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Table of Contents - February 8, 2008

FEDERAL

1. Aviation weather observation in Dutch Harbor at risk (2/3)

2. Opinion. Fish Board, NPFMC different kettles of fish (2/1)

3. Fishing fleets take steps to protect albatross (2/3)

4. Workshop scheduled on North Aleutian Basin oil and gas development (2/3)

5. Federal cuts hit fisheries (2/3)

6. Rockfish pilot program garners praise, criticism (2/3)

7. Researchers nab rarely tagged fin whale in Uganik (2/4)

8. NPFMC, Kodiak fish committee meet in Feb (2/5)

9. Homer News Seawatch. Fish council reviews crab rationalization program (2/6)

10. 2008 Halibut Charter GHL

11. Opinion. Halibut Resource Stewardship Crucial (2/7)

12. Cutter SPAR recovers stray Buoy 4 (2/6)

13. US Coast Guard Continues HF Weather Broadcasts (2/7)

14. The Small Boat Threat: No Easy Answers

15. Chiniak Gully To Open For Fishery (KMXT Audio) (2/5)

16. New Website. The Whole Truth About the EXXON VALDEZ Spill

17. Walruses need federal protection, group says (2/7)

18. Healthy eagles return to Kodiak Saturday (2/7)

19. NOAA Fisheries scientist receives national award (2/7)

20. NOAA. Annual Seabird Bycatch Estimates for 2005

21. AMCC to discuss ocean acidification (KFSK Audio) (2/4)

22. North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission Newsletter (Jan 2008)
STATE

23. Bill returns habitat division to Fish and Game (2/1)

24. Groups Want More Details On Hoverbarges (2/3)

25. The public weighs in on hoverbarge issue (KTOO Audio) (2/5)

26. State Habitat Division Changes Houses Again (2/6)

27. ADN Opinion. Right move. Habitat division is going home (2/6)

28. University elevates study of fisheries to bachelor of arts degree (2/1)

29. Young fishing pros pushing for more winter catch options (KCHU Audio) (2/4)

30. Alaska Tax Division 2007 Annual Report (includes fishery taxes, including shared with municipalities)

31. Marmot Bay Portion Closes To Tanner Fishing (2/4)

32. House Passes Legislation To Relax Ethics Rules For State Board Of Fisheries (1/24)

33. Opinion. Do not allocate more salmon to Alaska sportfishing interests (2/8)

34. Opinion. A commercial fisherman needs to be put on Board of Fisheries (2/8)

35. Petersburg. Meeting discuss marine service needs (2/7)
MARKETING

36. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Bows 'Seafood U' for Retail (2/1)

37. Alaska exports (2/4)

38. Southeast salmon prices at record highs (KCAW Audio)(2/4)

39. Alaska's resources hot international commodity (Interview with Ray Riutta an Greg Wolf –includes KTUU video link) (2/4)

40. NOAA PR. Taking the Anxiety Out of Consuming Seafood (1/30)
MISC

41. Icicle Gift Leads To Scholarship For Kodiak College Students (KMXT Audio) (2/4)

FEDERAL

1. Aviation weather observation in Dutch Harbor at risk (2/3).

At a time when the fishing industry needs workers flown in and out of Dutch Harbor for upcoming openers, aviation weather observation for the area around Unalaska may be at risk.

RNR Technologies, a new weather observation contractor, is not giving pilots weather for flights to Dutch Harbor. In the meantime, the previous contractor is providing the service.

The RNR contract, through the Federal Aviation Administration, was set to start Jan. 1, but the contractor has no physical place to work in Alaska and has not provided any service to date.

A VHF weather radio frequency that aircraft use for real-time weather observations in Dutch also has been dropped from the Alaska supplement, an informational resource.

FAA officials connected with this contract did not return calls.

Officials with the Alaska Weather Operation Services Inc., which held the previous contract, said the contract for what is called “mic in hand” weather observation has expired. “Mic in hand” is a service that requires a person to give real-time weather reports on location.

“All indications are that the FAA has moved all engineering, contracting and quality control functions out of Alaska in what can only be characterized as a bureaucratic “experiment' in management efficiency,” said AWOS president Jim Miller. More

2. Opinion. Fish Board, NPFMC different kettles of fish (2/1). How do the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) and the Alaska Board of Fish (BOF) make decisions on a new proposal? Figure out how either of these bodies comes to a determination and it would be worth a whole lot of money. Oh, that’s right, it already is a lucrative business. Isn’t fisheries policy making already about economic benefits to certain user groups – be it subsistence, sport or commercial?

I’ve spent the last two years up to my gills in fishery politics and there is one thing that can be identified: greed, for those who stand to win the most.

Going to a NPFMC meeting versus a BOF meeting is entirely two different cups of tea.

At the council, a new participant feels like a guppy in a pool full of piranhas, sharks, and killer whales. A private citizen/fisherman giving public comment has almost no stature to make a difference. But the council makeup has changed in the last six months, and hopefully all public input will soon be deemed important. Veteran council-goers say the council process has been sabotaged for years. Lobbyists that are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars make deals in hotel rooms, on the phone, or in hallways during meetings. Where is the open, honest process that our forefathers promised us?

The BOF is a more open process. One submits a proposal, then the state asks for written public comments. The regional advisory board discusses the proposal and delivers a recommendation to the BOF. The BOF goes to the region of concern to take verbal public comment. Written comments are then brought forward to help clarify anyone’s remarks and help with solutions. Those interested in being on a committee submit their name, and then discussion is taken up with the committee with three BOF members sitting on a panel. The panel asks questions to further better discussion of the proposal’s issues. The BOF then takes up the proposal and in front of the audience, there is deliberation, removal/addition of language and then a vote. More

3. Fishing fleets take steps to protect albatross (2/3). STREAMER LINES: Hazing practice expected to reduce deadly hooking of seabirds. Albatross looking for a free meal on the high seas often pay the ultimate price of being drowned, injured or killed going after baited hooks. Now, with numbers declining for the birds that can spend years at sea, fishing fleets around the world have agreed to use measures to prevent hooking albatross and other seabirds.

The measures -- which include using streamer lines to haze birds away from the stern of boats as miles of baited hooks are being set and dying bait blue to conceal it in dark water -- will go into effect this year in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. "Some of the most vulnerable seabird populations travel entire oceans in search of food," NOAA administrator Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher said. "Seabird conservation will require nations with longline fishing fleets to work together to adapt their fishing practices to avoid seabirds whenever they fish."

Albatross are particularly vulnerable to being hooked on longlines used to catch tuna, swordfish and other ocean fish. Their long search for food that takes them across international waters makes it imperative that the community of nations with longline fishing fleets abide by certain practices, NOAA officials say. More, including “Success in Alaska”

4. Workshop scheduled on North Aleutian Basin oil and gas development (2/3). Environmentally safe development of oil and gas resources in the North Aleutian Basin will be the subject of a workshop March 18-19 in Anchorage, coordinated by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program.

Organizers said they hope to continue a dialogue that began last October, when key stakeholders outlined their positions on development and organized the March agenda.

Robin Samuelsen, president and chief executive officer of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Association, has expressed concern over the intent of the meeting. Samuelsen, a prominent business leader and commercial fisherman, said he believes there are not enough Bristol Bay watershed residents on the committee.

The prospect of oil and gas exploration and development in the North Aleutian Basin, as well as the proposed Pebble mine, has prompted concern from fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts and conservation groups.

Meeting organizer and Alaska Sea Grant director Brian Allee said the goal of the meetings is to find common ground and build cordial, working relationships.

The gathering will also offer a chance for energy and fisheries industries to learn about each other's operations, he said. More

5. Federal cuts hit fisheries (2/3). State officials are scurrying to deal with federal budget cuts that have slashed upward of $6 million from grants that fund several commercial fisheries research and stock assessment programs.

The money was cut from grants funneled through the National Marine Fisheries Service, John Hilsinger, director of the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Division, said Jan. 24.

“We've never really heard the rational specific to cutting each and every grant,” he said. “Right now what we are doing is going through all the grants and finding out the magnitude of the cuts. We are going through each grant and looking at actual activities funded, and making an assessment on whether the state should pay for them, or whether the grants are primarily for carrying out work for the federal government.”

One thing that remains to be seen is whether there is any discretionary money in the federal Commerce Department, he said.

Hilsinger said there may be projects where the state can tell federal fisheries officials that without federal funding, the work can't be done. On the other hand, some of these things the state should pay for, and hopefully the governor's office and the Alaska Legislature will see it that way, he said.
The slashed grants cover a mix of research and surveillance tasks that have helped maintain the sustainable fisheries, a requirement for Marine Stewardship Council approval of species. Hilsinger said the grants cover some Bering Sea crab research, some American Fisheries Act requirements for management and near shore marine fisheries research on rockfish, scallops, geoducks and red sea urchins. Other slashed grants included one for slightly less than $1 million, for sonar at Pilot Station, subsistence surveys, aerial escapement surveys, some Sheenjek River sonar and some work on the joint U.S.-Canadian technical team for the Yukon River. That grant has been funded for about 20 years.

The near shore marine research program funded by the federal grants pays for stock assessment of shellfish and groundfish in near shore waters, plus geoduck and red sea urchin stock assessments in Southeast Alaska, and rockfish stock assessments at Kodiak.

Also covered by the slashed grants is the extended jurisdiction program for federal shellfish and groundfish fisheries managed in federal as well as state waters by state officials. Unless funds are found, scallop and Bering Sea crab research programs, including stock assessment surveys in areas not covered by federal trawl surveys, would not be done, he said. Link

6. Rockfish pilot program garners praise, criticism (2/3). Proponents of a rockfish pilot program in the Gulf of Alaska say it has worked as expected: Slowing the pace of the fishery, improving product quality, reducing incidental fish harvests and boosting the local economy.

Others in the industry say the pilot program is simply a way to begin privatizing groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska.

Julie Bonney, executive director of the Alaska Groundfish Data Bank, said in a statement released through the Marine Conservation Alliance in Juneau that the pilot program to test cooperative management in the gulf's rockfish fishery was successful in its first year.

“It shifted a significant part of the catch to off-peak months, avoiding conflicts with the salmon fleet and lowering unemployment on the island,” Bonney said.

Several industry observers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rockfish pilot program was simply a way to allow certain participants in the fishery to grab the quota and utilize fish caught incidentally to the directed rockfish fishery.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council initially considered the rockfish pilot program as a two-year plan to improve quality, reduce bycatch and slow the pace of the fishery. In fact, critics of the pilot project said, the plan slid through Congress as a rider on an appropriations bill, without benefit of further discussion at the federal council or in Kodiak, creating a five-year pilot program for a closed class of processors and harvesters.

At the time the rider passed, Congress had already ordered the North Pacific council to determine whether any rationalization plans made sense by doing economic analysis, critics said. More

7. Researchers nab rarely tagged fin whale in Uganik (2/4). During the past three years, University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers tagged six humpback whales to learn more about their eating habits. However, until recently, no fin whale had ever been tagged in Alaska.

Since Thanksgiving, Kodiak-based UAF researcher Bree Witteveen has made two trips to Uganik Bay to tag fin whales. During the first 11-day trip right after Thanksgiving, one fin whale and one humpback were tagged, allowing researchers an opportunity to observe them.

A second trip ending last week was less successful. The whales had moved out of the area, and researchers were not able to tag any.

UAF marine mammal specialist Kate Wynne said tagging efforts are difficult this time of year. The water is choppier, and the whales are jumpy, making approaching the whales more difficult than in summer.

Wynne said the purpose of tagging is to discover which whales are present, what they’re feeding on, and who they’re competing with for food during different times throughout the year.

“We really couldn’t figure out what they were feeding on except by conjecture,” Wynne said. More

8. NPFMC, Kodiak fish committee meet in Feb (2/5). The 186th session of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council begins Wednesday at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle.

The series of meetings covers a wide range of topics, lasting until Feb. 12.

The meeting opens with briefings by officials from the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

The series of briefings also includes a protected species report, which will last about six hours.

During the conference, officials will also cover issues concerning crabs, trawlers, the American Fisheries Act, the rockfish program and the observer program.

The conference concludes with discussions about bycatch issues, groundfish management and ecosystem issues.

Kodiak fishing issues

During a recent series of meetings held by the Alaska Board of Fisheries, a number of residents unhappy with various proposals stated that maybe they should become members of the Kodiak Fishery Advisory Committee.

Now they have that chance.

The advisory committee holds its first 2008 meeting on Feb. 12 at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center starting at 7 p.m.

One agenda item is to fill several open seats, including the three-year seat for trawl, large boat, crab processor and small boat crab/herring/salmon seiners. Also up for election are two alternate seats for one-year terms. More

9. Homer News Seawatch. Fish council reviews crab rationalization program (2/6). The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has begun the process of reviewing portions of the crab rationalization program, and is discussing a draft report from the Crab Committee at its meeting. The Crab Committee is made up of 14 industry and community stakeholders and has held a series of meetings since the resolution passed to review the program. The draft report is a result of those meetings, and reflects the diversity of opinions and range of concerns that accompany the issue. There are a few points of consensus, but many more of opposition.

Specifically, the committee is looking at the A/B shares, or 90/10 split, where 90 percent of the catch (A shares) is required to be sold to specific processors, and the arbitration system that is meant to ensure fair market value for the catch despite processors being guaranteed the opportunity to buy it. More

10. 2008 Halibut Charter GHL

11. Opinion. Halibut Resource Stewardship Crucial (2/7). After attending the annual International Pacific Halibut Commission meeting in Portland, I feel compelled to point out some of the stark differences I heard in approaches toward halibut management.

The most revealing difference was in different user groups of the halibut resource and their recommendations about what the catch limits should be in face of declining halibut stocks. The Alaska commercial longliners supported the IPHC-recommended catch limits for all areas in Alaska. The commercial fishing industry respects the 80 years of internationally recognized, sustainable fisheries science that the IPHC has provided all of us.

In contrast, the expanding charter sector wanted to change the new coastwide model accepted by everyone at the IPHC meeting to provide for a higher catch limit for themselves that would likely continue to over-fish the stocks. The charter sector has exceeded its catch limit for the last four years. What is sustainable about that?

The Alaska Travel Industry Association and the Recreational Fishing Alliance also supported trying to change the science to allow for higher catch limits for the charter sector without showing concern for the future health of the stocks.

All who subsist through employment in the business of catching fish should accept the reductions in halibut harvest in order to provide for a sustainable resource. The 27 percent reduction this year to the commercial fisherman of Area 2C halibut (Southeast) will result in an estimated $1.5 million in lost wages and revenue and a loss of $57 million in quota share value. Remember that the commercial fleet also took a 20 percent reduction last year.

The charter industry can help our fishing communities stay strong through these years of low abundance by accepting and educating its clients about the need of resource conservation. Everyone needs to be a good steward of the resource so that subsistence, personal use, sport, and commercial have access to halibut in the future. The commercial industry did this by accepting the economic hardships of a significantly lower catch limit recommended by the IPHC staff and adopted by the IPHC commissioners. Acceptance of these lower catch limits will help protect the individual Alaskan's access to a healthy resource. Jeff Farvour, Halibut longline crew member, Sitka Link

12. Cutter SPAR recovers stray Buoy 4 (2/6). If you’ve been out to the area where Buoy 4 was supposed to be, you probably noticed it wasn’t. This morning the U.S. Coast Guard cutter SPAR got under way to correct that problem by replacing the buoy that broke its chain Jan. 28 and washed up on the southeast side of Spruce Island.

Crew on the ferry Tustumena were the first to notice the missing buoy as they arrived in Kodiak. The missing buoy was reported to the Coast Guard, which immediately began a search for the 35-foot long, 9-foot wide, 18,500-pound floating navigational hazard.

“The buoy parted its mooring chain,” said Lt. j.g. Tim Brown, the SPAR’s operations officer. “The air station was able to find it with a helicopter the next morning.”

Brown said that they weren’t sure what caused the chain to part, but it is not uncommon.

“We usually have two or three a year,” he said. “There is currently one (washed up) on St. Paul Island. Especially the buoys on the north entrance are subjected to a lot of swell and a lot of adverse weather.” More

13. US Coast Guard Continues HF Weather Broadcasts (2/7). WASHINGTON - Last April the Coast Guard asked for public comment on the need to continue broadcasting high frequency (HF) high seas weather forecasts for single sideband voice, facsimile charts and text messages over radiotelex (e.g. HF NAVTEX). The Coast Guard required public comment because the infrastructure necessary to provide these services had exceeded its life expectancy and significant costs were involved to continue these services.

After reviewing and analyzing the substantial public response that overwhelmingly urged the continuation of these services, the Coast Guard's "business case study" concluded that it was necessary to continue HF weather broadcasts. The business case study, "An Impact Assessment of Discontinuing USCG High-Frequency Radio Broadcasts of NWS Marine Weather Forecasts" is posted at: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/high_frequency/HF-WX_notice.htm

The study concluded:

"The responding public collectively perceives that the USCG HF broadcasts are essential to their safety. There is no viable alternative to the USCG HF broadcasts because present alternatives are perceived by the public to be out of financial reach. Also, marine weather forecasts available through these alternative sources may not guarantee the same level of accuracy, timeliness, and/or sufficiency as provided by the USCG HF broadcasts."

While the Coast Guard does not have funds necessary to replace all of its HF transmitters, funds are available to replace the 20 transmitters used for weather broadcasts. Link

14. The Small Boat Threat: No Easy Answers. Even with all the other challenges on its plate for the coming year, there is perhaps no greater task ahead of the U.S. Coast Guard and the DHS than determining how best to track, control and otherwise mitigate the risks posed by the millions of small boats that regularly operate in U.S. waters. These craft come in all shapes and sizes, from smaller pleasure craft all the way to speedboats, and a thousand other private and commercial platforms. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen calls it simply, "the small boat threat." He’s talking about those vessels 300 GT and under.

Security and terrorism experts have correctly identified the very real threat to U.S. coastlines from possible smuggling of materials and terrorists in such vessels. Almost ten years ago, former U.S. Coast Guard Commandant ADM James Loy said, “We live in a dangerous world. Domain ‘awareness’ is a critical part of mitigating these dangers.” And, while he certainly didn’t coin the phrase “domain awareness,” he was clearly ahead of his time in realizing what was to come. The challenge of controlling the threat posed by a myriad of small boat platforms will eventually be met by achieving real and defined “domain awareness.” Doing this in a way that provides real value, but also in an economical fashion, will be difficult. In the end, it may be impossible.

Recently, the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) encouraged the exemption of passenger vessels equipped with Automatic Information Systems (AIS) or sailing in Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) monitored zones from the U.S. Coast Guard’s proposed Long-Range Identification and Tracking regulation. The logic here is that small passenger vessels shouldn’t have to purchase equipment that would duplicate existing tracking information. The fear is that this additional expense could cripple the industry. Meanwhile, recreational boaters are objecting to expanding the AIS run by the Coast Guard to include small craft because it would be costly and impractical. The system currently applies (only) to commercial boats over 65 feet in length. More

15. Chiniak Gully To Open For Fishery (KMXT Audio) (2/5). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists won’t need to do any research in Chiniak Gully this year. As a result the restrictions on commercial fishing in the area have been lifted. KMXT’s Casey Kelly has more.

Chiniak Gully is one of two areas off the east side of Kodiak Island where NOAA has been conducting experiments on how commercial fishing affects schools of pollock. In the experiments, Chiniak Gully was used as a control, where trawling for pollock was not allowed, while Barnabus Gully was the treatment site, where vessels were allowed to fish un-prohibited. Chris Wilson with NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, says the two areas are ideal for this type of research. More

16. New Website. The Whole Truth About the EXXON VALDEZ Spill

17. Walruses need federal protection, group says (2/7). A conservation group filed Thursday to protect Pacific walruses because of the threat to their northern habitat by global warming. The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list walruses as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because of warming and its effect on sea ice used by the animals as a feeding and resting platform. The group also said oil and gas development throughout the animals' range was a threat.

The listing request was filed as the Fish and Wildlife Service decides whether to list polar bears as threatened because sea ice has diminished due to global warming.

"The Arctic is in crisis from global warming," said Shaye Wolf, lead author of the petition and a biologist with the conservation group. "Arctic sea-ice is disappearing at a stunning rate that vastly exceeds the predictions of the best climate models."

Bruce Woods, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage, said the law calls for a review to determine whether the petition contains "substantial information" within 90 days if practicable.

If the petition passes that first hurdle, the agency would have nine months to perform a status review on walruses.

Summer sea ice last summer receded to 1.65 million square miles, the lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado. In September, sea ice was 39 percent below the long-term average from 1979 to 2000. More Center for Biological Diversity PR

18. Healthy eagles return to Kodiak Saturday (2/7). Bird Treatment and Learning Center avian director Cindy Palmatier has attended many raptor releases since moving to Anchorage 25 years ago. In fact, she’s been at about 40 releases.

On Saturday morning, Palmatier will be on hand for the public release of the first five bald eagles returning to Kodiak since their fish-gut soak in the back of an Ocean Beauty Seafoods truck.

As promised, Ocean Beauty Seafoods is funding their return.

“We’re planning on doing a release at the Buskin River Beach at 10 a.m. Saturday morning,” said Gary Wheeler, manager of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. “The public is invited.”

Wheeler said that Palmatier will arrive with the eagles Saturday morning on Alaska Airlines to help the release go smoothly. Palmatier has a lot of experience with birds that extends back to her childhood. More

19. NOAA Fisheries scientist receives national award (2/7). NOAA Fisheries scientist Jamal Moss from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center received the first award given by the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists to honor outstanding young professionals at the outset of their careers.

Moss works at the new Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute at Lena Point in Juneau, Alaska.

He received the newly-established Kasahara Early Career Award during the Alaska Marine Sciences Symposium in Anchorage in late January. He also received prize money--$2,500.

Moss’ current research focuses on the effects of climate on the ecology, production, and status of juvenile salmon and on the fish community that lives where light penetrates into the Chukchi Sea and the eastern Bering Sea. More

20. NOAA. Annual Seabird Bycatch Estimates for 2005

21. AMCC to discuss ocean acidification (KFSK Audio) (2/4). PETERSBURG-AK (2008-02-04) Global warming is not only boosting ocean temperatures, but it’s also causing ocean acidification that could hurt Alaska’s fisheries according to the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. The organization is giving a presentation on the issue in Petersburg and will hold a community discussion the following evening. To find out more about ocean acidification, Matt Lichtenstein spoke with AMCC climate change project director Martha Levensaler more...

22. North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission Newsletter (Jan 2008)

STATE

23. Bill returns habitat division to Fish and Game (2/1). JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- A bill that returns the Division of Habitat to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is on the move.

House Bill 41 would reverse former Gov. Frank Murkowski's controversial decision to move the division to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Critics, including five former Fish and Game commissioners, say the move eroded the state's ability to protect its salmon streams.

The bill passed out of a House committee Friday.

Gov. Sarah Palin's administration has been reviewing the issue for the last year and plans to announce a decision next week.

Sponsors of a ballot initiative also are collecting signatures on a petition to put the issue before voters statewide. Link Anchorage Daily News version

24. Groups Want More Details On Hoverbarges (2/3). Redfern Resources Ltd. has offered new information on the hoverbarge it wants to use on the Taku River for the Tulsequah Chief Mine.

But state agencies and conservation groups, concerned about environmental consequences, say they need more.

Redfern, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, responded Jan. 18 to the state's request for more information.

"In some places, the responses were definitely acceptable. And in some of the other areas, I don't think that we can necessarily say that," said Tom Crafford, state mining coordinator. "There's a lot more information that the state agencies will need to have about these vessels."

The state is preparing a new set of questions for Redfern. But these won't be ready for a public meeting to be held Monday night at Centennial Hall, according to the agencies.

Redfern plans to send goods and people between Juneau and the proposed Tulsequah Chief Mine up the Taku River into Canada. The company wishes to use a hoverbarge, also known as an air-cushion barge. It has been used on the Yukon, in Siberia, and in the swamps of Suriname, in northern South America, a spokeswoman said. More

25. The public weighs in on hoverbarge issue (KTOO Audio) (2/5). More than 200 people filled Centennial Hall’s Sheffield #3 ballroom last night for a public meeting on the possibility of hover-barges carrying minerals from the Tulsequah Chief Mine down the Taku River. Centennial Hall’s other rooms were booked by the Canadian owners of the mine. But the main action was in the standing-room-only information session hosted by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

26. State Habitat Division Changes Houses Again (2/6). Gov. Sarah Palin announced Tuesday she will move the state Division of Habitat back into the Department of Fish and Game.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski triggered great controversy when he moved the division from Fish and Game to the Department of Natural Resources in 2003 to promote development. Palin criticized the move in her campaign, but she spent a year studying the effects of the change before deciding to move it back.

"We could not find one area where they failed Habitat," Palin said of the Department of Natural Resources.

Rather, she moved it to avoid the public perception that the division wasn't able to effectively protect resources in its new home, and to improve communication between Habitat and Fish and Game, she said.

Legislators pushing House Bill 41, which would move Habitat back to its original home, had been hoping for an executive order, which is a simpler process.

"Saved me some work," said the bill's author, Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage. "We don't have to keep marching people to hearings anymore." More APRN Audio (2/5)

27. ADN Opinion. Right move. Habitat division is going home (2/6). Gov. Sarah Palin has decided to return the state's habitat division to the state Department of Fish and Game. In other words, she's returning the habitat division to its natural habitat.

In 2003, then-Gov. Frank Murkowski, with tales of blocked development and lost jobs and income, essentially gutted the Division of Habitat and Restoration, pulled it from Fish and Game, renamed it the Office of Habitat Management and Permitting and sharply curtailed Fish and Game's traditional role in habitat protection. The purpose was to give more authority to the Department of Natural Resources. The goal was to speed development.

Many of the state's professional habitat biologists disputed the governor's claims. Their morale plunged with their authority.

For the first time in state history, Fish and Game was not the lead state agency in habitat protection. A later memorandum of understanding between the two departments seemed to seal Fish and Game's junior status.

That will change.

"It's gonna be restored to its original state," said Sharon Leighow, deputy press aide to Gov. Palin.

Most Alaskans probably don't care if habitat protection is run out of Fish and Game, DNR, or weights and measures, provided Alaska's wildlife, water, fresh air and natural beauty are protected.

But the signal from the Murkowski administration was clear, and it reversed the old Jay Hammond principle with a policy that said, "When in doubt, err on the side of development."

The current chiefs of DNR and Fish and Game, Tom Irwin and Denby Lloyd, said this week the habitat office has done well in DNR, but agreed its work will be more effective in Fish and Game.

The move restores balance to state management, where the challenge always is developing resources while protecting habitat. If these two departments pull together as they promise, Alaskans will be better off.

BOTTOM LINE: The governor undoes the wrong-headed move of her predecessor on the habitat division. Link

28. University elevates study of fisheries to bachelor of arts degree (2/1). Picture a typical liberal arts program: students studying subjects such as political science, writing, economics and anthropology.

Now picture those students taking that knowledge and applying it – to a fisheries degree.

It’s not a typical program of study, but starting in the fall, University of Alaska Fairbanks students will be able to do just that and earn a Bachelor of Arts in fisheries.

The B.A. is one of many new programs being launched in the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences as a result of a $5 million endowment from the Rasmuson Foundation.

"We have developed something that is new and unique," said Trent Sutton, undergraduate fisheries coordinator at the UAF. "It’s an opportunity to develop something that is certainly needed in Alaska but also beyond Alaska."

The B.A. allows students supplement their fisheries studies with subjects not typically associated with fisheries or ocean science. Sutton said that these new combinations will lead to new and much-needed kinds of fisheries professionals.

Fisheries and business management, for example, could prepare a student from a fishing community to return home and manage the family business. Political science and fisheries would be a unique advantage to a young Alaskan with political ambitions. More

29. Young fishing pros pushing for more winter catch options (KCHU Audio) (2/4). The next generation of fishermen in Prince William Sound is starting to press for winter fisheries.

30. Alaska Tax Division 2007 Annual Report (includes fishery taxes, including shared with municipalities)

31. Marmot Bay Portion Closes To Tanner Fishing (2/4). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Kodiak has closed the Marmot Bay portion of the Northeast Section to tanner crab fishing, effective at 3 this afternoon.

In an announcement from area shellfish management biologist Nick Sagalkin, he says the harvest target of 75-thousand pounds has been reached, so all waters north of Spruce Cape will be closed.

He said he is waiving the delivery requirement for this closure, since he feels he’s gotten good data from fishermen during the season so far. He’s also allowing them to leave their unbaited pots in deeper waters for 72 hours, as long as they keep the doors open. After that, fishermen will be required to move their pots and place them in waters shallower than 25 fathoms.

Fishing will continue in the remainder of the Northeast Section until further notice. Link

32. House Passes Legislation To Relax Ethics Rules For State Board Of Fisheries (1/24). A bill the Alaska House passed 33-2 on Wednesday would loosen ethics rules for the state Board of Fisheries.

House Bill 15 would allow board members to join in discussions on fisheries in which they or their family members are involved, though they would still not be able to vote. Right now, the rules require them to recuse themselves completely.

The bill would not, however, allow board members to participate in issues for which they've been paid to lobby or consult.

Commercial fishermen have been trying to make such a change for more than a decade, saying current law forces knowledgeable board members out of important fisheries discussions. Joe Childers, executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska, said the current rules "hamstring" the board, which is so small that the recusal of one member makes a big difference.

"Current law conflicts board members out of discussions where they have the most expertise to offer," said Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, who introduced the bill last year. More

33. Opinion. Do not allocate more salmon to Alaska sportfishing interests (2/8). The Alaska Board of Fisheries should not consider allocations of Cook Inlet fisheries as a contest between sport and commercial interests. That is a false distinction. If "commercial" means "doing it for money," there is far more commercial fishing going on in Cook Inlet than just the gillnet industry.

The real issue is which end-users get access to the fish.

Allocating more fish to sportfishing deprives the two-thirds of Alaskans who don't fish and American consumers who get their fish from markets and restaurants of access to the resource. Only about one-third of Alaskans fish and that number is declining. Tourist sportfishing is down 26 percent over the last five years.

Increased allocation of fish to sportfishing interests comes at the expense of increased pressure on already stressed ecosystems, further habitat degradation, disintegration of the Alaska lifestyle, the quality of angling experience, a narrowed economic base and vulnerability to increased energy prices and the health of the American economy in general.

Any outcry for more allocation of fisheries resources to sportfishing is specious, aimed essentially at pandering to special economic interests, and not a matter of need. What is needed is a rampant, out-of-control sportfishery to be reined in out of respect for other user groups and to the benefit of all Alaskans. -- John Nelson, Soldotna Link

34. Opinion. A commercial fisherman needs to be put on Board of Fisheries (2/8). The Board of Fisheries is holding a February meeting and likely making commercial fishing in Cook Inlet a memory. Why? Because Govs. Palin, Murkowski, Knowles, Hickel, Cowper and Sheffield didn't appoint a single Cook Inlet commercial fisher to the board. Gov. Hammond was the last to do that, with the appointment of Dannie Garroutte, a drift fisher from Ninilchik (served 1975-1980).

Isn't that odd? The Cook Inlet basin has a ripe population of Cook Inlet commercial fishers, and yet six governors chanced to not appoint a single one? Since 1979, 12 Cook Inlet basin sportfishers have served on the Board of Fisheries.

Gov. Cowper did appoint Mike Haggren, a Kodiak resident and Inlet drifter. However, he was cited for a fishing violation and axed. Cowper had courage!

Board member Jeremiah Campbell of Seward has a guide business. He was cited for a violation but remains seated. It seems Palin, so critical of her predecessor's petroleum issues, is unwilling to clean up her own administration.-- Brent Johnson, commercial fisherman, Clam Gulch. EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer is a commercial fisherman and president of a fisherman's association. Link

35. Petersburg. Meeting discuss marine service needs (2/7). Petersburg Economic Development Council (PEDC) hosted a meeting Friday night to discuss the needs of the marine service sector. Around 40 people attended the meeting and discussed a variety of issues for which PEDC could possibly provide economic assistance.

PEDC Coordinator Liz Cabrera explained the purpose of the meeting. “From PEDC’s perspective, we were trying to establish if there really was a need in the community based on facilities, and to hear from service providers on what they feel they have already and what they feel they need,” she said. “We were trying to decide if our next step is to spend money on a feasibility study.”

Cabrera stated that a feasibility study may soon be done on a haul out facility, a topic that dominated the meeting’s time. “A haul out is what we’re talking about mostly, and then along with that, there was a lot of interest in having space to work on boats on dry land,” she said. “In general, it was something that folks felt we did need in town. Exactly how it will be organized is still up in the air, but there is definitely some interest in having that kind of facility for both small boats and larger boats.”

With new environmental standards in place that require certain cleaning procedures to take place on land, rather than in specific nautical areas, a haul out facility is starting to be considered a necessity for coastal communities heavily dependent on their fleet. At the meeting, fishermen were asked what features would be most beneficial to them should a new facility be constructed. “That’s one of the questions we asked too, is what kind of characteristics we should be looking for,” said Cabrera. “One thing that was important was that the haul out not be dependent on the tide so boats could be pulled out at any time. There was interest in making sure there was adequate power and utilities in general. People were also interested in having adequate amounts of space to work on boats. There was some interest in having covered spaces as well.”

Who would claim ownership of a new facility has yet to be determined, but Cabrera mentioned a few sites that may be a feasible home for it, including the Scow Bay Turnaround and the lot behind the cold storage facility.

PEDC will decide whether or not to do a feasibility study at their next meeting. Link

MARKETING

36. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Bows 'Seafood U' for Retail (2/1). The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has bowed a new online training tool -- Alaska Seafood U -- designed to augment current retail training practices.

Equipped with essential information on Alaska seafood that retail seafood staff can use to educate consumers to help them make better-informed seafood purchases, the interactive, web-based Alaska Seafood U training program provides facts and tips on each of the Alaska seafood species, fisheries management, harvesting methods, health and nutrition plus cooking and preparation information. After successful completion of a series of short learning modules followed by multiple-choice quizzes, Alaska Seafood U students are presented with a Certificate of Completion rewarding them for their dedication to continuing their seafood education.

“In developing Alaska Seafood U, we wanted to address the retailers’ need to keep up with consumers’ growing demand for information about wild Alaska seafood,” said Larry Andrews, ASMI retail marketing director. Complete with colorful graphics and streaming videos, Andrews said the program “offers an engaging learning environment for seafood counter staff.”

Registration for retailers is free, and available at http://AlaskaSeafoodU.org .

A pioneer of sustainability since its acceptance into the Union in 1959, Alaska mandates by law that “fish…be utilized, developed and maintained on the sustained yield principle.” Link

37. Alaska exports (2/4). The estimated value of different Alaska exports from January to November 2007.

38. Southeast salmon prices at record highs (KCAW Audio)(2/4). Salmon prices around Southeast hit new records at the end of January. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the regional average for winter kings is $9.77 per pound, with some processors in Sitka and elsewhere reportedly paying as much as $10.25.

39. Alaska's resources hot international commodity (Interview with Ray Riutta an Greg Wolf –includes KTUU video link) (2/4). ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Last year, more than $4 billion in exports left Alaska and 2008 is expected to be at least as good, with a slight drop of about $200 million after the Agrium plant closed on the Kenai Peninsula.

Exports leaving the state include fish, timber and mined minerals. International trade is big business in the Last Frontier, according to World Trade Center Alaska Executive Director Greg Wolf, who says the state sold more than $4 billion worldwide in 2007.

The sales represented 10 percent of Alaska's gross state product.

"So it's big business for Alaska and also supports thousand of jobs across the state," Wolf said. "These are some of the higher-paying jobs in the Alaskan economy."

The state's prized seafood resource remains the number one export, totaling about 52 percent of everything sold Outside.

While Asia imports a substantial amount of Alaskan seafood, Europe is catching on as well.


"The value of our seafood exports has gone up significantly," said Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Executive Director Ray Riutta. "Where it used to be Asia was our primary markets, primarily Japan, we've seen tremendous growth in value going into European Union, Eastern Europe and Southern Europe."

Riutta says the fall of cod stocks in the Atlantic has driven interest in Alaska pollock and cod. More

40. NOAA PR. Taking the Anxiety Out of Consuming Seafood (1/30). The insatiable American appetite for seafood is dwarfed only by their hunger to know which fish is safe to eat and what menu choice won’t hurt the environment. A new Web site –FishWatch.NOAA.gov – developed by the federal fishery scientists and managers at NOAA is designed to answer these questions and more. NOAA will host a special press briefing during the International Seafood Show in Boston to showcase the new online consumer education tool that provides all the information consumers need to make educated choices. More

MISC

41. Icicle Gift Leads To Scholarship For Kodiak College Students (KMXT Audio/More) (2/4). Icicle Seafoods, a major statewide processor with operations throughout Alaska, has given a 200-thousand dollar gift to the University of Alaska Anchorage system, and part of the money will be making its way to Kodiak College. <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->KMXT’s Casey Kelly has more.<!--[endif]-->

Kodiak College Director Barbara Bolson says the school’s 25-thousand dollar portion of the gift will be used to create an endowed scholarship for students studying in one of the college’s vocational programs, such as welding.

Bolson says the welding program benefits local employees of Icicle, which operates a plant in Larsen Bay, because those employees can be certified in welding without leaving the island.

Tom is a seasoned professional who has 30 years of leadership experience in broad areas of maritime to include marine safety, aids to navigation, law enforcement and contingency preparedness.   Following his career as a U.S. Coast Guard Officer, Tom served as Executive Director of the United Fisherman of Alaska for 4 years, a statewide commercial fishing organization representing 34 fishing groups whose membership includes over 10,000 fishermen. Tom currently compliles and disseminates Fishnotes, serves as an advocate for new and growing seafood and related businesses and operates his own Emergency Management, Maritime and Fisheries Consulting Business. Tom resides in Juneau, Alaska and can be reached at tomgemmellmca@ak.net.