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#07-05-2013 - ComFish News Roundup

Walmart refuses Alaska salmon in latest ecolabel battle
MSC ecolabel
MSC ecolabel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
BY BOB TKACZ, FOR THE JOURNAL
Published: 2013.07.03 10:16 AM
JUNEAU — The largest retailer in the world is warning its seafood suppliers that it won’t buy Alaskan salmon if they don’t have the right ecolabel. The June letter from Walmart reminding its wild seafood suppliers that their salmon must be certified “sustainable” by the Marine Stewardship Council has had no immediate impact but marks the latest episode in the struggle between the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s “responsible fishery management” certification and the MSC’s blue and white fish label. One international trade publication described the ultimatum as ecolabel “racketeering.” Another asked, “Who cares?” And an Alaska senator jumped into the fray. In a June 28 letter to Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke.... http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/July-Issue-1-2013/Walmart-refuses-Alaska-salmon-in-latest-ecolabel-battle/

Forest Service Speeds Up Tongass Second Growth Plan
Map of Tongas National Forest, taken from offi...
Map of Tongas National Forest, taken from official US Forest Service web site. Henryhartley 16:06, Apr 13, 2005 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Peter Granitz, APRN - Washington DC | July 3, 2013 - 5:57 pm
The U.S. Forest Service says it’s speeding up Tongass National Forest’s transition from an old-growth management plan to a second growth plan. The shift is scheduled to take 10-15 y
ears, and frustrates both environmental groups and loggers. For years the stated goal has been to move toward harvesting the new growth trees to preserve the iconic old-growth trees that serve as a backbone to the Tongass. That’s been agreed to by the government, environmental community, and to a point, the logging industry.... http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/07/03/forest-service-speeds-up-tongass-second-growth-plan/

Sockeyes run strong, kings weak
BY MOLLY DISCHNER, ALASKA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE
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Sockeye runs throughout the state are picking up, and so far, fishermen are seeing more fishing opportunity than last summer. By June 30, more than 1 million sockeyes had been harvested in the Kodiak Management Area, with 42,223 estimated to have been taken June 30. On the Karluk River, which usually has the largest sockeye run on Kodiak Island, 215,273 sockeyes were counted through June 30, well above the 175,467 by the same date in 2012. The Ayakulik, another major river in the area, hit 165,283 sockeyes June 30, more than the 2012 escapement of 143,692 on the same date. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or ADFG, announced additional openings and extensions for certain... http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/July-Issue-1-2013/Sockeyes-run-strong-kings-weak/

11:56 AM THU JULY 4, 2013
Another Day of Less than a Million Sockeye
By MIKE MASON
The commercial harvest of sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay dropped off on Wednesday. KDLG’s Mike Mason has the details..... http://kdlg.org/post/another-day-less-million-sockeye

Salmon habitat law wins vote
Posted: July 3, 2013 - 11:03am
By GREG SKINNER
Peninsula Clarion
Two attempts to derail the inevitable and affirmative vote for borough-wide riparian regulations were thwarted Tuesday night as the Assembly voted 6 -3 to enact the broader protective regulations over local waters. With the vote, the Kenai Borough Assembly largely agreed that some form of proactive protection of salmon rearing waters was needed.... http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2013-07-03/salmon-habitat-law-wins-vote

Report: Cook Inlet commercial salmon worth $350M in 2011
The proposed bridge would cross Knik Arm north...
The proposed bridge would cross Knik Arm north of Anchorage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
BY MOLLY DISCHNER, ALASKA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE
Published: 2013.07.03 10:16 AM
How much is the salmon coming out of Cook Inlet worth?
According to a recent report produced for the Alaska Salmon Alliance, the fishery had a $54 million ex-vessel, or dockside, value in 2011, and $102 million in direct value to the region. The analysis was done by Northern Economics, and examines commercial fishing economic impacts on the Kenai Peninsula, and throughout the state. Alaska Salmon Alliance Executive Director Arni Thomson said the Cook Inlet salmon fishery’s overall economic impact to the region..... http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/July-Issue-1-2013/Report-Cook-Inlet-commercial-salmon-worth-350M-in-2011/

11:56 AM THU JULY 4, 2013
Another Day of Less than a Million Sockeye
By MIKE MASON
The commercial harvest of sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay dropped off on Wednesday. KDLG’s Mike Mason has the details...... http://www.kdlg.org/post/another-day-less-million-sockeye

B.C. Minister proposes headwater, Stikine protection
By Greg Knight
July 4, 2013
A Canadian parliamentarian has submitted a bill in the legislature of British Columbia seeking to protect the Stikine, Nass and Skeena rivers. Nathan Cullen, Minister of Parliament for the Skeena-Bulkley Valley of Northwestern B.C. has introduced a member’s bill that he says will put the protection back into what he calls a government-gutted Canadian Navigable Waters Protection Act. Cullen said he submitted the bill believing that the Conservative..... http://www.wrangellsentinel.com/story/2013/07/04/about-town/bc-minister-proposes-headwater-stikine-protection/1290.html

The Alaska Fisheries Report
Jul 03, 2013
Coming up this week, setnetters get their nets back in the water near the mouth of the Igushik, where a 78-foot tender capsized. Walmart has let it be known they only want Marine Stewardship Council salmon from Alaska, and a new way of life for Yukon River fishermen. The stories were brought to us by KDLG’s Dave Bendinger and Mike Mason in Dillingham, KYUK’s Kyle Clayton in Bethel, and KFSK’s Joe Viechnicki in Petersburg. Remember, seal bombs aren’t fireworks and be safe out there..... http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4824

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Seafood Ice Cream
July 3, 2013 by ladyfish
Well, if baby food makers won’t do it, perhaps the ice cream industry will lead the charge to get more fish into the mouths of American children..... http://www.alaskafishradio.com/i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream-for-seafood-ice-cream/

From The Ashes, Fish Processor Relocates, Gets To Work
Daily Astorian | July 04, 2013 9:56 p.m. | Updated: July 05, 2013 4:56 a.m.
Just inside the Port of Astoria’s cavernous Hangar 2, leased by Del Mar Seafoods since 2006, about 30 workers process, pack, box and freeze whiting. Next to them, more welders and laborers assemble the parts of a new packing line and platform in.... http://www.opb.org/news/article/from-the-ashes-fish-processor-relocates-gets-to-work/

These labels are downright fishy
July 05, 2013
.............. The term "wild" has become the most improperly used term associated with salmon. "Wild" is supposed to mean they are the progeny of naturally spawning salmon. It is meant to differentiate them from salmon bred and fed in hatcheries before they are released as smolts to head to sea with their wild half-brethren, where together they feed commercial fisheries that, in turn, feed you. Typically, salmon labeled as wild really are just wild-caught. Maybe they should use the term "free range" for fish caught in the ocean without asserting whether their parents hooked up in a gravel riffle or had their eggs and milt mixed for them in a 5-gallon bucket. And don't for a minute think hatchery-raised salmon and pen-raised salmon are remotely interchangeable. Though they're both bucket-spawners, any commonalities stop there...... http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130705/LIFE/307050305

Wall Street Journal wonders if U.S. spied on Europe to learn about food label regulation
Jul. 3, 2013 1:15pm Eddie Scarry
Regarding leaks to foreign news media with evidence that U.S. intelligence has been spying on its allies in Europe, the Wall Street Journal weighs in... http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2013/07/03/wall-street-journal-wonders-if-u-s-spied-on-europe-to-learn-about-food-label-regulation/