In Mixed Catch, NF Senior Editor Linc Bedrosian spotlights a wide range of commercial fishing-related news items from coast to coast.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Norwegian cod harvesters are experiencing a problem that their New England brethren haven't for some years now: an overabundance of cod.
"It's paradoxical, but we have too many fish this year," Norwegian fisherman Kurt Ludvigsen told Reuters environment correspondent Alister Doyle. "Prices have fallen 30 percent... we're having to work far harder."
There will be little cod delivered by New England harvesters this year following major cuts to Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank catch limits that will begin in May. But the quota off Norway and Russia this year is a record 1.02 million metric tons, the Reuters article says. It's up one third from the 2012 quota and it's six times higher than the 1990 limit.
According to the article, one reason for the burgeoning cod population is that global warming has shifted the cod habitat northward. Strict quota management by Norway and Russia is also cited as a factor.
Meanwhile, despite the cod bounty, Norwegian fishermen say that it's proving difficult to convince European consumers that all cod stocks aren't in trouble. A Norway Seafood Council campaign designed to persuade the British to use Barents Sea cod in their fish and chips dinners isn't making much headway so far, the article says.
Maybe so. But even if the demand may not be all the Norwegians might hope for, at least the supply is there. The Reuters article offers hope that cod stocks can eventually return to health in New England, too. Restoring the health of the region's historic groundfish industry could prove to be the more difficult task.
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.
National Fisherman has been the industry standard for over 50 years. Readers from coast to coast depend on it to stay up to date on news, regulations, fish stocks, to research purchasing decisions and to stay informed of the newest vessel and product technology.
