November 30, 2013
Saturday PM

(SitNews) - Will Alaska’s halibut catches be cut again next year?

That’s the big question as the industry braces for the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s interim meeting this week in Seattle.

By all accounts, there appear to be lots of halibut in Alaska waters, but their unusually slow growth rates have forced a downward press on catches for nearly a decade. The Alaska catch total this year was about 22 million pounds. 

Also up for review – 22 fishermen from remote communities in the mid-Aleutians (4A) are requesting an increase in their halibut catch to about half a million pounds.  From  the same region is a proposal to allow retention of halibut taken as bycatch in sablefish pot gear.   Another proposal asks for mandatory length requirements for all halibut caught by sport charters.  

A report by the Halibut Bycatch Work Group, formed in 2011, that covers rates for every Alaska gear group and region also is up for discussion. 

 The IPHC meets Dec. 4-5 at its offices in Seattle.   www.iphc.int

Stocks hold steady

The 2014 catches for Alaska’s largest fisheries also will be decided in December, and based on summer trawl surveys, the Bering Sea appear to be holding steady.

“Based on the summer surveys, most of them were a slight uptick   or a slight downtick.  So we are not expecting major changes,” said Jane DiCosimo,   Senior Plan Coordinator with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage.

That’s likely to mean an Alaska pollock catch of close to three billion pounds  and a half billion pounds of Pacific cod.

Setting TACs, or Total Allowable Catches, requires going through a months-long process of federal advisory and public comment postings. For Alaska fish scientists, it means crunching biomasses, catches and dozens of data sets that are gathered into November.  DiCosimo, who is a veteran of the mid-Atlantic council process, called the North Pacific’s ability to ‘crank out’ sound quotas ‘unique in the nation.’

“It’s a complicated, but it’s designed to be able to use the summer survey information and the catch data practically up until the stock assessment is run. And that is unusual for the country,” she said. “I think we are in a unique and lucky situation where we have such (staff) resources devoted to being able to fish on the most current biomass data.” 

Also unique is the number of stock assessment surveys done in Alaska – for 23 separate species in both the Bering Sea/Aleutians and the Gulf.

“We have an on year, off year cycle for the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, and we have an annual cycle for the trawl surveys for the eastern Bering Sea,” DiCosimo explained.

More than 80 percent of Alaska’s seafood landings come from federal waters (3-200 miles), and Alaska provides over half of the nation’s wild caught seafood. The NPFMC meets   Dec. 9-17 at the Anchorage Hilton.

Senate fish savvy

Alaska’s two US Senators make a great tag team when it comes to watching out for our fishing industry.

Last week the federal government officially declared in a letter to Senator Murkowski that “American managed fisheries do not require third-party certification to demonstrate responsible and sustainable practices.”

That put to rest the blowback caused by the government’s practice of ignoring its own rules, and instead leaving it to private, Outside groups to decide if Alaska’s fisheries are well managed.

In September, Murkowski introduced legislation after learning this summer that, according to the rules of the General Services (GSA), the National Park Service required that all food concessions should:  “Only offer fish/seafood identified as “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives” on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List or certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (or equivalent program).

That left out Alaska salmon because the industry decided to opt out of high priced, eco-label programs.

The GSA has changed its rules to say: Where seafood options are offered, provide those procured from responsibly managed, sustainable healthy fisheries.

The revision puts Alaska salmon back on the ‘buy list’ for the US Park Service, the military and other federal food programs.

Phony fish eggs

Senators Begich and Murkowski have been relentless in their objections to federal approval of genetically modified Atlantic salmon, dubbed Frankenfish. The fish are man made by AquaBounty in the US and Canada,  and grow three times faster than normal salmon. The salmon would be the first GM animal ever approved for human consumption.

Last week Begich blasted Canada’s approval of the sale of GM salmon eggs for grow out in Panama, where AquaBounty hopes to launch its Frankenfish production lines.  The Canadian government   acknowledged that the GM fish could present a high risk to Atlantic salmon in the event of an escape, and that there would be no immediate sale or consumption of GM salmon eggs in Canada.

“If it’s not good for Canada, authorities there should not permit the production and distribution of this engineered life form elsewhere,” Begich said in a press release.  “I will continue to object to the introduction and production of Franken fish and will seek the closure of U.S. transportation routes to shipments of millions of eggs to Panama to prevent their accidental release due to handling mishaps or accidents.”

Bay blooper

The 2014 forecast for Bristol Bay sockeye has been revised downward by state managers due  to a data base error.  The new forecast calls for a harvest of 16.86 million fish in Bristol Bay and 1.06 million fish in the South Peninsula fisheries - approximately 620 thousand fish less than the initial release. The biggest cuts are in the Nushagak District. 

This year marks the 21st year for this weekly column that focuses on Alaska’s seafood industry. It began in 1991 in the Anchorage Daily News, and now appears in over 20 newspapers and web sites. A daily spin off – Fish Radio – airs weekdays on 30 radio stations in Alaska. My goal is to make all people aware of the economic, social and cultural importance of Alaska’s fishing industry to our state, the nation and the world. 

Laine Welch ©2013

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