SEAS likes Begich, Parnell

The Southeast Alaska Seiners Association is supporting the re-election bids of U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and Gov. Sean Parnell, a Republican.

SEAS Begich endorsement
SEAS Parnell endorsement

Another endorsement for Begich

The Purse Seine Vessel Owners Association likes U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, for another term. Read the endorsement here.

Disaster relief payments coming

Cook Inlet and Yukon River commercial fishermen will receive $7.8 million in "direct payments" to compensate for losses resulting from poor Chinook salmon runs, this federal notice says.

Checks "hopefully will go out in September or October," an aide to U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, tells Deckboss.

This is the first installment of the $20.8 million allocated to Alaska under a congressional response to multiple fishery disasters across the nation.

A 'national strategy' on ocean acidification

Two U.S. senators, Mark Begich of Alaska and Maria Cantwell of Washington, say they will offer legislation requiring the government to "prioritize what fisheries and fish habitat are most at risk" from ocean acidification.

Here's a press release.

Begich and Cantwell, both Democrats, are on the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, with Begich serving as chairman.

More backing for Begich

Another commercial fishing group, Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, is supporting the re-election bid of U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska.

Read the endorsement here.

Begich, Young net UFA endorsements

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, says United Fishermen of Alaska has endorsed his re-election bid.

The Begich campaign says longtime Alaska Congressman Don Young, a Republican, also has UFA's support.

Read more here.

UFA is the state's top commercial fishing organization. No word yet whether the group likes Gov. Sean Parnell for another term.

A pollution pass for fishing boats?

Deckboss hears U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and 21 cosponsors today introduced legislation to permanently exempt fishing vessels from having to have permits for incidental discharges.

Here's the relevant language:

SEC. 7. EXEMPTIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL. — No permit shall be required or prohibition enforced under any other provision of law for, nor shall any standards regarding a discharge incidental to the normal operation of a vessel under this Act apply to —

(1) a discharge incidental to the normal operation of a vessel if the vessel is less than 79 feet in length and engaged in commercial service (as defined in section 2101(5) of title 46, United States Code);

(2) a discharge incidental to the normal operation of a vessel if the vessel is a fishing vessel, including a fish processing vessel and a fish tender vessel (as defined in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code);

(3) a discharge incidental to the normal operation of a vessel if the vessel is a recreational vessel (as defined in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code);

Cantwell, Begich urge action on king crab fishery

Here's a letter from two Democratic senators, Maria Cantwell of Washington and Mark Begich of Alaska, who say the ongoing government shutdown should not preclude opening the lucrative Bristol Bay red king crab fishery.

Begich to Walmart: Forget MSC

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, has fired this letter to Walmart expressing his views on Alaska seafood and the Marine Stewardship Council.

Begich also issued this press release.

Dear Mr. President

A bunch of U.S. senators, including Alaskans Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, have sent a letter to President Obama urging emergency funding for fishery disasters declared in 2012 in a number of states.

Fear of super salmon

As has been widely reported, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made a preliminary finding that production of a genetically engineered line of supersized Atlantic salmon "would not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment in the United States."

A Boston-based company, AquaBounty Technologies, wants to produce eggs at a facility on Canada's Prince Edward Island, then ship the eggs to a land-based salmon grow-out facility in the highlands of Panama.

Market-sized fish would be processed into fillets and steaks in Panama prior to retail sale in the United States.

Naturally, Alaska's wild salmon industry and its political defenders believe this is just a horrible idea, and are resisting in much the same way they have always resisted competition from aquaculture.

Last week, Alaska Sen. Mark Begich introduced a bill to bar sales of genetically engineered salmon in the United States unless another agency, NOAA, also finds it would have no significant impact.

"The FDA lacks the expertise to judge the impact of escaped Frankenfish on wild salmon stocks," Begich said.

Alaska Congressman Don Young likewise aims to make life difficult for AquaBounty salmon. He has offered a bill to "require all genetically engineered fish sold for consumption to be labeled as such."

The FDA is taking public comment on its preliminary finding until Feb. 25.

Begich bombs

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, says he has "secured a waiver to allow continued use and sales of non-lethal pest control devices like 'seal bombs' through the 2013 fishing season."

The senator further says he is "working for a permanent solution to allow their continued use."

Deckboss must admit this is the first he's heard of this explosive issue.

Steller opportunity for a congressional hearing?

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, has gotten wind of those independent experts questioning the basis for closing fisheries in the Aleutians to protect Steller sea lions.

Now he wants answers from the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Read the senator's take here.

Begich backs national seafood marketing idea

The U.S. seafood industry is fishing for a $50 million annual subsidy for marketing.

And U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, will help pursue the funding.

Begich on Friday in Anchorage announced he intends to introduce legislation to create a national seafood marketing and development effort.

The program would feature five regional seafood marketing boards.

The legislation evidently has not yet been introduced. When it drops, Deckboss will provide a link.

Begich wants Yukon-Kusko disaster declaration

Here's a letter from U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, asking Gov. Sean Parnell to declare a "fisheries disaster" for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Chinook returns to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers have been especially poor this season.

A disaster declaration for the Chinook run failures of 2008 and 2009 on the Yukon resulted in $5 million in federal aid.

Begich heading west to talk salmon

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, says he'll travel to Bethel next week to huddle with people facing an emerging Chinook salmon crisis on the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers.

In this press release, the senator also notes he's written letters to the Obama administration and congressional budget chairmen seeking more federal dollars for salmon research and management.

Labor crisis abates for processing industry

Foreign students can continue to work in U.S. seafood processing plants this summer under the State Department's J-1 visa program, Alaska's senators announced Friday.

Here's a press release from Sen. Mark Begich, and a statement from Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Full Alaska delegation jumps into J-1 visa issue

Here's an update on our recent report that the State Department might stop granting foreign students J-1 visas to work in U.S. seafood processing plants.

As you'll recall, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, was telling Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this would be a bad move, that Alaska's seafood industry heavily depends on these student workers.

Now, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young, both Republicans, have joined Begich on an objection to the Obama administration.

Looking back a few months, Deckboss wonders about the role this Begich letter might have played in precipitating this looming labor crisis for the 2012 salmon season.

Begich suggested the J-1 program might need "modification," noting foreign students had come to work in Kodiak, Kenai and elsewhere without appropriate housing or transportation, and that their employment had cost local resident workers overtime pay.

Some locals even had to resort to a food bank due to the loss of income, Begich wrote.

"Especially when it comes to placing students in smaller communities, we need to assure there is accountability and we are not over-burdening the local area with additional workers competing for jobs," the letter said.

Labor crisis looms for Alaska processors

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, recently sent two letters to the Obama administration objecting to possible changes that could shut off a major source of workers for the state's seafood processing industry.

At issue is the Summer Work Travel Program, which allows foreign college students to come to the United States on a J-1 visa to work and travel during their summer vacation. The U.S. Department of State oversees the program.

Begich worries the State Department, now considering possible reforms to address worker exploitation complaints and other issues, is about to exclude manufacturing and packing facilities from the program, including fish processors.

That would deny Alaska processors thousands of workers, right on the brink of the summer salmon season, Begich says.

One of his letters is to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who might have a sympathetic ear on this issue. After graduating from college, she worked the slime line in a Valdez cannery.

More from Begich on halibut catch sharing plan

Here's an interesting letter from Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, to Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator.