Tsunami danger flagged in PWS

This just in from state officials:

The threat of a large and potentially dangerous tsunami is looming in Prince William Sound, where an increasingly likely landslide could generate a wave with devastating effects on fishermen and recreationalists using the area, the state's top geologist said today.

More details here.

Tsunami warning

A tsunami warning is now in effect for Southeast Alaska due to a magnitude 7.7 earthquake 210 miles south of Juneau.

State agency tabbed for marine debris response

Gov. Sean Parnell has signed an administrative order to deal with marine debris washing up on Alaska's shores from the Japanese tsunami in March 2011.

"While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the lead agency on marine debris, Administrative Order 263 designates the state Department of Environmental Conservation as the lead agency to coordinate state and federal efforts relating to tsunami-generated marine debris," the governor's office said today.

The state has set up a special website with lots of details including how to report marine debris sightings.

To the deep

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Anacapa opened fire today on the Ryou-Un Maru, sinking her in 6,072 feet of water 180 miles off the Southeast Alaska coast.

Click here for Coast Guard video and photos.

Sinking imminent?

Here's another look at that derelict Japanese fishing vessel, the Ryou-Un Maru, as seen Wednesday about 170 nautical miles southwest of Sitka. The unmanned boat, drifting northwest, got loose after Japan's massive tsunami in March 2011. CNN and other media outlets are reporting the owner of the squid boat has been identified, and that the U.S. Coast Guard today might sink the vessel as a hazard to shipping. USCG photo

Tsunami ghost ship adrift off Southeast Alaska

Unmanned and unlit. USCG photo

The U.S. Coast Guard says a derelict Japanese fishing vessel, the Ryou-Un Maru, has drifted into Southeast Alaska waters and is posing a navigational hazard some 180 miles west of Dixon Entrance.

The vessel was first sighted more than a week ago in Canadian waters.

The Ryou-Un Maru has been drifting unmanned and unlit at sea presumably since Japan's massive tsunami more than a year ago, the Coast Guard says.

The Coast Guard has dropped a data marker buoy near the vessel to track its location, and a cutter is heading out to assess the situation.

Locke addresses post-tsunami seafood safety

Back in April we showed you a letter U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, sent to President Obama urging seafood industry protections in light of Japan's tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Begich has now received a reply from Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who details some recent federal efforts.

When the siren sounds...

Donald Graves, UniSea manager at Dutch Harbor, directs the evacuation of processing plant workers after a tsunami warning around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The warning came in response to a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurring 20 miles southeast of Amukta Pass. Unalaska police and fire units reported "most if not all citizens" reached high ground by about 8:15 p.m. But no tsunami came and the warning soon was canceled. Jim Paulin photo

Tsunami warning canceled

Here's the notice.

Tsunami warning issued for Aleutian chain

We have a tsunami warning in effect for the Aleutians from Unimak Pass west to Amchitka Pass, with special notice to Adak Island.

Tsunami relief effort tops $300,000

An Alaska fishing industry group says it has raised more than $300,000 in donations to help victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. Details here.

Begich to Obama: Protect our seafood industry

Here's a letter U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, sent today to President Obama requesting certain federal assistance in light of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Japan relief organization rallies $140,000

Here's an update from an Alaska fishing industry group raising money to help victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

April 12, 2011

Alaska fishing industry generates funds for tsunami relief

The Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) has announced major donations from Alaska- and Seattle-based seafood industry participants towards its efforts to aid fishing communities affected by the earthquake in Japan.

"The Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association has donated $20,000, and UniSea has pledged to match donations to AFIRM from its employees and crab fleet up to $50,000," said AFIRM director Terry Shaff, president of UniSea Inc. and chairman of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association.

"In addition," Shaff said, "Tatoosh Seafoods has donated $5,000, Northwest Farm Credit Services has donated $5,000, United Fishermen of Alaska $1,000, and other individual donations are pushing AFIRM over $140,000 raised or committed in its first week of active fundraising."

"This week's significant aftershock is a reminder that this will be a long-term project, with many decisions to be made and problems to be overcome," said Larry Cotter, AFIRM chairman. "We ask those who make their living from the seafood industry to remember our long-term partnership with and many friends in Japan. AFIRM is seeking to accelerate our fundraising efforts within and outside of the seafood industry to provide meaningful assistance to Japan's fishing communities."

Many people are interested in how AFIRM plans to use the funds it raises. AFIRM board members and advisers are in contact with the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Japanese Fisheries Association, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Maruha Nichiro, Nissui and other Japanese companies to seek their input on the most effective way to directly assist people and communities in need. We are interested in any ideas the public may have as well.

AFIRM, a 501(c(3) nonprofit charity, was first formed to assist the Gulf fishing communities following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The group has zero overhead given its volunteer board and staff, so 100 percent of all contributions go directly for assistance. AFIRM will collaborate with fishing industry and governmental leaders to best leverage cash contributions with other available industry assets to help fishermen get back to harvesting and processing seafood for the public.

All donations to AFIRM are tax-deductible.

Alaska industry rallies for tsunami relief

An Alaska seafood industry charity, originally formed to provide relief after hurricane Katrina, is reactivating to help tsunami victims in Japan, Northern California and Oregon.

More details and how to donate here.

Knapp: Alaska losses likely after Japan disaster

Deckboss asked Gunnar Knapp, a University of Alaska Anchorage economics professor and an authority on world seafood markets, to talk about potential implications of the Japan disaster for Alaska's fishing industry. Here's what he had to say:

Like everyone else, I'm shocked by the videos and photos and stories of the effects of the earthquake and tsunami.

I'm particularly shocked because in 2004 I spent several days touring several fishing ports near Sendai with a group of fisheries economists prior to an international meeting in Tokyo. According to an e-mail from the director of our fisheries economics association, the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, "most of the coastal and fishing areas in the region around Sendai were completely destroyed and thousands are dead — the death toll will probably rise. Matsushima and Kamaishi, where we enjoyed such friendly hospitality and had fun visiting the market, wandering the docks and chatting with fishermen and coop managers, were largely destroyed."

It's very sobering and very sad.

Here are a few general thoughts — I doubt that any of them are original:

Most of the effects upon the Alaska seafood industry probably would derive from Japan's very important role as a market for Alaska seafood. The importance of Japan as a market varies widely depending on species and products. I haven't reviewed the data for the past couple of years, but here's my general sense of the relative importance of Japan for different species and products.

Japan is by far the most important market for:

• Sablefish
• Pollock surimi
• Pollock roe
• Salmon roe
• Herring roe

Japan is an important market but not necessarily the most important market for:

• Frozen salmon
• King crab and opilio crab

Japan is not a particularly important market for:

• Canned salmon
• Halibut

So different parts of the Alaska industry are likely to be affected to differing extents. My general instinct is that the events in Japan will be a significant disruption and will cause significant losses for some parts of the Alaska seafood industry, but that it will not be an economic catastrophe for the industry as a whole.

Alaska's seafood industry is diversified across many species and products and geographic markets. It does not depend entirely on Japan. Japan is a big country. There are large parts of the country that are not directly affected by the earthquake or tsunami or radiation concerns. And many of the effects will be fairly short-term.

For those species and products for which Japan is an important market, it may be useful to think about three potential kinds of effects:

Effects on Japanese companies that buy Alaska fish — Any Japanese companies that buy Alaska fish, or that are actively involved in Alaska, are likely to be, to put it mildly, distracted. They have a lot going on that will distract them from and interfere with normal import business. They may have employees and their family members who died or were injured; they may have facilities which were destroyed or damaged, and even companies a long way from the center of things are facing disruptions because people can't get to work. So hardly anyone is likely to be in a "business as usual" mode.

Effects on Japanese facilities and infrastructure — The press has a lot of reports about damage to processing facilities in the Sendai area; damage to transportation (railroads, roads, ports, airports); damage to cold storage facilities; loss of power (which is hugely damaging to cold storage), etc. This is going to cause a lot of disruption for quite a while, the extent of which will vary for different companies and species and products.

Effects on Japanese consumer demand for Alaska fish — Everything that's happening is going to affect consumers across Japan to varying degrees. It's going to be harder to get fish and they aren't going to have as much money to buy fish. The general rule of thumb is that the higher-priced products are likely to be the most affected.

A nuclear catastrophe could have many additional effects. If a catastrophic meltdown and widespread radiation contamination happened, there could be all kinds of additional impacts on the Japanese economy and society which would be more bad news for anyone trying to sell fish to Japan. However, if the Japanese felt that their own products were unsafe, that might work in favor of imported fish. As far as effects of radiation reaching Alaska, my instinct is to be skeptical that that's a major concern. But all of this is just speculation at this point.

Events in Japan could work against the Pebble mine. My sense is that when there's a big natural disaster (like the earthquake and tsunami) or a technological disaster (like the Exxon Valdez oil spill or now the problems at these Japanese reactors) it has a psychological and political effect: people become more aware of and scared of the potential for future natural or technological disasters, even though the actual risks haven't changed. Part of the psychology and politics of the Pebble mine issue is "how big a risk is it?" Regardless of the objective merits of the arguments, people are more likely to distrust industry assurances that the Pebble mine can be developed safely.

Japan tragedy affects Alaska seafood industry

Here's a story by Hal Bernton of The Seattle Times on the impact of Japan's earthquake and tsunami on the seafood industry.

Alaska tsunami advisory

An intense earthquake in Chile has spawned tsunami danger across the Pacific.

Below is the most concise announcement I've seen for Alaska, courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Also, here is the latest tsunami advisory from the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

U.S. Coast Guard, 17th District

Feb. 27, 2010

Coast Guard alerts Alaska's maritime community of potential tsunami impact

ANCHORAGE — The Coast Guard has issued an urgent marine information broadcast alerting Alaska's maritime community of a potential tsunami impact to Alaska's coastal regions arriving around 3:15 p.m. today.

The first waves should arrive in Sitka with an estimated 1.3-foot wave height and subsequent areas across Alaska will be impacted throughout the evening. The largest predicted waves of approximately 2.3 feet are expected to hit Kodiak at low tide around 4:28 p.m.

All Coast Guard units have been alerted for any potential impact to Alaska's coastal environment.

Tsunami advisories mean that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or near the water is imminent or expected.

Significant widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory.

Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats and coastal structures. Hazards may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.