Alaska/Pacific Coast Cook Inlet setnet buyback program gains support Alaska Journal of Commerce by Elizabeth Earl - May 1, 2019 Cook Inlet fishermen are again pushing for a bill that would authorize a commercial set gillnet permit buyback, but with the budget battles ongoing, it may not advance this year. http://www.alaskajournal.com/2019-05-01/cook-inlet-setnet-buyback-program-gains-support Alaska House Fisheries Committee Takes up Fish Tax Bill Fisherman's News - May 1, 2019 The Alaska House Fisheries Committee heard extensive testimony this past week on proposed legislation to repeal the fisheries business tax allocation to municipalities. Those funds are used by the various communities to provide for fisheries infrastructure, schools, health and social services. Officials from Kodiak, King Cove, Akutan, Cordova, Sitka, the Aleutians East Borough and the city of Unalaska were among those telling House Fisheries of the dire economic impact such legislation would have on their communities. All were opposed to House Bill 65, which is backed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The estimated total of the municipal share of the raw fish tax in Fiscal Year 2020 is $29.1 million, according to Matt Gruening, chief of staff and fisheries committee aide to Committee Chair Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/alaska-house-fisheries-committee-takes.html International Russia to Restrict Pink Salmon Catches This Year, After Last Year Overwhelmed Refrigeration Capacity SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - April 29, 2019 Russia may restrict salmon the pink salmon catch in domestic territorial waters this year, in an attempt to better protect domestic reserves, according to recent statements of Ilya Shestakov, head of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) and some senior officials of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. According to Shestakov, last year the government developed a set of special measures, regulating salmon caught in Russia, particularly in the Far Eastern fisheries basin. The new rules will officially come into force later this year and tighten thees control for salmon catches in the domestic territorial waters. In 2018, the catch of Pacific salmon in Russia (almost all pinks) amounted to 675,800 tonnes. That was a record volume for the country for the last almost 100 years, 238,700 tonnes higher than in 2016. Such a result became mainly due to a climate change, which resulted in an increase of the volume of the salmon stock in the traditionally cold waters of Kamchatka, a center of salmon catch in Russia. In the meantime, this time the government has also plans to avoid the situation of last year, when thousands of tons of salmon were lost, due to the lack of freezing, processing capacities as well as other relevant infrastructure at the major production areas of salmon in Russia. In addition, the government also hopes for a significant decline of domestic prices for salmon, thanks to its record catch. The salmon fishing season traditionally begins in Russia in mid-July in Kamchatka and ends in September on Sakhalin. Most of the salmon catch in Russia accounts for pink and chum salmon. At the same time, most of the sockeye and Atlantic salmon is traditionally imported to Russia from abroad. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1139659/Russia-to-Restrict-Pink-Salmon-Catches-This-Year-After-Last-Year-Overwhelmed-Refrigeration-Capacity Environment/Science Hatchery Fish Are Less Successful at Reproducing in the Wild Genetic experiments show hatchery escapees that breed with wild fish have fewer offspring. Hakai Magazine by Brian Owens - April 25, 2019 Every spring, hatcheries in Alaska release more than a billion year-old pink and chum salmon. The fish spend a year out at sea growing up, before they return to be caught by the state’s fishing fleet. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/hatchery-fish-are-less-successful-at-reproducing-in-the-wild/ FYI’s Salmon in the Spotlight at the Anchorage Museum Fisherman's News - May 1, 2019 A new exhibit entitled Alaskans and Salmon opens on Friday, May 3 at the Anchorage Museum as part of the North by North Festival, celebrating the connection and culture across the North Country. http://fnonlinenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/salmon-in-spotlight-at-anchorage-museum.html
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