Category: Uncategorized

Petersburg . . . The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that the commercial golden king crab fishery in the East Central and Northern Areas will close at 12:00 noon, Monday, March 21, 2016. These areas are being closed prior to the completion of the 2016 guideline harvest level (GHL) in response to continued declines in fishery performance and recruitment of golden king crab. These declines are similar to the early to mid-1990s when the department routinely closed fishing areas before harvests reached GHLs. A detailed justification for the closure of each area is provided below. East Central Area The established preseason GHL for golden king crab in East Central was 30,000 pounds. Through March 10, 2016, approximately 6,895 pounds (23% of the GHL) have been harvested Read more…

The McDowell group made a presentation on “The Economic Impacts of Alaska’s Seafood Industry,” for ASMI. The full presentation is here. Here are some points on the economic impacts statewide: -Approximately 60,000 workers are employed by the seafood industry and earn $1.6 billion in labor income based off 2013 and 2014 averages. -In multiplier effects, this is $5.9 billion in total economic activity in Alaska. -31,819 captains and crewmen are employed in Alaska’s commercial fisheries, with a fleet of 8,618 vessels. -The seafood industry is the largest private sector employer at 20% and offers opportunities for both urban and rural communities. It is also the second largest basic job creator after the oil-and-gas industry. -Seafood is processed in Alaska by 176 shore-based plants, Read more…

Here are the retainable percentages of incidentally caught species in the long line fishery for catcher vessels in the Gulf of Alaska: https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/tab10.pdf Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands: https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/tabl11.pdf

Ketchikan…. the Alaska Department of Fish and Game today announced the following information concerning the Craig/Klawock spawn-on-kelp pound fishery. The 2015/16 herring winter bait fishery in Section 3-B and District 4 had a final harvest of 898 tons of herring. The winter bait fishery was allocated 60% of the total GHL of 1,590 tons, or 954 tons. This means that 692 tons of herring will be used for the Macrocystis kelp allocation tables for the 2016 spawn-on-kelp fishery. New regulatory changes will be in effect for the upcoming season that includes modifications to the kelp allocation table, revisions on how permit holders operate and join two separate closed pounds, a new depth to which the pound webbing must be lowered at time of herring release, and an increase in how Read more…

Sitka. . . .The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reminds participants in the federal Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) sablefish fishery that IFQ harvest of sablefish is prohibited in all state waters of the Southeast District. This includes internal state waters, all waters within the three nautical mile line (0-3 miles), and the waters that are east of the Fishery Limit Line between Cape Ommaney and 55°30.00′ N. latitude. The areas closed to the harvest of IFQ sablefish are outlined in the attached map on page 2. For additional information on federal IFQ fisheries for sablefish and halibut contact NOAA Enforcement at (907) 747-6940 (Sitka), (907) 586-7225 (Juneau), (907) 772-2285 (Petersburg), or (907) 247-5804 (Ketchikan). For additional information on groundfish fisheries, Read more…

Petersburg . . . The Registration Area A Tanner crab harvest strategy [5 AAC 35.113] establishes commercial Tanner crab fishing season length using estimated mature male biomass and the number of registered pots at the start of the fishery. As of 8:40 a.m., Wednesday, February 17, 2016, there are 61 pot vessels and 4,880 pots registered for the 2015/2016 commercial Tanner crab fishery. At the current estimated mature male biomass and effort level of 4,880 registered pots, the harvest strategy provides two additional days of season length in “core” and “non-core” areas. The 2015/2016 commercial Tanner crab fishery in Southeast Alaska will open in “core” and “non-core” areas (described in 5 AAC 35.113(c)) at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, February 17, 2016. The season will close Read more…

Petersburg . . . The 2015/2016 commercial golden king crab fishery in Southeast Alaska will open concurrently with the commercial Tanner crab fishery at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Guideline Harvest Levels The Registration Area A guideline harvest level (GHL) for this season is 155,000 pounds. Management area specific GHLs set within the guideline harvest ranges (GHRs) are as follows: Management Area                                       GHR                    2015/2016 GHL Northern                                                0 – 175,000                  15,000 Icy Strait                                                0 – 75,000                    12,000 North Read more…