seat on the panel.

"A call for nominations to fill the vacancy will be posted on the council's website soon," council Executive Director David Witherell tells us.

A new point person for processors

The Pacific Seafood Processors Association has named Julie Decker as its new president.

Decker, of Wrangell, currently is executive director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation.

She succeeds Chris Barrows as president of PSPA. Barrows left the organization last December and joined Golden Alaska Seafoods.

Trident's Unalaska plans

Trident Seafoods is confirming plans to build a major new processing plant at Unalaska to replace its outdated plant at nearby Akutan.

But the Seattle-based company says it'll delay breaking ground on the new plant until 2025 due to adverse market conditions.

"The rate and pace at which markets are collapsing across our key species is staggering," says Trident CEO Joe Bundrant.