The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) is seeking commercial longline and research vessels to conduct a Pacific halibut discard mortality study in the latter part of October to early November 2017. The purpose of the charter is to (1) evaluate the effects of fish handling practices on injury levels and their association with the physiological condition of captured Pacific halibut, (2) investigate the effects of fish handling methods and associated injury level and physiological condition on post-release survival of sublegal Pacific halibut discards, and (3) validate the ability of electronic monitoring (EM) to correctly identify release methods and associated fish handling methods to post-release survival.
This project will help refine current estimates of discard mortality rates (DMRs) in the directed Pacific halibut fishery by investigating the relationship between hook release methods, injury levels, physiological condition, and survival post-release. Additionally, it will pioneer the use and application of EM to associating fish handling practices with survival. Sealed tenders must be received at the IPHC office in Seattle no later than 12:00 noon (Pacific Daylight Time) on Monday, 25 September 2017.
News Release: http://www.iphc.int/news-releases/538-iphc-nr-2017-28.html
Bid Specifications and Tender Forms: http://www.iphc.int/research/surveys/dmr-study.html
Alaska Marine Conservation Council Job Openings
AMCC is hiring! The two positions are open until September 18th. Learn about and apply for them here.
Upcoming Marine Safety Workshops in Sitka
AMSEA is offering two upcoming marine safety workshops in Sitka this September. Read on for more information:
First Aid, CPR & AED Workshop in Sitka
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association will conduct a first aid, CPR, and AED workshop in Sitka on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. The workshop will be held from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the NSRAA, 1308 Sawmill Creek Road.
Instructor, Eric Van Cise, will cover CPR & automatic external defibrillators (AED); treatment of choking; medical emergencies; trauma; environmental hazards; patient assessment; medical communications; drowning & hypothermia; and common fishing injuries. Attendees will receive a U.S. Coast Guard accepted, two-year certificate issued by the American Safety & Health Institute. The cost for the workshop is $95.00. Register online at www.amsea.org or call (907) 747-3287.
Free F/V Drill Conductor Workshop for Commercial Fishermen
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) will offer a Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor workshop in Sitka on Monday, September 25, 2017, from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The workshop will meet at the Public Safety Training Academy, 877 Sawmill Creek Road.
This workshop is an excellent opportunity for commercial fishermen and other mariners to gain hands-on training with marine safety equipment and learn best practices for surviving emergencies at sea. Instructor Rick Petersen will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, signal flares, and MAYDAY calls; man-overboard recovery; firefighting; flooding and damage control; immersion suits and PFDs, helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures, and emergency drills.
AMSEA’s Drill Conductor workshops meet the U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for Drill Conductors on commercial fishing vessels. This workshop is offered to commercial fishermen at no cost, thanks to support from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. The cost is $175 for all others. Interested mariners may register online at www.amsea.org or call (907) 747-3287.
A Fresh Look at Frozen Fish
ALFA and Alaskans Own, its CSF program, have been involved with a research study testing consumer's preferences for "fresh" vs frozen fish, all in an effort to answer the question, "is fresh seafood really higher quality than flash frozen?
One of our partner organizations, Ecotrust, has recently published a blog post about this study and its fascinating results:
"This pervasive preference, along with the desire to build more stable markets for community fishermen, prompted a recent study we conducted in partnership with Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center, and Michigan-based seafood certification company, Seafood Analytics. The partners set out to address two key assumptions: That frozen fish is less fresh and less tasty than its unfrozen counterpart.
Conducted using samples of salmon and cod harvested by community fishermen from Port Orford Sustainable Seafood in Oregon and Alaskan’s Own out of Sitka Alaska, the study compared their flash-frozen fish with fresh-from-the-grocery-store samples."
IPHC Request for Proposals, Interim & Annual Meetings Announced
The IPHC has announced its 2017 Interim Meeting date & location, its 2018 Annual Meeting date and location, and an invitation to submit regulatory proposals for consideration at both of these meetings.
The 93rd Session of the IPHC Interim Meeting (IM093) will be held 28-29 November 2017 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in Seattle, Washington, USA. New this year, the meeting will require attendees to pre-register. Please follow the Interim Meeting registration link (https://iphcim093.eventbrite.com).
The 94th Session of the IPHC Annual Meeting (AM094) will be held 22-26 January 2018 at the Hilton Portland Downtown in Portland, Oregon, USA. New this year, the meeting will require attendees to pre-register. Please follow the Annual Meeting registration link (https://iphcam094.eventbrite.com).
Learn more about meetings and proposals here:
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/news-releases/531-iphc-nr-2017-23.html
Electronic Monitoring Now Allowed for Small Boats
The National Marine Fisheries has published a final rule allowing use of electronic monitoring instead of an on-board human observer for smaller longline and pot gear fishing vessels. The final rule published Tuesday, August 8 allows vessels under 60 feet fishing for halibut and groundfish to volunteer for video camera monitoring for next year’s season.
Read more here.
Anyone looking for work?
Northline Seafoods is looking for part-time employees for the rest of the salmon season to help them process fish on their floating barge out in Silver Bay.
If you know anyone looking for some part-time work please have them call Ben Blakey at the Northline office: 907-747-4755
Also: a trolling member is looking for crew to start immediately until August 15th. Call us at 907-747-3400 if you're interested!
New chief: U.S. can 'have it both ways' in managing stocks
Increasing the flexibility of a federal law like the Magnuson-Stevens Act could have huge implications for the ways that fisheries are managed around the country by changing the jurisdiction that the state and federal government have over certain areas and species.
We encourage you to read the below article on the current debate about this important Act, and also to update yourselves on what's happening with red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico as a case study.
Update on the MSA debate: https://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2017/08/02/stories/1060058259
Article on red snapper debate: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/07/07/535021139/who-gets-to-fish-for-red-snapper-in-the-gulf-its-all-politics
Murkowski Introduces GE Salmon Labeling Bill
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently introduced new legislation (attached) to mandate the labeling of genetically engineered salmon, continuing her years-long fight against “Frankenfish.”
Read the press release from Murkowski's office here.
Read a piece from Cordova Times on the new legislation here.
National Fisherman Puts Young Fishermen's Issues on the Cover
National Fisherman's August cover story is all about young fishermen, the obstacles they face, and new legislation that would help to tackle some of those issues by providing support for nationwide training and development programs!
Read the article here.
Photo courtesy of National Fisherman, from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.