Monday, January 23, 2023

Alaska New forecast projects a sharply higher Copper River salmon catch in Alaska this year Commercial harvests of the sought-after fish are predicted to increase compared to last year. Intrafish by Rachel Sapin - January 20, 2023 Following several years of dismal seasons, the total commercial harvest for Alaska copper River salmon this year is expected to increase nearly 38 percent compared to last year's commercial harvest predictions. https://www.intrafish.com/fisheries/new-forecast-projects-a-sharply-higher-copper-river-salmon-catch-in-alaska-this-year/2-1-1391639 International Russia Plans to Catch Up to 800,000 Tonnes of Pollock in Sea of Okhotsk This Year SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - January 23, 2023 Russia demonstrated normal results of its pollock fish catch in Kamchatka last year despite the generally tough economic environment in the country amid Western sanctions. In 2022 the volume of catch of Kamchatka fishing enterprises in the Sea of Okhotsk amounted to 404,000 metric tons, which is about 4% less than a year earlier with the local JSC "Okeanrybflot", "Norebo" group and Lenin Fishing Kolkhoz being among the largest producers. According to the regional Ministry of Fisheries, during the Sea of Okhotsk pollock fishing season in 2023, Kamchatka fishermen plan to catch about 380,000 MT of pollock, with about 320,000 MT more will be caught as part of the Bering Sea fishing season. The pollock expedition of the Sea of Okhotsk is one of the largest fishing seasons not only in Russia, but on a global scale. Over 110 days of the fishing season, more than 60% of the annual pollock catch in the Far East fishery basin is produced. The Okhotsk pollock season is divided into two seasons - season "A" runs from January 1 to April 9, season "B" lasts from October 15 to December 31. For the whole Sea of Okhotsk fishing season in 2023, Russian fishermen plan to catch 750,000-800,000 MT of pollock, according to predictions of the Russian Pollock Association. A year earlier the volume of catch amounted to 788,700 MT. According to Association’s President Alexei Buglak, for 2023, the total allowable pollock catch in this fishing area is set at 897,000 MT, which is 6% less than in 2022. According to the Association last year in all fishing areas of the Far Eastern Basin Russian fisherman caught 1.905 million MT of pollock. The total allowable pollock catch for 2023 is set at 2.06 million MT. Currently, pollock still accounts for a significant part of the entire Russian catch with a share of 35%, according to data from the Federal Agency for Fisheries of Russia. Due to its generally low price, it makes up to 15% of the Russian fish basket, which is much more than in Europe and the U.S. In 2021-2022, according to data from the Russian Pollock association, pollock prices in Russia even decreased. It is expected that the decline of fish imports to Russia this year may result in a further increase of pollock supplies to the Russian market, primarily in processed form. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1244384/Russia-Plans-to-Catch-Up-to-800000-Tonnes-of-Pollock-in-Sea-of-Okhotsk-This-Year Environment/Science A warming climate is changing how drought plays out in Southeast Alaska KTOO by Anna Canny - January 20, 2023 The fall of 2016 ushered in a historic drought for Southeast Alaska. Hot, dry summers wreaked havoc on subsistence crops like wild berries. Warmer waters disrupted salmon hatcheries in Juneau. And in 2018, about twice as many fires burned in the Tongass as what’s typical. https://www.ktoo.org/2023/01/20/a-warming-climate-is-changing-how-drought-plays-out-in-southeast-alaska/ Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish in the Red King Crab Savings Subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/23/2023 NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using nonpelagic trawl gear in the Red King Crab Savings Subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the State of Alaska, Department of Fish and Game did not establish a guideline harvest level fishery for red king crab in the Bristol Bay area for the 2022/2023 fishing year. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/23/2023-01170/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-groundfish-in-the-red-king-crab-savings-subarea Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical Area 610 in the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/23/2023 NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 610 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2023 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 610 in the GOA. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/23/2023-01163/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pollock-in-statistical-area-610-in-the-gulf-of North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/23/2023 The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will meet February 6, 2023 through February 13, 2023. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/23/2023-01184/north-pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meeting Pacific Seafood Processors Association 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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