Tsukada, Down secure council seats

The commerce secretary has appointed Ryuichi "Rudy" Tsukada to an Alaska seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and reappointed Kenneth Down to a Washington seat.

Troll fishery set

Southeast Alaska salmon trollers will go after 74,800 treaty Chinook starting July 1.

A victory for trollers

The federal appeals court in San Francisco today issued an order removing the threat of a closure of the summer troll Chinook salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska.

It's a victory for troll fishermen and fishery management agencies who argued such a closure was unnecessary and economically ruinous. It's a loss for the Wild Fish Conservancy, which contends the fishery is starving endangered killer whales of a key food source.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order overrules a Seattle judge's order that could have closed the summer and winter troll fisheries.

The 9th Circuit order likely means the summer troll fishery will open as usual on July 1.

Marketing money

The new state budget, signed over the weekend, includes a $5 million "one-time increment" for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced today.

NMFS announces salmon task force members

Here's the news release.

More on that trawling case

Readers will recall our post last month regarding a trawler being charged at Kodiak.

We were not provided at that time with the names of the vessel or vessel operator.

Now we have much more information in the form of this complaint supplied by the Alaska State Troopers.

The individual charged, according to the complaint, is Steven D. Spain, and the vessel involved in the case is the Mar Pacifico.

Ed Dersham crosses the bar

Here's an obituary posted on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council website.

Reward for sea lion shooter

Federal authorities are offering a reward for information on the shooting of seven Steller sea lions near Cordova.