Pacific Fishing May 2010

US $2.95/CAN. $3.95

6312

6

www.pacifi cfi shing.com

WashingtonDungeness

Crab Fishermen'sAssociation

Are salmon farms breeding super sea lice?

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN ■ MAY 2010

US $2.95/CAN. $3

6312

6Staying alive Staying alive in shipping lanesin shipping lanes

New health insurance New health insurance rules and yourules and you

Thank you for supporting ASMI and Alaska’s seafood industry.

Increase the economic value of Alaska’s seafood harvest

That’s the mission of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

$5,800,000,000The seafood industry is worth $5.8 billion to Alaska in terms of direct and induced

economic output. A healthy seafood industry in Alaska benefits public and private sectors.

WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM MAY 2010 PACIFICFISHING 3

Pacific Fishing (ISSN 0195-6515) is published 12 times a year (monthly) by Pacific Fishing Magazine. Editorial, Circulation, and Advertising offices at 1000 Andover Park East, Seattle, WA 98188, U.S.A. Telephone (206) 324-5644. ■■ Subscriptions: One-year rate for U.S., $18.75, two-year $30.75, three-year $39.75; Canadian subscriptions paid in U.S. funds add $10 per year. Canadian subscriptions paid in Canadian funds add $10 per year. Other foreign surface is $36 per year; foreign airmail is $84 per year. ■■ The publisher of Pacific Fishing makes no warranty, express or implied, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the information contained in Pacific Fishing. ■■ Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington. Postmaster: Send address changes to Pacific Fishing, 1000 Andover Park East, Seattle, WA 98188. Copyright © 2010 by Pacific Fishing Magazine. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. POST OFFICE: Please send address changes to Pacific Fishing, 1000 Andover Park East, Seattle, WA 98188

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN

VOLUME XXXI, NO. 5 • MAY 2010

IN THIS ISSUE Editor's note®

I’ll be as sensitive as I can: If you believe the bilge about Obama banning fishing, you’re a moron. (I’ll pause a moment while both of you cancel your subscriptions.)

I spent most of my life working for newspapers and this magazine, trying to find some approximation of the truth. Nothing big, like the meaning of life. Rather, smaller things, like whether sea lice are becoming immune to insecticides salmon farmers use. (See Page 14)

So it irritates the hell out of me when folks deliberately lie, whether they’re self-serving little political pricks or salmon farmers. (And I assume there is a difference.)

This all started a few weeks ago when a guy named Robert Montgomery wrote a column for ESPNOutdoors. In it, he said Obama was planning to arbitrarily ban commercial and sports fishing.

Montgomery is a “senior writer” for BASS, “the world’s largest bass fishing organization” — impres-

sive credentials to discuss ocean policy. Once a few problems — like the guy is a lunatic — were pointed out,

ESPNOutdoors sanitized the most offensive of Montgomery’s comments and put an apology over what was left.

It wasn’t just elitist liberals who jumped all over Montgomery. Here’s a fellow Southerner, bass fisherman, and outdoors writer, Jeffrey Weeks:

“In what may be the worst example of outdoor sports reporting in the history of America, ESPN has claimed that President Obama is on the verge of banning recreational fishing.”

But simple sanity couldn’t stop the avenging storm troopers of the loony-tunes legion. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck rushed in where angels (being sane) feared to tread.

Both men are not heavily burdened by reality, which makes pimple-popping indignation so much easier to achieve than, for example, actually telling the truth.

Here’s the truth: The Obama administration has not, and never will, ban sports and commercial fishing.

Forget Obama. No administration, regardless of its politics, would ban fishing.To believe otherwise is nuts!NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco and NMFS head Eric Schwaab initially denied a

ban was being considered — on sport fishing.Dumb move. The paranoid among us saw the assertion as proof positive that

Obama, while coddling sport fishermen, was shutting down commercial fishing. In a culture that so ennobles victimhood, the notion was purely irresistible. The rumor was embraced with the same ardor that a martyr embraces the cross.

Trouble was, no one bothered to actually ask about commercial fishing.So we did.Here’s what Schwaab told Pacific Fishing: “NOAA is not planning to arbitrarily

impose large scale bans on commercial or recreational fishing.” He said regional fisheries councils would guide decisions — just like under Bush Junior.

But getting back to the guy who started all of this, Robert Montgomery, who’s equally as adept at reading the mind of the president as he is catching backwoods bass. Montgomery’s primary source for all insight, apparently, is Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano, a sporting goods supplier.

And Morlock’s credentials? He works in Canada for a company owned by Japanese interests — superb qualifications, I guess, to divine the actions of the president of the United States.

Limbaugh and Beck can have him. As for me, I’ll settle for Exodus 20:16:“Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

Don McManman edits Pacific Fishing and makes a hell of a lot less money than Rush Limbaugh.

INSIDE:

Om

ttDon McManman

Morons

Health care law and youHealth care law and youPage 12Page 12

On the cover:

Invincible sea lice?Invincible sea lice? Page 14 Page 14

Does MSC certification pay?Does MSC certification pay?Page 16Page 16

Smelt listing and pink shrimpSmelt listing and pink shrimpPage 21Page 21

F/V Shady Lady lies in distress following a collision during the fi rst opening of the 2010 Sitka Sound sac roe herring season. Bellingham fi sherman Joe Trotter took this shot from the Dancer, which was tendering. More info on Page 46.

smto

ls

sive credenOnce a few problems

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PREFERRED PUBLICATION OF:

CORDOVA DISTRICTFISHERMEN UNITED

UNITED FISHERMEN OF ALASKA

WASHINGTON DUNGENESSCRAB FISHERMEN’S ASSOC.

WESTERN FISHBOAT OWNERS ASSOC.

STATS PACK

Seafood 50%($1.623 Billion)

Minerals 26%($842 Million)

Precious Metals 5%($153 Million)

Forest Products 3%($88 Million)

Other 6% ($221 Million)

Energy 10%($328 Million)

Alaska’s seafood exports were valued at $1.6 billion in 2009, down 9.8 percent from 2008. Japan remains the state’s largest seafood export market, followed by China, Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada.

Next in line are zinc and lead exports, valued at $784.7 million; liquified natural gas at $256.7 million (most has been shipped to Japan for more than 40 years); precious metals, mostly gold, at $152.6 million (nearly all went to Switzerland); and refined petroleum products at $38.4 million (down more than 70 percent from 2008). Crude oil is shipped to U.S. destinations and, hence, isn’t an export. –Laine Welch

’ f d

Seafood — Alaska’s top export

The seafood department suffered during the onset of the recession in 2008, but it came back in a big way in 2009.

While other fresh departments benefited from the boost in sales spurred by consumers cooking at home more often in 2008, the seafood department took a hit. When 13 of 15 seafood categories increased prices in 2008, the result was a loss in volume for 10 categories.

The only notable bright spots occurred in catfish, which consumers purchased more of as an inexpen-sive fin fish option, and lobsters, which consum-ers stocked up on after the category experienced a price decline of more than 10 percent due to abundant supply.

The seafood department sales trends flipped in 2009. The bakery, deli, and meat departments saw some success throughout the first three quarters of 2009, but dollar growth didn’t surpass 5 percent. Produce actually experienced dollar declines in all three quarters.

Seafood, however, increased consistently, with as much as a 10.5 percent increase in the second quarter of 2009. The exact opposite of 2008, there were 10 of 15 seafood categories that increased in volume in 2009, and the increases weren’t always driven by the lowest priced items.

Value perceived by customers apparently drove

Seafood emerges from the recession before other perishables

sales. Lobster, crab, and halibut — three of the relatively high-priced seafood categories — boosted volume anywhere from 21.5 percent to 80.7 percent.

What fueled this impressive shift in seafood performance? As was common in all the fresh depart-ments last year, promotion played an important role. Lobster, crab, and halibut all experienced double-digit lifts in dollars sold on promotion, and even more impressive lift in volume sold on promotion.

Health also played a significant role in the seafood department’s success across 2009. When asked why they are purchasing more fresh seafood than they did the year before, 82 percent of consumers attributed it to trying to eat a healthier diet.

Additionally, 34 percent said they were eating less meat, and 18 percent said they were purchasing more fresh seafood, because they want their children to eat a healthier diet.

With the fluctuation in seafood department performance in 2008 and 2009, it can be tricky to predict how sales will turn out in 2010. It is clear, however, that consumers are beginning to spend more if there is a perceived value. For some, value means getting a high-end product at a good price; for oth-ers, value means purchasing items that help improve their health.

The key is knowing your consumer and what value means to them. –The Perishables Group �


Source: ASMI, ADFG, SMIS estimates

Alaska Harvest Tonnage by Species in 2008

Herring 2%

Other Groundfish13%

Pollock & Cod 65%

Salmon 16%

Shellfish 2%

Halibut & Sablefish 2%

Alaska Ex-Vessel Value $1.9 Billion in 2008

Salmon 24%

Shellfish 11%

Halibut & Sablefish 14%

Pollock & Cod 39%

Other Groundfish11%

Herring 1%

Looking back: Here’s how Alaska fishermen did in 2008, the last year for complete records, as compiled by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute recently published its annual report: “Alaska Seafood 2010.”

In it, the agency chronicled gains — and losses — for the Alas-ka seafood industry. ASMI also listed future business threats, many of which also may affect other states. Here is that section:

There are a number of threats ASMI must counter in order to raise the value of the seafood harvest. Whether the concern is contaminants in seafood, confusion over eco-labels, or the global ramping up of aquaculture, ASMI must effectively challenge attacks, and educate the con-sumer, trade customers, and the media about the value of Alaska’s seafood.

Examples of external threats to increasing brand value:• Uncertainty: Worldwide economic turbulence and a

credit crunch creating uncertainty for Alaska seafood pro-ducers and suppliers.

• Global aquaculture: Relatively constant wild seafood supply overtaken by aquaculture, which now produces more seafood than capture fisheries.

• Competing nations, not just competing proteins: Pork, chicken, beef, dairy, and farmed fish are priced lower and have better funded marketing campaigns. ASMI competes against nations for market share and, in the case of many competing products, the governments of the countries (e.g., Norway, Chile, Scotland, Australia) are actively involved in providing funding.

• Price resistance: Following periods of increase in value for particular species, Alaska producers are encountering price resistance.

• Seasonality, consistency of supply, inelasticity of supply: Product availability fluctuates within the season and from year to year, and there are upper limits to wild seafood production in sustainably managed fisheries.

• International economics: Currency fluctuations, softening of domestic or foreign economies (e.g., ASMI’s U.S. dollars in key overseas markets shrink dramatically when converted to euros, yen, and yuan), tariff, and trade barriers.

• Increasing fuel and transportation costs.• Confusion over eco-labels: Proliferation of eco-labels

in the marketplace (labels denoting sustainably produced

ASMI lists threats to the seafood industry

seafood) and the issues of traceability and country of origin labeling require educating customers at consumer and trade levels about the Alaska Sea-food brand and Alaska as the model of sustainable fisheries management.

• Funding: Dollars available to support infrastructure and marketing, many federal sources drying up, promotional costs rising. �

Market indicators that may affect your priceConsumers think green: The envi-

ronment remains a concern for many Americans, with 35 percent of survey respondents saying they would pay more for “environmentally friendly” products.

Farmed salmon supply nose-diving: Global supply of Atlantic salmon will decline the most in two decades this year after a virus decimated output in Chile, bolstering the steepest advance in Norwe-gian prices since at least 2000.

Sablefish price up, halibut down: The average price paid to Alaska halibut

fishermen in 2009 was $3.13 a pound, down from $3.70 in 2008.

For sablefish, the average price in 2009 was $3.21 a pound, compared to $2.58 in 2008.

White fish fillet imports up: Frozen groundfish fillet imports into the U.S. mar-ket showed an increase (+6 percent from 128,600 tons to 135,900 tons) in 2009 com-pared with 2008, but have not yet recovered 2007 levels.

The 2009 rise reflects increased imports by the U.S. not only of frozen fillets but also an increase in imports of blocks. More

specifically during this period, the quantity of frozen groundfish fillets imported by the U.S. was 89,200 tons, only 3 percent more than in 2008, whereas imports of blocks went up by 11 percent, reaching 46,700 tons.

China is the main supplier of both fillets and blocks to the U.S., with 67 percent (fil-lets) and 33 percent (blocks) of total imports during 2009. China has increased its shipments to the U.S. by 5 percent (fillets) and 11 percent (blocks) during this period.

China is an important re-processor of Alaska pollock caught by the U.S. and Russian fleets. �


Staying aliveYOUR BUSINESS

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You’re out alone, and you’re tired. Run in to sleep? Not enough time. Can’t afford the fuel.So, you do what you know you shouldn’t. You shut down.

Drift. Sleep. Then, you die.It doesn’t happen often, but it happens too often. A fisherman

drifting. A ship hits him. The guy in the ship’s wheelhouse — 100 feet in the air and 300 feet from the bow — doesn’t feel a thing as his vessel crushes your boat, and you.

The only thing left for your family is a few shards of boat the Coast Guard finds the next day.

On June 21, 2004, the 72-foot Relentless sank about 20 miles west of Half Moon Bay, taking David (“Rowdy”) Pennisi and Michael Odom. There was no distress call, but the boat’s Vessel Monitoring System stopped transmitting at 2 a.m. About two hours later, its EPIRB began transmitting.

A Coast Guard helicopter found debris near the boat’s last known position. The boat’s life raft also was found nearby — empty.

Relatives maintain the vessel had been moving—and not drifting — before it disappeared.

Joel Kawahara is a longtime fisherman based in Washington state and a board member of Washington Trollers Association. Kawahara has given a lot of thought into how to stay visible to other marine traffic.

“The ship traffic coming out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is fairly heavy,” he said. “Nobody’s been struck in a long time, but there are examples of boats that have been struck, and they resonate with you.”

Trouble is, you’re small and hard to see.“They are doing a lot to pay attention to us, and it makes sense to

help them, let them know we’re out there,” he said.

by Michel Drouin

Burial at Sea made easy... as easy as falling asleep

Class B or not to B?While ocean-going ships are required to use Class A Automatic Identification Systems, owners

of smaller commercial fishing vessels might want Class B devices.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the two classes are identical, except the Class B:

• Has a reporting rate less than a Class A (e.g., every 30 seconds when under 14 knots, as

opposed to every 10 seconds for Class A).

• Does not transmit the vessel’s IMO number.

• Does not transmit ETA or destination.

• Does not transmit navigational status.

• Is only required to receive, not transmit, text safety messages.

• Is only required to receive, not transmit, application identifiers (binary messages).

• Does not transmit rate of turn information.

• Does not transmit maximum present static draught.

• Cannot currently communicate to all Class A devices.

YY

DD

drdfefhih

CoC

Don’t end up on the beach — dead


To that end, Kawahara installed an AIS (Automatic Identification System) on his 42-foot Karolee.

“Being aware of how much traffic there is, it does make you nervous,” he said. “That is kind of why I put it on.”

Required on large ships in U.S. and international waters, AIS provides anyone with an AIS receiver the name, call sign, type, and position of the vessel with an AIS transponder.

There are Class A transponders with 12 watts of power and transmitters, and Class B transponders at 2 watts.

The stronger class is required by the international Safety of Life at Sea convention. Class B machines are designed for smaller vessels.

One caution: Some Class A machines, if not upgraded with new software, won’t pick up signals from Class B devices, according to Ron Wright of Jensen Communications in Warrenton.

Ideally, once all the AIS devices can communicate with each other, any vessel with an AIS receiver can receive information from other AIS receivers and display the course and speed of the other vessels.

It’s a big ocean, Kawahara said, but there are times when it seems everyone is crowded into the same place.

Sometime after Aug. 29, 2003, veteran fisherman Ken Tison went missing in his C-Lady. He was last seen about 60 nautical miles northwest of Coos Bay, Ore.

Mystery!Having an Automatic Identification System onboard can be one more wrench in your safety

toolbox, but unexpected — and unexplained — things can happen.

Salmon and albacore tuna troller Joel Kawahara has a good example from the start of

last season.

“I was going to Neah Bay from Port Townsend, and the batteries were low. So when I started

the boat, all the electronics beeped because they were re-setting.”

Somehow, in the process, his AIS got scrambled.

On his way, and even after he tied up in Neah Bay, Kawahara noticed a lot of Coast Guard

activity. They were cruising around, looking for something.

There were dock rumors of a drug bust on a sailboat from New Zealand and other

stories. Next, Coast Guard investigative officers came along the floats, interviewing boaters

and fishermen.

“And these were the guys in black uniforms, carrying sidearms,” Kawahara recalled. “Not your

regular rank-and-file guys in blue.”

The Coast Guard officers asked if he had an AIS system and weapons on board. After

Kawahara assured them about the latter matter, the guys in black asked if they could examine

his AIS. Kawahara agreed.

After examining his AIS, the officers showed him why they were nosing around.

“They had this plotter track on their laptop that was the same as mine going from Port

Townsend to Neah Bay, only it identified the vessel as a 33-foot Coast Guard vessel from Lake

Michigan,” he said.

“And they were trying to figure out how someone could pose as a Coast Guard vessel on

the AIS.

“They must have software that alerted them that one of their Coast Guard boats was

running around. In any event, my unit re-set after about 24 hours and went back to the correct

vessel ID.”

And how did he suddenly join the Coast Guard in Lake Michigan for a day?

The coasties haven’t said. –Michel Drouin continued on page 8


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David (“Rowdy”) Pennisi went missing while on a trawling trip on June 21, 2004.

The seven-day search covered 101,000 square miles of ocean before it was called off.

On Sept. 7, a life ring from the C-Lady was located 60 miles west of Crescent City, Calif.

Tison had been fishing along the 125th meridian.

Only a few weeks ago, a trawler pulled up what could be remnants of the C-Lady from the ocean floor 27 miles off Charleston.

“Tuna fishing, a lot of times we fish on the 125 degree longitude line,” Kawahara said. “That is the inside edge of the tem-perature in the summer and that is the tuna water. It also turns out the 125 line is a major shipping route.

“We go straight down the coast until Cape Blanco or Cape Mendocino. Ships coming out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca are going to California and they travel on the 125.”

“When you are tuna fishing, you are in a traffic lane,” he said. “It is not an official

Lines of defenseFishermen can buy several lines of defense in dangerous

waters. Generally speaking, the more effective they are, the

more expensive they’ll be.

Devices, such as the WatchMate RX, offer reception of

Automatic Identification Signals and alarm systems. The device

does not transmit.

AIS Class B machines transmit, but some Class A devices

on large ships will not receive the Class B signals. A software

upgrade on the Class A machines is necessary to pick up Class

B signals.

AIS Class A devices, if upgraded with new software, can

receive signals from Class B machines.

Radar with a guard alarm probably is the best alterna-

tive, according to Ron Wright of Jensen Communications

in Warrenton. Cost and power usage are downsides.

Sleeping and drifting a violation

If you’re sleeping and drifting, not only is it stupid,

it’s against Coast Guard regulations.

You’re supposed to abide by regulations adopted

by the International Maritime Organization, said Dan

Hardin, commercial fishing safety coordinator for the

Coast Guard in Seattle.

Specifically, you have to abide by the Coast Guard’s

Rule 5: You have to maintain a proper lookout.

traffic lane, but it’s like the I-5 for freighters and tug boats. They have to be watching in order to not hit you. With AIS it is easier for them not to hit you.”

Most radar devices have some kind of guard alarm (also called a proximity alarm) system.

With this system, the guard alarm zone can be set for a specified distance in front of the vessel or expanded to a 360 degree circle around it. It can be used for navigation or at anchor or when drifting. When other vessels, landmasses, or buoys enter the zone, an alarm sounds to alert the operator.

Some radar devices also have a sort of “sleep” mode to save batteries, and they

“wake up” at a set time, do a quick scan, and return to the sleep mode.

Beyond electronics, fishermen should do everything possible to be seen.

Leaving the deck lights and other lights on while drifting is one way.

“I turn on all the lights I have when I drift,” said one tuna troller who stopped by at Pacific Fishing’s booth at Pacific Marine Expo. “That’s a 1,000-watt light in front, two 500-watt lights going back, plus deck lights.”

An added benefit of all the lights is that it attracts bait fish, making a good kick-start for fishing in the morning.

Fishermen also make an effort to space themselves out so any larger ship would probably get a good preview coming up on the fleet. �

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West Coast. (My father, Giuseppe Pennisi Sr., and grandfather Giovanni Pennisi both fished the San Giovanni, as does my husband.) Any suggestion we made was an annoyance to the investigator. We firmly believe, as do many other people,that a ship hit the Relentless. Our investigator did not agree.

His report was released to us a few days before Thanksgiving a year and a half later. When we read it, it was like my brother died twice. Our government said there was no fund-ing to find the boat and get pictures, as is done quite often in other cases in other parts of the U.S.

We were basically told it was just too bad if we did not agree with the report. We were supposed to swallow their pill and move on with our lives. But that’s not so easy to do.

We know there were ships in the area. The Relentless sent out no mayday call, so whatever happened, happened fast. Rowdy was a cautious skipper. Over a half-dozen people inter-viewed echoed this point in the Coast Guard report. We know things do go wrong out there, but we feel there is strong evidence a ship hit them.

According to the first Coast Guard chart readings, there was a ship next to the Relentless that was moving erratically. My brother John charted the positions they gave him. Then, the investigator told us those were not the right positions. When they met with my family, my mother noticed they came with different maps to each meeting, each with different positions charted on them. Something just did not seem to be accurate on their side.

Rowdy’s loss has been hard for my family. The unanswered questions — questions that seem answerable if a little more effort were put into the case — are hard to live with. We are still fighting almost six years later to have the case re-opened. We want the Relentless found and pictures taken of the wreck. We know the condition of the boat will speak for itself.

We feel the VMS needs to be redone so that it sends a signal to the Coast Guard instantly when a vessel disappears. This could save lives.

After the accident, my sister-in-law moved away. She has a hard time being around the ocean, so she does not come to visit much. My nephew Joey was 7 years old when his father died. He comes down when he can to visit. We are always overjoyed to see him.

Rowdy’s oldest son is in Iraq serving in the Marines. He just became a father this last September. His son was born a few days before Rowdy’s birthday. I could not help but think of how proud Rowdy would have been to have his first grandchild born so close to his own birthday.

Rowdy loved kids. He has 24+ nieces and nephews. Some were too young to remember him. We tell them stories and, as they grow, they will remember Rowdy that way.

I was pregnant with my second child when the accident happened. I gave my son the middle name David after my brother. My son is at the age when he is full of questions. When we talk about his name, he tells me who he was named after. That always leads into a conversation about Uncle Rowdy.

Rowdy’s death impacted every generation. As my kids grow old-er, they get worried for my husband, who is also a fisherman. So we always pray together for my husband, family, and friends who fish still. And at the end, we ask Jesus to tell Uncle Rowdy hello for us.

For more information about the loss of the Relentless, go to www.relentless4rowdy.com/how_to_help_3.html. You can reach Elizabeth Nozicka at [email protected]. �

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Nearly six years ago, Elizabeth Nozicka of Monterey got the call everyone on shore fears: Her brother, fisherman David (“Rowdy”) Pen-nisi, was missing, his boat gone. A search was beginning. They found some debris near the Relentless’ last known position. They also found the Relentless’ life raft. Nothing more. Here, Elizabeth recounts those hours and days — and the years since.

We found out the Coast Guard was looking for my brother Rowdy’s boat, the Relentless, when a friend called. He was out fishing and heard the search over the radio. My first thought was, it’s a mistake. My second thought was, they’re in a raft and will be found. We just had to wait. But they were never found.

David “Rowdy” Pennisi, 43, and his crew member, Michael Odom, 24, were lost at sea on June 21, 2004.

The Relentless was heading in to unload bottomfish in San Francisco. They were last tracked by the vessel-monitoring system at the 2 a.m. hour in the San Francisco shipping lanes. The Relentless’ EPIRB did not go off until 4:40 a.m. The Coast Guard started its search at first light.

The Coast Guard’s search and rescue did an amazing job. Every-one we dealt with the morning of the accident was very kind and patient with us. They updated us with news as soon as they had it and coordinated with our own family’s boat search.

The Coast Guard investigation was not so pleasant. We had an investigator who was harsh and rude, and he even slandered my family in the Coast Guard report.

My family has three generations of experience fishing off the

by Elizabeth Nozicka

A loss at sea means years of pain ashore

Elizabeth Nozicka

thin

bliinc

thwRowdy Pennisi


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The recent tumble in Pacific cod prices has led nine fishing companies to form an organization that allows them greater flexibility in planning and marketing their catch.

Much of that flexibility arises from a waiver of some federal anti-trust regulations.

But the waiver is for exports only. Federal anti-trust measures still hold for the domestic market.

Grounds prices today for P. cod are only half of what they were two years ago. The price decline was “the triggering event” that led marketers to establish the commission, said Lance Magnuson of Blue North Fisheries, president of the commission.

To stay afloat, the cod companies had to find ways to cut overhead while increasing sales — and prices — abroad.

Much of the frozen Alaska cod pack goes to Europe, where often it is prepared and sold as salt cod.

Eastern European countries have been economically crippled by the global economic slowdown and weak currencies, which make it difficult to pay off international debt.

P. cod marketers

form commission

for exports

Western European nations on the Mediterranean, where salt cod is also popular, have their own economic problems. They have asked their European Union neighbors to help bail them out with euros — a notion that has been greeted coolly by Germany and France.

Federal law has allowed American companies to form bodies like the Longline Cod Commission since 1982. One argument for such commissions is this: It allows U.S. companies to compete internationally with companies from foreign countries that have weak anti-trust regulations or that have been given waivers for global trade.

U.S. surimi producers have established their own commission under federal law.

Companies in the Alaska cod commission represent about 70 percent of the Bering Sea–Aleutian Island freezer longline quota — between 70 million and 100 million pounds. Commission members take about 35 percent of the total cod quota for all gear types.

Some 90 percent of production by the commission-member companies is sold outside the U.S.

Pricing will be one matter discussed by members of the cod commission, but not necessarily the most important one.

The commission formation provides a means to meet and discuss not only exports, Magnuson said, but also to look at how the group can benefit in handling logistics in Dutch Harbor. “We are also discussing standardization of size, grading and quality standards.”

The commission also will be able to address free trade issues in other nations. �


Health insuranceYOUR BUSINESS

There are a great many questions arising from the nation’s new health care/insurance law. Undoubtedly, it will take many months for the government, private insurers, and the courts to come up with answers.

In the meantime, we’ve asked Charles E. Morgan of Jackson, Morgan & Hunt, a certified public accounting firm in Seattle, to consider some questions directly affect-ing commercial fishermen. His answers are based on the legislation as passed. Future regulations could change how the law is implemented.How will crew and vessel owners in the fishing industry be affected?

In determining how health care reform will impact you, it is essential to know if you are an employee or a self-employed business owner. The fishing industry has a unique statutory exception that makes most crew members self-employed.

IRC section 3121(b)(20) says that if you are paid on a percentage of the vessel’s catch, and the normal crew size is less than

by Charles E. Morgan

There are a great many questions arising f th ti ’ h lth /i

Here’s how the new national health care law will affect you

10 people, the crew mem-ber is self-employed.

For health care reform, this places most crew mem-bers at the same level as the vessel owner-operator.

(For this article, we will use the term “self-employed” for crew mem-bers in small vessels and for owner-operators. We will use “W-2 employee” for crew members who receive W-2 wages with taxes withheld while work-ing on larger vessels.)When will most provisions of the new law go into effect for self-employed and W-2 employees?

The provisions designed to increase access and affordability go into effect immediately. The majority of the provisions imposing mandatory coverage, including individual polices, will be effective Jan. 1, 2014. The penalties for remaining uninsured also start in 2014.How much will I have to pay the government if I don’t want insurance?

Starting in 2014, most individuals would have to maintain minimum essential cover-age or pay a penalty. The penalty is phased in from 2014 to 2016.

In 2016 the full penalty will be the greater of: (1) 2.5 percent of household income over the threshold amount of income required for income tax return filing, or (2) $695 per uninsured adult in the household.

The fee for an uninsured individual under age 18 would be one-half of the fee for an adult. The total household penalty wouldn’t exceed 300 percent of the per-adult penalty ($2,085), nor exceed the national average annual premium for the “bronze level” health plan offered through the Insurance Exchange that year for the household size.Will all businesses be required to provide health insurance packages for employees?

Only large employers with more than 50 full-time employees will be required to pro-vide coverage or pay penalties. To encour-age small employers with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees to provide access to coverage, there is a tax credit to offset the insurance cost. The credit ranges from 35 percent to 50 percent of insurance costs, depending on employee wages and

the tax year.I am a self-employed skipper and vessel owner. Do I have to pay all or a portion of health insurance premiums for my deckhands?

If your crew members are treated as self-employed and receive a 1099 for fish-ing crew shares, you will not have to provide coverage.What if my crew works for only a few months out of each year?

Seasonal employment does not create an exception to the insurance requirements. Part of the change is to provide direct access to insurance coverage in such situ-ations, instead of making it dependent on employment.If crew members have other employers, who is responsible for arranging for insurance?

Coverage will depend on whether you work for a large employer with more than 50 full-time employees. For most crew members, they will obtain their own insur-ance as self-employed individuals. I work for shares, but much of that revenue is invested directly into IFQ shares. Which revenue stream will be measured to establish eligibility for the government-aided insurance program — the gross or net?

Your net income after expenses will be the base for eligibility. From your IFQ share, you will be able to deduct interest on loans, amortization of the purchase price, NMFS fish taxes, and any other business expenses. What if I can’t afford private insurance? How can I buy insurance through the government?

There will be insurance pools, but the details are not yet resolved.I have a preexisting condition (diabetes, for example). Private insurance companies wouldn’t sell


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health insurance to me. When will they be forced to overlook my preexisting condition?

The bill includes this requirement: “(a) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage may not impose any preexisting condition exclusion with respect to such plan or coverage.” Initially, starting this year, people with pre-existing health conditions will be able to enroll in a new, but tempo-rary, national high-risk insurance plan. I am employed by a seafood company to operate a fishing vessel. I am paid a salary and share. It is my only source of income. Will the new law provide cheaper health insurance to me?

T h e i m p a c t o n p r e m i u m s i s undetermined.

Will I have to prove previous insurance before I can sign up for the new policy?

Probably not, because insurance compa-nies cannot deny coverage for preexisting conditions under the new law.Can I insure my spouse and children along with me for the new policy?

It appears family coverage is man-dated. There will be rules to coordinate coverage when there are two working family members.I am a partner in the vessel I operate. How will the law affect me?

You will be treated as self-employed.I am a deckhand. Does the owner of the vessel have to arrange for health insurance for me?

If you are treated as self-employed, you are responsible. If you are a W-2 employ-ee for a large employer, coverage may be provided through them. I am an owner/operator. Whom do I speak with to arrange for insurance for my crew?

Your health insurance broker will be your starting point. �

More informationCharles Morgan has compiled six documents

off ering more information concerning recent

health care legislation. You can fi nd them at

www.pacifi cfi shing.com. Click the “Resources”

button at the bottom of the page. Then, look for

a folder called “Health Care Changes.”

Many of the particulars in the federal program

are still being worked out. You can follow the

process at www.healthreform.gov/. There are

several pertinent pages there, but you might

start with "Your questions answered."

The new health care law: A timetableHere is a summary of how the new federal health care statutes will be implemented, as compiled by the

Christian Science Monitor:

Within one yearInsurance companies will be prohibited from placing lifetime caps — limits on the amount of money that • can eventually be paid out — on their policies. They’ll face new restrictions on setting annual caps, as well.

Insurance companies also will be prohibited from pulling your coverage, except in case of fraud or • intentional misrepresentation.

Children won’t be excluded from coverage due to pre-existing health conditions. Plus, children will be able • to stay on their parents’ policy until age 26.

Small businesses that off er health coverage to employees will be eligible for tax credits of up to 50 percent • of premium costs.

Seniors who fall into the coverage gap, or “doughnut hole,” in the middle of the Medicare Part D • prescription drug coverage plan will get $250 to help them pay their bills.

People with pre-existing health conditions will be able to enroll in a new, but temporary, national high-risk • insurance plan.

2014The central element of the superstructure of President Obama’s health care reform effort is its individual • mandate. Most people who live in the United States will be required to obtain health insurance. But this

does not kick in until 2014, when fines begin for those who don’t have coverage.

Similarly, the subsidies intended to make policy purchase affordable don’t start until then.• Exchanges where individuals and small business can buy health insurance are not supposed to be up and • running for four years, either.

Finally, one of the most popular provisions in the health bill, its ban on the denial of insurance coverage • due to pre-existing health conditions, won’t take effect until 2014 either. That’s because insurers will need

the flood of new customers brought in by the individual mandate to cushion the costs of accepting people

who already have health problems.


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Protesters demonstrate during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver against Norwegian interests that control much of the salmon farming in British Columbia. Michel Drouin photo

by Kristin Hoelting

Drug-resistant sea lice threaten wild salmon runs

One of the salmon farm industry’s greatest fears is that sea lice will develop resistance to the drugs used to kill them.

But it’s happening now, and the floating net-pen technology looks increasingly unstable — environmentally and economically.

As Alexandra Morton, a sea lice researcher and wild salmon activist in British Columbia, said, “When sea lice become resistant to the drugs, we lose all ability to control them.”

In recent months, Morton and other activists have focused on the increasing sea lice resistance to the insecticide SLICE (emamectin benzoate), the most popular and widely used delousing treatment in Canada and Chile in recent years, and also an important delousing agent in Norway.

Resistance develops through the process of natural selection: There always are random genetic mutations, and some mutations allow some sea lice to withstand effects of chemical treatments. If a particular chemical is used too often in one area, these genetic mutations can spread throughout a population of sea lice.

Clearly, inability to control levels of sea lice on salmon farms would have catastrophic implications for declining wild salmon runs. Research has shown that, even when sea lice levels are maintained within legal limits, their presence in coastal waters can be linked to declines of wild salmon in both British Columbia and Norway.

Uncontrolled infestations of sea lice also have severe impacts on the salmon farming industry. Sea lice attach to the skin of fish and feed on mucous, tissue, and blood. Infestations can reduce the appetite and overall growth of the fish in aquaculture net pens.

They also cause skin lesions and weaken the immune systems of the fish, making them more susceptible to diseases such as the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus. Some research has suggested that sea lice may also serve as carriers, transferring viral and bacterial diseases between net pens.

In Chile, widespread resistance to SLICE in 2007 exacerbated the spread of ISA, resulting in a crash of the country’s salmon farming industry. The uncoordinated, excessive application of delousing agents was blamed for the development of sea lice resistance: In the Castro region of Chile, a study recorded an average of 11 treatments of SLICE per net pen facility between March 2006 and February 2007. In contrast, salmon farmers in Norway and British Columbia treat only a few times per year, and preferably with alternating chemical agents.

Resistance is not a new story: In the mid-1990s, resistance to organophosphates Aquaguard and Nuvan in Norway, Scotland, and Canada forced salmon farmers to remove those drugs from use, and the same happened in Chile in 2001. There have been reports of reduced effectiveness of pyrethroid drugs (Betamax, AlphaMax, and Exis) since 2000 in Norway, Scotland, and Ireland.

The current popularity and widespread use of SLICE, however, make its declining effectiveness particularly concerning. Its popular-ity is due to its superior biological effect, ease, and safety of applica-tion (given orally by adding it to feed, as opposed to bath treatment).

In Norway, despite careful integrated pest management practices designed to minimize the use of chemical treatments, the salmon farming industry is currently facing increasing occurrences of sea lice tolerance and resistance to SLICE. Resistance is concentrated in the North Troendelag and Sunnhordland regions, along with reduced sensitivity in scattered facilities in other regions. The Norwegian government is on high alert.

When asked about the ramifications of sea lice resistance to SLICE in Norway, Atle Kambestad of the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management said it “appears to be relatively serious, because it involves the best delousing agents. The treatments that must be used instead are not as effective.”

Because of resistance to SLICE, Norwegians have brought back


hydrogen peroxide, which hadn’t been used in Norway since 1997. It was discontinued largely because of the danger of overdose to fish. Hydrogen peroxide draws water from the fish, leading to osmotic shock and relatively high mortality.

Because of sea lice resistance to SLICE in New Brunswick, the Canadian government approved the use of three different chemicals under “emergency medical release.” They are Calicide (tefluben-zuron), as well as the pyrethroids AlphaMax (deltamethrin) and Beta-Max (cypermethrin).

Like SLICE, Calicide is an in-feed treatment, but it is only effective at killing sea lice during their molting stages and has no effect on adult lice. AlphaMax and Betamax are bath treatments, which can be lethal to fish in the case of overdose.

The resistance scare has spread to British Columbia, although government officials deny any evidence of a problem. Last month, Morton called attention to evidence of SLICE resistance at several Grieg Seafood facilities near Nootka Island. The provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands published a graph showing that an October 2009 treatment did not bring sea lice levels down to zero and did not have a prolonged effect.

According to Morton, this indicates tolerance in the sea lice population and, if true, would have serious repercussions for wild salmon in British Columbia.

Many people are looking for a vaccine as a possible solution. However, Kevin Glover of the Institute for Marine Research in Norway says that, although work to develop a vaccine has been under-way for approximately 10 years, it is highly unlikely that a commercial product will be available for at least another five to 10 years.

Given the severity of the situation in Norway, Glover said, “Enclosed cage systems — with filters in and out — are looking more and more like the way forward.” With such systems, sea lice would not have access to the farmed fish in the first place. �

What exactly is a sea louse?These small crustaceans are ectoparasites, meaning they

attach to the outside of fish, including skin, fins, or gills. In their early life stages they are free-swimming, but when they reach the infectious “copepodid” stage they settle on a host fish.

Adult female sea lice develop long strings of eggs. Each female can produce approximately 100-300 eggs at a time and can have up to about six broods in her lifetime. The lifespan of sea lice on a host in salt water is between 75 and 200 days, depending on temperature.

There are hundreds of species of sea lice. Concern about sea lice and the salmon farming industry is focused on five principal species:

The salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, is a salmon specialist that is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including in Norway and British Columbia. Most research has focused on this species.

In Norway, the other species of concern is Caligus elongatus, a generalist that thrives on both farmed and wild salmon, rainbow trout, and the native brown trout.

In British Columbia, Caligus clemensi and Lepeophtheirus cuneifer are also found on farmed and wild salmon.

In Chile, the main sea louse species under scrutiny is Caligus rogercresseyi.

The salmon farming industry spent $480 million on sea lice control in 2006. This does not include the costs associated with increased susceptibility to disease, negative publicity for the farmed salmon industry as a result of sea lice outbreaks, or the impact on wild fish.


Eco-tagsYOUR BUSINESS

Environmental certification of fish boils down to a single question: Will it make you more money?

A definitive answer seems hard to come by. And left in its wake are more questions:

Who should pay? Which certification program to use?

The list of organizations that offer certifica-tion for qualified fisheries is growing all the time. But not all certification groups follow the same standards and requirements against which fisheries are measured.

Perhaps the most recognized certification and eco-labeling program for sustainable seafood is the Marine Stewardship Council. Based in London, it has offices throughout the world, including Seattle. Kerry Coughlin is the regional director of the Americas for the MSC. She admits that the certification process is not easy.

“It is a very complex issue.”Third-party certifiers: Before an MSC

eco-label can be attached to seafood packaging, it has to undergo a long proc-ess. Fisheries up for MSC certification have to be assessed by an independent certifier. Those third-party certifiers, depending on who they are and how far they have to travel to the fishery, might charge anywhere from $15,000 to $120,000 — and perhaps more for complex assessments.

Can anybody be a certifier? Only if they pass muster by Accreditation Services International GmbH (ASI), an indepen-dent organization that accredits certifiers to conduct MSC assessments. ASI’s role is to make sure there aren’t any conflicts of interest with a potential certifier and that they follow MSC’s certification rules at all times.

Though a limited number of grants are available, costs prevent many inde-pendent fishers and small fisheries from pursuing certification on their own. Most reach certification through associations and organizations representing members of a

E i t l tifi ti f fi h b il

Does MSC tag sell more fi sh? No one knows

by Jennifer Hawks

continued on next page

NW albacore fl eets now have MSC certifi cation

The Pacific Northwest–British Colum-bia albacore fishery is the latest to achieve Marine Stewardship Council certification.

“MSC is so recognized now, I think it will improve market potential, especially in Europe,” said Wayne Heikkila.

But the process hasn’t been cheap. The U.S. Western Fishboat Owners Asso-ciation and Canada’s Canadian Highly Migratory Species Foundation each spent about $80,000 for the effort.

The process began in January 2009, when the two bodies representing albacore fishermen in the North Pacific agreed to the cost-sharing plan.

“And there have been quite a few extra hours for me and our legal counsel, and the consultant,” Heikkila said.

Albacore fishermen hope that certifica-tion will help open doors into some high-end retail establishments, a target for the U.S. fishermen.

Preliminary 2009 reports show the Brit-ish Columbia fleet harvest at about 5,450 metric tons and U.S. troll and pole landings at 11,580 metric tons. Approximately 60 percent of the tuna from these fisheries goes to Asia and Europe with 10 percent to U.S. canning companies.

The remaining 30 percent is sold into U.S. and Canadian markets for domestic consumption. Albacore tuna is marketed as fresh, fresh-frozen, and canned product, with canned product accounting for the majority of the catch.

“Following the development of the CHMSF Quality Assurance Program in 2003, our industry’s considerable efforts toward sustainable fishing have been recognized by such environmental organizations as Ocean Wise, Sea Choice, and Seafood Watch,” said Lorne Clayton, executive director of the Canadian group, “and we are now proud to have achieved the independent verification, through the MSC, that our CHMSF Pacific albacore fishery meets the MSC’s rigorous sustainability definition.”

Kerry Coughlin, the Americas regional director for MSC, said, “Market demand for MSC-certified tuna is high. Successful completion of the assessment process by these two fisheries will be welcome news to buyers committed to sourcing from fisheries that meet the MSC standard.” �

fishery or group of fisheries. The third-party certifiers ask three

questions of the fishery: • Does the fishing level allow for a

sustainable fish population? Population fluctuations are taken into account and don’t preclude certification if appropri-ate reductions in catch levels, including closures, are implemented in response as part of responsible management.

• Is the environmental impact of the fishery minimal?

• Is fishery management effective? The fishery must follow all laws and respond to changing circumstances, such as seasonal returns that can fluctuate year to year.

An MSC certification is good for five years, but the fishery has to undergo annual surveillance audits to make sure it’s still meeting the criteria.

Tracking supply chain: Companies have to keep tabs of their certified prod-ucts once in the supply chain. In most cases this is easily done as part of existing inventory tracking systems. The product must be traceable back to its source while meeting MSC requirements, which include ensuring the seafood is not co-mingled or substituted. Only then can the MSC eco-label be used for that product.

Coughlin believes the cost and effort of certifying a fishery as sustainable is worthwhile.

“One of the most heartening aspects of our work on sustainable fishing is the commitment articulated by people in the industry — from the small, indepen-dent fishers to large seafood companies. Fishing families talk about leaving a lega-cy; they want to make a living now but in a way that ensures there will be enough fish for their children and grandchildren to harvest.”

Not all eco-labeling programs follow


In 2000, Alaska salmon became the first U.S. fishery to win certification from the Marine Stewardship Council as “sustainable.”

A decade later, the salmon fishery is still certified, that word "sustainable" is market-ing gold, and several other Alaska fisheries also have achieved the MSC eco-label.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the MSC has enjoyed all smooth sailing.

The London-based organization recent-ly went through a period of doubt and rejection in Alaska, and a potential lapse in the salmon certification loomed.

But now it appears the MSC has rallied to secure its future in the nation’s top seafood-producing state.

In February, a small nonprofit based in Anchorage, the Alaska Fisheries Development Founda-tion, stepped in to replace the state Department of Fish and Game as the MSC’s “client” on the salmon fishery.

The foundation now will man-age the considerable tedium and cost of maintaining MSC certification for the salm-on fishery, a chore the original client, Fish and Game, was no longer willing to bear.

For a time, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute flirted with the idea of partnering with the MSC. But that union never was consummated due to cost-sharing issues.

Now an independent nonprofit, the MSC started in 1996 as an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund and Dutch food giant Unilever.

Some, including a past president of United Fishermen of Alaska, have questioned whether Alaska really needs outside validation that its salmon and other fisheries are sustainably managed.

Indeed, a “confidential” MSC letter that came to light in 2007 showed that the organization perhaps needed Alaska more

SustainabilityYOUR BUSINESS

MSC TAG — continued from page 16the same set of standards, adding to the confusion. As with any enterprise that has the potential to generate money, some certification organizations may not have altruistic intentions. Opportunities for scammers are increasing.

While the non-profit MSC doesn’t get a percentage of the money collected by third-party certifiers, it does receive some revenue from licensing agreements for use of its eco-label. MSC’s primary source

of income is from philanthropic donations, including those from the Walton Family Foundation, which was established by the founders of Wal-Mart.

But even the MSC hasn’t been without controversy. In addition to accusations of bending to corporate pressure from Wal-Mart, questions have been raised con-cerning a proposal to certify the troubled British Columbia sockeye fishery.

The Fraser: Supporters of the continued on next page

than Alaska needed a third-party certifier.In the letter, MSC Chief Executive Rupert

Howes acknowledged “frustration and disillusionment” within the Alaska sea-food community regarding the cost and time involved in fishery certification, and the potential at that time that only part of the salmon fishery might be recertified. Howes candidly wrote that a pullout by the salmon and pollock industries “would most likely precipitate the end of the MSC programme.”

Today, the MSC appears to have moved past its rough patch in Alaska. The salm-on fishery was recertified as a whole in

November 2007, and the MSC has a new partner to maintain the certification.

“We are proud that industry requested AFDF take over as client for this large and complex fishery,” said Jim Browning, the foundation’s executive direc-tor and a former state salmon

management biologist.The MSC sustainability label clearly has

established traction in the markets. As an example, when retail giant Target in January announced it was eliminating farm-raised salmon from its stores in favor of wild-caught Alaska salmon, it cited the state’s MSC-certified sustainable salmon manage-ment as part of its rationale.

Since 2000, several other Alaska fisher-ies have undergone the MSC’s rigorous scientific review process to win certification: Bering Sea pollock, Gulf of Alaska pollock, the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands cod fishery, Gulf of Alaska cod, the U.S. North Pacific halibut fishery, and the Alaska sablefish fishery.

MSC clients for these fisheries include the At-Sea Processors Association, Bering Select Seafoods Co., AFDF, and the Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association. �

by Wesley Loy

MSC’s future in Alaska appears to be sustainable again



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fishery say its management is responsive to changes in abundance. A good example came in 2009, when only about a tenth of the predicted sockeye returned to the Fraser River. All fishing was prohibited.

Yet, critics of the fishery also point to 2009 and ask, “How can a fishery be declared sustainable when entire runs are decimated?”

Though that fishery’s certification is still pending, the Canadian David Suzuki Foundation opposes it and has expressed doubts that the MSC can maintain its credibility if certification is approved.

Consumer scorecards: The drive to declare fisheries as sustainable has been boosted by organizations pointing consum-ers to sustainable and healthy sources of seafood. To that end, several organizations provide lists of seafood they approve of, consider borderline, and should be avoided.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium publishes the free Seafood Watch pocket guide, which can be downloaded from its Web site. Mobile phone updates are also available, making it particularly handy for last-minute trips to the store.

Whether or not all of this will make a difference to the fleet remains to be seen, though the consensus is that the future looks promising.

Laura Fleming is the communications director for Alaska Sea-food Marketing Institute. She says, “We don’t have any data that would support that it [certification] adds value. However, if you heard the conversations, even among some of the largest players in the Alaska seafood industry, you’d hear a variety of opinions on that.”

No trickle-down: David Bedford is the deputy commissioner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Alaska’s salmon

fishery was first certified by the MSC in 2000, with the ADF&G acting as the client until early 2010, when the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation took over. Even Bedford can’t say for sure if sustainability certification helps the fleet or not.

“We’ve tried to stay agnostic on that,” he admits. “Then, for a period of time, we were trying to figure that out. We have no idea if this will get them another five cents a pound, or make any difference at all.”

As a non-profit, the Alaska Fisheries Development Founda-tion works on behalf of the Alaska fishing industry to increase catch value and conserve fisheries. The foundation has a lot of experience dealing with federal and state fisheries manage-ment agencies, as well as biologists. It’s also the client for the MSC-certified Alaska Pacific cod fishery.

James Browning, executive director of the foundation, says Alaska fishermen should consider two things when it comes to how certification of sustainable fisheries affects them.

“A) They don’t have any skin in the game, meaning at the harvester level, they haven’t paid any of the certification costs. And B), they’re not getting any tangible benefits at the permit holder level yet.

Market share: “It possibly increases the market share for companies flying the [MSC] logo, and that’s a growing thing. The question is whether it’s leading to paying a cent or two more per pound. I’d have to hope the answer is yes.”

Browning believes that when and if consumer demand increases enough to make processing company accountants pay attention, that’s when certification will drive seafood prices up. And that’s when the fleet will benefit. But for now, “I hear the dock talk, and I must say they’re not getting any value yet.”

As the new MSC client for the Alaska salmon industry, the foun-dation will establish a volume-based, proportionate cost-sharing mechanism for use of the MSC certificate by industry members. The more processed salmon a company sells, the more it’ll pay. �

page 17

fishery was first certified by the MSC in 2000 with the ADF&G

Penciling it outSo, just how much does it cost for MSC certification per

pound of fish?We asked James Browning, executive director of the Alaska

Fisheries Development Foundation, to do the figuring.For salmon, certification adds about .0012 cents per pound

— or a penny for 12,000 pounds of product. But the math varies, depending on the size of the yearly catch, if you figure in annual auditing costs, etc. It can get complicated.

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As the 2010 Northwest pink shrimp season opens, here is a look at the 2009 season that appeared in the Annual Pink Shrimp Review, written by Bob Hannah and Steve Jones of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Low price, a limited market, phenomenal catch rates: that about sums up the 2009 Oregon pink shrimp season.

It was a season in which far more shrimp could have been caught had the shrimp market and price structure been there to support it. Unlike the low-priced years of 2001-2003, when competition with shrimp from distant fisheries kept ex-vessel prices down, the low price this year probably resulted from a depressed world shrimp market.

Just over 22 million pounds of shrimp were landed into Oregon during the 2009 season; above average but about 3.5 million pounds less than in 2008. The decline wasn’t the result of lower shrimp abundance, however; it appears to have been general market malaise.

Processors appeared reluctant to pay more than a low price and to put large amounts of shrimp into freezer storage. Most processors used a combination of

SHRIMP ANNUAL LANDINGSOregon pink shrimp commercial landings (millions of pounds) 1957-2009. Includes all pink shrimp landed into Oregon ports. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife chart

2009 Northwest shrimp season was grimtrip limits, vessel rotations, or landing schedules to slow the amount of shrimp actually landed.

Shrimping didn’t begin in earnest until the second week of May, as shrimpers and processors slowly negotiated prices. Only about 200,000 pounds of shrimp were landed into Oregon during April, which barely supplied the fresh shrimp market. Monthly landings jumped up sharply from May through October with above average landings for each month. …

Shrimping effort in terms of hours fished was only about 18,000 SRE (single-rig

equivalent) hours in 2009. It was the lowest level of “gear-on-the-bottom” time recorded since 1971.

Here again, the total would have been larger under more normal market condi-tions. Many shrimpers maximized their fishing efficiency by traveling long distanc-es to take advantage of extremely high catch rates in several southern areas.

Other measures of fishing effort were down from the level in 2008 but were within the range we’ve seen since the vessel buy-back in 2003. Forty-nine Oregon shrimp vessels made 585 trips during 2009. �

SHRIMP CPUEThis graph shows 2009 Oregon pink shrimp catch per unit of effort by area and month. Because of lower prices, fishermen often concentrated effort in areas known for high production. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife chart

SHRIMP PRICE PER POUNDAnnual average ex-vessel price per pound paid for pink shrimp landed in Oregon 1968-2009. Prices not adjusted for infla-tion. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife chart

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Pink shrimpers on the West Coast don’t see a whole lot of smelt bycatch these days.

Mostly because there’s so few smelt around.

Shrimper Brian Petersen, who runs the F/V Capt. Raleigh of Astoria, remembers fishing a couple of decades ago, when smelt were more abundant. Back then, the small, silvery fish made up around 30 percent of the shrimp catch.

Now that euchelon smelt have been listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Spe-cies Act, the clock is ticking for the shrimp trawl fleet and its managers to figure out how much impact the fishery has on the species — and how to minimize it.

“It’s not good for us at all,” said Petersen. “We did catch an awful lot of smelt back in the early days. If the smelt ever come back, we’re going to have some real issues.”

Federal fishery managers say they don’t expect the March listing of euchelon to impact any other commercial fisheries that catch smelt incidentally.

“The only fishery that sticks out as hav-ing possible problematic bycatch is the pink shrimp fishery,” said Garth Griffin, branch chief for National Marine Fisheries Service in Oregon. “They undoubtedly show up in small numbers in other kinds of fisheries.”

Time will tell how other fisheries might be affected.

It will take six months to a year for NMFS to make rules on how much smelt bycatch they will allow and which fisheries will be allowed to catch it.

But Oregon pink shrimpers will definite-ly need a euchelon smelt “take” exemption to continue fishing, according to fishery manager Bob Hannah of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

There is a fundamental overlap in the ocean distribution of shrimp and euchelon smelt, Hannah said. The good news is the shrimp fleet is already using grates as bycatch reduction devices that can be adapted to avoid most of the smelt.

“It’s difficult to know at this point how much will need to be changed,” Hannah said. “There’s some research to be done. I could see some gear changes. … I think it’s unlikely it’ll be completely status quo two years from now.”

The euchelon smelt range stretches up

by Cassandra Marie Profi ta

Listing of smelt to mean more observers on shrimp boats

to the Canadian shrimp fishery off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. To limit coastwide bycatch, Hannah said, NMFS might set a quota for euchelon and stop fishing once it’s met.

“I don’t know if we’ll get to that point,” he said. “It will take a year or more to determine what needs to be done.”

In the meantime, NMFS is stepping up its observer coverage on West Coast shrimp boats this year to document smelt bycatch.

In Oregon, only 6 or 7 percent of the boats have had observers on board in recent years.

Washington boats haven’t had observers at all.

In 2010, shrimp vessels in Oregon,


‘They've long known they've had some smelt by-catch issues. Fortunately, they've been putting at-tention into designing bycatch reduction devices, so they already have a big jump on the problem.’


Smelt continued from page 21YOUR BUSINESS

Columbia River smelt were plentiful and supported freshwater commercial fishing a half-century ago, as shown in this photo taken on the Sandy River in 1946. Today, protection of smelt could affect the pink shrimp fishery.

Washington, and California will have increased observer coverage on selected vessels for a one-month period.

Since 2008, shrimpers have been held

to new logbook standards that note all discards and bycatch from the fishery.

But in part because of forward think-ing by industry and fishery managers,

use of the grate has minimized bycatch — including the protected canary, thorny-head, and yelloweye rockfish — and kept shrimpers in the clear.

Observers documented 1,500 pounds of euchelon smelt in the 2008 haul of 19.8 million pounds of pink shrimp.

Hannah reported in March that 99 percent of the shrimp fleet is now using the bycatch reduction grate, and that boats have been shifting toward narrower bar spacing for the last few years. Narrowing bar spacing to 3/4 of an inch could help minimize smelt bycatch.

Several shrimpers who have used that type of grate reported good results, saying any loss of shrimp was offset by a cleaner haul free of hake.

NMFS managers say they will be look-ing at alternative ways to minimize smelt bycatch, such as adjusting the timing and location of shrimping seasons.

“That industry has been adjusting to the bycatch issue,” said Griffin. “They’ve long known they’ve had some smelt bycatch issues. Fortunately, they’ve been putting attention into designing bycatch reduction devices, so they already have a big jump on the problem.”

Petersen said he has a lot of faith in Oregon’s shrimp fishery management, and in Hannah in particular.

“He understands what could happen,” Petersen said. “The state’s been work-ing behind closed doors on this, trying to head it off. They know this is a valuable fishery.” �


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Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River marks the beginning of a “hot zone” for a deadly disease infecting young salmon. Erin Downward photo

An annual plague in Klamath River salmon may be getting worse as a drought wears on.

The Klamath River is important to the West Coast commercial salmon fish-ery because the health of its runs helps determine quotas and seasons along much of the coast.

The past two years of drought appear to have allowed the host of the disease Ceratomyxa shasta to spread, and young fish are being infected earlier than in previ-ous years. Some 90 percent of young Chi-nook and coho salmon in “hot zones” — mainly below lowermost Iron Gate dam — are killed by C. shasta, which targets the intestines of salmon.

Texas A&M University fisheries biologist Masami Fujiwara said that the rate of infection in Klamath River salmon can’t be separated from the influence of other environmental factors in the river and the ocean. That doesn’t mean that the disease isn’t a problem, he said.

by John Diriscoll

Klamath River salmon disease on upswing during drought

“It simply means that detecting it at a population level is not a simple matter,” Fujiwara said.

Researchers believe the intermediate host, a tiny polychaete worm, is concentrated during drought years because high flows don’t scour the silt they inhabit. Spawning adult fish congregate below Iron Gate. Infected salmon release Ceratomyxa shasta spores when they die, saturating the polychaete worms just downstream.

Oregon State University researcher Jerri Bartholomew said that infectious zones in the river became smaller in 2005, 2006, and 2007, when high flows flushed out silt. Those zones are growing again with the recent drought. Bartholomew said it appears that prolonged high flows are needed to keep the disease’s intermediate host in check.

“There has to be something to disrupt them,” Bartholomew said.

At a recent conference in Fortuna, Calif., Yurok Tribe biologist Joshua Strange

suggested that short periods of high flows in February could help clear the infec-tious zone of the polychaete worm’s silty habitat. That may be needed until the Klamath’s four hydropower dams are removed, Strange said, when spawning salmon can spread out and plankton from reservoirs that feed the polychaete worms is less abundant.

The removal of the dams is set for 2020 as part of two agreements signed by California, Oregon, tribes, fishermen, and farmers in February. �


Klamath stocksYOUR BUSINESS h stockshhhhh ssssstttoooccckssOnly a few months ago, demonstrators campaigned — successfully — against Warren Buffet–owned dams on the Klamath River. Now, the deal emerging from the demonstrations and negotiations faces its first major trial: drought.

The ink is not yet dry on two agreements meant to patch wounds from the water wars among fishermen, farmers, and tribes in the Klamath River Basin, but the basin itself is parched.

The drought has some concerned that relations built while forging the deals to tear out four dams and restore the flagging fish-eries of the Klamath River could fracture. For the time being, the lower Klamath River tribes and ocean commercial salmon fisher-men have vowed support for Upper Kla-math Basin farmers who learned on March 18 that water deliveries will be slashed to protect fish.

Protests like those seen around Klamath Falls, Ore., during a 2001 water clamp-down have so far not materialized.

Supporters of the Klamath Hydroelec-tric Settlement Agreement and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement believe that this year’s crisis points to the need for the pacts, for which authorizing legislation was still being drafted in mid-March.

“I am prepared to hop on a plane to Wash-ington, D.C., and put the full weight of the fishing industry behind a request for disas-ter assistance for the upper basin farmers,” wrote Glen Spain with the Pacific Coast Fed-eration of Fishermen’s Associations in an e-mail.

The Klamath Basin has only 72 percent of the snowpack it does in a typical year, the least of the past four years, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski declared a drought emergency in mid-March.

The Klamath River’s Chinook salmon stocks are a vital component of the West Coast commercial salmon fishery. While the Sacramento River system typically provides the lion’s share of fish caught off California and Oregon, the Klamath’s often weak stocks limit what fishermen are allowed to catch.

In 2006, expectedly poor spawner returns to the Klamath prompted federal regulators to clamp down on fishing for 800 miles of coastline, north and south of the Klamath River. In 2008 and 2009, however, it was the Sacramento stocks that crashed, initiat-ing disaster aid of $170 million to buoy the salmon industry. This year, limited or no

by John Driscoll

Predicted dry summer to test coalition behind Klamath deal

commercial fishing is likely in California. This year, $2 million in aid is being made

available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture for farmers of the 200,000-acre U.S. Bureau of Reclamation project on the California-Oregon border.

Restoration of the Klamath fishery should lead to fewer closures and also opportunities for fishermen to take advantage of strong runs on the Sacramento, the deal’s support-ers believe. But the dams would not come out until 2020 under the pacts, and irriga-tion diversion reductions would be handled through a water bank over the next 10 years.

Until then, water for the Klamath River will be managed under a biological opin-ion released in mid-March by the Nation-al Marine Fisheries Service. The agency reviewed Reclamation’s plans to operate its project and found it would jeopardize the existence of federally protected coho salmon in the river. Also of concern are endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake.

NMFS ordered the bureau to make chang-es to its plan based on how wet or dry any particular year is. This year is considered a dry year, and when water is sent to salm-on and suckers, the project will be able to provide only enough to irrigate about 30 to 40 percent of the farmland in the project.

Klamath Water Users Association Execu-tive Director Greg Addington said that the deliveries depend on normal precipitation for the remainder of the spring. The current projection means that some farmers will not make it through the season, he said, which could erode support for the agreements among those who can’t weather the dry spell. Still, Addington said, he expects the

agreements to move forward.“So my fear now is more about holding

the project irrigators together and getting them through this year,” Addington said.

A water bank that would tap up to 50,000 acre-feet of groundwater — at a cost to Reclamation of $5 million — could help irrigate more area in the project.

Scientists believe that pumping ground-water would not have a serious effect on surface flows to the river this year — though there is concern that it may take more rain next year to recharge aquifers.

“It’s true that in future years that could become problematic if that scenario plays out,” said NMFS Arcata Area Office Supervisor Irma Lagomarcino.

The agency’s biological opinion aims to meet or exceed minimum flows for coho salmon and to provide flows that more closely mimic the natural rise and fall of the river, based on precipitation. Higher flows are meant to protect adult salmon migrat-ing upstream during the hot weather of late summer.

Craig Tucker, Klamath campaign coor-dinator for the Karuk Tribe, which calls the middle Klamath River home, said that the drought highlights the need for a new model for doing business. The Klamath restoration deal would have allowed water managers to base flows to the river on how much water was flowing into Upper Klamath Lake, pre-venting a draw-down of the lake and some of the water shortages anticipated this year.

Tucker said it will be critical to inform farming communities that the deal is not in place yet and for supporters of the deal to back water-banking and federal disaster aid.

“Everyone is scrambling to find a solution,” Tucker said. �


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With ocean troll salmon seasons south of Cape Falcon looking up this year, Oregon’s scientific study of fish genetics is back in business.

The cruel irony of recent years’ salmon closures has been a lack of fish available for scientists studying how trollers might target healthy stocks while protecting weak runs.

Renee Bellinger, a biologist with Oregon State University, is one of many working with the Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon, or CROOS, project. She said the promise of May openers in central and southern Oregon is good news for the project, which employs trollers to collect tis-sue samples from salmon in the ocean.

The DNA in the samples tells scientists the age and river of origin of the fish and allows them to track the movements of spe-cific runs for better fishery management.

Mapping salmon: The end game is to prevent coastwide fishing closures by mapping out in real time where each river run goes after leaving native streams. But with the fishing seasons south of Cape Falcon shut down for two years in a row, the sampling stalled out.

“It certainly has made it difficult because we haven’t collected any data,” Bellinger said.

But this year will be different. The team now has approval to catch tissue samples even during periodic fishery closures and to borrow from neighboring openers to make sure the research reaches its goal of 800 tis-sue samples per month.

The down years weren’t totally unpro-ductive, Bellinger said. Researchers improved their at-sea data entry system for fishermen to use once the fish are hauled in. A data logger on board delivers information on where and when the fish were caught directly to the scientists’ database.

A sister project, Pacific FishTrax, is looking at how to use the tracking data to better market wild-caught salmon.

Many boats participate: The CROOS project this year will include 150 boats in Oregon, 50 in California, depending on season, and 10 volunteer trollers from Washington, which doesn’t have designated funding to compensate the fishermen.

The bulk of the research is focused on

by Cassandra Marie Profi ta

With trolling openagain, DNA projectback on track

fisheries south of Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, Ore. But scientists are chiming in from up and down the West Coast.

“It’s turned into a huge collaboration,” Bellinger said.

This year the boats will also take biological samples from the salmon for diet analysis.

Jerri Bartholomew, an OSU microbi-ologist, will use those samples to study a parasite common to fish in the Klamath River basin. The parasite Ceratomyxa shasta has wiped out populations of fall Chinook and coho at a much higher rate in the Klamath than in other river basins. Bartholomew is trying to figure out why and outline ways to fix the problem.

A fishery management committee is looking at ways to use the CROOS project information in setting troll salmon seasons. But it needs more data.

“Fishery management has been done with coded wire tagging for so long, we don’t know exactly how to change it yet,” Bellinger said.

However, the team is making discoveries

about how salmon move around in the ocean.

Plotting age groups: “The most striking thing is the change in age distribution over time,” Bellinger said. “You can see when the fish of a certain age class move out of an area — presumably to breed. There’s a big migration.”

For example, Bellinger said, research shows a certain age class will stay off the coast of Newport from June through August.

“Between late August and September, you can see the age change,” she said. “All the old fish are just gone and new fish are present.”

The revelation could have given fishery managers advance notice of the impend-ing doom for West Coast salmon fisheries from 2006 to 2008, when the Klamath and Sacramento river stocks collapsed.

“If in 2006 you see a bunch of 3-year-olds, and in 2007 all of a sudden there wasn’t any, we could have used that to predict the following year class was going to be in trouble,” said Bellinger. “This allows you to know ahead of time, so you can mitigate for it.” �


Alaska fishermen and processors might get a crack at millions of dollars worth of extra salmon in coming seasons thanks to planned hatchery expansions.

Major Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska hatchery operators were set to outline their plans in public meetings of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Cor-dova and Sitka.

If the state approves the expansions, the industry could reap benefits from mil-lions of additional chum, pink, and sockeye salmon returning from the sea each year.

Driving the hatchery expansions is market demand for salmon coupled with ample processing capacity, according to permit alteration requests that the private, non-profit hatchery operators filed with the state.

Markets: “The global salmon market has been steadily expanding over the past several years, and Prince William Sound’s local pro-cessing capacity has increased significantly on numerous fronts,” the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. told Fish and Game. Fish resulting from the proposed expansions “should be easily absorbed in the market place,” PWSAC said.

A major Southeast hatchery opera-tor, Armstrong-Keta Inc., which runs the Port Armstrong Hatchery, offered further insight.

“Now is a particularly opportune time to increase the Port Armstrong chum per-mit,” Armstrong-Keta said. “Currently there is an imbalance in the supply of salmon in Southeast Alaska and the processor capac-ity to buy, process, and sell those salmon. “Several processors have informed us that they had to purchase salmon from Rus-sia last year just to supply their traditional customers for Alaska salmon, and they have been urging us to increase our pro-duction. There is virtually no risk that an increased production of chums at Port Arm-strong would not be harvested and sold to a willing and able processor, with many others waiting in the wings.

“In contrast, there is a very real possibil-ity that, if Southeast Alaska fails to increase its harvests in the next few years, there will be a shakeout and reduction in the processing capacity with long-term negative effects on the industry.”

Largest hatcheries: Alaska’s hatcher-ies rank among the world’s largest, and they contribute hugely to the state’s annual catch of “wild” salmon. Of the 162 million salmon harvested in 2009 in Alaska, 42 mil-lion, or 26 percent, were fish born in hatcher-

ies and turned out to sea as juveniles. Some of the hatchery catch is sold to cover hatchery expenses.

The proposed hatchery expansions were likely to be controversial. Critics question whether the ocean has enough carrying capac-ity for raising additional hatchery fish. And, in the past, Western Alaska fishing interests have blamed the lack of chum buyers in their remote region on the huge hatchery output to the east.

Another issue is the history of poor relations between PWSAC and the Depart-ment of Fish and Game. Last year, the department released a scathing report that questioned, among other things, wheth-er PWSAC had disregarded excessive “straying” of hatchery fish, possibly to the detriment of wild salmon runs.

Here’s a rundown of the most significant hatchery expansion proposals:

• Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp.Armin F. Koernig Hatchery — Increase capacity of pink salmon eggs from 162 million to 190 million and chum salmon eggs from 17 million to 34 million. PWSAC expects the increases annually will result in an additional 1 million pink salmon adults and 470,000 chums, with estimated ex-vessel values of $1 million and $2.2 million, respectively.Wally Noerenberg Hatchery — Increase pink salmon egg capacity from 148 million to 188 million, resulting in 1.5 million additional adult fish annually, with an estimated ex-ves-

sel value of $1.5 million.

Cannery Creek Hatchery — Increase pink salmon egg capacity from 152 mil-lion to 187 million, resulting in an addition-al 1.3 million adult fish annually, with an estimated ex-vessel value of $1.3 million.

Main Bay Hatchery — Increase sockeye egg capacity from 10.2 million to 12.4 mil-lion, resulting in an additional 290,000 returning adult fish, with an estimated ex-vessel value of $2.2 million.

• Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture AssociationHidden Falls Hatchery — Increase chum salmon egg capacity from 115 million to 160 million, resulting in an additional 1 million returning adult fish. The operator gave no estimate of ex-vessel value. The expansion will boost Hidden Falls chum returns, which for the past several years “have been some of the lowest in recent history,” NSRAA said. It believes increased rockfish and humpback whale predation on newly released fry is partly to blame.

• Armstrong-Keta Inc.Port Armstrong Hatchery — Maintain com-bined egg take for chum and pink salmon of 115 million annually, but raise the chum cap from 30 million to 50 million eggs. This would give the hatchery more flexibility, help devel-op a troll fishery for chums in lower Chatham Strait, and meet processor cries for more fish, Armstrong-Keta said. �

EnhancementYOUR BUSINESS by Wesley Loy

Alaska hatcheries want to make millions more fi sh

Fish culturists Doug Dawson, Zach Newton, Henry Hastings, and Luigi Mostefa sort sockeye salmon brood-stock during annual egg collection. Gary Martinek photos ➧

Fish culturists Renee Pszyk and Mary Stone inspecting a stream-side incubator box after loading it with about 250,000 sockeye salmon eggs. Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. employs 45 regular employees and 80 temporaries at its five hatchery locations.

➧


A slow deathYOUR BUSINESS

Trollers who work the West Coast of Vancouver Island are wondering where the money is.

When Canada and the United States signed the Pacific Salmon Treaty in 2008, part of the agreement was that Canada would reduce its take of West Coast Chinook and the U.S. would provide $30 million in mitigation money to reduce the commercial troll fleet.

Well, now the fleet’s share of the catch has been cut to starvation levels, but the money is nowhere in sight, trollers say.

And just to add to the pain, while com-mercial trollers tie up to conserve fish, other fisheries on the same stocks are expanding.

Kathy Scarfo, president of the Area G Trollers Association, said that Canada’s reduction of the West Coast Chinook catch is being borne entirely by the commercial fleet.

“In 2008, DFO announced they signed the treaty and agreed to a 30 percent cut, so they put the whole burden on us,” she said. “It is a 50 percent or more cut to us.”

Here’s the math: Scarfo said that given a Canadian allowable catch of 100,000 Chi-nook, 5,000 would be allocated to First Nations Food Social and Ceremonial fish (FSC), 50,000 would go to the recreational fleet, and 45,000 to the commercial trollers.

Taking 30 percent off the top reduces the Canadian catch to 70,000, Scarfo explained, but the First Nations continue to get their 5,000, the recreational sector gets their 50,000, and the commercial fleet gets the leftovers.

“DFO calls this their ‘save harmless’ fishery,” she said. “They don’t want to harm the sport fishery. Sport and FSC stays the same, so the whole cut comes off the commercial sector.”

With the commercial troll catch a mere fraction of what it once was, many fishermen are eager to find out if they will get compensated for the loss.

“They told us this year our catch would be 30,000,” Scarfo said. “Usually 100,000 to 160,000 is the troll share, and now we’re down to 30,000. That’s more than a 50 percent cut.”

Whi le commerc ia l f i shermen are restricted to a limited number of fish,

by Michel Drouin

Vancouver Island trollers ask, Where is the American money?

the recreational fleet continues to fish unabated.

“Last year, the sports fishery took 70,000 in the offshore fishery, and DFO says they took 30,000 in the terminal fishery,” Scarfo said. “In the same area we are fishing, they took 100,000. It was a total runaway fishery. They usually take 50,000. In the same areas we’re not allowed to fish, for conservation purposes, they let them go wild.

“A dead fish is a dead fish in August. The conservation concerns they tell us that constrain us in the summer are bogus. If the recreational fleet continues to expand, we don’t have a future.”

Not for conservation: Scarfo said another reason Canadian fishermen feel burned is that, while they were sold the cutbacks as conservation, Canadian recreational fishing and U.S. commercial fishing continues.

“This wasn’t conservation. These fish were harvested in the U.S.,” she said. “It’s great for the U.S., but it is costing Canadian jobs. It wasn’t conservation, it was reallocated, and in this reallocation move we want to see our money.”

Fishermen and others formed a coalition to develop a long-term plan for the future that included a buy-back of some of the fleet, but fishermen don’t want to lose the support

infrastructure for the industry.“We saw this as temporary, and that

after 10 years we’d have an active fleet on the West Coast again,” Scarfo said. “It is all sitting in DFO’s hands.”

Scarfo said that, as far as fishermen knew, the $30 million was still in the United States, even though Canada’s Treasury Board could have the money just for the asking.

“The last we heard, the U.S. still had it, but the DFO is busy crossing their t’s and dotting their i’s before they make any announcement,” she said.

“That causes shivers of fear throughout the fleet. If DFO is doing that, it means DFO is making their own plan, and it isn’t good for fishermen, it’s good for DFO.”

The closure of the troll fishery has a severe economic impact on small communities that served the troll fleet, like Ucluelet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

A December report entitled Com-munities on the Brink , by Edward Lipsett of Lipsett Marine Consultants Ltd. of Ladysmith, said other communities such as Ahousaht, Zeballos, and Winter Harbour will be affected.

Grocery stores, fuel docks, ice plants, and processors will all suffer reduced business. �


View from the tenderYOUR BUSINESS

Paul Kershaw, Lynette Kershaw, Neil Kershaw, and Alan Mitchel shake herring on the M/V Jet Lag in the Gulf of Georgia roe herring gillnet fishery near Nanaimo. Photo by Walter Cordery, Nanaimo Daily News, Copyright 2010

After only a two-day salmon season on the tender vessel Hesquiat last October, I had hopes for a longer herring season in 2010.

I got the call on Feb. 26 that I was definitely going out on herring this season, as cook/deckhand on the herring tender

and wrote a shopping list. (Well, my wife, Juliane, did; she’s always more organized than I am.)

Then it was hurry up and wait. We were just about to have dinner when the phone rang at around 18:00 hours Saturday and yes, the Pacifica was leaving at midnight, so I had to get the grub and get on the boat.

We rushed off to the Super Store and got $576 worth of groceries for what could possibly be a week on the boat.

On board were skipper Gerald Warren, whom I have sailed with numerous times, another old shipmate, engineer Kris Basso, and mate Bill Charlton, whom I had known since we both lived in Sointula and worked on salmon seiners.

After a safety orientation, we left Sun-day at 01:30 and got to Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island around 07:30. The herring roe seine fishery opened at 07:00 hours.

We spent the day watching the sein-ers work out in the Gulf of Georgia, but we weren’t needed because seiners were putting their fish on partner boats. Management was saving us for gillnetters.

We got the call and headed out towards

by Michel Drouin

and wroJuliane,than I am

Then ijust abourang at ayes, the PI h d t

B.C. herring:

A blink-of-an-eye sac roe season

Pacifica. But when, exactly? Well, that was up to the herring and the manager at the Canadian Fishing Co.

Meanwhile, I went down to the boat and checked out the galley, made a short list of what I didn’t need to get, and went home

HOW THEY FISH HERRING IN B.C.

Herring punts used in the B.C. gillnet fi shery look like giant aluminum ice-cube trays and range generally from 32 to 40 feet long.

They are mostly powered by outboard engines, though some have inboard engines and are convertible to salmon gillnetting. Most punts have their cargo space divided into 12 or more units in which net brailers are fi tted with aluminum frames for lifting to tender vessels.

When full, each brailer may contain more than a ton of herring.

Herring fi shermen can leave their gillnets anchored.

The 75-fathom long, 100-mesh-deep nets are anchored at both ends. Once set, if fi shing is slow, herring fi shermen may return to their live-aboard “mothership” to wait for the net to fi ll up.

When fi shing is heavy as in 2010, by the time a punt delivered, it was time to shake the net again.



New Telecommunications Cable in SE AlaskaInstallation of CGI’s high capacity ber-optic communications system linking the communities of SE Alaska is now complete. The ber optic system is now fully operational and has a minimum service life of 25 years. The cable provides a vital communication link between Alaska and the rest of the world. By avoiding operations directly on the cable route, you can prevent cutting this link, and possibly damaging shing gear. If you have entangled gear on the cable, or believe your gear has been in contact with the cable, please report the incident by calling:

1-888-442-8662(24 hours, 7 days a week)

Call for complete position list and free charts

5151 Fairbanks StreetAnchorage, AK 99503-27811-888-442-8662(907) 777-5513 [email protected]

SitkaSitka

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WrangellWrangell

KetchikanKetchikan

Neck Point just north of Nanaimo, threw out the hook, and started taking fish from gillnetters. We began at 19:30 Sunday and worked for most of the night as the fishing was heavy. Several fishermen said it was the best herring fishing they’d ever seen.

Guys would come in, deliver a puntload, run out to pick their nets and be back as soon as they had shaken their nets again.

We unloaded full net brailers of herring, resting in between boats if we could. After finishing up at Neck Point, we ran up to

French Creek and took one last boat right in the breakwater there. We finished up at 05:30 Monday morning and tied up at the CFC plant in Vancouver by noon.

That was the shortest herring season I ever had. Unloading was very busy at the plant, so we stayed tied up there until mid-morning Tuesday before the shore crew unloaded us and we were discharged for the season.

What about all that grub I’d bought for seven days? Well, we ate as much of

it as we could on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Gerald and Kris didn’t want to take anything home, so Bill and I split the perishables, leaving the canned goods on the boat.

The gillnet fishery closed at 15:00 hours, Thursday, March 3, 2010. The preliminary validated catch was 3,576 tons out of a quota 3,480 tons.

DFO closed the seine fishery on March 2 after the seine quota of 5,020 tons for this fishery had been reached. �

Herring gillnetter Paul Kershaw said he was surprised at how good the fi shing was.

“I didn’t expect the fi sh to be that big and catchable,” he said. “Even in the seine fi shery, the fi sh were much bigger than they’d been in 10 years. The quality of the fi sh was superior to most years.”

Kershaw says when a big year class of herring like this shows up, it’s an indication that stocks are building

“I think when you have a big year class, it carries the stock for four or fi ve years. It bodes well for the near future,” he said. “The nice thing is if the herring can come back like that, pretty near anything can as far as the other species.”

Kershaw estimated that fi shermen would earn between $500 and $1,000 a ton for the herring.

Lorena Hamer at the Herring Conservation & Research Society said that after the fi shery was over, the size of herring schools off southern Vancouver Island were surprisingly large.

“The fi shery notice says there is 15,000 tons of fi sh as of yesterday [March 16]. That is a phenomenal amount of fi sh to be hanging around,” she said. “That is an indication of the abundance increase this year. The industry believes there was a lot of fi sh, and stocks looked really promising this year.”

DFO reported 59 miles of spawn north of Nanaimo and a greater assessment was still expected, Hamer added.

HUGE HERRING HARVEST POINTS TO REBUILDING STOCKS

B.C. HERRING — continued from page 28


The resourceYOUR BUSINESS

Corals such as these on the Welker Seamount in the Gulf of Alaska face extermination as the ocean becomes more acidic. NOAA photo

Since I started longlining more than 20 years ago, I’ve occasionally pulled up coral that just didn’t look right.

We try to avoid snagging coral, and we rarely do. Gear is expensive, and halibut and black cod don’t tend to hang out near it anyway. But when some coral comes up, it can be so elegant and colorful.

Recently I have noticed that sometimes it is dull and grayish. Now I wonder if this discoloration could be a result of ocean acidification. Dying corals are one of the many consequences — like dissolving oyster and clam larvae and other shelled plankton — that scientists have linked strongly to loading the ocean with carbon dioxide (CO2), mainly from burning fossil fuels.

Back in 1988, the oceanogra-pher John Martin made head-lines when he promised to exploit the ocean’s capacity to soak up CO2 .

He stood up at a scientific conference, put on his best Dr. Strangelove accent, and boasted: “Give me half a tanker of iron, and I will give you an ice age.”

He had shown that in some parts of the ocean, phytoplank-ton growth is limited by scarci-ty of iron in the water. Just add iron dust, and plankton would bloom, absorb carbon dioxide, and cool the climate, right?

Soon there were companies looking to dump iron grindings across stretches of the ocean, sell the “carbon credits” to Wall Street for sequestering CO2, and even sell the “enhanced fishing rights” they reckoned would result from a bloom in ocean life.

But the consequences of mixing extra CO2 into the ocean are already coming home to roost, even without help from carbon entrepreneurs.

NOAA scientists have demonstrated that the ocean has

soaked up between a quarter and a third of all the CO2 produced by man since the Industrial Revolution (you can track the distinct isotopes).

This has had a marked chemical effect. Mix it into seawater, and CO2 forms carbonic acid — the stuff of soft drinks. As acids go, this is pretty weak stuff, although we all know the one about what Coca-Cola can do to a tooth.

But it has happened on such a massive scale. In the upwelling zone along the West Coast of North America, conditions are more acute.

The CO2 from human emissions combines with naturally high concentrations of CO2 from upwelling of deep water. The

by Jeremy Brown

We’re failing the acid test, and your profits will show it

resulting acidification depletes the buff-ering nutrients needed by many corals, shellfish, urchins, crabs, plankton, and even finfish to grow their calcium carbon-ate shells and skeletons.

Lots of things in the ocean, in just about every significant food chain, rely on the ocean’s normally rich soup of carbon-ate nutrients to grow and survive. Even a slight increase in acid-ity can deplete that soup enough to starve and dissolve some of these species.

Among those known to be vulnerable are pteropods, tiny, thin-shelled snails that swim in vast swarms in parts of the ocean. They are a principal food for pink, chum, and sockeye salmon.

Think about it. No ptero-pods, no humpies.

Acidification is not a mat-ter of opinion or belief. It is a measured, documented scientific fact, and human-produced CO2 is driving it. So when I see sickly looking coral, I wonder if acidification is responsible.

Recently I listened to Mark Wiegardt, the operator of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery in Oregon, explain how his oyster larvae just die whenever upwelling occurs. He pointed out that Willapa

Bay, normally a prolific natural oyster producer, has not had a sig-nificant spat set (a new starting crop of young oysters to grow out) in five years. I have to think the dots are connected.

Simply fertilizing swaths of the ocean to absorb more carbon seems likely to make matters worse, if it works at all. Experiments show that the fertilized plankton die and release the CO2 back into the sea and atmosphere, failing to sink to the seabed and turn into rock as expected.

It gets worse. In March, newly published research from the Gulf of Alaska showed that the main beneficiary of iron enrichment was Pseudo-nitzschia, a diatom that generates domoic acid.

Fishermen did not make this problem, but we are clearly stuck with the consequences. We could pull our heads under the covers, but I strongly believe that denial will only let matters get worse.

As fishermen, we need to speak up. Protecting our livelihood will require research and monitoring in order to understand this new chemical adversary in the sea. It will also require strong emis-sions-control policies to keep this emerging problem from turning into a game-ender for fisheries.

Without something for fish to eat, we soon may not have any-thing to catch. �

Bellingham-based Jeremy Brown trolls for salmon and longlines halibut and black cod off the West Coast and Alaska.

Jeremy Brown

"Acidifi cation is not a matter of opinion or belief. It is a measured, documented scientifi c fact, and human-produced CO2 is driving it."


by Wesley LoyALASKA NOTEBOOKHalibut opens, Silver Bay grows, oil spill boats balk

Halibut starts slow but rich: The halibut season opened extra early this year, March 6, but very few longliners tangled with storms that menaced much of Alaska’s coast. As a result, deliveries were thin and prices high at the start of the season.

The Homer News reported record season opening prices of $5.95 to $6.25 per pound at Homer, the top Alaska port for halibut landings. As of March 20, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported 210 vessel landings totaling 1.7 million pounds, or about 4 percent of Alas-ka’s individual fishing quota for this season.

The f ishery, which opened 15 days earlier than last year, runs until mid-November. Halibut prices dropped last year amid the recession. The hope coming into this season was that an improving economy and a 6 percent cut in the coastwide catch limit might revive ex-vessel prices.

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Spill boats balk: The company that runs the 800-mile trans-Alaska oil pipeline and the tanker dock at Valdez recently admitted it was hav-ing trouble keeping the required number of com-mercial fishing vessels on standby to help clean up oil spills in Prince William Sound.

Fishermen and an oil industry watchdog group cited lagging pay and a lack of respect toward the fishermen as reasons the response fleet is eroding.

It worries responder John Velsko, a Homer salmon and halibut fisherman. “The last thing we need is to lose more vessels,” he said.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. is required by regulation to keep hundreds of fish-ing crews from several Southeast Alaska ports trained and ready to respond to spills quickly. Fishing vessels played a major role in the Exxon Valdez response in 1989. In March, Alyeska said it would boost pay by 10 percent and hear out fishermen complaints.

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Silver Bay surges again: Silver Bay Seafoods has added another piece to its

fast-growing franchise, purchasing the old Sea Hawk processing plant at Valdez.

“We just thought it presented a good opportunity with the strong runs of salmon the hatchery systems have produced the last 20 or so years,” Rob Zuanich, a Silver Bay partner, told the Valdez Star.

After improvements, the plant should be ready to run this summer, he said.

Silver Bay debuted with a new processing plant at Sitka in 2007, then opened a second plant at Craig in 2009. The company counts dozens of fishing vessel owners, mostly seiners, among its investors.

Silver Bay has been effective in leverag-ing government loans and real estate deals to fuel its growth.

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Election 2010: Gov. Sean Parnell, who is finishing out Sarah Palin’s term, is look-ing good in his bid for a full term. In early March, the Parnell campaign released a Basswood Research poll of 500 likely Repub-lican primary voters showing Parnell way out in front with 69 percent, compared to 9 percent for former Alaska legislator Ralph Samuels, 4 percent for Anchorage lawyer Bill Walker, and 18 percent undecided.

All the Democratic candidates are per-ceived as underdogs.

On fish policy, Parnell has made few changes in the wake of Palin’s startling res-ignation in July 2009. Parnell retained her fish and game commissioner, Denby Lloyd,

and her fish policy adviser, Cora Camp-bell.

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Big bucks for marketing: Alaskans are campaigning for Congress to steer $100 million annually into a National Seafood Marketing Fund for distribution through nine new regional marketing boards.

The money would come out of antidump-ing and other duties the government col-lects on imported fish products. Wrangell resident Julie Decker is among United Fish-

ermen of Alaska emissar-ies traveling the country to try to build a national coalition in support of the fund.

The Alaska Senate passed a resolution in favor of it on March 15.

“What we’re trying to do is bring together all the seafood producers across the country — aquaculture and wild — to try to get more domes-tic marketing,” Decker said.

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ASMI online: The A l a s k a S e a f o o d Marketing Institute’s Los Angeles–based ad agency, Schiedermayer &

Associates, recently warned that other pro-tein producers with bigger marketing bud-gets — beef, chicken, and pork producers — already had “well-integrated online and social media strategies” that go far beyond an ordinary Web site.

Taking heed, ASMI now has a presence on the social networking site Facebook. Check out www.facebook.com/alaskaseafood for news and notes about Alaska seafood and ASMI activities. ASMI also has rolled out an iPhone application, or “app,” offer-ing recipes and how-to videos as part of ASMI’s Cook It Frozen campaign. Down-load it free at the App Store.

Pacific Fishing columnist Wesley Loy has followed Alaska commercial fishing for more than a decade and runs his Deckboss blog a t w w w. p a c i f i c f i s h i n g . c o m o r a t www.deckboss.blogspot.com.

The classic halibut schooner F/V Vansee fishes in the Gulf of Alaska in 2008. Shawn McManus photoThe classic halibut schooner F/V Vansee fishes in the Gulf of Alaska in 2008


by Anne HillmanLETTER FROM UNALASKA

With new harbor and airstrip, will Akutan eclipse Unalaska?Pollock ‘A’ season: Alyeska Seafoods was the first to send its

fleet out from Unalaska to search for pollock — and the first to fin-ish up this season.

Though the first few weeks were slow going, Alyeska’s fleet still decided to keep fishing when others waited in port. General Man-ager Sinclair Wilt said it was a wise decision because the pollock roe started to mature earlier this year than last, and flesh quality is higher before the roe matures.

He said his fleet also beat the string of nasty storms that struck the region in late February and hammered the area with snow, freezing spray, winds, and waves. The weather during early Febru-ary was lovely.

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Akutan airport: Looks like change is on the way for Akutan and with it, change for Unalaska and anyone who fishes for Trident. Akutan is finally getting a real airport. It won’t actually be on Aku-tan Island because the land is too mountainous. It will be on Akun Island, which is seven miles away, and people will use a hovercraft to get to and from the town and the airport.

The entire project, includ-ing the cost of the hovercraft, the hovercraft landing pads, the runway, and the airport facilities, will cost about $75 million. The funding comes from a variety of sources, including $52 million from the Federal Aviation Admin-istration. Trident is putting $1 million toward the hovercraft, which will be operated and maintained by the Aleutians East Borough.

The project builders expect to open the facility in fall 2012. When they do, it will change flight patterns for the entire region. Currently, if you want to go to Akutan you fly into Unalaska (weather permitting), then take the aging Grumman Goose over to Akutan (weather permitting).

With the new airport comes a runway that’s longer than the one in Unalaska and has no mountains and waterways that make it harder to land in questionable conditions. It will be easier to fly to Akutan than Unalaska.

Now, the 3,000 seats per year that PenAir fills with Akutan passengers from Unalaska, plus all of the processors and fishermen who fly to Unalaska then take a boat to Akutan, will fly straight from Anchorage to Akutan.

On the downside, PenAir president Danny Seybert says that means they will fly fewer flights to Unalaska. Additionally, the community will lose revenue from people who have to stay overnight here on the way to Akutan.

On the upside, planes might eventually be able to make stops in Akutan to wait out bad weather instead of Cold Bay. Then, the hop over to Unalaska will be much quicker and you might be more likely to get in. Or, you might just head to Akutan and stay there because…

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Akutan boat harbor: Akutan is getting a boat harbor as well. The Army Corps of Engineers was given stimulus funds to dredge out a deep water harbor and build two rubble mound breakwaters.

The $31.9 million project is slated for completion about the same time as the airport, though the work does not include the inner harbor construction or any slips or other amenities. It will be big enough for 58 boats ranging up to 180 feet in size.

Congress decided to give the project funding priority because the community does not currently have any place to moor boats; boats can just come in and off-load. The two large projects could have quite an effect on the community of just under 100 people.

The fear in Unalaska is that it will have a negative effect on this community. If planes can easily land there and boats can

moor there, why will some members of the fleet still come to this community? One answer might be the support sector and infrastructure that’s here. But they could develop that infrastructure in Akutan as well.

Some wonder if the allure of Unalaska’s upcoming $40 million small boat harbor will be enough to keep the fleet in the community. (The com-munity is spending about $40 million to develop the inner harbor and road; the breakwater was completed with federal funds.)

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Gonorrhea: So here’s the deal, and it’s not pleasant to ta lk about , but i t ’ s a

pretty relevant concern for many adults. Gonorrhea infection rates have jumped 69 percent in Alaska from

2008 to 2009. And most of those cases are in Southwest Alaska, a region that includes Unalaska and Bristol Bay.

The problem is that it’s not actually clear how many people have the clap in this community. If you test positive here but your home is in Seattle, then your case is counted toward the number of cases in Seattle. Since Unalaska is a very transient community, it’s hard to know the actual infection rates for any STD here. But no matter what, rates in this area are high.

So if it burns when you go take a leak or anything else weird is going on down there, even if the symptoms are mild, go get tested. Tell your partners to get tested. It will help everyone in the end. If the gonorrhea outbreak continues, it’s likely that the bacteria will develop more resistance to common antibiotics, making it harder to treat, epidemiologists say.

OK, that’s the end of the public service announcement, but think about it.

Pacific Fishing columnist Anne Hillman is news director for KUCB in Unalaska. She asked that we mention that, in the past, she taught about sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases.

Postcard: A rainbow rests on processor Acutan in Akutan Bay in 1988. Jerry Tilley photoPostcard: A rainbow rests on processor Acutan in Akutan Bay in 1988


B.C. UPDATE by Michel Drouin

Olympic protest against Norwegian fi sh farm companies

Chief Bob Chamberlain, chairman of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council in British Columbia, criticized operations of B.C. salmon farms by Norwegian companies. He spoke during the Winter Olympics in British Columbia.

Just say no: About 100 people skirted the Winter Olympics crowds in Vancouver on a sunny Saturday afternoon for a rally against Norwegian open pen salmon farms on the B.C. coast.

Speaking to the gathered crowd, Otto Langer, a former DFO employee, said that the B.C. coast already had species of salmon that had naturally evolved to be the correct species in this environment.

“Our factory farms are a disconnect with nature,” he said. “Nature didn’t design Atlantic salmon to live in the Pacific Ocean. Why are they here?”

Langer was critical of DFO’s role as cheer-leader for salmon farms when its mandate was to protect wild salmon, he said.

“We want to rehabili-tate the fishery, but we have to rehabilitate DFO and the federal govern-ment first,” he added.

Chief Bob Chamber-lain, chairman of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribal Council, drew chuckles when he men-tioned being accused of casting a spell over Nor-wegian athletes in the Olympics.

“If I had those kinds of powers, you know who’d win the next 6/49 lot-tery,” he said, adding that he wished no ill to the Norwegian athletes at the games, nor to the people of Norway.

“But if I really had those powers,” he said, “the Norwegian-owned salmon farms better look out.”

On a more serious note, Chamberlain said salmon farms in his Broughton Archipelago territory were threatening a way of life

“We have a long tradition of salmon in our culture, and to be unable to pass this tradition to our children is unthinkable,” he said. “I find it offensive that Norway has national salmon fjords for wild salmon only, but here in B.C. they have their fish farms on our wild salmon migration routes.

“Where did we lose sight of having wild salmon in B.C.? I look at the fish-farming industry and say the time to change is now.

“We insist that this industry be 100 percent responsible. Enough of unloading the waste and toxins into our environment. The way it is operating today is unacceptable.”

Chamberlain said that DFO’s practice of calling more meetings for consultations with critics of salmon farms was simply stalling tactics.

“They have a practice of delay, deny, and distort, and business goes on as usual,” he said.

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More salmon farm news: The salmon farm industry had a pretty tough time overall in B.C. in February and March.

In February, the legal group Ecojustice, act-ing on behalf of the Living Oceans Society, threatened to sue DFO for allowing a 37 per-cent size increase at a Marine Harvest salmon farm at Doyle Island near Port Hardy.

On March 1, environmental group T. Buck Suzuki Environmen-tal Foundation and Ecojustice won the right to know what levels of sea lice existed in salmon farms.

B.C.’s freedom of information and privacy commissioner decided the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands could no longer conceal records of sea lice infesta-tions based on information gathered during visits to salmon farms.

On March 3, Tom Brokaw aired a news item on NBC blasting farmed salmon as a pos-sible culprit in last year’s disappearing sockeye in the Fraser River. You can see the segment at w w w . m s n b c . m s n . c o m /id/3032619/#35697305.

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Pinks win food con-test: Troller Rick Burns (Pacific Provider) told me he had his best year ever concentrating on pink salmon in 2009. He’s

placed his fresh-frozen-at-sea pinks in Vancouver and Whistler restaurants, and during the Olympics his pink salmon won the “People’s Choice Award” at a Canadian food showcase.

“They had a Canadian food pavilion downtown during the Olympics,” Burns said. “They chose 13 food producers from around the province and paired them with chefs. I was paired with Tojo, who used my pink salmon, and we won first prize.”

Vancouver chef Hidekazu Tojo is internationally known for his Japanese seafood creations and is credited with inventing the B.C. Roll. Tojo claims to have invented the California Roll as well, but there have been arguments against that claim from California.

“Tojo kept saying he couldn’t believe it was pink salmon,” Burns said. “What it looked like was a piece of sushi, raw pink salmon on rice with a sliver of asparagus and a bit of wasabi.”

Burns says that he could tell that Tojo had done something spe-cial to the fish and, after a bit of quizzing, found out what it was.

“He had marinated it for three days in his own marinade and lightly smoked it,” he said. “You knew you were eating pinks. But it was amazing. And it won.”

Pacific Fishing columnist Michel Drouin has been poking around fishing vessels since 1959 and has been writing full time about the West Coast fishing industry for 20 years.


MID-COAST REPORT by Cassandra Marie Profi ta

Good news on hake, Columbia springers, Northwest trollersHake limits on the rise: The Pacific hake fishery is coming out

of last year’s doldrums with 193,935 metric tons up for grabs in 2010 — a boost from 135,939 tons last year.

However, the feds were still negotiating with treaty tribes in mid-March for how much would be set aside for the tribal fish-ery. Motherships get 24 percent of the West Coast total, catcher-processors get 34 percent, and shoreside boats 42 percent.

Brad Pettinger, administrator of the Oregon Trawl Commission, said it looked like the shoreside fleet would get to catch nearly 50 percent more fish than it did last year. Shoreside boats should be looking at a limit of 62,000 tons, up from last year’s 42,000 tons, when Oregon’s fishery starts May 1.

Pettinger also expects the price to rebound from a dismal 6 cents a pound in 2009. In previous years the price got up to 12 cents a pound.

“We’re only halfway to where we were,” Pettinger said of abun-dance, “but we’re happy to be here. Next year it should be bigger again, hopefully.”

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Springers at $9.50 a pound: The first Colum-bia River spring Chinook caught in the Youngs Bay off-channel select area were selling between $9 and $9.50 a pound in March, after an 8.8-mag-n i t u d e e a r t h q u a k e knocked out Chile’s farmed salmon opera-tions.

Commercial gillnetters were eager to catch a few more fish as they await-ed their first opener on the Columbia River mainstem.

“With Chile’s produc-tion gone to nothing and no fish on the market anywhere, it’s been pretty good,” said Astoria gillnetter Mark Ihander.

Fishery managers predicted a whopping 559,000 spring fish would be returning to the Columbia River this year — more than double last year’s actual return. But then they hedged their bets by setting aside 30 percent of the run before determining catch allocations and season openers.

“If this run comes in the way the old predictions used to be, it’s going to be a tremendous run,” said Ihander. “So tremendous they don’t believe it.”

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Sea lions in the crosshairs: Six California sea lions were killed below the Columbia River’s Bonneville Dam in March in an ongoing attempt to stop the bloodshed of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead.

Fish and wildlife officials have tried dropping bombs that explode under water and firing rubber bullets from shotguns to scare the pinnipeds away from the fish ladders at the dam. But year after year, more of them show up to the buffet.

Trawlers line up in Warrenton, waiting for openings for pink shrimp and, later, a better season than last for hake.

Last year 11 sea lions were killed at the dam, and four others were relocated to zoos and aquariums around the country. This year as many as 64 could be euthanized.

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Rumor — Salmon gear selling out: In anticipation of an actual ocean salmon season on May 1, trollers in southern Oregon were hauling out their boats for repairs and buy-ing gear in March, after the Pacific Fishery Management Council laid out three promising options for Oregon boats.

Charleston troller Paul Heikkila said there was even a rumor flying around town that Englund Marine was selling out of salmon gear.

“People are saying you’d better get it before it’s all gone,” he chuckled. “Of course, Englund’s probably started it.”

Sacramento River salmon stocks are still weak, Heikkila explained, but returns to Oregon rivers are looking up this year

from the Columbia River to the Chetco — “and even the Klamath is decent.”

Heikkila, who repre-sents Oregon trollers on the Pacific Fishery Man-agement Council Salmon Advisory Subpanel, said he was pleasantly sur-prised by the options laid out at the March council.

“We went there with zero expectations and came back with what I think is a reasonable sea-son for the Oregon coast in general — especially from Tillamook south,” he said. “We might have an OK season if people want to buy the fish.”

� � � �

Oregonian replaces Capt. Phil: Seaside native Derrick Ray has taken the place of Deadliest Catch celebrity Capt. Phil Harris on the blockbuster reality television series. Ray was uniquely positioned to take the helm of the F/V Cornelia Marie when Harris suffered a stroke and died in February. Ray earned his stripes as a highliner in the Bering Sea crab fishery long before the Discovery Channel entered the game. He’s also a veteran of the Pacific Northwest’s Dungeness crab fishery.

Ray was taking a break from running the F/V Northern Endur-ance after last winter’s Dungeness season when he heard about Harris’ stroke and got a call from a friend asking him if he would take the job.

The owner of the F/V Cornelia Marie is Cornelia Marie Devlin, who also co-owned the first boat Ray ever captained, the F/V Milky Way. Ray went on to lead the luxurious 136-foot F/V Siberian Sea in the Bering Sea, where he consistently out-produced most of the 250 crab boats in the derby days before the switch to individual fishing quotas.

Pacific Fishing columnist Cassandra Marie Profita also covers commercial fishing for The Daily Astorian.


UFA President-elect Arni Thomson. “Some setnetters work four or five sites.

They’d likely have to hire a bookkeeper to keep track of all the data.”

From the outset, multi-agency and indus-try stakeholder advisory teams expected that deckhands could provide their own work data using existing fish tickets and electronic landing systems.

“Crews are so transitory, and modifying the simple swipe card system already in place is the best idea,” said Shawn Dochtermann

of the Kodiak-based Crewmen’s Association and a stakeholder com-mittee member.

“We were really sur-prised to see that option not included in the final a n a l y s i s . We a l l a re willing to be very flexible, but without a crew swipe card the program is being set up to fail.”

The crew doing their own reporting was in the lineup originally, but longer analyses showed it was not feasible for collecting the kinds and quality of data needed, said Jan Conitz, project director for ADF&G.

“The real problem is that we don’t actually

know who is fishing as crew members. We have a database show-ing persons who purchased licenses, but we don’t know where they fished or how long, or if they even fished at all. Others use a limited entry permit to qualify for crew license. So we don’t even know who those people are,” Conitz explained.

“And since we don’t collect any other crew data, there is nothing we can use to check the accuracy of their reports. In the case of skippers, we have their landing reports and a record of their activities, so it is easier to follow up if we have missing or inaccurate data.”

Meanwhile, all agree that giving the program a trial run is a worthwhile idea. Conitz is working with fishermen in the Kodiak fleet to have both crew and skippers voluntarily collect and report work data in log books for an upcoming cod fishery. She is hopeful it will show the task is not a big deal.

“The actual reporting is not a big effort by anyone, but it’s been blown up to be bigger than it is,” Conitz said, “and it comes on the back of all kinds of other regulations and reporting requirements that people don’t like, so it might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Laine Welch has covered news of Alaska’s seafood industry for print and broadcast since 1988. Her weekly Fish Factor column appears in 20 Alaska newspapers; her daily Fish Radio program airs on 30 Alaska stations. Laine also worked in seafood wholesale and retail businesses in New England and Alaska. She lives in Kodiak.

FISH FACTORProcessors say (again) they can handle Bristol Bay rush

by Laine Welch

Nick Garay, from left, Shane Taylor, and Hannes Huswick of F/V United fish the Nushagak District. Like others, the vessel was on limits last year, but because it has two permit holders, the experience wasn’t as onerous as for other boats. Processors will have roughly the same capacity in 2010 as 2009. Erik Velsko photo

Editor’s note: We welcome Laine Welch as a columnist and contributor to Pacific Fishing and Fish Wrap. She has covered commercial fishing in Alaska for more than 20 years. She’s perhaps best known for her Fish Radio broadcasts. She lives and works in Kodiak.

Bristol Bay processors confident: Bristol Bay processors say they can handle this summer’s run at the world’s biggest sock-eye salmon fishery. That’s according to the annual processor sur-vey by ADF&G, which aims to give a snapshot of anticipated processing capacity for the bay.

The 2010 forecast calls for a catch of 30.5 million sockeye salmon, down just slightly from last year. Thirteen com-panies said they will be buying and processing fish at Bristol Bay this summer, and they can handle 1.8 million salmon per day, identical to last year. Processors expect a 6 percent decrease in ten-dering capacity through-out Bristol Bay this sum-mer, but an increase in air transport.

Fishermen are skepti-cal, though, about the pro-cessors’ claims that they can handle all the salmon. For the past two summers, huge pulses of salmon plugged processing plants for several days, and fish-ermen were put on limits or beached at the peak of the season. A study by the Juneau-based McDowell Group found that 37 million fish worth $131 million to Bristol Bay fishermen swam by their nets from 2003 to 2008.

The Bristol Bay salmon fishery accounts for 26 percent of all seafood harvesting jobs in Alaska — and 33 percent of all wages paid in the Bristol Bay region.

� � � �

Where are the deckhands? It’s tough to track a work-force when you don’t know where it is. But that will remain the case for more than 20,000 Alaska deckhands, at least for the immediate future.

Crews aboard fishing boats are one of the only groups of laborers in Alaska not counted by the state. A project to collect labor data on deckhands in every fishery has been under development for two years, and it seemed to be on its way for legislative approval this year.

Concerns by the United Fishermen of Alaska, however, were enough to stall the program from being introduced this session. At issue: Skippers would be tasked with all the paperwork.

“We support the project but feel the burden should be on the crew,” said UFA Executive Director Mark Vinsel. “Skippers can verify the information. But this shouldn’t be a big hurdle to the program.”

Member salmon fishermen who make multiple deliveries a day were very concerned about the data collection and reporting, said

PACIFIC FISHING market focus


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HERRINGSITKA SEINE .................... WANTEDPWS SEINE ...................... WANTEDCOOK INLET SEINE ...................N/AKODIAK SEINE ....................... $32KSE GILLNET ........................... $18KKODIAK GILLNET ................... $10KNORTON SOUND ..................... $2KHOONAH POUND ................... $65KCRAIG POUND ................. WANTEDPWS POUND .............................N/ASALMONS.E. DRIFT .............................. $55KPWS DRIFT .......................... $122KCOOK INLET DRIFT ................ $29KCOOK INLET SET ................ $12.5KAREA M DRIFT ................. WANTEDBBAY DRIFT ..................... WANTEDBBAY SET ............................... $30KSE SEINE................................ $79KPWS SEINE ............................ $90KKODIAK SEINE ....................... $29KCHIGNIK SEINE ...................... $90KAREA M SEINE ....................... $65KKOTZEBUE GILLNET ................ $5K

POWER TROLL ...................... $32KHAND TROLL ...................... $10.5KPUGET SOUND DRIFT ............ $16KPUGET SOUND SEINE ............ $80KSHELLFISHSE DUNGY 300 POT ..................N/ASE DUNGY 225 POT ............... $40KSE DUNGY 150 POT ............... $26KSE DUNGY 75 POT ................. $15KSE POT SHRIMP .................... $16KSE TANNER ............................ $65KSE RED .................................. $85KSE RED/TANNER .................... $85KSE RED/BRN .................... WANTEDKODIAK TANNER.................... $29KPUGET S CRAB ................ WANTEDDIVESE GEODUCK ......................... $80KSE CUCUMBER ...................... $11KMISC.CAL LOBSTER ........................ $65KCAL SPOT PRAWN ........... WANTEDCAL SQUID ...................... WANTEDCAL SQUID LITE BOAT ........... $70KCAL SWORDFISH GILLNET…$20K

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ANY# "B/C" SE BCOD UN/BLKD @ WANTEDANY# "B/C" WY BCOD UN/BLKD @ WANTED

ANY# "A/B/C" CG BCOD UN/BLKD @ WANTED7,000# "C" WG BCOD BLKD @ $11

4,000# "A" AI BCOD BLKD @ $34,000# “A” AI BCOD BLKD @ LEASE30,000# "B" BS BCOD BLKD @ $4.50

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ANY# “B/C” 3A HAL UN/BLKD @ WANTEDANY# “B” 3B HAL UN/BLKD @ WANTED

9,500# "B“ 4A HAL BLKD @ $1215,000# “C” 4A HAL UNBLKD @ $14

ANY# "B/C" 4B HAL UN/BLKD @ WANTED25,000# “B” 4C HAL UNBLKD @ $15

P1736M – 32' ALUMINUM AMERICAN COMMER-CIAL, GMC 8.2LITER MAIN, TWIN DISC GEAR, MARITIME POWER ROLLER, TWISTER DRIVEN SLIDING REEL W/LEVELWIND, CONSTANT HYDRAULICS WITH 2 SEASONS ON NEW LOAD SENSE VALVES. GPS, PLOTTER, FLASHERS. GREAT ALUMINUM BOAT FOR GREAT PRICE. ASKING $65K.

P1748M – 58' FIBERGLASS SEINER/LONGLIN-ER, KTA 1150M CUMMINS MAIN, PERKINS AUX, W/HYRAULICS OFF BOTH ENGINES. PACKS HONEST 100K SALMON BELOW DECKS. ACCOMODATIONS FOR 7, SEPARATE HEAD & SHOWER. ADMEASURE DONE, BOAT HAS ALREADY FISHED IN U.S. $399K.

P1776M – 1982 MARCO 32, 1990 3208T CAT W/3500 HOURS, ARTICULATING REEL W/LEVELWIND, 2 GARMIN GPS, GARMIN SOUNDER, WATCH ALARM. VERY WELL MAINTAINED. BOAT COMES WITH 13 - 50 FATH SHACKLES, 11 WITH NEW WEB. BOAT AND GEAR ASKING $115K.

P1771M – 32' AMERICAN COMMERCIAL, 3208T CAT MAIN, 506 TWIN DISC GEAR, ARTICULATING REEL W/AUTO LEVELWIND, COMPLETE ELECTRONICS INCLUDING AUTO PILOT. VERY WELL MAINTAINED. NEW IN-SULATED HOLDS FOR SLUSH. NEW RUN-NING GEAR. NEW JABSCO. ASKING $65K.

P1772M – ALL AMERICAN BOW/STERNPICKER, TWIN 400HP CUMMINS, PITTS CLUTCHES DRIVING 291 HAMILTONS, 7.5 TON IMS RSW, COMPLETE ELECTRONICS. AVAILABLE AFTER 2010 SEASON. ASKING $200K.

P1778M – 1986 ALUCRAFT, NEWER 8.2L GMC W/2000 HOURS, LOAD SENSING HY-DRAULICS, FLUSH DECK, BOWTHRUSTER, NARROW REEL W/LEVELWIND, FULL ELEC-TRONICS INCLUDING AUTO PILOT, PROP CLEANOUT, DRIPLESS STUFFING BOX. LOADS OF NEW SPARES. ASKING $95K, AVAILABLE NOW.

PACIFIC FISHING classifieds

P1741M – 48' WHALEBACK DELTA, JOHN DEERE MAIN, 50KW ISUZU GEN SET, 15 TON RSW IN MAIN HOLD PACKS 50K, BACK HOLD SET UP FOR FREEZING. RIGGED FOR LONGLINE WITH ALUMINUM SHELTER, 24" KOLSTRAND HAULER, BCOD AND HALIBUT GEAR. RIGGED FOR CRAB W/MARCO HAULER, BAIT CHOPPER. GREAT PACK-AGE DEAL, REDUCED TO $499K.

P1750M – 54 X 16.5 STEEL MARCO SEINER, GMC 8V92 W/FRESH COMPLETE REBUILD, 40KW JOHN DEERE, 15 TON RSW. PACKS 90K BELOW DECKS. HEAVY DUTY ALUMI-NUM SLIDER BOOM AND GRIPPER BLOCK. COMPLETE ELECTRONICS. READY TO GO FISHING. ASKING $249K.



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FOR SALE45 ft. glass Sunnfjord longliner/troller: 6552 lb. 2C-C Halibut quota, Choice beachfront cabin/property in Port Alexander, Alaska. Boat (only): $130,000. Contact (907) 738-8294.

F/V Nancy Ellen is available to catch Halibut Quota in areas 3B, 4A and 4B. Interested parties please call Byron or Paula at (907) 359-3655 or (907) 246-8510. Or email: [email protected].

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58' Delta. F/V Cape Reliant is ready to fish your ifq’s in 2008. Safe and reliable. Flexible schedule/terms. Call (907) 518-1652 or (907) 772-3737 or dispatch: 0703 or Sat. phone: (866) 621-8890.


58 ft Delta, New L.P. paint, New U.H.M.W. guards and cap rails, new tail shaft, new inter-mediate shaft, new bearings, new John Deere aux., rebuilt refrigeration, A.M. Aluminum 8” boom w/slider, 28” Marco powerblock with tire and swivel, new Valvoil hydraulic valves, two new picking booms, new #8, two #4’s, and vanging pullmaster winches, new air boot p.t.o., newer electronics. Asking $800,000; contact Tom at (310)505-8194.

BOAT FOR SALELOA 95’; Beam 25’; Gross Tons 160; Net Tons 48. Built in Bayou Labatre, AL. Year 1999; Engine CAT-3412; H.P. 671; Auxiliary CAT-3056. Price: $450,000 USD. Location: Ensenada, B.C. Mexico. Recently hauled (February) new paint ,new zincs and clean! Contact Luis Castaneda at: 484 Bonito Ave., Imperial Beach, CA 91932 USA. Or email: [email protected].

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HALIBUT IFQ2C-B-U: 1,500 lbs .....asking $24.002C-C-B: 5,000 lbs .....asking $25.003B-B-U: 3,500 lbs .....asking $20.003B-B-U: 3,500 lbs .....asking $20.003B-C-B: 12,000 lbs .....asking $19.004A-B-U: 25,000 lbs .....asking $16.004A-B-B: 7,500 lbs .....asking $15.004A-D-B: 2,500 lbs .... asking $11.004B-B-B: 6,000 lbs .....asking $12.504C-C-B: 12,500 lbs .....asking $14.004D-B-B: 2,500 lbs .....asking $11.00

SABLEFISH IFQAI-B-U: 200,000 lbs.....asking $3.00BS-B-U: 35,000 lbs.....asking $4.50CG-C-B: 4,000 lbs.....asking $17.00WG-C-B: 2,500 lbs.......asking $7.50WG-C-B: 1,500 lbs.......asking $7.50

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CO9-008 58’ steel trawler/combination vessel built in 1979 by Sea Steel Inc. Cat 3408 main overhauled in 2007. 40kw and 10kw gen sets. Packs 100,000 lbs. Asking $375,000.

SP9-005 36’x11.7’ Mel Martin gillnet sternpicker built in 1978. 340 hp Volvo 71 A main with only 6,500 hours. 10,000# capacity. Asking $70,000.

RS9-003 39’x14’x6.6’ research/gillnet sternpicker built by Aluma-Tech in 1991. Twin Volvo mains rated at 260 hp each. 37 knot top speed. 12” aluminum A-frame and gillnet reel and power roller included. Asking $165,000.

SE10-002 44’ fiberglass seiner w/RSW built by Hansen in 1977. Cat 3306 300hp main with 500 hours on rebuild. 18 ton RSW, new IMS chiller in 09, new com-pressor and circ. pump in 08. Asking $195,000.

CR10-004 101’x26’ crabber/tender, built 1979 by Patti. Twin GMC 8V92 mains. 50 ton RSW system, packs 210,000#. Comes rigged with cod pots and LLP. Asking $532,000.



Boats/Permits/IFQs

FisherySpecies Asking Price* Offer*

Prices in MAY vary in accordance with market conditions.* in thousands+ denotes an increase from last month. N/A denotes No Activity.– denotes a decrease from last month.

By Mike Painter and the Permit Master

State Value*

Alaska Entry Permit Prices(as of 5-1-10)

Gillnet: Price adjustments for the Bay started coming out in late February and early March and Bay permits took off like a shot. Permits that were available in the high $80s in early March were fetching $95k 2 weeks later, if you could fi nd one. Not much change in SE permits from a month ago with limited sales still going in the low $50s. PWS permits were still available around $120k and off ers had moved up slightly to around $117k. Cook Inlet permits were still trading in the mid to upper $20s. Off ers for Area M permits were coming in @ $102-105k.

Seine: SE permits were holding in the mid to upper $70s. Not much doing in PWS with permit available @ in the upper $80s and off ers @ $80k. A couple of Kodiak permits on the market @ $27k had those permits down a little from a month ago. A couple of Area M permits traded in the last month in the low to mid $60s.

Troll: A few Power Troll permits moved in the last month, cleaning out a lot of the inventory around $30k. New prices were up slightly. Hand troll permits continued to be available over $10k.

Crab/Shrimp: Demand for Puget Sound crab permits started to slow in March. Lack of permits avail-able will probably hold the value in the upper $60s. Not much change in the market for coastal crab permits. There were a few new listings, but not much was moving with the season winding down.

SALMON S SE DRIFT 53- 52- 53 S PWS DRIFT 122+ 117+ 110.6 S COOK INLET DRIFT 28.5+ 25.5+ 25.8 S AREA M DRIFT 105 102 95.5 S BRISTOL BAY DRIFT 100+ 95+ 85.3 S SE SEINE 79+ 75 70.5 S PWS SEINE 86- 80+ 76.2 S COOK INLET SEINE 17 17 16.9 S KODIAK SEINE 27- 25- 27.8 S CHIGNIK SEINE 90 49 70.8 S AREA M SEINE 65 65+ 69.7 S COOK INLET SET 12- 10- 10.7 S AREA M SET NET 55+ N/A 51.3 S BRISTOL SET NET 30 29.5 27 S LOWER YUKON 9.5- N/A 9.1 S POWER TROLL 32+ 31+ 29.9 S HAND TROLL 10.5+ 9.5 9.7 HERRING H SE GILLNET 16 15+ 14.7 H KODIAK GILLNET 5- 4 4.3 H SITKA SEINE N/A 500 290 H PWS SEINE N/A 30 10.3 H COOK INLET SEINE 25+ 15 9.3 H KODIAK SEINE 32 20+ 21.3 H SE POUND SOUTH 17 16 18.9 H SE POUND NORTH 65 60 67 H PWS POUND 4 3 3.6 SHELLFISH S SE DUNGY 75 POT 15- 14.5- 16.3 S SE DUNGY 150 POT 26+ N/A 31.6 S SE DUNGY 225 POT 38- 37+ 42.1 S SE DUNGY 300 POT 70 60 65 S SE POT SHRIMP 16 15- 13.3 S KODIAK TANNER <60 29- 25 23.8 S PUGET SOUND DUNGY 70 68+ N/A S WASHINGTON DUNGY 1,500-2,750/FT 1,000-2,500/FT+ N/A S OREGON DUNGY 1,500-3,000/FT 1,000-2,500/FT N/A S CALIFORNIA DUNGY 400-1,200/FT 300-1,000/FT N/A SE ALASKA DIVE SE AK Dive URCHIN 5 N/A 3.8 SE AK Dive CUCUMBER 9- 9- 10.8 SE AK Dive GEODUCK 80 74+ 73.6

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PACIFIC FISHING classifiedsBOX scoreBoats/Permits/IFQs

Halibut & Sablefish IFQ PricesRecent market activity in halibut and sablefish quota shares

SpeciesRegulatory

AreaVessel

Category*Poundage (thousands)

Status(blocked/

unblocked)

Ask(per pound)Low High

Offer(per pound)Low High

NOTE: Halibut prices reflect net weight, sablefish round weight. Pricing for leased shares is expressed as a percentage of gross proceeds. ** Too few to characterize.

*Vessel Categories: A = freezer boats B = over 60’ C = 35’-60’ D = < 35’

By Mike Painter and the Permit Master

Prices for 2C and 3A Halibut quota remain high and availability is low. While activity is picking up out west, there are still decent deals and selection on 3B and 4A quota. Ex-vessel prices are all over the board, but demand for the quota is stronger than it has been for a while.

Availability of Blackcod quota is down everywhere except the Aleutians. At press time, there was no unblocked on the market for SE, WY, CG and WG. An earlier sale of SE unblocked pegged the value @ $23.50!! Now that’s a little tough to put a pencil to. If you’re fi shing or selling, you’re smiling. If you’re thinking about buying, you’re looking for a new calculator.

H 2C D 1-10 B 21.00-25.00 20.00-24.00

H 2C C/B 1-3 B 22.00-25.00 21.00-24.50

H 2C C/B 4-10 B 24.00-26.00 24.00-25.00

H 2C C/B ANY U 25.00-26.00 24.00-24.50

H 2C A B/U N/A 25.00

H 3A D B/U 19.00-24.00 18.00-23.00

H 3A C/B 1-5 B 20.00-24.00 19.00-22.00

H 3A C/B 5-10 B 24.00-26.00 22.00-24.00

H 3A C/B >10 B 25.00-26.00 24.00-25.00

H 3A C/B >10 U 26.00-29.00 24.00-26.00

H 3A A B/U 28.00 26.00

H 3B D B 18.00-23.00 16.00-19.00

H 3B C/B 1-10 B 17.00-20.00 17.00-18.50

H 3B C/B >10 B 20.00-23.00 17.00-19.00

H 3B C/B >10 U 20.00-23.00 18.00-19.00

H 3B A B/U N/A 22.00

H 4A D B/U 10.00-14.00 9.00-10.00

H 4A C/B 1-10 B 11.00-12.00 10.00-11.00

H 4A C/B >10 B 12.00-14.00 10.00-12.00

H 4A C/B >10 U 14.00-18.00 13.00-15.00

H 4B/C/D C/B 1-10 B 9.50-13.00 7.00-8.50

H 4B/C/D C/B >10 B/U 11.00-15.00 9.00-11.00

S SE C/B 1-10 B 19.00-22.00 18.00-20.00

S SE C/B >10 U 22.00-23.50 22.00-23.50

S SE A B/U 24.00 23.00

S WY C/B 1-10 B 19.00-22.00 19.00-21.00

S WY C/B >10 U 22.00-23.00 21.00-22.00

S WY A B/U 23.00 23.00

S CG C/B 1-10 B 17.00-19.00 16.00-18.00

S CG C/B >10 B/U 18.00-20.00 17.00-19.00

S CG A B/U 20.00 20.00

S WG C/B 1-10 B 7.50-11.00 7.50-10.50

S WG C/B >10 B 11.00-12.00 10.00-11.00

S WG C/B/A >10 U 13.00-15.00 11.00-12.00

S AI C/B/A B/U 1.25-5.00 1.00-2.50

S BS C/B B/U 2.00-5.00 2.00-4.00

S BS A B/U 7.00-9.00 5.00

®

(206) 784-3703FAX (206) 784-88234300 11th Ave. N.W.Seattle, WA 98107

www.coastalmarineengine.com

800-992-4960 907-235-4966UPDATED LISTINGS ON THE WEB

PO BOX 505, HOMER ALASKA 99603Alaska Boats & Permits, Inc.

FULL SERVICE MARINE BROKERAGEFAX: 907-235-4965 E-MAIL: [email protected]

IFQs PERMITS VESSELS

www.alaskaboat.com



F/V SARSEN - 53' ketch rigged motor sailer. Price $210,000 cash or trade. Boat built 1994 Port Townsend, Skookum mold, Blue Water boat. Engine 6-71 Detroit, 36-inch prop, FG construction. Fish hold: 28,000 lbs., frozen 25 minus. 2,000+ gal. fuel, sails perfect condition, Northern Lights gen. 121/2 kW, all electronics, top brands, VHF, radar, weather fax, low-freq. radio, autopilot, GPS. Worked tuna three years, bottom painted and checked every season. Selling due to other business, no time to fi sh. Phone Capt. Mark Pratt, (pager) (206) 595-3146 or F.W. Pratt, (406) 671-5080. Boat in Ilwaco, WA.

FOR SALE OR LEASE54' F/V KODIAK SOCKEYE. PWS Market and Permit Holder willing to go aboard. Call (360) 379-5650 or [email protected].

37' Fiberglass Troller/comboEconomical Isuzu Diesel, electronics, exceptionally tidy, streamlined and turnkey. Email for pictures. Located in Victoria BC - short walk from the Seattle/Port Angeles ferry. $69K/obo - [email protected] - (250) 642-3551.

FISH WITH THE VIKING!Maximize your IFQ return on

the F/V Viking Spirit• Mustad Autobaiter • Great sea boat w/shelter deck • Outstanding crew

• Can meet or beat any rates Call Pete (425) 205-0996

Harvest your A, B, or C IFQ’s on the F/V Expatriate

A fully equipped and well maintained 58’ Delta. Experienced captain and crew with a reputation for quality; best markets for your catch. Buyer references available.

Call 907-772-4856 weekdays OR mobile 602-320-9050

F/V TRADITION - 58' x 21' Tradition will fi sh your halibut and blackcod IFQs, April through September. Outstanding experienced crew with great catch record. We catch ‘em fast and always target the best grade. We shop for the hightest prices, traveling the distance when needed. VERY competitive rates. Call Blake (503) 440-1523 (please leave message).

F/V CARLYNN is available to harvest halibut in areas 2c, 3a, and 3b. Black cod in areas SE, WY, and CG. Flexible rates and scheduling good ref-erences. All #1 fish and best prices at time of delivery. Please call to plan for ’09 and beyond. Rob at (907) 321-0486 or (907) 364-3813.

Seabrooke Enterprises LLC, owners of F/V Seabrooke, are interested in LEASING CRAB QUOTA. We offer: skipper (father/son team) with over 30 years of combined experience; vessel professionally operated/managed, above average catch history, ex-ceptionally well-maintained (hauled every two years), economical to operate with all Caterpillar power, current survey on request, competitive harvest rates, desire to stay actively involved in fi sheries. If you are interested in LEASING CRAB QUOTA, please contact us: offi ce (541) 938-3542, (509) 522-5252; cell (509) 520-0911, (509) 200-9508; fax (541) 938-8164; email [email protected].

CALL THE CLAM MANFor all your clam needs. Cockles, steamers butters and horse necks. Human consump-tion or bait. Also commercial diving supplies. Call Doug’s Diving, (503) 322-2200 or (800) 355-DIVE, www.dougsdiving.com.

FOR SALEF/V O-See-O. Length: 44', weight: 13', depth: 7', engine — new 6.7 Gimmy. All geared for power trolling. Please call 1 (907) 874-2484 or email: [email protected].

FOR SALEWOOD SEINER BUILT IN 1963, SEATTLE

54' X 16' wide, 3306 Cat - rebuilt 3 years ago. Big packer, holds 70,000 lbs. Excellent hydraulics, electronics. Lots of recent work - comes with 4 strip S.E. Seine and 2 power blocks. Asking $85,000 OBO. For more info, contact Dan Marsden at (907) 617-5918.

FOR SALEThree Hamilon 321 jet pumps for sale. Each unit comes with two impellers (valued at 5K apiece new). Each unit has been totally gone thru and rebuilt. Spare impeller is new for each unit, impeller in the pumps are rebuilt. Each unit is in “like new” condition. Asking 20K obo for each unit. Please call (360) 961-5747 or email: [email protected]

FOR SALETogiak Herring Seine and Skiff. $5500 OBO. Seine hung by Jack & Joe of Bellingham. 50% web hung in. Good shape. Skiff 16' fi berglass Olsen. Needs outboard motor. Phone (360) 951-6058.

F/V QUIK SET - 32x13, 1987 Alucraft BBay sternpicker. 3208T Cat diesel with approx. 6000 hrs. HD hydraulics, narrow drum w/auto levelwind. Packs 18000+ under hatches. Exceptional maintenance of boat-equipment by same owner for 13 years. Turn key with many recent upgrades. Owner will help commission for 2010 season. Call Brad at 253-261-5340 or 253-852-5513 wk. for pictures/specifi cs. Located Dillingham, AK. 105K

F/V POST POINT - 32 X 13.4 1990 ALFA/NW Marine Fabrication Bristol Bay Gillnetter; 3208 Cat TD5111 Gearbox; IMS RSW Bowthruster; power steering; load sense hydraulics; powered off gearbox PTO; 200 fathom piston drive reel w/autolevelwind; fl ush deck and much more. This boat is easy to maintain and fi sh located at Leader Creek Naknek Alaska. FOR SALE after 2010 Salmon Season. 360-223-3583.

California light boats and purse seiners for squid and sardines with permits available now. Call Don (949) 279-9369.

Volvo-TAMD 122BExcellent running condition with approximately 15,000 hours. Upgrading to tier II engine. Available after halibut season in Kodiak. Best offer. (907) 486-2527 or email: [email protected].

F/V VULCAN - 1992 Kvichak, 460 Lugger, 32'x13.4', flush deck, RSW, bowthruster, 4 shackle reel, new bottom, full electronics, herring shaker, stored inside. Available after 2010 BB season. $260,000. [email protected]. (208) 265-5742.

FOR SALESalmon seine, herring seine, power skiff with nozzle, 3/8 Everson halibut tub gear, buoyline, bladders, anchors, flagpoles, gurdy. 65' boat with freezer, rigged for tuna, halibut, salmon, herring, tuna gurdys and gear all discounted 75%. (604) 241-0594. http://us.mc655.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]"/t"_blank" or email: [email protected].

FOR SALE875 meshes X 300 F WC salmon seine from BC. Shirt line and SS rings, well maintained. $4,000. (604) 619-6090 or email [email protected].



Fish double drift permit in Bristol Bay. I have permit and experience in BB and Prince William Sound. You have boat and Bristol Bay permit too. Call Kirk at (206) 533-3405.

EXXON PLAINTIFFS (lien agents)Has distribution of your Exxon funds taken over 6 months to receive? Join a special-ized class action to petition Exxon Qualifi ed Settlement Fund to promptly process your payments. If interested, you may fax your request to (425) 671-0053, Curt Peterson, co-plaintiff. Requests will be collectively forwarded to E.Q.S.F. If plaintiffs would like monthly updated progress reports, provide an email address.


F/V LISA GAYLE is available to fi sh your IFQ. Flexible rates, comfortable boat. Call to schedule a convenient time to fi sh. (503) 791-2887 cell. (541) 568-4051. Great rates for large quotas!

FOR SALE1979 Gulf fiberglass, 41'/14.5 fr. turn key. Ready for your longline, port fishery. Excel-lent maintenance, many recent upgrades. $115,000.00. Call: (907) 617-1514.

LETS FISH YOUR IFQHalibut and Black Cod. F/V Sierra Mar 58' Delta, works all seasons and all areas and walkons, leases,crewing owners and all parteners are welcome to call. This boat, operation and crew are safe, clean and reliable. Marco Auto baiter, good grub, longtime crew and all area experi-ence and best %’s with crew share, no #2’s and bycatch for Q owner make this boat a good call. Annual upgrades and maintainance done every off season. Please call for more information, sched-ualing, references and possibilities fro 2010 and beyond. Kevin Seabeck (206) 399-9267 or [email protected].

F/V ELIZABETH S (47 ft. Delta) available to harvest c class 2c, 3a halibut and SE blackcod. Competitive rates for hired skipper, medical transfers, or walk-ons. Small blocks welcome. Contact Daniel Smith at (907) 209-2215.

FOR SALE58' x 24' Jensen designed steel limit seiner, Dual refrigeration, Cat power, Packs over 150,00#s. 95% complete. Serious inquiries only. (714) 401-8239.

CAPTAIN/CREW LOOKING FOR WINTER FISHERY

Owner/operator of PWS salmon seine and gillnet operations looking for winter fishery. Have experience in squid seining, swordfishing, long-lining, setnetting, dungie and tanner crab-bing. Contact (907) 253-3692 for more info.

FOR SALETwo California purse seiners available. Ready to fish. Complete boats with market squid permits and sardine permits. Priced to sell quick at $429,000. Call Don (949) 279-9369.

FOR SALEThree California light boats available with or without permits. One boat and permit at only $79,000. One 12 ton brail or light boat permit at only $52,000. All priced to sell. Call Don (949) 279-9369.

FOR SALE: Mustad Auto Baiting System for sale. Includes Baiter, Combe, 20 magazines of gear, and all rails and hangers. Fits on a 58 foot boat. $45,000 for all OBO. Call: (907) 253-7435 or email: [email protected]

For Sale

39' BHM 1987 New QSM11 350-450 H.P. (200hrs.) New 10Kw gen. (50 hrs.) Split Wheelhouse, Hyd., Puller, 2 Radars, GPS Plotter, Fishfi nder, Autopilot, VHF, AM-FM-CD. Ca. Lobster permit, Socal. Nearshore permit, Gillnet permit, Salmon Permit. Boat with permits $295K Boat only $225K. Lobster permit-$95K. Nearshore permit-$50K. Gillnet permit-$10K. After sale of boat only. (805) 290-5370

FOR SALEBB PERMIT, GEAR and BOAT: fiberglass. Built by Kachemak Bay Marine, 300 Cummins with 800 hours. $229,000. Call (503) 267-9970.

F/V FISH TRAP - Bristol Bay Jet Boat. 2006 Banner Boatworks, twin 6108 Luggers, 330 hp, 13" Doen Jets, 7.5 ton RSW-IMS. Proven design, sleeps 6, open deck, set off the bow or stearn. $310,000. Drift permit available with sale - at market. Dan (907) 399-1884; (907) 235-6612.

F/V PROFIT - Bristol Bay Jet Boat: New. New construction, Banner Boatworks. Ready to fish 2010 season. Shallow draft, refrig-erated jet boat. Quality construction. John Deere 375 hp. 15" Whitewater Jet. Open deck, spacious engine room, galley. Fishing machine.Shallow, fast, economical. $330,000. Permit available with sale - at market. Dan (907) 399-1884; (907) 235-6612.

LONGLINE CLIPSWanted to buy: Wagner 5" or similar longline clips. (509) 679-0384

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN

WANT TO REACH FISHERMEN?

CONTACT DIANE SANDVIK.CONTACT DIANE SANDVIK.She knows the fish business and

she knows how to help your business.

To reserve space, contact Diane at (206) 962-9315 or [email protected]

FOR SALEGMC 653 engine block: rebuilt. Zero hours, $7000.00. Call: (206) 399-1699..


Helly Hansen’s reputation for reliable, dependable workwear began with a rogue sea captain looking to keep himself and his crew dry, warm, and comfortable on the surging seas. Over 130 years later, Helly Hansen Workwear continues

to ensure the comfort and safety of commercial fi shermen and seafood professionals on and off the boat. Recommended for tough wear and tear, the Nusfj ord Jacket, available in new yellow and dark green, is comprised of a woven cotton/polyester blend fabric with a heavy duty 600g PVC-coating that is resistant to fi sh oil, chemicals, cold and mildew. The extra durable .50mm jacket has a double storm fl ap with snap closure for extreme weather protection, neoprene cuff s at the wrists, and a draw cord hood that is roomy enough to accommodate a helmet or hard hat when added safety is required. The jacket can also be paired with the matching Nusfj ord Bib, available in green and our new yellow, for complete coverage from wind, rain and surf. Please visit www.hhworkwear.com for a list of retailers and to view the entire collection of Helly Hansen Workwear.

What's New...What's New...

“What's New” is a service of Pacific Fishing's Advertising Department. Contact Diane Sandvik at (206) 962-9315 for more information.

Fremont Maritime Services Enters 3rd Decade

Fremont Maritime Services, founded in November 1989, is one of America’s most respected maritime safety and emergency procedures training organizations. Every year, we help thousands of professional mariners prepare for fire, flooding, abandon ship, and man overboard emergencies. Some of the world’s largest towing, cargo, and fishing companies trust us to train their officers and crew. We teach (and students practice) the skills which are essential to successful emergency response.

We know that good intentions and wishful thinking won’t help your crew put

out a fire, launch a life raft, or pull a struggling victim from the water. Training will.

At Fremont Maritime, your crew’s emergen-cy preparedness is our primary business.

Fishing Vessel TrainingMarine Safety and Survival Seminar

This intensive three-day program combines classroom periods with practical “hands-on” sessions in the water and on board a training vessel. Training modules are dedicated to Abandoning Ship, Distress Signaling, Cold Water Survival Procedures, Man Overboard Recovery, Flooding Emergencies, Fire Fighting, and Fire Safety. Additionally, students in this class learn how to write Station Bills and use them as a basis for conducting realistic and effective emergency drills.Survival Afloat Seminar

The very best in onboard safety and survival training. The Survival Afloat Seminar is a full-day emergency training program held right on board your own vessel. Using actual survival equipment and realistic fire and smoke simulation apparatus, this unique course provides inter-active, hands-on instruction in fundamental principles of fire-fighting, damage control, abandon ship, and man-overboard recovery procedures.

Since its inception in June of 1990 the Survival Afloat Seminar has been conducted

aboard over 100 vessels in Washington and Alaska. As testimony to its success, the program has received recognition and major sponsorship from the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial Committee.Sea Survival Seminar

One-day program focused on abandon-ship and sea survival procedures for those working in cold northern waters.

All seminars can be taught in Seattle or at the location of your choice.What is India Tango?

India Tango is the name of Fremont Maritime’s marine firefighting training program. Taken from the International Code of Signals (H.O. 102), the two-letter code “I-T,” whether flown as signal flags, sent by morse key, or flashing lights, translates to the meaning “I’m on Fire.” At Fremont Maritime, we hope you will never have to transmit the code “I-T,” but if you do, we want you to have every tool and skill available to quickly bring the fire under control.

Contact Fremont Maritime:1019 West Ewing Street., Seattle, WA 98119

Local: (206) 782-4308Toll Free: (888) STAY LOW

FAX: (206) 782-2553www.fremontmaritime.com

E-mail us: [email protected]

“CanaVac Fish Pumps expands into west coast market with damage free systems”

Inventive Marine Products has recently experienced signifi cant growth, especially in Alaska.

CanaVac is known worldwide for its reliable and damage free fi sh pumps that keep fi sh in pristine condition. CanaVac is in the process of replacing dated and obsolete systems aboard many boats as well as supplying offl oading systems at existing and new plant locations. Product innovations and high levels of customer service are attracting new sales from California right up to Alaska.

Sig Hansen, of the FV Northwestern, has also chosen CanaVac.“Yeah, I’ve had experience with other brands of fi sh

pumps. Their designs were diff erent and it seemed we were always losing time over major maintenance issues once a year. They weren’t nearly as automated and their rigid “fl apper style” valves tended to clog up, causing fi sh damage and interruptions to clear them out.”

“The whole experience with Inventive Marine Products and the CanaVac system has been a pleasure, really. Can’t say enough good things about it. I’ll just shut-up and fi sh, I guess. That’ll be the ultimate testimonial.”

When you see one, ask the operator what he or she thinks about the quality and design of Canavac fi sh pumps.

Contact: [email protected] or 902-468-2611


ON THE DOCKS

BELLINGHAM851 Coho Way360-734-3336

800-426-8860

SEATTLE908 N.W. Ballard Way

206-789-8110800-647-2135CORDOVA

302 Seafood Lane907-424-5495

Pebble Mine habitat video: Recent research by Trout Unlimited has identified up to 92 miles of previously undocumented salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay watershed near the Pebble deposit. The group has made a video summarizing its findings.

We know it’s a long address, but you can see the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt1W6ypFpMo&feature.

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Salmon farm video: A new, short docu-mentary by Damien Gillis — Farmed Salmon Exposed: The Global Reach of the Norwegian Salmon Farming Industry — is now available on-line.

The movie also will be playing at a num-ber of film festivals around the world this year, including in Vancouver. The trailer to the film was seen 35,000 times globally, and there have been nearly 20,000 hits on the recently released chapters of the full film.

The movie is 23 minutes long, and on YouTube it’s broken into four chapters.

See them: www.youtube.com/user/PureSalmon

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Morton to be honored: Anti–net pen crusader Alexandra Morton will receive an honorary doctorate in science from Simon Fraser University during spring commence-ment this year. Morton, a B.C. biologist and activist, worked to link sea lice infestation in wild salmon to fish farming in the Brough-ton Archipelago. Her work has drawn inter-national attention and challenged both the salmon farm industry and the government officials who regulate it.

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Got snoose? Among the various sup-ply shortages plaguing the fishing fleet in the season of 1945, as World War II wound down, was Copenhagen “snoose.”

Undoubtedly all of the Southeast halibut fishermen felt the effects of the shortage, but it was Petersburg’s fishermen

Facelift: Skipper Dennis Sturgell Jr. stands in front of F/V Defiant, as the crabber-albacore

troller-dragger-longliner begins its trans-formation from 66 X 22 to 17.5 X 28 feet in

February. J&H Boatworks is handling the job. What’s novel is the location: An old seaplane

hangar at Astoria’s Tongue Point, which allows all-weather work. Defiant, owned by Mike Haggren, is due to float again in July.

who complained the loudest. That city’s newspaper said that Petersburg probably consumed a larger tonnage of snoose per capita than any town in the Western Hemisphere.

The fleet was due to sail May 1 for the annual “halibut-snatching” that lasted 60 to 70 days, but the fishermen dis-covered that the manufacturers, mostly located in Chicago, had been put under a 10-day embargo: This meant that snoose was not being shipped.

The Seattle fleet owners put in anguished calls to their local senator, Warren G.

Magnuson. The latter galloped into action. He yipped and howled around the War Pro-duction Board so lustily that the embargo was lifted and rush shipments of snoose were sent to the halibut fleet.

Thus, the fleet sailed on schedule, and as the Petersburg paper said, “The hardy Norsemen, facing into the sunrise, no lon-ger were chanting in mournful numbers: ‘No snuff, no fish.’”

–Pat Roppel, a 50-year resident of Southeast Alaska, reporting in the Capital City Weekly.



ON THE DOCKS

Memories: Captains Jim Wilson (F/V Lady Aleutian), Derrick Ray (new skipper of F/V Cornelia Marie), Dave Lethin (F/V Aleutian Ballad), Rick Quashnick (F/V Maverick), and Harry Lewis (F/V Incentive) have com-piled a DVD of memories about the late Phil Harris of Deadliest Catch. You can reserve a copy at [email protected]. A “teaser” clip is available to view online at www.commercialfishermensfestival.com. Proceeds will go to the Astoria Commercial Fishermen’s Festival, Sept 18-19 this year.

Seafood winners: The top winners in the 2010 Symphony of Seafood include Alaskan Amber beer-battered cod by Trident Seafoods in the food service category; top-crusted corn tortilla salmon by Aqua Star in the retail category; and wild Alaskan smoked salmon chowder by Ivar’s Seafood in the smoked category.

The grand prize, awarded to the product that received the most overall votes, also went to Ivar’s smoked salmon chowder.

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Lame joke: A black cod fisherman died and went to hell — and it took him three days to realize it.

–Contributed by Sherrie Lyon

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Engine troubleshooting: Washington Sea Grant (WSG) and the Port of Seattle Fishermen’s Terminal are cosponsoring a four-evening Boat Engine Troubleshooting and Maintenance Workshop in May for commercial fishermen and recreational boaters.

Participants will learn how to troubleshoot the fuel, electrical, cooling, exhaust, and drive systems of diesel and gas inboards, stern drives, and outboards (two-cycle and four-stroke) and receive instruction in proper maintenance techniques to help prevent the most common problems.

The four workshop sessions are scheduled for May 17, 20, 24, and 27, 6-9 p.m., at the Nordby Conference Center, Nordby Building, at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle. The fee is $100. Space is limited, so pre-registration is advised.

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Chinook SE quota: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced, under the guidelines of the abundance-based man-agement system of the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the 2010 all-gear Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon harvest quota is 221,800 fish.

This year’s number for Southeast Alaska is a slight increase over last year’s preseason allocation of 218,800.

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Ouch! The first opening for Sitka Sound herring ended in a stun-ning fashion for two seiners. As you might expect, there are many versions of what happened, but this comes from Alaska troopers:

“On 3/24/10 at approximately 17:12 hours, a collision occurred during the Sitka sac roe herring fishery. The seiner F/V Confidence, operated by Leroy Johns, 46, of Sitka, collided with the seiner F/V

continued from page 45

Shady Lady, operated by Dean Anderson, 51, of Chignik. “Both vessels were damaged. However, substantial damage

was caused to the Shady Lady. No injuries were reported and alcohol does not appear to be a factor. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office was contacted and is investigating this incident. Investigation continues.”

The Shady Lady had a bagful of herring. One report indicated the tender had pumped out 150 tons before the fish died and started to sink. The Shady Lady began to roll, and the crew cut away the net, losing an estimated 250 tons of herring.

Grounds price was about $500 a ton.That the Shady Lady rolled onto the tender kept the vessel afloat.

One observer said the Shady Lady had a “hole big enough to throw a basketball through.”

No one got wet. But, undoubtedly, attorneys have been called.

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Fish scientist honored: NOAA scientist Bill Heard of Auke Bay Laboratories in Juneau has celebrated 50 years in federal fisheries research, mostly in the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Scientists at the Auke Bay Laboratories in Juneau tend to have long, productive careers. While Heard has served the longest of anyone currently employed, Dr. Bruce Wing has served 47 years, and Dr. Jack Helle retired in 2008 with 49 years of service. Three other recent retirees (Dr. Richard Wilmot, Jerry Taylor, and Alex Wertheimer) had a combined history in Alaskan salmon research of 111 years.

With his boundless energy, constant good humor, consummate professionalism, and prodigious output of more than 60 scien-tific publications, Heard has been an inspiration to generations of Alaskan scientists.

Heard’s first assignment in Alaska was in 1958 as a graduate student at Brooks Lake in Bristol Bay. He returned to Brooks Lake in 1960 with a permanent job as a fisheries biologist studying sockeye salmon and other fishes in the Naknek River system.

In 1965 his work began in Southeast Alaska at Little Port Walter, researching pink, coho, and Chinook salmon life histories and stock enhancement. Since the 1980s, he has managed the Marine Salmon Interactions Program at Auke Bay Laboratories, which focuses on stock assessments of salmon within their ecosystems.

Postcard: Yup’ik Eskimo fishermen from Emmonak — from left, Matilda Oktoyuk, Humphrey Keyes, and Ellen Keyes — went to Harvard a few weeks ago to introduce Yukon salmon at a forum called “For the Health of It.” Kwik’pak Fisheries and Oldways, a Boston non-profit, organized the event.


Pacific Fishing May 2010

Documents

Transcript of Pacific Fishing May 2010