Trimming the fleet

Southeast Alaska salmon seiners are mounting yet another effort to reduce their ranks.

Recently, seiners were invited to submit bids to sell and permanently retire their state fishing permits.

A total of 37 bids came in, and the Southeast Revitalization Association board on May 24 voted to accept 36 of them.

The 36 accepted bids total just over $10.1 million, which is right around the amount of federal loan money available for the permit buyback.

What's next?

Probably after this fishing season, Southeast salmon seine permit holders — currently 315 of them — will vote in a referendum on whether the fleet agrees to shoulder the loan to complete the buyback.

In 2012, Southeast seiners approved a $13.1 million loan to remove 64 permits.

But in 2017, a vote to retire 22 more permits from the fishery failed.

Accidental death reported on Bering Sea boat

The Alaska State Troopers today released the following:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Death investigation
On 5/2/18 a death was reported on the F/V Ocean Hunter, a 95-foot longline trawler in the Bering Sea. The deceased person is Christopher O'Callaghan, 55, of Kodiak. O'Callaghan was on the deck while the vessel was tied off to another vessel in the open sea, transferring fish. A slack line suddenly went taut, striking O'Callaghan on the chest, causing bruising and internal injuries, resulting in his death. The incident was witnessed by several crewmembers. Next of kin have been notified. O'Callaghan's body was transported to Dutch Harbor and then to the state medical examiner at their request.

Another legal matter

Back in January, we received the news that the F/V Tlingit Lady had been forfeited to the state in an illegal fishing case in Southeast Alaska.

Now Silver Bay Seafoods is in federal court seeking a sale of the seiner, claiming more than $100,000 is owed against the mortgaged vessel. Here's the lawsuit.

Court filings indicate the boat is under arrest in Ketchikan.

A legal matter

The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that amortization of commercial fishing permits and quota shares may not be deducted from income for child support purposes.

Much more detail in this very interesting 18-page opinion.