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#08-02-2013 - ComFish News Roundup

EPA report slammed in Congressional hearing
Polar Bear (Cub), Arctic National Wildlife Ref...
Polar Bear (Cub), Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
10:59 PM 08/01/2013
Three of the four witnesses at a Congressional hearing on the EPA’s Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment heavily criticized both its findings and process, saying it was “discouraging” and lacked credibility. The controversial  $2.4 million taxpayer-funded report warned against the construction of Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, where $500 billion worth of copper, gold and other minerals lie near the world’s largest source of... http://dailycaller.com/2013/08/01/epa-report-slammed-in-congressional-hearing/
Alaska judge rejects setnetters' bid for additional fishing time in Cook Inlet
Craig Medred
August 1, 2013
Demands for more salmon in the setnets of commercial fishermen working the east side of Cook Inlet have been thrown back into the shark tank of Alaska fisheries politics by an Anchorage Superior Court judge. Judge Andrew Guidi ruled Thursday that when the state Board of Fisheries decided commercial fishermen "may" be entitled to an extra 51 hours of fishing time this year, that is exactly what the board meant. Setnetters had argued the.... http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130801/alaska-judge-rejects-setnetters-bid-additional-fishing-time-cook-inlet

AJOC EDITORIAL: Mythbusting the halibut split … and the federal ANWR argument
BY ANDREW JENSEN, MANAGING EDITOR
Published: 2013.08.01 12:01 PM
Pick an acronym, CSP or ANWR, and it’s DVAOA.
That’s Déjà Vu All Over Again.
Opposition to the proposed halibut Catch Sharing Plan isn’t as old as the fight against oil and gas development on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but neither side has called a new play in years. I’ll start with the freshest debate over how the halibut harvest should be split between charter and commercial fishermen, even though it is really a thawed leftover from the 2011 campaign led by the recreational fishing industry that prevented the previous iteration of the Catch Sharing Plan from taking effect. The charter industry had several good arguments against the last version of the halibut split passed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in 2008 and scheduled to start in 2012. Chief among those concerns was a management “matrix” that... http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/August-Issue-1-2013/AJOC-EDITORIAL-Mythbusting-the-halibut-split-and-the-federal-ANWR-argument/

ADF&G salmon management prioritizes commercial harvests
Posted: Thursday, August 1, 2013 10:46 pm
By Andy Couch Mat-Su Angler's Club Fishing Corner
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website, commercial gill netters working Upper Cook Inlet have harvested 157,528 coho salmon as of July 29. But according to Mike Hudson, owner of 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle in Wasilla,  “Sport anglers are catching a few coho salmon in several Mat-Su Valley locations, but I don’t know of one Mat-Su Valley location with even ‘good’ coho salmon sport fishing at this time.” Hudson also mentioned a brief stronger, but earlier 600 coho salmon push that seems to have already moved upstream of most anglers on the Little Susitna River, only to be followed by a shortage of salmon..... http://www.frontiersman.com/sports/outdoors/adf-g-salmon-management-prioritizes-commercial-harvests/article_33c1a1e0-fb3f-11e2-a838-0019bb2963f4.html

12:00 AM FRI AUGUST 2, 2013
Bristol Bay Fisheries Report for Friday, August 1
By MIKE MASON
The Bristol Bay Fisheries Report for Friday, August 1 includes a story about regulatory changes considered by the Alaska Board of Fisheries during their Bristol Bay meeting last December. We..... http://www.kdlg.org/post/bristol-bay-fisheries-report-friday-august-1

The Alaska Fisheries Report
Aug 01, 2013
Coming up this week, the disappointing Bristol Bay sockeye run is boosting roe prices in Japan; there’s a gripping new documentary about a.... http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4915

Kodiak fishermen share thoughts on privatized fisheries
August 1, 2013 by Laine Welch
This is Fish Radio. I’m Stephanie Mangini. Is there an alternative other then IFQs, catch shares, and privatized fishing?  When posing such a loaded question there is little to no response on privatizing fisheries . Fish Radio did manage to get a few responses from some of Kodiak’s fisherman, but it wasn’t easy. Here’s their thoughts...... http://www.alaskafishradio.com/kodiak-fishermen-share-thoughts-on-privatized-fisheries/

KRAA Interns Wrap Up Sunny Summer, Head Back to Sunshine State
Aug 01, 2013
Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
For the past two months, Elizabeth Fata and Heather Sadusky have been living in a trailer at the head of Monashka Bay, near white sands beach. They aren’t squatters, and they certainly aren’t tourists camping out for the summer. The two are actually interns with Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association and have been living in the field to better monitor king salmon, or as Sadusky explains, manage the weir.  “You know if you’ve ever been out there and looked up the river you can see this..... http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4917

Sen. Cantwell backs bills supporting coastal economy
16 hours ago  •  By The Daily World (Aberdeen)
Three bills geared toward supporting and protecting the state's coastal economy passed through the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday. The bills are co-sponsored by Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and are aimed at improving water quality and strengthening fishing law enforcement. "These key bills would support Washington state's $10.8 billion coastal economy and the 165,000 jobs that depend on it," Cantwell said in a press release. "Two bills will help step up law enforcement against illegal fishing boats that have harmed Washington state fishing jobs. Bering Sea fishermen -- many of whom are based in Washington -- have lost $560 million from the illegal..... http://tdn.com/news/state-and-regional/washington/sen-cantwell-backs-bills-supporting-coastal-economy/article_eeed916a-fade-11e2-a94f-0019bb2963f4.html

Petersburg: Harbormaster clears out North Harbor for dredging
August 1, 2013
Boaters mooring their vessels in Petersburg’s North Boat Harbor had to clear out by August 1 in preparation for the harbor dredging and reconstruction project. Harbormaster Glorianne Wollen says the first phase of the process will be to remove the harbor’s floats and pilings. The Army Corps of Engineers contracted out to Sitka’s S&S General Contractors to dredge the North Harbor along with the basin in.... http://www.petersburgpilot.com/story/2013/08/01/about-town/harbormaster-clears-out-north-harbor-for-dredging/1545.html



















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