 Legal wrangling could set back Exxon payments for years By LAINE WELCH November 03, 2008
Holiday hopes could be dashed,
however, unless an appeal by Sea Hawk Seafoods is kicked to the
curb this month in an Anchorage courtroom. Sea Hawk, a former
Prince William Sound fish processor, has filed a lawsuit to reshuffle
the long agreed upon payment amounts and boost its share by $7.6
million. The legal wrangling could set
back payments to all claimants for years. Ott, along with Oiled
Fishermen's Frank Mullen of Homer, said the Court does not appear
to be very sympathetic to the case. Early court briefs called
Sea Hawk's motion "at best highly disruptive of ongoing
proceedings, and at worst divisive and ill-considered."
"My hope is that Sea Hawk
pays all expenses associated with their last minute grab,"
Mullen added in an email. If the Sea Hawk case is settled on the Nov. 15 target date, Exxon checks would be distributed before Christmas. By then, oil spill plaintiffs might also know the status of the additional $488 million in interest payments that Exxon has appealed. "That is now on a briefing schedule with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and they may come out with a ruling by year's end," Ott said, "but more likely in early 2009." Mariculture means jobs The Alaska Shellfish Growers Association meets in Anchorage this week, and along with bi-valves, they'll be talking jobs. There are 26 shellfish farms operating now in Alaska, mostly for oysters. The value of the crop last year was a half million dollars. Some estimate the industry could be worth $70 million or more, just in Southeast, and provide good jobs in rural regions. "If we look at what are the opportunities in Alaska for year round sustainable jobs in Southeast, Prince William Sound, Kenai Peninsula and along the Aleutians, the shellfish industry is one of the best options we have," said John Sund of the Alaska Oceans Center in Ketchikan. "We need to help the industry grow." Rodger Painter of Tenass Pass farms near Juneau said growers have learned to mechanize more parts of their operation, and are using waves and tides to turn their oyster crops. An offshoot for any coastal region could be seaweed farms - especially kelp, which is a $2 billion industry in Japan. Nori, for example, is a staple food throughout Asia, and is loaded with nutrients. Kelp provides alginin, an edible material widely used in ice cream and cosmetics. The seaweed industry is considered 'untapped' in North America. Painter said St. Lawrence Islanders were interested in kelp farming but no funds were available to jump start a project. Mariculture programs are faring better elsewhere a new center in Homer will serve growers at Kachemak Bay, king crab are being grown at the Alutiiq Pride Hatchery at Seward, the new Oceans Center at Ketchikan aims to be a world leader in mariculture, and the state's largest shellfish nursery at Naukiti on Prince of Wales Island has helped replace timber as a leading industry. Mariculture jobs could help slow the out-migration from rural Alaska, Painter believes. "It's very scary. People are fleeing rural Alaska and coastal villages," he said. "We can't necessarily solve the problem of high costs of groceries and fuel, but maybe we can provide some jobs." The Alaska Shellfish Growers
Association meets Nov. 7-8 at the UAA Commons Conference Center
in Anchorage. It includes the famous ASGA oyster slurp. rodgerpainter@hotmail.com After decades of debate, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has made its final recommendations on what aquaculture products are considered 'organic.' Getting the seal of approval are wild-caught forage fish that are used as feeds for farmed fish and livestock. But wild-caught fish to feed humans did not make the 'organic' grade. "It defines common sense and logic," said Kate Troll, executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance. Troll worked for years with the NOSB on behalf of Alaska's seafood industry as a former fishery specialist with the state Commerce Department. "When we were dealing with trying to get Alaska salmon into the organic program, the biggest obstacle was 'we don't know where they feed or what they're living off of.' But you can say that same thing of the wild fish they are certifying," Troll fumed. Troll and other critics claim that the same standards are not applied to other 'organic' products. "They certify bees that make honey and they migrate over thousands of miles. You don't know where the bees have been. A lot of the rain that falls on organic crops you don't know where the rainfall has been either," Troll said. "Wild fish are held to a higher bar." Forage fish, such as sardines, anchovies and menhaden, account for 37 percent of all fish taken from the world's oceans each year. Nearly all of the fish are ground up and used as oils and feeds for livestock, poultry and farmed fish. Pigs and chickens eat six times more seafood than U.S. consumers, according to U.N. reports. Critics claim the forage fish industry is "squandering a precious human food resource and disregarding the overfishing crisis in world oceans.' Meanwhile, Alaska seafood producers will continue touting their popular "wild," "sustainable" and "safe" messages in the marketplace. Troll said the USDA 'organic' brand does have market clout. "It assures consumers
that it is pure and free of contaminants and healthy to eat.
It's a term they connect with." People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals has launched a 'Save the Sea Kittens' campaign,
saying "these adorable creatures are intelligent animals,
each with their own unique personalities." PETA urges people
to send messages to fishery managers to put a stop to 'hunting'
otherwise known as fishing, for sea kittens. See for yourself
at www.peta.org/Sea_Kittens/ <http://www.peta.org/Sea_Kittens/>
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