Below please find the petition from Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association regarding salmon conservation rule making.
Seafood Companies Sue Federal Government: Claim Trump Administration Plays Favorites with Tariff Relief Money
The Trump administration was taken to court on 21 October by three seafood-related companies that claim the federal government’s trade policies has harmed their businesses.
Texas-based Houston Seafood Company, LLC along with Gulf Marine Product Co., Inc. and Ningbo Trading Company, LLC, both based in Louisiana, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for Southern Texas.
Read full article at Seafood Source:
Why Fishermen Worry about Climate Change
Sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Central Gulf of Alaska have remained in heatwave conditions (SST elevated above the 90th percentile for more than 5 consecutive days) since the 13th of September. Overall the SST has oscillated in and out of heatwave conditions throughout the late Spring and Summer, and now into Fall. For the past 90 days there have been three periods with heatwave conditions (SST elevated above the 90th percentile for more than 5 consecutive days), July 14th through August 3rd and August 14th through August 30th, and September 13 through the present. In the short cooler periods between heatwave conditions in this time period the mean daily sea surface temperatures in the Central Gulf of Alaska continued to remain above the 1982-2012 mean.
Follow link above to read more, from NOAA.
Landslide Survey
A team of researchers, led by the Sitka Sound Science Center, are conducting a survey to ensure all Sitkans are adequately connected for improved community resilience. After the survey, they will share the anonymized findings with Sitka.
To take the survey or more information, follow link below.
ADF&G Disaster Relief Spend Plan Allocates Disproportionate Share of Cares Act Funds to Charter Sector
On October 5, 2020, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) released its “Section 12005 CARES Act Relief for Fisheries Participants Draft Spend Plan” which will distribute $50 million in fisheries disaster relief funds to eligible participants from the commercial fishing, seafood processing, charter fishing, aquaculture and subsistence sectors. ADF&G’s draft spend plan allocates nearly a third of the funds – 32 percent - to the charter sector. Commercial fishing and seafood processing sectors will also each receive 32 percent of the disaster relief funds.
ALFA had requested that the Department use the approach of other major fishing states such as Massachusetts, which evaluated 2020 fishery market trends and other fishery data while developing its spend plan and allocated its funds by sector using NOAA Fisheries’ formula for distributing the CARES Act funds to each coastal fishing state. Other coastal state spend plans also attempted to allocate fishermen’s funds fairly by identifying the number of license holders and businesses in each sector.
NOAA Fisheries allocated $50 million to Alaska based on multi-year revenue information from commercial and charter fishing sectors, aquaculture businesses, and processing/seafood sectors showing that nearly 60 percent of Alaska’s fishery revenue derived from seafood processors. Commercial fishermen generated 35.2 percent of the state’s fishery revenue, and charter operators generated the remaining 5.5 percent. ALFA requested that ADF&G should use these percentages as a primary basis for allocating disaster relief funds between the sectors.
Instead, ADF&G’s spend plan explains that the agency increased the charter allocation to 32 percent to mitigate losses caused by travel restrictions and health mandates. This approach diverts funding mostly from the seafood processing sector, which otherwise would have received $30 million in disaster relief funds instead of the $16 million allocated to the sector under the ADF&G plan. This approach ignores the fact that many Alaska-based processors have incurred significant expenses in order to operate under the state’s health mandates and travel restrictions, and despite precautions, some have shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks. Alaska processors support many resident workers and are essential for our fishermen and many have also experienced significant revenue declines.
Alaska’s fisheries produce more seafood volume than all the other states combined - nearly 60 percent of all commercial fishery landings in the United States by volume, and one-third of the nation’s commercial fishery economic value. The seafood industry is second only to oil and gas in terms of state jobs, making it important to utilize the limited funds in a way that fairly allocates relief. ADF&G’s allocation does not reflect the relative importance of the seafood sector, which employs more workers than any other industry in Alaska. Available data from the McDowell Group’s 2017 report, “The Economic Value of Alaska’s Seafood Industry” identify a total of 16,500 Alaska residents and 9,400 home-ported fishing vessels that, combined with non-resident fishermen, generated $1.7 billion in ex-vessel value in 2016. The state’s seafood processing industry employs 26,500 Alaska residents and generated a wholesale value of $4.2 billion in 2016.
In contrast, according to a 2019 NOAA Fisheries report measuring economic contributions from the charter fishing sector, “the saltwater recreational charter fishing sector is small relative to the commercial seafood sector,” contributing a total economic output of $166 million, or 4 percent of the $4.4 billion total economic output to Alaska’s economy. ADF&G management reports identify 686 active saltwater businesses, split evenly between Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, which employ roughly 1,222 guides. This means that funds which would otherwise provide relief to processors in rural coastal fishing communities throughout the state will instead accrue to charter businesses concentrated in just a few communities. According to the McDowell Group, seafood processing is an “economic foundation of many rural communities” employing 15% of rural workers and over 21,200 rural Alaska residents.
ADF&G’s spend plan differs from the approach of other major fishing states in that it does not provide any data showing the relative economic contributions of the sectors or the number of affected businesses and workers. Most major coastal states evaluated changes in the ex-vessel values of their fisheries and compiled data identifying of the total number of eligible participants by sector to inform their spend plans. The ADF&G spend plan also does not explain why ADF&G assumes that the charter sector experienced more cumulative economic harm than commercial fisheries and seafood processors.
ADF&G is allowing a public comment period through 6:00 p.m. October 19, 2020. ALFA encourages commercial fishermen, processors and community members to comment on this unfair allocation. ADF&G’s press release and information for submitting comments is available here:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=pressreleases.pr&release=2020_10_05
A summary of eligibility requirements and other spend plan components for fishermen and processors is available on ALFA’s COVID-19 page.
State of Alaska releases dedicated CARES Act draft spend plan for public review
Below is ADFG's draft spend plan for the $50M for fisheries dedicated CARES money. Public comment is due October 19.
Note that NOAA proposed allocating 5.5% of funds to the charter sector. ADFG proposes allocating 32% to the charter sector (including non-resident). This is an increase of $13.25M for the charter sector.
NOAA proposed allocating 59.3% to processors, dealers, wholesalers, and distributors. ADFG proposes allocating 32% to the seafood processing sector.
ADFG proposes allocating 1% to aquaculture and 3% to subsistence.
ALFA will be providing comments but we urge all members to also voice their concerns.
Press release: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=pressreleases.pr&release=2020_10_05
NOAA Allocations (scroll down) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/commerce-secretary-announces-allocation-300-million-cares-act-fundinghttp://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/home/news/hottopics/pdfs/cares_act_spendingplan_100520.pdf
NPFMC SSC Meetings
NPFMC SSC meetings are this week regarding sablefish ABC, apportionment, and sablefish bycatch in the Bering Sea.
With the help of our new coalition, we were able to rally 110 comments and secure 120 signatures on a sign on letter in support of lowering bycatch. The AP meets this week, and the Council the following week. You can listen and testify through the Council’s website: https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/1565
Below are comments submitted to the Council on sablefish, halibut bycatch ABM, and observer program/EM:
Sign up for ALFA's Fall Virtual Fishermen's Expo
ALFA’s fall fishermen’s expo will take place on November 11 and 12th. Sign up to reserve your spot now!
Ecosystem- Based Fisheries Management Strengthens Resilience to Climate Change
Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) has been applied in Alaska for decades with great success. Alaska’s valuable commercial fisheries are among the most productive and sustainable in the world. However, current EBFM policies were not designed to address climate change.
See full story at NOAA Fisheries: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/ecosystem-based-fisheries-management-strengthens-resilience-climate-change
Compensation for US Trade Tariffs on Seafood
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Seafood Trade Relief Program has set aside $530 million for commercial fishermen hurt by the U.S.-China trade war. Applicants can receive up to $250,000. This is a great opportunity for eligible fishermen and is especially timely given the additional fallout from COVID-19.
Q: Who is eligible to participate in the Seafood Trade Relief Program (STRP)?A: U.S. commercial fishermen who have a valid federal or state license or permit to catchseafood who bring their catch to shore and sell or transfer them to another party. That otherparty must be a legally permitted or licensed seafood dealer. Alternatively, the catch can beprocessed at sea and sold by the same legally permitted entity that harvested or processed the product.
Q: What seafood is eligible?A: Eligible seafood species must have been subject to retaliatory tariffs and suffered more than$5 million in retaliatory trade damages.Eligible species are Atka mackerel, Dungeness crab, King crab, Snow crab, SouthernTanner crab, Flounder, Geoduck, Goosefish, Herring, Lobster, Pacific Cod, Pacific Ocean Perch, Pollock, Sablefish, Salmon, Sole, Squid, Tuna and Turbot.
Here is the USDA page where the application and instructions can be found. Applications opened on September 14 and will be open through December 14.