In Mixed Catch, NF Senior Editor Linc Bedrosian spotlights a wide range of commercial fishing-related news items from coast to coast.
Friday, 30 March 2012
As of Friday, the mighty Mega Millions jackpot total had risen to $640 million. Aspiring millionaires bought some $100 million-worth of tickets overnight in hopes of being the lucky ticket holder.
Not that my odds of winning (or yours) are great. According to USA Today, you are 3.76 times more likely to be killed by fireworks this year, 9 times more likely to die from having a TV fall on your noggin, and 176 times more likely to be struck by lightning this year than you are to win the jackpot.
That's a little morbid, isn't it, USA Today? How about the odds of, say, dating a super model? The odds are long that it could happen to any of us, but it's certainly more pleasant to contemplate.
What if a fisherman wins the jackpot? What could a fisherman do with $640 million? Here are some humble suggestions.
• Start up a company that will conduct annual stock assessments for every U.S. fishery. Congress appears either unwilling to or is incapable of providing NMFS with funds to do so. Industry generated assessments might prove a better way to go.
• Set up a nationwide network of fishermen-friendly banks that could offer small-boat fishermen quota to lease at a reasonable market rate, enabling them to compete with larger, more well-heeled fishing operations. The banks could also help young fishermen enter the industry.
• You could buy up a humongous supply of diesel fuel, and probably get a volume discount to boot. That would allow you to provide your fellow fishermen with reasonably priced fuel, allowing them to leave the docks, fill their holds with fish, and actually turn a profit for their catch.
That's just the tip of the iceberg for ideas, and I'm sure you have many more. But allow me to offer one more suggestion — I saved the best for last.
• Purchase lifetime subscriptions of National Fisherman for every U.S. fisherman. You can ensure that all your comrades in fish will have their very own copy of their favorite fishing magazine year after year, and for surprisingly little money. You'd still have plenty left over to wine and dine your favorite super model. Trust me, your odds of dating a super model become significantly better if you win Mega Millions.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Over 500 lots of seafood processing equipment formerly owned by Adak Seafood will be sold at auction on Tuesday, June 18, starting at 10 a.m. Hawaiian-Aleutian Daylight Time at the Hilton Garden Inn in Anchorage Alaska.
The equipment is located in a recently updated 250,000 square foot state-of-the-art processing facility in Adak, Alaska. Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Hilco Industrial, which conducts 75 machinery and equipment auctions in a wide range of industries annually, will conduct the auction.
Adak Seafood opened originally as Ada Fisheries in Anchorage in 1986. The facility, updated in 2005, is located on the island of Adak, the southernmost city in Alaska near the western end of the Aleutian Islands. The facility processed cod primarily, as well as halibut, blackcod, crab and pollock, Hilco says.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
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