NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard has announced a suite of measures designed to give groundfishermen options as they continue to grapple with reductions in limits on their preferred target species.
The proposals, not yet cast as policy and subject to sign-off by the acting commerce secretary, feature the opening of certain waters for taking dogfish without having to use their limited groundfish fishing days. Dogfish are not managed under Amendment 16, the catch share system for members of fishing cooperatives or sectors.
"Several of the new measures were conceived by fishermen, and others are the product of collaboration between fishermen, researchers and our staff," Bullard, based in the Gloucester office in Blackburn Industrial Park, said in a prepared statement. "By working together and thinking creatively, we can find fishing opportunities even in these challenging times."
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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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