Senator Lisa Murkowski has hired a new fisheries and Arctic policy advisor. Jay Sterne is a former federal lobbyist, and he comes to Murkowski’s office from Windward Strategies, a consulting group. In a press release, Sterne is described as “a twenty year veteran of fisheries and Arctic policy discussions.” He’s lobbied for several Alaska fisheries clients, including Alaskan Leader Fisheries, Prowler Fisheries and Clipper Seafoods. According to Murkowski’s press office, Sterne has recently been working on Steller sea lion-related fisheries closures in the western Aleutian Islands on behalf of the fishing industry.
After a few shaky years, the amount of pollock that fishermen can catch in the Bering Sea is on the rise.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council met up in Anchorage this week to set catch limits for several fisheries. In 2013, fishermen will be going after 1.266 million metric tons of pollock. That exceeds the limit that was pitched to the council by their own advisory team of scientists and fishermen.
It’s a very different picture from 2010, when fishermen weren’t able to catch their full allotment of pollock, and the stocks were thought to be on the decline. To protect the fishery down the road, fishermen at last year's NPFMC meeting asked for lower limits than what biologists were saying was safe.
Workers prepare the buoy for deployment. / Pipa Escalante
When cargo ships run into trouble along the Great Circle shipping route, they often end up in Unalaska. There are plenty of support services in town, but there's only so much dock space. And with Unalaska's rough weather, simply dropping anchor isn’t secure enough.
That's why Unalaska has deployed a new emergency mooring buoy in Broad Bay. Mayor Shirley Marquardt says the system is valued at $10.2 million. But it was almost entirely funded with grants and donations of hardware and professional services.
Shell Oil has been building and testing equipment designed for the Arctic Ocean in Puget Sound. In September, a key test of underwater oil-spill equipment was a spectacular failure. It forced the energy giant to postpone Arctic oil drilling until next summer.
Shell and its federal regulators have been tight-lipped about the failed test. But a Freedom of Information request reveals what happened beneath the surface of Puget Sound.
Unalaska’s smallest processing plant is now a major player in the Aleutian Islands golden king crab fishery. A recent purchase by one of Bering Fisheries’ parent companies will bring an extra 1.2 million of pounds of king crab through the plant every year.
Dick Tremaine is the asset manager for Siu Alaska Corporation, which owns half of the plant. He says the purchase will help Bering Fisheries compete in a marketplace dominated by big processors.
Shell’s Kulluk drill rig is back in Unalaska after spending the fall in the Beaufort Sea, but it may not be around for long. Shell previously said the Kulluk would overwinter in Unalaska at its custom dock in Captain’s Bay, but spokesperson Kelly op de Weegh now says that it may go south for maintenance.
Meanwhile, Shell’s other drill rig - the Noble Discoverer - left for Seward late last week, just a few days after an engine backfire at City Dock. Op de Weegh says the rig will dock in Seward temporarily before heading south to an undisclosed West Coast port.
After months of uncertainty, Akutan’s new airport finally has scheduled service. Regional airlines have been operating charter flights to the $77 million airstrip since it opened in September, but a dispute over carrying the mail held up regular service. The mail dispute isn’t entirely settled, but the federal Department of Transportation awarded Grant Aviation a two-year Essential Air Service contract anyway.
A contained explosion aboard Shell’s Noble Discoverer drill rig sent fire crews in Unalaska scrambling this morning. Ports Director Peggy McLaughlin says she felt the blast from the harbor office, which is about 200 yards away.
“It was almost like a backfire, a ginormous [sic] backfire is what I would equate it to, but because of the size of the vessel, it was pretty big. And when we looked out we could actually see the smoke coming out of the top of the landing pad there and so it was one of those, ‘we need to make a call and make sure it doesn’t get out of control.’”
It’s been four months since an ammonia spill on a processing vessel shut down parts of Unalaska. Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has wrapped up their investigation into the accident.
The result: more than $55,000 in fines – and some valuable lessons for emergency responders.
