Saving Seafood

North Pacific Council Reviews Bering Sea Pollock and IFQ Halibut Progams

February 9, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council oversees all federal fisheries between three and 200 miles off the Alaska coast. One of eight regions, the North Pacific fishery is by far the country’s most profitable, having produced two-thirds of the country’s total seafood value in 2015.

At their Seattle meeting Feb. 1-6, the council focused on some of the structures at the core of fisheries management, reviewing catch share programs and looking for areas to tune up in both the halibut IFQ fishery and the Bering Sea pollock fishery, Alaska’s largest fishery by volume.

For the IFQ halibut fishery, the council asked that some information be refined and sent back to it, including effects on the outmigration of rural employment, the amount of Community Development Quota ownership, and the individual ownership for catcher vessels.

The American Fisheries Act, signed into law in 1998, was designed to end foreign control of the Bering Sea pollock fishery. Under the new rules, vessels must be a minimum 75 percent U.S.-owned.

As with most of the continually evolving North Pacific fisheries, the biggest points in the AFA review included how the program has encouraged U.S. and Alaskan ownership and employment.

Indeed, the program did produce some consolidation. At the start of 2000, 18 companies owned the 19 catcher-processors in the Bering Sea fishery. By 2015, seven companies owned them.

Impacts to fishing communities have been “largely beneficial,” according to the review’s authors, Marcus Hartley and Gary Eaton of the research firm Northern Economics.

Frank Kelty, the city manager of Unalaska, talked of stability as the program’s best feature. Unalaska is the town home of Dutch Harbor, perennially the nation’s largest seafood port and where Kelty said AFA has led to steadier employment and steadier school enrollment.

Stakeholders and council members both acknowledge that the AFA program was a big step in fisheries management, bringing a host of management tools into practice.

“We never talked about co-ops before AFA,” said Stephanie Madsen, executive director of the At-Sea Processors Association. “We never talked about sideboards.”

Because issuing quota in the pollock fishery may free up opportunity to move into other fisheries, the sideboards set limits on the extent of those harvests so as not to crowd out other individuals not involved in harvesting pollock.

Both co-ops and sideboards continue to feature heavily in management talks, including a recently discarded program for groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska.

The review was not without problems, however. The council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee hadn’t reviewed the study, leaving several questions.

Among other areas, council members wanted more information that the study had related to Community Development Quota, or CDQ, ownership and individual vessel ownerships.

The CDQ program that gives 10 percent of the overall groundfish harvest quota to 65 western Alaska villages within 50 miles of the coast.

The program was designed to promote economic health in those regions, and some of the review’s statistics point to success.

Over the length of the pollock-based program, royalties going to CDQ groups from the AFA fishery have increased.

From 2001 through 2005, CDQ royalties ranged between $42.6 million and $60.5 million per year, with increases every year. Pollock accounted for 79 percent to 86 percent of total all-species royalties in any given year during this period.

From 2007 to 2013, estimates ranged between $59.9 million and $79.5 million per year, with a general upward trend.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner and council member Sam Cotton wanted a more detailed breakdown of CDQ ownership in the fishery.

“The question here is how much of that fishery is staying in Alaska,” said Cotten. “How big a share of the fishery is owned by CDQ groups? In terms of percentage of the vessels, or harvesting capacity, revenue?”

Hartley said that he has made those calculations before, but not for the current study.

The study had similar gaps where the AFA’s 100 individual catcher vessels were concerned. By AFA design, none of these vessels can have anything less than 75 percent U.S. ownership. Council member Buck Laukitis wanted to make sure that these vessels weren’t skirting the rules.

Inshore catcher vessel ownership info, Hartley explained “was insufficient to determine changes in ownerships pattern.”

Those records are held by the U.S. Maritime Administration, or MARAD, which is tasked under the AFA with ensuring compliance with the U.S. ownership rules. Hartley said Northern Economics could not get access to much of the proprietary information.

This story appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission. 

Fishing industry backs Chris Oliver for NMFS director

January 27, 2017 — A coalition of commercial fishing, Native and environmental entities is backing Chris Oliver, executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, to become the next head of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The more than four dozen signers of a letter sent to the Trump administration on Jan. 23 included processors Trident Seafoods and Icicle Seafoods, Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, Alaska Marine Conservation Council, At Sea Processors Association, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp., Fishing Vessel Owners Association, Pacific Seafoods Processors Association, United Catcher Boats, and United Fishermen’s Marketing Association.

Read the full story at The Cordova Times

America’s Fishing Industry Unites to Support Chris Oliver for NOAA Fisheries

January 27, 2017 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities: 

Washington, D.C. – In a nearly unprecedented display of unanimity, members of the fishing industry representing New England, Pacific, North Pacific, Mid-Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaiian and Southeastern fisheries, as well as the National Fisheries Institute based in Washington, D.C have rallied to support the appointment of North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) Director Chris Oliver as the next Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In the past week, several letters have been sent to President Trump’s transition team advocating for the appointment of Mr. Oliver to lead NOAA Fisheries. In total, the letters represented 55 seafood companies, trade associations and conservation groups. NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, is the nation’s top regulator of fishing in federal waters.

The push comes at a time when more 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported from overseas, resulting in an astonishing $13 billion seafood trade deficit.

“America’s fisheries generate millions of jobs and contribute billions to the economy, but we could do a lot more,” said Daniel Occhipinti, General Counsel of Oregon-based Pacific Seafood Group and one of the leaders of the coalition. “We believe Chris Oliver has the experience to increase the economic productivity of our fisheries while also promoting conservation and sustainability, which is critical.”

Mr. Oliver has spent his career in fisheries management, serving for the past 16 years as the Executive Director of the NPFMC. Prior to serving as Executive Director, Oliver also worked served as the Deputy Director and Gulf of Alaska Fishery Management Plan Coordinator.“

I’ve known Chris Oliver for many years, and without a doubt, he has the skills and experience required for this job,” said Lori Steele, Executive Director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “

Chris has a keen sense for how to balance competing interests in a way that promotes sustainability, enhances community and, most importantly, optimizes productivity of a fishery.”

“I’ve known Chris for about ten years. What he can bring to NOAA Fisheries is a strong commitment to using the council process for managing fisheries,” said Mary Beth Tooley, an at-large member of the New England Fishery Management Council and Maine resident “Chris is an ardent believer in the tenets of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. He is committed to achieving optimum yield, while preventing overfishing”.

The diverse coalition supporting Oliver represents a nearly-unprecedented level of cooperation between disparate fishing communities across the nation, including American seafood businesses from more than nine states, dozens of local fishermen’s associations, the leading trade groups from across the country.

“People ask why we have a $13 billion dollar seafood trade deficit and what we can do to fix it,” said Occhipinti, “the answer isn’t trade barriers, it’s increasing domestic production. We think Chris Oliver is the man for the job.”  Signers of the letter include:

FISHING ORGANIZATIONS

Pacific Seafood Processors Association
Major seafood processing companies with operations in Alaska and Washington

The Seafood Coalition
Consortium of fishing organizations across the nation

Freezer Longline Coalition
Longline companies, vessel owners, and related businesses in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA).

National Fisheries Institute
Non-profit organization dedicated to education about seafood safety, sustainability, and nutrition

Garden State Seafood Association
New Jersey fishermen and New Jersey’s fisheries dependent businesses

Organized Fishermen of Florida
Commercial fishermen from Florida.

Marine Conservation Alliance
“Seafood-interest organization of coastal communities, harvesters, processors, and western Alaska Community Development Quota entities”

Long Island Commercial Fishing Association
Group dedicated to sustainable fishing out of New York.

Southeastern Fisheries Association
“Nonprofit fisheries trade association [in the Southeastern United States] founded by a core group of fish dealers in 1952.”

Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association
“A group of sport fishing professionals and concerned anglers dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of he marine fisheries in the San Francisco Golden Gate waters” 

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers
Alaskans who fish for “King, Snow and Bairdi crab in the Bering Sea.”

At Sea Processors Association
“Trade association representing six companies that own and operate 16 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels.”

Sportfishing Association of California
Works to promote California sportfishing needs with governing agencies at the state, federal, and international levels.

Ventura County Commercial Fishermen’s Association

West Coast Seafood Processors Association
“Serves the needs of the shore-based seafood processors in California, Oregon, and Washington”

Columbia River Crab Fisherman’s Association

Coos Bay Trawlers Association

Western Fishboat Owners Association
“Non-profit representing albacore troll-vessel owners and supporting businesses in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.”

American Fishermen’s Research Foundation
“Established in 1971 to aid, encourage, promote, and support science and education in the field of albacore and related fish species.”

Coalition of Coastal Fisheries

Directed Sustainable Fisheries

Southern Offshore Fishing Association

SEAFOOD COMPANIES

Pacific Seafood
Over 2500 employees at over 35 facilities in seven states

Dana Wharf Sportfishing
Private sportfishing charter company out of Dana Point, California.

Coastal Villages

Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance
A non-profit working to represent commercial fishermen in the Gulf.

Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association
Organization for organizing Florida Keys fishermen into “an effective lobby to protect and promote the fishing industry.”

Alaska Groundfish Data Bank

Alaskan Leader Seafoods
Longline business that owns four freezer-longliners fishing out of Alaska. 

Alaska Marine Conservation Council
“Community-based, non-profit organization committed to protecting the long-term health of Alaska’s marine ecosystems”

Alaska Whitefish Trawlers
Has represented the Gulf of Alaska shore-based catcher-vessel trawl industry for over four decades.

Aleutian Spray Fisheries, Inc.
Fishes for Alaska Pollock, Pacific Cod, Opilio Crab, and Alaska King Crab

Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries
“Formed to allow for an organized community voice for fishing and fisheries in response to current and future state and federal legislation that affects fishing, fisheries, and attendant coastal and marine environments”

American Albacore Fishing Association
Non-profit representing commercial pole and line vessels.

American Seafoods Company
Harvests, processes, distributes and markets a diverse array of seafood products from sustainably managed fisheries in U.S. waters off Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation
“The purpose of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation to promote economic growth and opportunities for residents of its member communities through sustainable use of the Bering Sea resources.”

Harbor Masters and Port Captains Incorporated
Organization of port leaders throughout California

California Fisheries & Seafood Institute
“The nation’s largest regional organization representing members of the consumer seafood supply industry.”

Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara
“Integrates Regional Efforts Of Fishing Communities With The Aim Of Improving The Economic And Biological Sustainability Of Fisheries”

California Wetfish Producers Association
Established in 2004 to promote sustainable fisheries and foster cooperative research on sardines, mackerels, anchovy and market squid, as well as coastal tunas

California Marine Affairs & Navigation Conference
“Consortium of California harbors, ports and marine interest groups.”

Catalina Offshore Products
Seafood company sourced out of Southern California

California Lobster and Trap Fishermen’s Association

Fishing Vessel Owners Association
Longline vessel operators, based in Seattle.

Fisheries Survival Fund
Atlantic scallop fishermen from Maine to Virginia.

Groundfish Forum
Trade association representing 6 trawl companies fishing for flatfish.

Hawaii Longline Association
“Established in 2000 to advance the interests of the fishermen and related industries involved in the Hawaii longline fisheries.”
Icicle

Midwater Trawler’s Cooperative

Northwest Food Processors Association

Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative
“Trade association representing three companies that own and operate 10 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels for whiting in the West Coast.”

Southern Offshore Fishing Association

Tri Marine

Trident Seafoods
Largest seafood company in the United States

Washington Trollers Association
“Serving fishermen whose livelihoods depend on the salmon”

United Catcher Boats
Owners of vessels that trawl for groundfish in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and West Coast

United Fishermen’s Marketing Association

West Coast Fisheries Consultants
Association of consultants working in the West Coast fishing industry
CITY/STATE ENTITIES

City of Unalaska, Alaska

Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association
“Non-profit trade association serving the hospitality needs of Oregon.”

Oregon Trawl Commission
Oregon state government agency.

California Sea Urchin Commission
Works to “ensure a sustainable sea urchin resource and a reliable supply of quality seafood product”

###

Read the full release here

Chris Oliver Supported by Industry to Lead NOAA Fisheries

January 25, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — An industry letter signed by more than 50 companies and fisheries groups to Vice President Pence and Secretary of Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross, urges the appointment of Chris Oliver to the post of Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries.

Oliver is the executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, a position he has held for 16 years. Prior to that, he worked as staff for the council for another ten years.

The letter, which is signed by most major processors and industry organizations from Unalaska to southern California, national groups such as National Fisheries Institute, and recreational users of the marine resource, points out that NOAA Fisheries oversees a marine economy of $214 billion in sales that supports 1.83 million jobs.

“However,  the industry faces tremendous pressure from overseas competition — 90 percent of the seafood we consume is imported and our country has a trade deficit of $13.2 billion (mostly with China.),” the letter says.

“We need a leader of NOAA Fisheries who is committed to the economic productivity of American waters, and we are confident that Mr. Oliver is the right choice.”

The letter notes Oliver’s experience over three decades “promoting economic prosperity in our nation’s largest and most productive fishery” and “balancing competing interests among communities, fishing sectors, and environmentalist to become the most sustainably managed and productive fishery in the world” makes him uniquely well qualified to hold the post.

Oliver has worked closely with all eight regional councils through the Council Coordination Committee, successfully building consensus on controversial issues that restrict efficient fishing practices in the industry.

“Chris Oliver understands the regulatory framework of U.S. fisheries,” the letter’s authors say. “He supports easing regulatory burdens” while supporting conservation practices for long-term sustainability.

His advocacy for streamlining the rule-making process and decentralizing fisheries management are key recommendations for his appointment to the post.

Oliver has experience working with international groups to resolve fisheries issues and promote research initiatives. A native of Texas, he also has a track record of working closely with the recreational sector, and successfully balanced both sectors need when he worked with the council on the halibut catch sharing plan in Alaska.

There are also reports of other candidates from other regions who may not have the same level of experience with the commercially important fisheries.   The signers make clear that Oliver is a consensus choice that would unite the US seafood industry.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

ALASKA: North Pacific Fishery Management Council cracks up over catch shares

January 6, 2017 — Everyone in the Gulf of Alaska agrees on one thing: it was the other side’s fault.

Depending on who you ask, catch shares are evil incarnate or an angel of good management. Depending on who you ask, they’ll either save Kodiak or kill it.

Depending on who you ask, it’s either the State of Alaska’s fault or its credit for not allowing catch shares in the Gulf of Alaska’s groundfish fishery.

And depending on who you ask, they’ll either come up again or get sliced up into a handful of other little nibbles at the Gulf of Alaska bycatch problems.

Either sighs of relief or defeat leaked from every mouth in the room on this past Dec. 12 when the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees all federal fisheries from three to 200 miles off the Alaska coast, indefinitely tabled a complex range of options for the Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries.

The tabled program has a long history of stops, false starts, foibles and thrown stones. This time, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Sam Cotten charged the processor and trawl industry with refusing to bend — the same charge leveled at the state by the trawlers and processors.

“Had elements of the program not been so focused on privatizing and monetizing the fishery, there could have been the broad structure of a plan. But there was no acceptance for compromise,” said Jeff Stephan, a Kodiak fishermen and one of the council Advisory Panel’s most outspoken opponents of catch shares.

It was the state’s fault, others said.

“I seriously question how dedicated the state was to an outreach effort, as was pledged in Kodiak, when they never came prepared to talk about any changes they wanted to see to a proposed program,” said Heather Mann of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, a staunch catch share advocate.

Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries — Pacific cod, pollock, and flatfish — are one of the only groundfish fisheries in the North Pacific without a catch share or rationalization program.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

Comment Federal judge tosses another fisheries management rule

December 9th, 2016 — Federal judges keep smacking down the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s decisions.

For the second time in the last three months, a federal court has overturned a management decision made by the North Pacific council and enacted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS. The United States District Court of Washington overturned a 2011 decision relating to halibut quota shares harvested by hired skippers on Nov. 16.

Federal courts have overturned several council decisions in recent years. In September, a the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the council’s 2011 decision to remove Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound and Alaska Peninsula salmon fisheries from federal oversight.

In this case, the North Pacific council made a decision in 2011 regarding which halibut quota holders can use a hired skipper instead of being required to be on board the vessel. Due to the court’s ruling, NOAA will have to open that group back up after limiting it in 2011.

Julie Speegle, the NMFS Alaska Region spokesperson, said the agency will change the impacted halibut fishermen’s quota shares to reflect the court’s ruling and that the council itself will review the issue.

Read the full story at the Juneau Empire 

While Bering Sea groundfish booms, Gulf of Alaska struggles

December 5th, 2016 — Bering Sea fish stocks are booming, but it’s a mixed bag for groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska.

Fishery managers will set 2017 catches this week for  pollock, cod and other fisheries that make up Alaska’s largest fish hauls, which are taken from 3 to 200 miles offshore. More than 80 percent of Alaska’s seafood comes from those federally managed waters, and by all accounts the Bering fish stocks are in great shape.

“For the Bering Sea, just about every catch is up,” said Diana Stram, Bering groundfish plan coordinator for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Twenty-two species are under the council’s purview, along with such nontargeted species as sharks, octopus and squid. For the nation’s largest food fishery — Bering pollock — the stock is so robust that catches could safely double to nearly 6 billion pounds, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists who presented their data to the council last week.

But the allowable catch will remain close to this year’s harvest, Stram said, due to a strict cap applied to all fish removals.

“The sum of all the catches in the Bering Sea cannot exceed 2 million metric tons,” she explained.

With all stocks so healthy, catch-setting becomes a trade-off among the varying species, Stram said. The council also sets bycatch levels for the fisheries, another constraint.

Read the full story at Alaska Dispatch News 

Cook Inlet Fishermen Tell N. Pacific Council They Have Lost Faith in Alaska’s Salmon Management

October 18th, 2016 — Concerned fishermen gathered at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s October meeting in Anchorage to discuss a recent federal court decision that turns control of salmon fisheries in Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound and the Alaska Peninsula over to state management.

Though stakeholders brought their suggestions, the council did not direct its staff to any action related to the subject of a salmon FMP. Instead, the council reiterated that the decision will be remanded back to the lower court where it could either be appealed or produce a directive for the council to write a salmon FMP.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council governs federal fisheries, which take place from three to 200 miles offshore.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

ALASKA: It’s time to talk crab season projections

September 30, 2016 — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet in Anchorage from Oct. 5-11 to overview crab season projections, hear further discussions of halibut management, and decide what to do about a recent federal appeals court decision that will require more attention to salmon management.

The council will approve catch limits for the 2016-17 crab fisheries and review the stock assessment for the last year.

Stocks for both snow crab and Bairdi Tanner crab were down according to surveys in 2016, and stakeholders are holding their breath to see if the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will need to close fisheries if abundance doesn’t meet the department thresholds.

The crab fishing management plan, or FMP, requires federal scientists to set an overfishing limit, or OFL, and an acceptable biological catch, or ABC.

Based on these numbers, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will determine a total allowable catch, or TAC, under its joint management with the council.

Read the full story at Juneau Empire