Alaska's 2017 Bering Sea Opilio and Bairdi Fisheries May be in Jeopardy Due to Lower Stock Levels  The summer survey results have not been good for either Bering Sea snow (opilio) or tanner (bairdi) crab. Raw survey data just released by Dr. Bob Foy of the Kodiak Fisheries Science Laboratory shows that legal male biomass has declined in all of the major crab fisheries. The bottom line is whether the analysis of the survey numbers shows there is a sufficient stock to meet the trigger thresholds for the state of Alaska to open the season for both opilio and bairdi. The ADF&G is expected to make a final announcement about the 2016-2017 Alaskan crab season in early October. If Alaska's minimum threshold of crab population has not been met, both the Opilio and Bairdi fishery will remain closed. "The 2017 Alaska crab season for opilio and bairdi is looking difficult, and under the worst case scenarios, the two fisheries might not open at all," write John Sackton and Peggy Parker in today's story. Iceland's Responsible Fisheries Management (IRFM) Certification Scheme will become the second such scheme to meet the Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative's (GSSI) benchmarks. An evaluation of the IRFM showed that the scheme meets the GSSI's standards in all three areas: governance, operational management, and fisheries standards. The full recognition of Iceland Responsible Fisheries Management will come after the 30 day comment period, and a board vote of GSSI to accept the benchmarking report. At that time, Iceland will become the 2nd scheme to be certified, joining Alaska's Responsible Fisheries Management Scheme. In other news, ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) free trade deal between Canada and the EU keeps getting more elusive. The deal, which was expected to get final approval this fall, faces mounting delays because of a growing anti-globalization movement in the EU. The worry now is if the CETA deal can get approved at all in its current form given the political atmosphere in the EU and abroad. “If you can’t, after all those years of negotiation, complete an agreement between Canada and Europe…then it’s pretty hard to see how and where you are going to get a free-trade deal done,” said John Manley, a former Canadian finance and foreign minister who now heads the Business Council of Canada, an Ottawa-based lobby group. Meanwhile, Alaska Department of Commerce is putting together a plan to provide funding for the state's salmon fishermen that are struggling from historically poor pink landings. "They are on it. Plan to move forward with it," said Representative Louise Stutes of Kodiak. "They are realizing this is a disaster not just for Kodiak but for a lot of communities around the state. And by declaring it a disaster it allows the avenue for financial aid to become available." Rep. Stutes filled the petition with Alaskan Gov. Bill Walker's office that asked to declare the pink salmon season a disaster. Finally, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is targeting Millennials in a Bristol Bay sockeye rebranding project that will launch on September 1 in Boulder, Colorado. A range of branded point of sale materials; an online ad campaign; and retail training will be used promote the Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon brand to Millenial consumers. The Boulder project will serve as the test market for the rest of the year. A year-end project report will be prepared along with strategic recommendations for launching the campaign nationwide in 2017. We also want to note the launch of our Seafood News Podcast channel on iTunes and Google Play. Subscribe to the podcast to listen to weekly recaps of our top stories straight from your phone. We'll also publish exclusive interviews with Urner Barry's seafood market reporters. Feedback on the content is welcome.