We should know very soon now whether Southeast Alaska salmon seiners will go through with a permit buyback.
That's because 5 p.m. today is the deadline for permit holders to return their ballots to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
If a majority of the 379 ballots comes back in favor, 64 permits will be retired using a $13.1 million federal loan.
Seiners remaining in the fishery will then pay a tax of up to 3
percent on the dockside value of their catches to settle the loan
over 40 years.
So, a big day. Any predictions how the vote will turn out? Deckboss doesn't dare.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
All fisheries to remain closed
Another year, another bummer announcement on Prince William Sound herring.
A safer flight into Dutch Harbor?
The state is getting a $35 million federal grant to extend and rehab the runway at the Unalaska airport, the Alaska congressional delegation says.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Another sorry salmon season expected on Yukon
State and federal agencies have come out with the Yukon River salmon outlook for this year, and it's not great.
No commercial fishery for Chinook salmon is anticipated, due to a "below average to poor" run projection.
Managers also expect to ban the sale of Chinook caught incidentally in the summer chum fishery.
No commercial fishery for Chinook salmon is anticipated, due to a "below average to poor" run projection.
Managers also expect to ban the sale of Chinook caught incidentally in the summer chum fishery.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Conflict expands over rockfish catch shares
As expected, more fishing vessel owners are asking for a say in the big rockfish lawsuit Kodiak processors have brought against federal fishery regulators.
United Catcher Boats, a Seattle-based trawl association, today filed this motion to intervene in the case.
This declaration from UCB executive director Brent Paine also was filed with the court.
United Catcher Boats, a Seattle-based trawl association, today filed this motion to intervene in the case.
This declaration from UCB executive director Brent Paine also was filed with the court.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Big news on Steller sea lions
A line in the North Pacific divides the Steller sea lion population into eastern and western "distinct population segments."This just in from the National Marine Fisheries Service:
April 18, 2012
NOAA proposes removing eastern Steller sea lions from endangered species list; agency seeks public comment
JUNEAU — NOAA is proposing to remove the eastern Steller sea lion, currently deemed "threatened," from the list of endangered wildlife, after a status review by its biologists found the species is recovering sufficiently.
"This proposal reflects the continued recovery of the eastern population of Steller sea lions and the strong conservation partnership among NOAA Fisheries, the states, the fishing industry, and other stakeholders," said NOAA's Fisheries Service Alaska Regional Administrator Jim Balsiger.
More here.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The salmon situation
At last week's ComFish trade show in Kodiak, fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp delivered this important presentation, Trends in Alaska Salmon Markets.
It's a concise overview of the salmon industry's remarkable resurgence in recent years, and some potential trouble on the horizon.
Anyone seriously interested in this business should review the entire report — it's a fast-moving 101 pages.
Here are three key points Deckboss took away from it:
• Strong harvests and surging prices have nearly quadrupled the dockside value of Alaska salmon since the terrible 2002 season. But when adjusting for inflation, the value remains well below levels seen in the late 1980s and early 1990s (see the graphs on pages 47-48).
• Japan once was practically the only destination for frozen sockeye, the state's most valuable salmon species. Now the market is diverse, with a great deal of sockeye going to the Lower 48, the European Union and China (see graph on page 17).
• While long-term prospects for wild Alaska salmon are good, some recent developments don't bode well for prices this year. These include rapidly growing world farmed salmon supply, sharply lower farmed prices the past six months, and recent declines in foreign purchasing power.
"Both economic theory and past experience suggest that if farmed salmon prices fall and the value of the Japanese yen and the Euro fall, it will be difficult for wild salmon sellers to continue to sell wild salmon for the prices they could get in 2011," Knapp says.
It's a concise overview of the salmon industry's remarkable resurgence in recent years, and some potential trouble on the horizon.
Anyone seriously interested in this business should review the entire report — it's a fast-moving 101 pages.
Here are three key points Deckboss took away from it:
• Strong harvests and surging prices have nearly quadrupled the dockside value of Alaska salmon since the terrible 2002 season. But when adjusting for inflation, the value remains well below levels seen in the late 1980s and early 1990s (see the graphs on pages 47-48).
• Japan once was practically the only destination for frozen sockeye, the state's most valuable salmon species. Now the market is diverse, with a great deal of sockeye going to the Lower 48, the European Union and China (see graph on page 17).
• While long-term prospects for wild Alaska salmon are good, some recent developments don't bode well for prices this year. These include rapidly growing world farmed salmon supply, sharply lower farmed prices the past six months, and recent declines in foreign purchasing power.
"Both economic theory and past experience suggest that if farmed salmon prices fall and the value of the Japanese yen and the Euro fall, it will be difficult for wild salmon sellers to continue to sell wild salmon for the prices they could get in 2011," Knapp says.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
