Alaska's Sockeye Run Projected at 59 Million Fish, Highest Since 1995
The ADF&G’s updated salmon run forecast has pegged the 2015 haul to produce 221 million fish for all species but Chinook. The breakdown by McDowell Group predicts this year’s sockeye catch to hit 59 million fish, which would be the state’s highest sockeye haul since 1995. Landings will also get a boost from the return of pinks with that catch expected to top 140 million fish.
As previously reported Newfoundland’s Northern Shrimp Quota, along with the allocation between the inshore and offshore fisheries, will remain the same in Area 6 this season. The DFO’s official announcement confirmed the Area 6 six quota at 48,196 tons. However the issue of shrimp declines, and how to manage allocations is not going away writes John Sackton.The FFAW 's Keith Sullivan will be in Ottawa two days this week to argue that adjacency should trump the last in and first out policy. In 2014, the adjacent inshore quota was cut by 26 percent while the offshore was cut 5 percent.
In other news a majority of PEI’s lobstermen voted in favor of setting up their own commodity board to market their lobster. The creation of this board allows the Prince Edward Island's Fishermen Association (PEIFA) to collect a per pound levy on lobster caught with one cent coming from the fisherman and one cent from the processor. "We want to tell the world not only about our live [product], but our processed product and how excellent it is. And you've got to tell people, you can't just expect people to know that," said PEIFA Director Ian MacPherson.
Bill Hayes, a captain with US Seafoods--a company which owns a number of vessels in the Amendment 80 Co-Op-- testified before the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in January about his and the Amendment 80 Fleet’s efforts to control halibut bycatch. The testimony is published in today’s news as the first in a two-part opinion piece.
Finally, Bumble Bee has partnered with nutritionists from C&J Nutrition as part of a plan to promote the Dietary Guideline Committee’s recommendation that pregnant women should eat two to three servings of seafood per week. “We’re thrilled to be starting these conversations with women to help them feel informed and confident about including more seafood in the meals they’re eating and serving their families,” said Dave Melbourne, a senior vice president for Bumble Bee.
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