Juneau watch

The House Special Committee on Fisheries is set to receive a presentation from the Alaska Bycatch Advisory Council.

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. Thursday.

'A key step'

Silver Bay Seafoods has joined the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative as a "funding partner."

And what is GSSI?

We wrote about it in 2017 in Pacific Fishing magazine.

Northline barge in jeopardy of arrest

A federal judge today ordered a warrant for the arrest of the Northline Seafoods processing barge due to money owed.

The company is aiming to take the barge to Bristol Bay this summer for its second salmon season, but this could derail those plans.

Right now, the barge is located in Bellingham, Washington.

We first wrote about this situation earlier this month.

More from Juneau

The state House has passed a bill to help fishermen form insurance cooperatives.

House Bill 116 addresses "a growing crisis in the commercial fishing sector: the soaring cost and declining availability of vessel insurance," says this press release from the Alaska House Majority Coalition. "Traditional insurers have increasingly raised premiums and refused coverage for older vessels, making it difficult for many small operators to stay in business."

Some insurance pools already operate in Alaska, but they're based in Washington state, the sponsor statement for HB 116 says.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Juneau watch

Legislators are considering House Bill 199 to help the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank better compete with the state in making loans.

This sponsor statement explains.

A 'new choice' in seafood certification

Click here for a press release and fact sheets about Certified Seafood International.

And here's a look at the organization's board of directors. One director is a policy analyst for Silver Bay Seafoods, and another is CEO for the At-sea Processors Association.

Circle's salmon barge makes ready

Circle Seafoods, based in Aberdeen, Washington, last week released this photo of its first processing barge, the Circle I. Construction is nearing completion, and the barge plans to sail June 9 for the Southeast Alaska fishing season, the company said.