Every year, the Alaska Department of Labor devotes one monthly report entirely to fisheries issues. They run the data on how many people the fishing industry employs and how much revenue it brings in.
The report found that the number of people commercially harvesting fish has gone down over the past five years. In 2005, the monthly employment average was about 7,500 people. Last year, it was under 7,000.
The governing panel for the Community Development Quota program has released its report on the finances and investments of its six member groups. That program allocates about 10% of the Bering Sea’s fish stocks to western Alaska communities that have traditionally had large Native populations and high levels of poverty.
In a press release, Western Alaska Community Development Association Executive Director Aggie Blandford states that the goal of the report is to highlight the successes of the CDQ groups. The report lists numerous gains, including the development of alternative energy in the Aleutian Islands and the construction of a new small boat harbor in the Pribilofs.
During peak fishing season, it can be hard to get off the island if you didn’t book months in advance. Last week, it was impossible. On the heels of a month of flight delays and cancellations, Alaska Airlines temporarily suspended the program that guarantees locals a seat on flights in and out of Unalaska. Now it’s back.
No one likes the feeling of being trapped, which is how the community access program came about.
The Bering Sea pollock B season is grinding to a close.
As of Saturday, 77,000 metric tons of fish remain unharvested. That’s about 10 percent of what the fleet’s allowed to take this fall. Both the catcher vessels and factory trawlers have reduced their effort substantially, according to NOAA’s latest catch report. Many crews have already packed up and flown home even if they still have fish on the table.
This weekend, Alaska Federation of Natives delegates voted on some 50-odd resolutions, covering everything from health care to voting strategies. Two items that got approval call for serious changes to the way Alaska’s fisheries are managed.
The first resolution they voted on concerns policy-making. It expresses support for the reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Act, which sets the rules for fisheries management. It also calls for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to create voting seats for Alaska tribal representatives. Right now, the 15-member council is made up of fisheries managers and representatives selected by the governors of Alaska and Washington.
Less is more this season for Bristol Bay red king crab. The fishery’s quota was cut in half, but the price has soared.
When the season opened ten days ago, Jake Jacobsen, executive director of ICE, the largest crabber cooperative, was expecting the final price for red king to be around $10 per pound. That would have been a new record and almost three dollars more than last year. Now he says that estimate is low.
When Peninsula Airways apologized to customers last week for recent flight delays and cancellations by offering $49 companion fares to affected communities, Unalaska was conspicuously absent from their list.
That’s because Alaska Airlines and PenAir have what’s called a “capacity purchase agreement” in place for flights between Anchorage and Unalaska. Basically what that means is that Alaska buys every seat on those PenAir and then re-sells them. So really it’s an Alaska Airlines flight. Here’s PenAir CEO Danny Seybert.
With increased shipping traffic in Alaska waters, there’s a greater chance of accidents and oil spills happening. The emergency towing system was developed in order to respond to distress cargo vessels in bad weather, and now a partnership between the state, the Coast Guard, and local governments is trying to figure out how to best use it on fishing vessels.
This season, some red king crab could be worth over $30 a pound. That is, if they’re wrapped in pink or green string and seem to have some sort of capsule attached to them.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Marine Conservation Alliance are once again teaming up to collect archival tags on harvested crab. Those tags contain information – like water temperature and depth – that provide a better understanding of crab migration.
