Contents
1. NOAA Aquaculture listening session Anchorage, May 21
2. Sens. Murkowski, Boxer and Begich Introduce Bill to Extend Moratorium on Discharge Permits for Commercial Vessels
3. Murkowski, Wyden Bill Would Lift Restrictions on Fishermen’s Use of Capital Construction Accounts
4. Murkowski secures $5M Help Mitigate Yukon River Chinook Salmon Fishery Failure
5. Rep. Young Introduces TWIC Delivery Act
6. Gulf of Mexico Oil blowout – NOAA Deepwater Horizon Incident response page
7. NY Times: Regulator Deferred to Oil Industry on Rig Safety
8. Gulf spill could have Alaska repercussions
9. Alaskans return from support visit to Louisiana oil spill victims
10. White House Proposes Bill to Lift Caps on Offshore Oil Spill Liability
11. Senators Whitehouse and Leahy introduce bills on Punitive Damages
12. House Panel to Hold Seven-Part Oversight Hearing Series on Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion
13. ADN on Copper River opener: Markets hope for plenty of salmon
14. ASMI posts info on Omega 3s, Sustainability and YouTube video
15. Senate approves Coast Guard spending bill
16. Science panel on cruise ship wastewater to meet –Juneau, June 10-11
17. Gov. & Candidates to talk fish May 28 at Kodiak Crab festival –
18. Aquaculture moves inch by inch toward organic labeling.
19. ADF&G Sportfish strategic plan
20. Council Coordinating Committee meeting, Anchorage May 19-21, Capt. Cook
21. NPFMC meeting, Sitka June 7-15
22. Story of Yukon salmon earns award; catch share loans advance
23. Laine Welch’s Fish Radio –topics from this week
24. Deadline June 29 for IPHC Merit Scholarships
25. Skate Nursery HAPC proposals sought by NPFMC, NMFS
26. Comment by June 10th on NOAA’s Arctic Vision and Strategy
27. Comment deadline June 4 on NOAA loan program subpart B changes
28. Comment by July 6 on SE AK Fisheries economic data collection
29. NMFS data collection…Profiles of Fish Processing Plants in Alaska
30. Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey – comment by June 22
31. Comment deadline June 29 on MMPA standards for seafood imports
32. NPRB Ecosystems 2010 Conference Nov 8-11, Anchorage – Deadline June 4 for papers:
33. Deadline July 6 on Polar Bear Critical Habitat comments & draft econ analysis
34. EPA seeks Comment on the Effects of Ocean Acidification as it Relates to the 303(d) Program
35. Comment by June 16 on Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund outreach and education
36. ADF&G Recently Posted Reports:
37. Astoria Commercial Fishermen’s Festival, September 18 – 19, 2010
38. Energy Use in Fisheries conference November 14-17, 2010, Seattle, WA.
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1. NOAA Aquaculture listening session Anchorage, May 21 –
Deadline for written comments May 28
For discussion questions and other background, see:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy1/
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2. Sens. Murkowski, Boxer and Begich Introduce Bill to Extend Moratorium on Discharge Permits for Commercial Vessels
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-California, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced a bipartisan bill (S. 3372) that would extend the current moratorium on a permit requirement for commercial and charter fishing vessels and other commercial vessels under 79 feet long. The legislation would provide these commercial vessels a three-year moratorium extension from permits for discharges under the Clean Water Act…
The current two-year moratorium is set to expire on July 31, 2010, which was enacted to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Coast Guard to conduct a study to evaluate the impact of vessel discharges under normal operation .
Senator Murkowski press release:
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=cb21d720-f297-4a30-b931-c2e39a1547e6&ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&Group_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624
Senator Begich Press release: http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=2ebec77e-6dc1-4254-ab8f-3eb569c3cf8a&ContentType_id=ef710aa3-7e29-440a-b9de-316ee20df1b5
EPA Vessel Discharge home page: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=350
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3. Murkowski, Wyden Bill Would Lift Restrictions on Fishermen’s Use of Capital Construction Accounts
Washington, D.C. – Recognizing changes in the commercial fishing industry and the need to create new jobs and prevent overfishing, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislation today that will give America’s fishermen greater flexibility in how they can use money set aside in special capital construction funds…
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=007f866d-01b0-435e-aad7-68bfb5f2c1bd&ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&Group_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624&MonthDisplay=4&YearDisplay=2010
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4. Murkowski secures $5M Help Mitigate Yukon River Chinook Salmon Fishery Failure
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Appropriations Committee today agreed to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s request to include $5 million in a 2010 supplemental appropriations bill to help mitigate the Yukon River Chinook salmon fishery failure.
The economic disaster assistance would help fishermen and communities affected by the fishery failure for the Yukon River Chinook salmon fishery. In 2008, the commercial salmon harvest was 89 percent below the five-year average, and the fishery remained closed through 2009. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke declared a Yukon Chinook salmon fishery failure this past January due to a fishery resource disaster. The $5 million in funding is based on the estimated commercial fishing losses for the 2008 and 2009 fishing seasons…
http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=7ddf53c9-7671-452a-aa3d-655a4046f824&ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&Group_id=c01df158-d935-4d7a-895d-f694ddf41624
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5. Rep. Young Introduces TWIC Delivery Act
Washington, D.C. – Alaskan Congressman Don Young has introduced H.R. 5227, a bill that would require delivery by mail of the Transportation Worker Identity Credential (TWIC) if a permanent enrollment center is not accessible by road or is more than 100 miles away.
“Much of Alaska’s economy is derived from our ports, whether it be through cruise ships, fishermen, longshoremen, etc,” said Rep. Young. “The TWIC is a very important step we are taking to help ensure our nation’s homeland security, however it is unfair to mandate that employees travel and incur personal expenses to obtain this credential…
http://donyoung.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=184440
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6. Gulf of Mexico Oil blowout – NOAA Deepwater Horizon Incident response page
As the nation’s leading scientific resource for oil spills, NOAA has been on the scene of the Deepwater Horizon spill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/topic_subtopic_entry.php?RECORD_KEY(entry_subtopic_topic)=entry_id,subtopic_id,topic_id&entry_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=809&subtopic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=2&topic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1
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7. NY Times: Regulator Deferred to Oil Industry on Rig Safety
By ERIC LIPTON and JOHN M. BRODER
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators warned offshore rig operators more than a decade ago that they needed to install backup systems to control the giant undersea valves known as blowout preventers, used to cut off the flow of oil from a well in an emergency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/us/08agency.html
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8. Gulf spill could have Alaska repercussions
The oil gushing from a Gulf of Mexico oil well has the potential to touch Alaska in many ways. Alaska is next in line, nationally, for offshore oil development in federal waters — Shell Oil hopes to drill exploration wells in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas this summer, opening a controversial new frontier for the state’s oil industry.
Investors’ jitters over future offshore oil production could boost Alaska oil prices — it happened Thursday, when the price for Alaska crude jumped by $2.70 to $83.97.
National outrage could dim the prospects of an offshore oil boom in Alaska’s Arctic waters, which federal scientists say could hold some of the biggest oil and gas deposits in the country.
http://www.adn.com/2010/05/01/1259518/gulf-spill-to-have-alaska-repercussions.html
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9. Alaskans return from support visit to Louisiana oil spill victims
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — University of Alaska Fairbanks professor Torie Baker and Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council staffer Joe Banta recently returned from a week in Louisiana.
The pair held dozens of meetings with locals affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. They shared their stories about living through the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, over twenty years ago.
Baker and Banta say the hardest part is not having answers for what the future holds.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12486758
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10. White House Proposes Bill to Lift Caps on Offshore Oil Spill Liability
President Obama put his weight today behind legislative efforts to lift liability caps for oil spills.
The administration is sending a wide-ranging spill-response package to Capitol Hill that includes raising the $75 million cap on economic damages. It would also seek to accelerate assistance to people left unemployed by the spill, expand eligibility for food stamps and raise an 8-cent-per-barrel oil tax by 1 cent…
Also included in the bill:
– $15 million to guarantee that out-of-work fishermen will be compensated for lost earnings.
-$2 million to the Food and Drug Administration to monitor the spill’s impact on seafood caught in the Gulf of Mexico. That could include deploying technology to speed the analysis of seafood samples for contamination…
The administration’s proposal comes on top of numerous other bills related to the Gulf spill already introduced by lawmakers. Among them:
S. 3337, by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), which would amend the Public Works and Economic Development Administration Act of 1965 to establish a program to provide technical assistance grants for use by organizations in assisting individuals and businesses affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Environment and Public Works Committee is handling the measure.
H.R. 5267, by Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-La.), which would amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to accelerate the increase in the amount of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease revenues that is shared with states. The bill was sent to the House Natural Resources Committee.
S. 3343, by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), which would direct the Interior secretary to establish an annual fee on federal offshore areas that are subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas and to establish a fund to reduce pollution and the dependence of the United States on oil. The bill is being handled by the Energy Committee.
S. 3344, by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), which would establish an independent, nonpartisan commission to investigate the causes and impact of, and evaluate and improve the response to, the April 20 explosion, fire and loss of life on the Deepwater Horizon. The energy panel is handling the bill.
S. 3345., by Whitehouse, Menendez and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), which would amend Title 46, U.S. Code, to remove the cap on punitive damages established by the Supreme Court in Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker. The bill is in the Commerce Committee. (see item below)
S. 3346 by Whitehouse and Menendez, which would increase the limits on liability under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The Energy Committee is handling the measure.
NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/05/12/12greenwire-white-house-proposes-bill-to-lift-caps-on-offs-45047.html
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11. Senators Whitehouse and Leahy introduce bills on Punitive Damages
Washington, D.C. – With oil continuing to leak into the Gulf of Mexico from a broken off-shore oil rig at a rate of 5,000 barrels per day, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today introduced a series of bills to address this growing catastrophe. The bills would establish a commission to investigate the oil spill, lift limits on punitive damages against big oil companies, and raise the civil and criminal penalties associated with violating provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).
The Big Oil Polluter Pays Act, which is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), would overturn the 2008 Supreme Court case, Exxon Shipping Co. vs. Baker, which slashed Exxon Mobil Corporation’s punitive damages for the Exxon Valdez Spill. In that case, the Supreme Court held that unless Congress spoke, punitive damages under maritime law had to be limited to the amount of compensatory damages assessed in a case (the damages assessed to make victims whole). This legislation would allow judges and juries to assess punitive damages based on all facts in a case, without regard to the amount of other damages owed.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse press release: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=536A397D-594A-419D-BB7F-64E62D4BEDB1
Hat’s off to Cordova’s Osa Schultz for her 2008 testimony before Senator Leahy and the Senate Judiciary committeeon the Supreme Courts ruling. .
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12. House Panel to Hold Seven-Part Oversight Hearing Series on Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Committee with primary jurisdiction over offshore oil and gas drilling, the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), will hold a seven-part oversight hearing series to investigate the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and examine the future of America’s offshore oil and gas policy.
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=630&Itemid=27
House resources home page: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/
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13. ADN on Copper River opener: Markets hope for plenty of salmon
RIVER OPENING: Copper River kings and sockeye are expected to hit shelves this week.
Last week’s Copper River salmon opening left many people wanting more. With another opening this week, farmers’ markets and fish shops hope to be packed to the gills with Alaska’s bounty.
John Jackson of New Sagaya Markets says he’s expecting good results from Monday’s 12-hour opener.
“The first opener was not as successful as many people wanted it to be as far as catches went; hopefully it was better this go around,” he says.
http://www.adn.com/2010/05/18/1284290/markets-hope-for-plenty-of-salmon.html
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14. ASMI posts info on Omega 3s, Sustainability and YouTube video
Alaska Seafood Sustainability In Plain English:
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/sustainability/documents/SustainabilityInPlainEnglish_001.pdf
Omega-3s and the Immune System
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/health/facts/documents/eng_omega_3.pdf
Omega-3s and Diabetes
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/health/facts/documents/eng_type_2.pdf
ASMI on Youtube: Alaska Bears Whales & Fishermen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XHyYRdvGdU
ASMI home page: http://www.alaskaseafood.org/
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15. Senate approves Coast Guard spending bill
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Senate on Friday gave unanimous approval to a Coast Guard spending bill that includes an expansion of oil-spill-response requirements in Puget Sound and reforms to a multibillion Coast Guard contracting program sought by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Senate passage of the spending bill also could set the stage for congressional approval of a sweeping overhaul of federal fishery-safety laws that are contained in a companion bill approved by the House.
Cantwell “strongly supports the fishing-safety legislation,” and she will try to have it included in a final bill that would emerge from a joint House-Senate conference, said Katharine Lister, a Cantwell spokeswoman.
Cantwell is chair of a Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Coast Guard and fisheries, but for the past four years she had been unable to gain passage of a Coast Guard spending bill. Some Republican senators had objected to certain provisions and pursued tactics that would have required a difficult floor fight to gain passage.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011811255_coastguardbill8m.html
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16. Science panel on cruise ship wastewater to meet –Juneau, June 10-11
Juneau Empire
JUNEAU – The state Science Advisory Panel on cruise ship wastewater treatment systems will meet for the second time June 10-11 in Juneau…
The meetings will be held in the Egan Room at Centennial Hall. They are open to the public.
More information can be found at www.dec.state.ak.us/water/cruise_ships/SciencePanel
Meeting Notice: http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/cruise%5Fships/SciencePanel/meeting06102010.html
Juneau Empire:
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/050710/reg_635601214.shtml
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17. Gov. & Candidates to talk fish May 28 at Kodiak Crab festival –
Festival home page:
http://www.kodiak.org/things-to-do/island-celebrations/crab-festival.html
Schedule of Events:
http://www.kodiak.org/things-to-do/island-celebrations/crab-festival/crab-festival-schedule.html
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18. Aquaculture moves inch by inch toward organic labeling.
…The ball is now in the court of the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). For more than five years, members of the Aquaculture Working Group, 12 people who work on some aspect of aquaculture — feed scientists, environmentalists, industry groups and veterinarians — have written, hashed out, defended and otherwise shepherded organic standards for finfish and bivalve mollusks through approval by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which advises the NOP.
The next step, according to George Lockwood, chairman of the Aquaculture Working Group, is for the NOP to proceed with final rulemaking, an 18-month process that’s not expected to begin until 2011.
http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=4294993401
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19. ADF&G Sportfish strategic plan
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Static/strat_plan/PDFs/StrategicPlan2010Final.pdf
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20. Council Coordinating Committee meeting, Anchorage May 19-21, Capt. Cook
North Pacific Fishery Management Council will host a meeting of the Council Coordination Committee (CCC), consisting of the Regional Fishery Management Council chairs, vice chairs, and executive directors on May 19-20-21, 2010.
Agenda: http://www.fisherycouncils.org/CCC/CCCagenda.pdf
NPFMC home page:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/
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21. NPFMC meeting, Sitka June 7-15
Draft agenda: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Agendas/610Agenda.pdf
Items FOR the June Meeting – Rockfish EA; Appendix; Chum Teleconference Report – see NPFMC home page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/
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22. Story of Yukon salmon earns award; catch share loans advance
And the Oscar goes to … Yukon River salmon!
The story of wild Yukon River salmon claimed top honors recently by the James Beard Foundation at a celebrity-studded gala in New York City. Founded in 1986, the foundation celebrates and nurtures America’s culinary heritage and diversity.
The award — considered the Oscar of the food world — was in the media TV Show/On Location category as part of a PBS series called “Chefs A’ Field.” The segment titled “King of Alaska” featured nationally acclaimed restaurateur and chef Rick Moonen, and was filmed almost entirely in Emmonak…
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/051410/fis_6_003.shtml
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23. Laine Welch’s Fish Radio –topics from this week
Tuesday 5/18/10 – Sea Lion BiOp worries #1 fishing port
Monday 5/17/10 – Why salmon prices are tough to track
Friday 5/14/10 – Copper River, nice prices, few boats
Thursday 5/13/10 – Sitka fish feed ‘drag race’
Wednesday 5/12/10 – Roe herring updates http://www.marineconservationalliance.org/fishradio.htm
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24. Deadline June 29 for IPHC Merit Scholarships
http://www.iphc.washington.edu/halcom/newsrel/2010/nr20100318.htm
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25. Skate Nursery HAPC proposals sought by NPFMC, NMFS
Call for proposals for Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs) and associated fishery management measures.
SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS are soliciting proposals for candidate sites that could be identified as HAPCs and managed within Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Council has identified skate nurseries as a priority for consideration during this call for proposals, and proposals must meet the identified priority…
DATES: Proposals must be submitted by August 16, 2010.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-9569.htm
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26. Comment by June 10th on NOAA’s Arctic Vision and Strategy
The Arctic has profound significance for climate and functioning of ecosystems around the globe. The region is particularly vulnerable and prone to rapid change. Increasing air and ocean temperatures, thawing permafrost, loss of sea ice, and shifts in ecosystems are evidence of widespread and dramatic ongoing change. As a result, critical environmental, economic, and national security issues are emerging, many of which have significant impacts for human lives, livelihoods, and coastal communities. Though NOAA has numerous and diverse capabilities that support these emerging issues, a strategic approach that leverages NOAA’s existing priorities and strengths, as well as those of our national and international partners, is needed. This document provides a high-level framework and six strategic goals to address NOAA’s highest priorities in the region. It is based upon assumptions that the region will: continue to experience dramatic change; become more accessible to human activities; and, be a focus of increasing global strategic interest.
DATES: Comments must be submitted by June 10, 2010…
Federal Register: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-11016.htm
NOAA Arctic theme page: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/
NOAA Fisheries Arctic page: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/arctic/
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27. Comment deadline June 4 on NOAA loan program subpart B changes
The Fisheries Finance Program (FFP or the Program) provides long-term financing to the commercial fishing and aquaculture industries for fishing vessels, fisheries facilities, aquaculture facilities, and individual fishing quotas (IFQs).
In this action, NMFS amends our regulations to reflect the statutory changes to the Program, and to provide regulations for two additional lending products.
DATES: NMFS invites the public to comment on this proposed rule. Comments must be submitted in writing on or before June 4, 2010. Comments will be accepted only on Subpart B. Subpart C is unchanged except for numbering, therefore, comments will not be accepted… http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-10270.htm
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28. Comment by July 6 on SE AK Fisheries economic data collection
Much of the data required for regional economic analysis associated with Southeast Alaska fisheries are either unavailable or unreliable. Accurate fishery-level data on employment, labor income, and expenditures in the Southeast Alaska fishery and related industries are not currently available but are needed to estimate the effects of fisheries on the economy of Southeast Alaska. In this planned survey effort, data on these important regional economic variables will be collected and used to develop models that will provide more reliable estimates and significantly improve policymakers’ ability to assess policy effects on fishery-dependent communities in Southeast Alaska. The survey will be conducted one-time only. The survey (mailed) will request data on employment, labor payments, and other expenditures from owners of 1,700 vessels that delivered fish to
Southeast Alaska processors in 2009…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-10780.htm
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29. NMFS data collection…Profiles of Fish Processing Plants in Alaska
The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public to comment on information collection: Profiles of Fish Processing Plants in Alaska
… The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center proposes to obtain such basic information, as an accurate number of individuals employed at each
processing facility during the months of operation, the peak number of workers for processing various species by season, the ethnicity of processing workers, types of lodging…
Comment by June 21…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-9114.htm
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30. Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey – comment by June 22
Recent amendments to the MSA require the development of an improved data collection program for recreational fisheries. To meet the requirements of the MSA, NOAA’s
National Marine Fisheries Service is developing pilot studies to test alternative approaches for surveying recreational anglers…
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-9423.htm
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31. Comment deadline June 29 on MMPA standards for seafood imports
With respect to foreign fisheries, section 101(a)(2) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1371(a)(2)) states that “[t]he Secretary of the Treasury shall ban the importation of commercial fish or products from fish which have been caught with commercial fishing technology which
results in the incidental kill or incidental serious injury of ocean mammals in excess of United States standards…
…This rulemaking would define the “United States standards”
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-10158.htm
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32. NPRB Ecosystems 2010 Conference Nov 8-11, Anchorage – Deadline June 4 for papers:
The North Pacific Research Board, along with regional and international cosponsors, announces the second call for papers for the 26th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, Ecosystems 2010: Global Progress on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management.
Call for papers: deadline June 4, 2010
Conference dates: November 8-11, Anchorage
Ecosystems 2010 will bring together fishery scientists, managers, and stakeholders from around the world to share insights into the current status and future prospects of ecosystem-based fisheries management.
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/conferences/2010/wakefield-ecosystems/index.php
NPRB home page: http://www.nprb.org/
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33. Deadline July 6 on Polar Bear Critical Habitat comments & draft econ analysis
USFWS Releases Draft Economic Analysis of Polar Bear Critical Habitat
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today (May 4) announced a draft economic analysis of the potential impacts of designating critical habitat for the threatened polar bear. The Service also announced it will reopen the public comment period on the proposed designation of critical habitat for the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Both measures will be subject to a 60-day comment period that will open upon publication in the Federal Register on May 5, 2010.
The draft economic analysis provides estimated costs of the reasonably foreseeable potential economic impacts of the proposed critical habitat designation for the polar bear through 2039.
http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/criticalhabitat.htm
Federal Register Notice:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-10512.htm
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34. EPA seeks Comment on the Effects of Ocean Acidification as it Relates to the 303(d) Program
Background
The Federal Register notice (FRN) is asking the public to comment on the effects of ocean acidification as it relates to the Section 303(d) program. EPA is soliciting specific input on what considerations EPA should take into account when deciding how to address listing of waters as threatened or impaired for ocean acidification under the Section 303(d) program. If EPA issues guidance on the listing of waters as threatened or impaired for ocean acidification, the Agency is using this opportunity to ask for input on what are the specific elements EPA should consider in regards to monitoring and assessment. Other questions EPA is requesting comment on include:
How can States or EPA otherwise aid in monitoring ocean acidification and its impacts on marine life and ecosystems?
If waters were determined to be threatened or impaired for ocean acidification under 303(d), what issues should EPA and States take into account when considering how to address TMDL development for such waters?
What other Federal ocean acidification programs and initiatives should EPA take into account when deciding how to approach ocean acidification under the 303(d) program?
… Comments from the public must be received on or before May 21, 2010.
EPA Notice:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/oceanfrMarch_2010/
Federal Register Notice: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-6239.htm
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35. Comment by June 16 on Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund outreach and education
The Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development proposed changes in regulations in Title 3 of the Alaska Administrative Code dealing with Alaska sustainable salmon fund outreach and education program, including the following:
A new chapter 157 is added to 3 AAC regarding the allocation of program money. The new chapter includes provisions addressing use of purpose and applicability, eligible entities, eligible grant proposals, solicitation process, application requirements, preliminary proposal review, proposal review committee, proposal scoring process and criteria, award notification, reconsideration, acceptance of grant offer; grant conditions, waiver of sovereign immunity and definitions.
You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including potential costs to private persons complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Gail Dabaluz at the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Division of Community and Regional Affairs, P.O. Box 110809, Juneau, AK 99801-0809. The comments must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on June 16, 2010.
Proposed regs: http://commerce.alaska.gov/dca/pub/FINAL_AK_Sustainable_Salmon_Regulations.pdf
DCCED notice: http://notes4.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/cc52605f7c156e7a8925672a0060a91b/fbd3334083082d42892577270060f263?OpenDocument
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36. ADF&G Recently Posted Reports:
Aleutian Islands and Atka-Amlia Islands Management Areas Salmon Annual Management Report, 2009.
Annual Summary of the Commercial, Subsistence, and Personal Use Salmon Fisheries and Salmon Escapements in the Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, and Atka-Amlia
Islands Management Areas, 2009.
Summary of observer data collected during the 2007/08 Alaska weathervane scallop fishery.
Stock Assessment and Restoration of the Afognak Lake Sockeye Salmon Run, 2009.
North Alaska Peninsula commercial salmon annual management report, 2009.
Chignik Management Area commercial salmon fishery harvest strategy, 2010.
2009 NSEI (Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict) Sablefish Mark-Tag Survey.
Contribution of Alaskan, Canadian, and Transboundary Sockeye Salmon Stocks to Catches in Southeast Alaska Purse Seine and Gillnet Fisheries, Districts 101–108, Based on Analysis of Scale Patterns, 2002.
2009 Lower Cook Inlet Annual Finfish Management Report.
Wild and Hatchery Coded-Wire Tagged Coho Salmon Recovered as Strays in Natural Spawning Escapements in Southeast Alaska, 1976–2007.
Kodiak Management Area Harvest Strategy for the 2010 Commercial Salmon Fishery.
Overview of the 2009 Southeast Alaska and Yakutat Commercial, Personal Use, and Subsistence Salmon Fisheries.
See http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/pubs/pubs_recent.php for these and more…
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37. Astoria Commercial Fishermen’s Festival, September 18 – 19, 2010
http://www.commercialfishermensfestival.com/
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38. Energy Use in Fisheries conference November 14-17, 2010, Seattle, WA.
http://www.energyfish.nmfs.noaa.gov/
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UFA dues for Alaska commercial fishing permit holders are $150 and we also welcome crew/supporter nonvoting members at $50 per year.
To support UFA see http://www.ufa-fish.org/members.htm
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