The staggering cost of bycatch

We have a huge international conference on bycatch running through the week in Anchorage.

Deckboss regrets he wasn't in the meeting room yesterday, when analysts with the National Marine Fisheries Service were scheduled to give a presentation on the economic impacts of bycatch in U.S. commercial fisheries.

Here's an eye-opening summary of their talk:

This presentation will describe the economic impacts of early closures due to bycatch in US fisheries, by describing past case studies as well as evaluating the economic impacts of discarding fish in US commercial fisheries. Premature closures in the fisheries reviewed resulted in potential losses ranging from $34.4 million to $453.0 million annually. Nationally, bycatch estimates in the form of regulatory discards are annually reducing the potential yield of fisheries by $427.0 million in ex-vessel revenues, and as much as $4.2 billion in seafood-related sales, $1.5 billion in income, and 64,000 jobs.

A complete loss of electrical power, and then...

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada recently concluded its investigation into just how the factory trawler American Dynasty rammed a docked navy frigate last year at Victoria.

It's nearly salmon time!

The Department of Fish and Game just announced the Copper River salmon fishery will open for the season at 7 a.m. next Thursday.

Herring notes

Here's an update on various herring fisheries around the state, as compiled from Department of Fish and Game announcements this morning.

• The Kodiak herring harvest stood at about 2,500 tons.

• At Togiak in remote Southwest Alaska, scene of the state's largest herring fishery, the harvest tally was 16,951 tons. Nearly 11,000 tons remain on the preseason quota.

• A good bit of herring is available farther north in the Kuskokwim Bay, Nelson Island and Cape Romanzof areas. But the fish likely will go unharvested due to "lack of industry interest," with no processors registered to buy.

Commerce IG looks at catch shares, observers

Deckboss hasn't had a chance to read them, but here are a couple of intriguing items from the Commerce Department inspector general:

Review of NOAA Catch Share Programs

Announcement of Observer Program Audit

'Extremely poor'

State and federal managers have released their Yukon River salmon fisheries outlook. Here's how it starts:

The 2014 Chinook salmon run is expected to be extremely poor and could be the worst on record.

Read the whole thing here, if you dare.

Togiak herring fishery jogs along

The herring harvest at Togiak stood this morning at 4,662 tons, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported.

The fishery started Sunday with a season quota of 27,890 tons.