The committee will advance coastal and marine conservation conservation and management, advise NOAA leadership
Contact
Kate Silverstein and Tyler Wittkofsky, NOAA's National Ocean Service, oceanservicepress@noaa.gov
September 14, 2023
Today, NOAA announced the selection of 20 members to serve on the inaugural Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee that will advise agency leadership on science-based approaches to area-based protection, conservation, restoration and management of coastal, Great Lakes and marine places.
NOAA has a wide range of responsibilities and authorities related to area-based management, including through the national marine sanctuary and national estuarine research reserve systems, and through fishery management areas.
“Area-based management is a critical tool in the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to combat the climate crisis and invest in our coastal communities and industries,” said U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves. “These 20 members will lend essential perspectives and expertise to Commerce’s conservation and restoration efforts as we work towards achieving sustainable development, environmental justice and a clean energy future for America’s ocean and coasts.”
A view of Fagatele Bay in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Credit: Matt McIntosh, NOAA.
The committee will provide valuable advice on how NOAA’s area-based management activities can enhance biodiversity, build climate resilience and expand access to nature and the outdoors for underserved communities. The committee will also advise NOAA on implementation of the America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve and restore the nation's public lands and waters.
The committee's unique scope will help NOAA address all types of area-based management in coastal and marine areas, including sites that are managed under different authorities and for different purposes, such as national marine sanctuaries, national estuarine research reserves and areas for fisheries management.
Committee members reflect diverse perspectives and expertise in key areas, including:
Resource management for coastal, marine and Great Lakes areas.Commercial and recreational fishing, marine industries, recreation and tourism.Study of the structure, function, human use and management of coastal and ocean ecosystems.
The selected Committee members also represent tribal and Indigenous communities, conservation, philanthropic and non-governmental organizations, and organizations focusing on youth engagement, education, outreach and environmental justice.
“NOAA is pleased to welcome committee members with a wide range of perspectives and expertise — from science, policy, advocacy and industry – and including tribal and Indigenous leaders,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Effective management of special coastal, Great Lakes and marine areas – and the communities that rely on them — will benefit from their input and advice.”
To provide for staggered membership to ensure continuity, half of the members are appointed to a two-year term (renewable once) and half are appointed to a four-year, non-renewable term, with terms beginning at the committee’s first meeting.The following individuals will serve on the committee:
Peter Auster, senior research scientist and research professor emeritus, Mystic Aquarium, University of Connecticut (two-year term).
Linda Behnken, executive director, Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association; Acting Director, Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (four-year term).
Jessica Coakley, fishery management specialist, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (two-year term).
Jenn Eckerle, deputy secretary for oceans and coastal policy, California Natural Resources Agency; executive director, California Ocean Protection Council (four-year term).
Deanna Erickson, reserve director, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (four-year term).
Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, associate professor and senior researcher, Department of Integrative Biology for Oregon State University (four-year term).
Martha Guyas, Southeast fisheries policy director, American Sportfishing Association (four-year term).Heather Hall, intergovernmental ocean policy manager, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (two-year term).
Mark Hodor, senior legal counsel, Shell USA Inc., Safety, Environment, and Asset Management (two-year term).
Jaime Jahncke, director, California Current Group, Point Blue Conservation Science (two- year term).
Amy Kenney, executive director, National Ocean Protection Coalition (four-year term).
Aaron Kornbluth, owner, Akorn Environmental Consulting (two-year term).
Stephanie Mathes, director of special initiatives, The Corps Network (two-year term).
Joseph Oatman, deputy program manager and harvest director, Nez Perce Tribe (four-year term).
Eric Reid, chairman, New England Fisheries Management Council (four-year term).Donald Schug, socioeconomic analyst, Northern Economics, Inc. (two-year term).
Tracey Smart, senior marine scientist, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division (two-year term).
Helen Smith, policy advocate, Creation Justice Ministries (two-year term).
Peter Stauffer, ocean protection manager, Surfrider Foundation (four-year term).
Angelo Villagomez, senior fellow, Energy and Environment, Center for American Progress (two-year term).
For more information, please visit the Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee website.
Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources. See how NOAA science, services, and stewardship benefit your community: Visit noaa.gov for our latest news and features, and join us on social media.
Alaskans question B.C. government's efforts to clean up the Tulsequah Chief mine site
'There's still some frustration here in Alaska about the slow pace of the clean up'
Chris MacIntyre · CBC News · Posted: Sep 13, 2023 6:34 PM MDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago
Alaskan tribes, conservation groups, and fishers want more information, and involvement, when it comes to the B.C. government's plan to clean up the Tulsequah Chief mine site in northwestern B.C.
In 2019, the province committed to cleaning up the abandoned mine site, which is about 80 kilometres south of Atlin, B.C., and near the Alaska border. Since then, some Alaskans have felt the B.C. government hasn't been transparent with the process.
This week, several groups in the state sent a letter to U.S. officials urging them to pressure the B.C. government to protect the Taku River, its salmon, and to finally clean up the Tulsequah Chief site. It also raises concerns about the province having initiated an environmental review process for another new gold mine in the same area.
The proposed New Polaris gold mine, owned by Vancouver-based Canagold, is located roughly 100 kilometres south of Atlin and next to the Tulsequah Chief site.
Chris Zimmer, Alaska's director of Rivers Without Borders, says dealing with Tulsequah Chief should be a priority.
"There's still some frustration here in Alaska about the slow pace of the cleanup," he told CBC News.
"We see some of the deadlines continue to change," Zimmer said. "There's not really a written schedule of the cleanup activities, and how they'll be accomplished, and when they'll be done."
Tulsequah Chief was in operation from 1951 to 1957, producing gold, silver, zinc, copper and other minerals. It's been inactive since then, although two companies have tried to revive the mine in recent years with no success.Its most recent owner, Chieftain Metals Corp., acquired the site in 2010 and constructed a water treatment plant to deal with the tailings, but the plant lasted just nine months before shutting down. Chieftain Metals went bankrupt in 2016.
Tulsequah Chief mine site is about 80 kilometres south of Atlin, B.C., and near the Alaska border. (Google)
The mine has remained a source of concern for many Alaskans as acid run-off continues to seep from the Tulsequah River into the Taku River, and downstream toward Juneau.
Zimmer said the lack of consultation and transparency around the clean up from the B.C. government has resulted in Alaskans turning to U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., to put pressure on the province to expedite the process.
"This is an international issue," Zimmer said. "We've got an international border with a transboundary river. We have treaties in play. So this is clearly not just an Alaska/B.C. issue ... our thinking is it's a federal issue."
A letter dated Sept. 10, signed by close to three dozen Alaskan groups and sent to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen.Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken and the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan, outlined the concerns of Alaskans.
The letter explained that the Taku River is usually Southeast Alaska's largest overall salmon producer and with salmon runs severely affected by oceanic environmental factors that cannot be corrected at present, Alaskans must do all they can to protect critical freshwater salmon habitat.
The letter also said that there should be no further consideration of developing the New Polaris mine until the pollution from Tulsequah Chief has been mitigated. Canagold proposes to open the underground gold mine by re-developing a former mine and town site, previously known as the Polaris Taku mine, which operated intermittently between 1937 and 1951.
Zimmer said he doesn't expect the province to halt the New Polaris project, despite the Alaskan request, but he does want there to be clearer communication moving forward.
"This could really be a positive story," he told CBC News. "It's very encouraging to see B.C. take on the cleanup after years of inaction, but there's just some frustration here that we're not being involved as much as we think we should be."
'We're very concerned about the toxic waste'
The Douglas Indian Association in Juneau is one of the signatories of the Sept. 10 letter.
"[The association] has tribal territory on the Taku River," said Bernadine DeAsis, environmental manager with the association.
"As a federally-recognized tribe, and that being in our traditional territory, we're very concerned about the toxic waste that's been pouring out the Tulsequah Chief mine for years now."
DeAsis said the impact the mine pollution is having on salmon, and those who rely on salmon stocks, is clear.
"They've had every species of salmon in that river and now we see really low counts," she said.
"We use that for our traditional foods. Even tribes from Haines would travel to the Taku River just to fish. So it impacts not just Douglas Indian Association. It impacts a lot of the other Tlingit tribes as well that depended on the Taku River as a food source."
DeAsis said until the Tulsequah Chief mine site is properly cleaned up and remediated, the Douglas Indian Association will oppose the opening of the New Polaris mine, which she says would create another source of toxic runoff into the Taku River.
Her message to the province was simple.
"Please follow through with the cleanup," she said. " And do not open any other mines until you get the Tulsequah cleaned up."
The Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association in Sitka, Alaska, also added its signature to the letter. The association's executive director Linda Behken said she too thinks the B.C. government should reconsider allowing another mine to operate before the Tulsequah Chief site is fully remediated.
"It's pursuing mines that would process as much ore in a week as Tulsequah Chief did in its entire life," Behken told CBC News.
"My hope would be that pressure will be put on B.C. from the highest level of our government, from this administration, to call for a hard look at building a mine in headwaters of these rivers that are the homes of the salmon that feed Southeast Alaska."
'Committed to the cleanup'
Nobody from B.C.'s Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation was available for comment, but it did provide a written statement to CBC News saying it's committed to engaging with stakeholders regarding reclamation of the Tulsequah Chief site.
The statement says work at the site so far has included things such as water quality monitoring, and launching of an aquatic effects monitoring program. It also says a conceptual reclamation and closure plan for the mine was developed with input from the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, the State of Alaska and Teck Resources.
It also says a final reclamation plan for the site will be developed with partners and that B.C. will work with Alaska "to identify ways to more effectively share information, and to address concerns from state lawmakers."
The B.C. government also offered a statement about the New Polaris project, saying it is at the "very start" of an environmental review process that typically takes three to five years.
Canagold, meanwhile, has also signed an agreement with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN) over the development of the New Polaris Mine. The company said in a statement that the agreement "establishes the framework for a cooperative and mutually respectful working relationship between the signatories."
Nobody from the Taku River Tlingit was immediately available for an interview.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris MacIntyre is a CBC reporter in Dawson City, Yukon.
We can build resilient fishing communities
September 11, 2023
Linda Behnken and Aubrey Church
Fishery leaders around the country support updating federal fisheries guidelines to secure access to wild seafood
Catching fish from a small boat for a living is a tough business. The days are long, the gear is heavy, and even on a good day the work deck is rocking and rolling with the ocean. Hard days offer up the challenges of surviving inevitable storms, keeping the engine and machinery running, and interpreting the rapidly changing ocean.
But the biggest challenges for our community-based fishermen are access to fish itself and being heard in the noise of federal legislation and fisheries management. A new process at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) makes that clearer than ever.
Community-based fishermen represent half the commercial fishing jobs in the country, yet they typically have little influence over federal fisheries decisions. The deck of political cards is stacked against their small-scale businesses, favoring corporate profits over culture and community.
The potential for change is on the horizon. Federal managers are considering revisions to the guidelines that rule federal fishery management. If we seize this moment, we can amplify the voices of our fishing communities for generations to come.
U.S. commercial fisheries are among the most sustainably managed in the world, thanks in large part to a regional approach and periodic guideline updates that allow us to learn and improve. But much has changed in our oceans and fishing communities over the decades since the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s National Standard guidelines were written.
Climate change is creating more extreme weather events and rapid changes to oceanic conditions – and small-scale, community-based fishermen are taking the hardest hits. This year’s revision process offers a significant opportunity to strengthen the management response to climate change and to ensure the voices of community-based fishermen are heard and heeded in fisheries management.
Now is the time for NOAA to actively engage underserved communities and the fishermen whose ways of life are most affected by climate change. The Biden administration has been steadily advancing opportunities to incorporate climate change and justice into the regulatory process. For example, NOAA Fisheries recently released its Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) strategy. NOAA can achieve demonstrable progress by embedding equity and environmental justice principles in the National Standard Guidelines.
Now is also the time for small-scale fishermen to speak up in support of changes to the guidelines that build climate resilience into our fisheries and fishing communities.
Fishing communities are defined by place, even more than they are defined by the fish their residents harvest. Fishing communities have a rich cultural heritage and a history of defending ocean health for future generations. Small-scale fishermen have been facing challenges for decades: a warming ocean, shifting fish stocks, industrial fishing interests (both foreign and domestic), high permit costs, and outdated science.
Our oceans are changing, and the guidelines must also change. But any changes must prioritize sustaining our fisheries, fishery dependent communities, and ocean health for benefits that reach far beyond our coastal communities and stretch across generations. The revisions to the National Standard Guidelines must deepen the management commitment to supporting healthy fisheries and fishing communities by amplifying the voices of small-scale fishermen. The guidelines must be updated to incorporate NOAA’s commitment to equity and environmental justice by actively engaging historically underserved communities and by tipping the scale toward culture and the way of life that has sustained ocean health and working waterfronts for generations.
Linda Behnken and Aubrey Ellertson Church are members of the Fishing Communities Coalition, an association of community-based, small-boat commercial fishing groups, representing more than 1,000 independent fishermen and business owners from Maine to Alaska, who share a commitment to the sustainable management of America’s fishery resources: www.fishingcommunitiescoalition.org. Behnken is a commercial fisherman and the Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association out of Sitka, Alaska; and Church is the Policy Manager for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance out of Chatham, Mass.
Battery-Electric Fishing Vessel Marks a Sea Change for Small Commercial Fishers
Aug. 22, 2023 | By Anna Squires | Contact media relations
See Link to read article online
On a brisk morning this fall, a 46-foot commercial fishing boat will cruise into the cold waters of Sitka, Alaska, and cut the diesel engine. In that moment of near silence, an electric motor will whir to life. This moment will mark a sea change for Sitka's small-boat commercial fishing industry: a transition to energy-efficient commercial fishing, powered by low- and zero-emissions propulsion systems.
The boat in question, a small commercial salmon troller named I Gotta, will make history as one of the first low-emissions fishing vessels ever deployed in Alaska. Using a unique parallel hybrid battery-diesel system, the boat can travel at full speed using its diesel engine, then switch to a battery-electric motor when fishing. In this way, I Gotta’s captain, Eric Jordan, will be able to cut the boat’s fuel use by 80%.
Hybridizing the vessel has taken a village—and several years of collaboration. The project began when the Sitka-based Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) applied for support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) to assess fishing vessel hybridization options. ETIPP paired the association with commercial vehicle researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories. And I Gotta’s retrofitting has been funded with grant support from AgWest Farm Credit and Acme Seafoods.
But the partnership has goals far greater than hybridizing a single fishing boat: ALFA aims to inspire decarbonization efforts across its entire fleet—and beyond.
Making Headway To Lower-Emissions Operations
The shift to lower-emissions fishing has been slow to start—but not for lack of interest, said Linda Behnken, ALFA’s executive director.
“We tend to be leaders in the climate and environmental space up here,” said Benkhen, who leads ALFA’s Sitka-based cooperative of more than 160 small-boat commercial fishers, each committed to sustaining salmon fishing for future generations. “Our fishermen are really eager to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and their fuel costs.”
Linda Behnken is the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association (ALFA). Photo by Bethany Goodrich
But, Behnken said, small fishers cannot risk being early adopters of a new technology if it might jeopardize their fishing season, even when high fuel costs eat up as much as 30% of their revenue.
To take some of the risk out of the equation, Behnken applied to join ETIPP, a network of regional organizations and DOE national laboratories that helps remote and island communities shift their energy systems toward renewable options.
Typically, ETIPP supports land-based communities. “But I thought, ‘Well, we’re a community of fishing boats. Let’s see if they would support us advancing energy efficiency in our fleet,’” Behnken said.
ALFA was accepted to the program in 2021, and ETIPP matched the fishing cooperative with NREL transportation researchers who specialize in technical assistance for commercial vehicle decarbonization.
They faced a question: Which technologies would help a small fishing boat cut its fuel dependency without sacrificing speed or range?
Using years of operational data from ALFA’s fleet, the NREL research team considered potential solutions.
“We looked at running the boat off of next-generation fuels like hydrogen, and we also considered fully battery-electric scenarios and the charging infrastructure that would be needed for it,” said NREL’s Michael Lammert, a commercial vehicle electrification researcher and the project’s principal investigator. “Once we looked at the data, built the models, and ran the analysis, it became clear that a plug-in hybrid model was the right path forward for this boat.”
Together, NREL researchers and ALFA project partners selected the Transfluid hybrid propulsion system that will allow I Gotta to switch between a diesel engine for top speeds and a battery-electric motor to cruise through favored fishing spots. The electricity to run the boat will come from Sitka’s hydroelectric dams, meaning that it will come from 100% renewable sources and therefore significantly reduce the boat’s greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, I Gotta’s hybrid system will be “smart”—meaning that it will be capable of optimizing the use of both the engine and motor—and the boat will be equipped with data loggers to measure the actual achieved fuel efficiency.
Each of these investments will help ALFA’s fishers chart a path forward to lower-emissions operations.
Low- and Zero-Emissions Operations To Ripple Across Alaska
Later this year, ALFA will contract with local boat builders to retrofit I Gotta with its hybrid system. But the work will not stop there. Renewed funding from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will allow ALFA to begin testing not one but three novel propulsion systems that consider different ways fishing boats travel.
Since 1978, ALFA has worked to safeguard ocean health and improve the economic viability of small boat fishing. Photo courtesy of ASMI, Josh Roper Photography
The first, a series hybrid system, will allow fishing boats the flexibility to travel either short or long distances while minimizing diesel fuel use. The series system uses an electric motor to power the propeller at all boat speeds and a battery to power the motor, allowing boats to travel their typical 10- to 20-mile routes under battery-electric power. These batteries can be charged at a dock using Sitka’s 100% renewable hydroelectric dams. In the rare case that captains need to travel hundreds of miles for an extended trip, they can recharge the boat’s batteries with an onboard diesel generator.
ALFA will also test a fully battery-electric system for mariculture vessels, which cultivate fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants. These vessels stay within 10 miles of shore and follow regular transit schedules, making them candidates for full electrification. Most importantly, by transitioning these vessels to zero-emissions operations, ALFA will eliminate the risk of fuel spills close to shore or near vulnerable aquatic species.
Finally, ALFA will assess an additional parallel hybrid system, like the one chosen for I Gotta, to demonstrate its effectiveness in different operating conditions.
Most importantly, local boatbuilders will handle the installations for each vessel, helping Sitkans learn how to install and service low- and zero-emissions systems. ALFA is planning significant outreach, training, and education opportunities to familiarize the Sitka community with opportunities to get involved in the effort and to make the fishing fleet aware of the project.
This is all part of Behnken’s vision: to build local expertise in low-emissions propulsion systems, de-risk emerging technologies, and remove the barriers to deep decarbonization of the marine space.
“Everybody who fishes up here cares deeply about the ocean and about their legacy to the next generation of fishermen and of people who live in these coastal communities,” Behnken said. “This isn’t just a way to earn a living—it’s a way of life. And this is a way to honor our deep commitment to the ocean and become better at what we do.”
The community of Sitka, Behnken said, is the right place to begin this work. But she also plans for the work to ripple outward into the maritime community as a whole.
“Our goal is to inspire decarbonization across more fleets,” she said. “We hope to set an example by walking the walk and showing how it can be done. We’re building local capacity here in Sitka knowing that the lessons we learn here can be applied elsewhere. And we really hope they will.”
Learn more about NREL's sustainable transportation and mobility research and its specific focus on commercial vehicle decarbonization. And sign up for NREL's quarterly transportation and mobility research newsletter, Sustainable Mobility Matters, to stay current on the latest news.
The scales of justice: Salmon fisheries in federal court, fighting to keep their lines in the water
Hosted by Evan Kleiman Aug. 18, 2023 FOOD & DRINK
See here for link to listen to news story
More than 90% of wild salmon are caught in Alaskan waters, where the fish travel from the coasts of California, the Pacific Northwest, and British Columbia. As the total number of fish have declined, limits of a catch have naturally decreased. The Wild Fish Conservancy, based in Washington, sued over technicalities in the Endangered Species Act. The salmon have been deeply compromised by dams and pollution, says third-generation Alaskan and journalist Julia O’Malley. Because the fish swimming up from the Lower 48 may be potentially endangered, Alaskan fisheries must come up with a mitigation plan. A judge was compelled by the Conservancy’s complaint of how to enact such a plan. Alaskan fisheries recently won a last minute reprieve in a lawsuit that would have kept lines out of the water this fishing season.
A pod of 73 endangered orcas in the region near Puget Sound feed on Chinook, also known as king salmon — the largest of the species, and whose populations are at historic lows. The orcas are in turn under threat of starvation, not only because the salmon are less abundant, but because they are considerably smaller, dropping from a typical size of 60-100 pounds down to 30 pounds. As a result, the whales need to catch more of them to get the same amount of protein. Noise pollution and industrial runoff further compound the problem, interfering with the echolocation orcas use to locate salmon.
Alaska has a 100-year-old fishing tradition, according to O’Malley. For better or worse, communities around the state operate on an extraction economy, whether it’s oil, timber, or fishing.
“Because of lessons learned from the Lower 48 and other countries in Europe, the management of fishing has been relatively careful, science-based, and sophisticated for about the last 45 years,” she says.
The connection between fishing and people hasn’t been broken. Indigenous people in coastal parts of the state continue to have access to fish. Fishing boats and crews are multi-generational, and many still catch with hook and line so there is no bycatch in their hauls. Many of those fishermen permit holders are Indigenous.
“If you can’t fish, people can’t live in place. If you lose connection to place and animals, then you lose connection to culture,” O’Malley says. “The biggest outlying variable [to the oceans] is climate change. They can manage the fish carefully — they can’t manage the oceans.”
OPINION: Data-driven fisheries management for future generations
As commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, I am proud to work every day with people who make Alaska’s fisheries a global model of sustainability and fisheries management. It takes all of us — from the deckhands on commercial fishing boats, to my staff here at the department, to Alaska families reporting their subsistence numbers — to uphold the data-driven, science-based management practices that set Alaska’s fisheries apart.
We prioritize scientific research and data collection, ensuring that the department has the information necessary to make smart management decisions. To this end, Fish and Game deliberately invests in regular surveys, various assessments, and monitoring of fish stocks, allowing the department to set fishing quotas that balance the long-term health of fish populations with economic and cultural priorities benefiting all Alaskans.
Recently we have been witnessing unprecedented change in our oceans. Managers, fishermen, and scientists alike have many questions about the future. Fish and Game’s focus on science-based fisheries management works to ensure the long-term survival of our fish stocks and realization of community and economic benefits thanks to healthy and robust fish populations in most of the state. This involves the enforcement of limited entry and fishing quotas to prevent overfishing while incentivizing conservation and stewardship among fishermen. Additionally, this sometimes means reduction of bag limits and other appropriate seasonal and area limits to fisheries are needed to protect spawning or otherwise vulnerable stocks. In short, sustainability is enshrined in our state constitution.
For generations, consumers the world over have known that buying Alaska seafood means supporting healthy marine ecosystems and fisheries that support thriving coastal communities. However, other international fisheries management systems do not always share the State of Alaska’s commitment to sustainability. To protect the integrity of the claim of sustainability across the global industry, it is up to organizations such as the Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC, an organization that evaluates and sets standards for sustainable fishing around the world, to act with integrity and uphold its own standard, even when doing so means missing out on profits.
Unfortunately, the MSC has failed at this duty in recent years, as it has observed Russian actions in Ukraine, assessed the implications for its Russian client fisheries, and chosen a path of accommodation and appeasement. It is why I wrote them a letter detailing our concerns with their continued certification of Russian fisheries. In the letter, I pointed out that the MSC has preserved its own revenue stream from Russian fisheries while providing indirect support for the Putin regime and his brutal war of aggression all the while applying strict standards to Alaska’s fisheries with the hope that they will eventually establish equity. This creates an unlevel playing field, and more importantly, gravely misleads consumers and markets who believe that the seafood they are buying is certified to the highest environmental and ethical standards. In essence, their certification of Russian seafood denigrates the certification they give to Alaska fisheries. Nonetheless, the State of Alaska remains committed to the highest levels of sustainability and will continue to value science and process when making management decisions.
The actions of the MSC continue to prove why Alaska’s homegrown, third-party Responsible Fisheries Management, or RFM, certification program is a better value for the seafood industry. Unlike MSC, RFM prioritizes sustainable fisheries management over corporate profits by applying consistent certification standards to all fisheries. Not a single Russian fishery is RFM certified, and it should remain that way as long as those fisheries are tied to the Putin regime.
Here in Alaska, our commitment to management and sustainable practices isn’t driven solely by market benefits or cold profits. Our motivation stems from respect for the resource, respect for harvesters and consumers, and respect for all Alaskan communities depending on the longevity and health of fish stocks today and well into the future.
Doug Vincent-Lang is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Making the Case for Fishermen in the Farm Bill
Emily Coffin from the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Blog
Last week, Congresswoman Pingree, along with her colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee, including Chairman GT Thompson of Pennsylvania, hosted Maine farmers and interested parties at Freeport High School to receive input on the 2023 Farm Bill. The bill is passed once every 5 years and determines how the federal government prioritizes domestic food policy. Although it was originally introduced in 1933 for the benefit of the agricultural industry, the bill has developed into a comprehensive amalgamation of bills that support all sectors of the food economy. The bill is extensive, from nutrition to broadband access. It includes 12 subsections and has great influence on how the country buys, produces, and manages national food production. Within the bill there are USDA provisions that provide grants to young farmers as marketing programs that could open and extend access and opportunity to fishermen, seafood processors, and other participants in the industry. It is a wonderful legislative opportunity to expose the fishing industry to the numerous federal benefits that farmers and food producers enjoy.
Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association sent its policy coordinator Emily Coffin to speak on behalf of fishermen, MCFA, and organizations we work with in the Fishing Community Coalition (FCC). The coalition represents over 1,000 small-boat fishermen from Maine to Alaska to promote stewardship and thriving commercial fisheries and collaborate on national policy initiatives. FCC is working to insert the seafood industry into the Farm Bill so that fishermen and fishing communities can access benefits that the federal government provides to farmers in the Farm Bill. Emily provided a two minute testimony that is as follows:
"Hello, my name is Emily Coffin with the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. We are an industry-founded non-profit supporting community-based commercial fishermen. Thank you, Chairman Thompson, Congresswoman Pingree and members of the Committee, for the opportunity to share our Farm Bill priorities. I also want to thank the other speakers for sharing their concerns because after all, this is a food system we are in. I’m a commercial fisherman, my dad is a commercial fisherman and as a food producer, I’m looking for your support.
We believe that domestic wild-caught seafood from small-scale producers should be more fully integrated into the U.S. food system, for the sake of food security, climate resilience, and small business survival. Here is how you can help:
The Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act in the Farm Bill would provide fishermen with access to farm credit programs. Younger fishermen like me need low-cost capital more than ever as financial barriers to entry keep rising. I’m 23 and I haven’t found it financially advantageous to be on a lobster boat full-time. Instead, I got a job in policy and I’m up here with a microphone. But I want fishing to be a path for others.
Second, we ask that you include provisions of the Domestic Seafood Production Act in the Farm Bill that revitalize working waterfronts by improving domestic seafood processing capacity for small-boat and independent fishermen.
I want to thank Congresswoman Pingree, for your support of increased working waterfront funding and new programs to prevent gentrification, enhance climate resilience, and expand opportunities for community-based fishing and seafood businesses.
Third, Congress can use the Farm Bill to mandate that USDA spread Section 32 procurement beyond just the largest players. This would bring economic benefit to smaller-scale fishing communities in Maine and keep Section 32 dollars in communities.
MCFA has shared proposed Farm Bill language with your staff, Congresswoman Pingree, to clarify that Local Agricultural Marketing Program, or LAMP, grants should be accessible to US commercial fishing and seafood businesses. Unfortunately, the USDA has kept fisheries out of LAMP grants in many instances despite the law clearly allowing us to participate. Let's make these programs accessible by default.
Thank you so much for your consideration of these suggestions. Improving access, infrastructure, and markets for fishermen and seafood businesses is a true win-win for the nation. I hope that while you’re in Maine you get to enjoy the delicious seafood we Mainer’s are so proud of."
Sitka’s seafood donation network connects abundance with scarcity in Western Alaska
Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Jul 25, 2023
A seafood donation program that began in Sitka during the pandemic is still growing. Now called the Seafood Distribution Network, the program is supplying sockeye to families on the Yukon and Chignik rivers, whose traditional salmon runs have crashed.
The market shift in seafood during the COVID pandemic created a problem for the industry: Unlike many other sectors, the supply – the fish – was still there. How to connect those fish with people when traditional markets vanished?
For Linda Behnken, director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, it was about connecting the dots.
“So we worked with the local processors here to figure out what fish was stranded by markets being closed, by restaurants being closed, the supply chain disruptions,” Behnken said. “We raised money, bought fish from fishermen that was stranded product, and then started distributing it to people in town that told us they were in need. So it was really ‘You let us know if you need seafood, we’ll provide it.’”
And that’s how ALFA’s Seafood Donation Program got started in 2020. Basically, a processor-to-doorstep delivery service for people who were having trouble getting by. It didn’t take long for word about the program to get out.
“And then we started hearing from people outside Sitka that there was a need and people really wanted seafood,” Behnken continued. “So we did a distribution with Sealaska, for example, that reached every community in Southeast Alaska. And we did distributions in the Lower 48 to Tribes along the Columbia River, to Anchorage military families, to communities in Western Alaska. Where we heard there was need, we found partners to work with to make that happen.”
Behnken credits Sitka-based processors Seafood Producers’ Coop, Sitka Sound Seafoods, and Northline Seafoods, along with Tribes and tribal organizations across the state for helping make the connections that kept the program going.
On paper, it sounds like an impossible undertaking – delivering 645,000 seafood meals across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, but Behnken says it conformed to basic Alaskan values.
“Alaska is a big state, but we’re also a small state and communities really care about other communities,” she said. “And we have a lot of relatives in different parts of the state, and that there is clear reason for us to share between those areas that have a lot and those areas of scarcity, but the infrastructure isn’t really there. So that’s what we’re working on developing is that infrastructure in Alaska so Alaskans can benefit from Alaska’s fish,
A grant from the Alaska Community Foundation got the Seafood Donation Program rolling; a regional food systems grant from the US Department of Agriculture helped ramp it up. But just the energy of regular Alaskans is helping fuel things now. In a pilot project in Dillingham this June, ALFA organized a drive to collect subsistence sockeye for communities affected by the crash in chinook and chum stocks.
Natalie Sattler is the program manager for ALFA.
“We worked with a lot of community members and locals in Dillingham and the Bristol Bay area to help us collect seafood and it was all subsistence donations,” Sattler said. “And within one week, we were able to collect 5,000 pounds of sockeye and folks rallied support, they went down to their setnet sites – kids, families, everyone just you picking fish and donating it and getting it ready to ship out.”
This year, the sockeye will be going to communities on the Yukon and Chignik rivers. And besides providing food, Behnken says the fish are intended to keep food traditions alive.
“What we’ve heard from people in these communities that aren’t able to harvest fish themselves right now because of scarcity is that they really wanted round fish because being able to process that fish as a family – and as a community – is really culturally important,” Behnken said.
The pandemic and the salmon crash have been a one-two punch for many communities in Western Alaska. In a news release, Rep. Mary Peltola said programs like ALFA’s Seafood Distribution Network were a critical part of the rebound. “Low salmon abundance is an issue that needs to be addressed at every level, from the federal government down to individual communities, and efforts like this are an important piece of that larger goal,” Peltola said.
Bristol Bay community members collect over 5,000 pounds of donated salmon for Yukon and Chignik communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2023
Dillingham, AK - In June, Dillingham-area residents harvested and collected over 5,000
pounds of subsistence-caught sockeye salmon that will be distributed to families in the
Yukon and Chignik unable to harvest their own local salmon due to low salmon returns.
The salmon donation was coordinated through the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s
Association’s (ALFA) Seafood Distribution Network with the help of local partners,
including Northline Seafoods, Bristol Bay Native Association, Grant Aviation, and Bristol
Bay Native Corporation.
In June before Bristol Bay’s commercial fishery opened, local Dillingham residents
helped ALFA collect subsistence salmon from families who were fishing at Dillingham’s
Kanakanak Beach. Northline Seafoods - a new seafood processor in Bristol Bay that
specializes in processing and freezing whole fish - helped oversee the cleaning and
freezing of the salmon. The salmon was frozen whole in response to requests from
Yukon and Chignik communities for whole fish so that they could fully utilize the salmon
and practice their food traditions. In addition, each salmon was labeled with the name of
the family that donated it -
In the coming weeks, Grant Aviation will help fly the salmon to Yukon and Chignik
villages, including Alakanuk, Pitkas Point, Saint Mary’s, Chignik Lagoon, and Chignik
Bay. The fish will also be used by the Yukon River Drainage Fishermen’s Association
Educational Exchange program where several youth will travel to communities on the
Yukon and share their experiences around salmon.
“This salmon donation project was a bit of an experiment for us; we didn’t know how
many people would be willing to contribute a portion of their subsistence harvest for
families that they didn’t know. When people heard that we were collecting salmon for the
Yukon and Chigniks, they jumped at the chance to contribute and help other Alaskans -
especially those who depend on subsistence for their diet and culture. We were thrilled
by the positive responses and were able to collect our target of 5,000 pounds of salmon
much quicker than anticipated,” said Natalie Sattler, Program Director for the Alaska
Longline Fishermen’s Association. “We couldn’t have done it without the generous
support of our partners, especially Bristol Bay Native Association, Grant Aviation, and
Northline Seafoods.”
“Our company was first approached in 2020 to help address the growing shortage of
salmon in Alaska’s rural communities and have been involved in the Seafood
Distribution Network ever since. Making sure local Alaskans have access to high quality
seafood is incredibly important to us and we are committed to supporting the Network’s
ongoing efforts to build the infrastructure and distribution systems needed to improve the
resiliency and sustainability of Alaska’s local food system,” said Ben Blakey, CEO of
Northline Seafoods.
“At a time when so many communities are struggling with low salmon returns and facing
another summer of empty smokehouses and freezers, I am filled with hope to see local,
grassroots efforts like this salmon donation project in Dillingham. This project not only
embodies what subsistence is all about, but it is also an example of Alaskans at their
best: sharing and taking care of each other during times of need. Low salmon
abundance is an issue that needs to be addressed at every level, from the federal
government down to individual communities, and efforts like this are an important piece
of that larger goal, ” said Alaska U.S. Congresswoman Mary Peltola.
The Seafood Distribution Network emerged through ALFA’s Seafood Donation Program,
which was started in March 2020 in response to COVID-19 and its impacts on local
fisheries and families. Since then, ALFA’s Seafood Donation Program has provided
more than 645,000 donated Alaska seafood meals to families experiencing food
insecurity in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. With funding from the USDA, ALFA is
currently undergoing a Regional Food System Partnership planning process in which it
will develop a more long-term plan for the Seafood Distribution Network and future
seafood donation efforts.
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We Are Going Fishing!
Posted by Linda Behnken Jul 6, 2023 Commercial Fishing, Featured, Salmon, Sustainable Seafood, Working Waterfronts Leave a Comment on the Marine Fish Conservation Network page
After months of fighting to save Southeast Alaska’s Chinook salmon troll fishery from a misguided lawsuit filed by the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), our fleet is going fishing!
On June 21st the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the District Court’s May decision to close the fishery while the National Marine Fisheries Service addresses technical issues with its Endangered Species Act documents. We are deeply relieved that the appeals court followed the science.
The WFC lawsuit alleges that the Alaska troll fishery is a threat to Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW), a pod of salmon eating orca that live most of the year in Puget Sound. The substantial body of science on the topic establishes that the real threat to the SRKW is habitat damage from urbanization, industrial pollution, and noise disturbance in their home range–not fisheries. Even if fisheries were a threat, it takes twisted logic to identify the small boat, low volume, hook and line troll fishery operating over 800 miles away from the orcas’ home range as the problem. Closing Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery would not benefit SRKW or the salmon they depend on, but it would destroy the rural and indigenous families and villages that depend on the troll fishery. As the appeals court opined, the documented socioeconomic costs are not justified by the speculative environmental impacts claimed by the WFC.
The Ninth Circuit decision is also a testament to the groundswell of support that Alaska’s trollers received from tribes, conservation groups, businesses, local communities, the Alaska’s State Legislature, and Alaska’s Congressional delegation. From a scientific, cultural, and social justice perspective, this lawsuit is a misfire–and a major distraction from the crucially important work to recover Puget Sound orca.
Salmon, orcas, and our planet would be better served if we worked together to address the complex issues that threaten the future sustainability of our fisheries and coastal ecosystems: dams, urban pollution, mining, and climate change. Transferring the conservation burden and cost onto fishing families isn’t the answer–as experts assert. Lynne Barre, who has led the SRKW recovery program at the National Marine Fisheries Service since 2002, points out in her October 2022 written declaration that the WFC oversimplifies and overestimates the impacts of shutting down Southeast’s troll fishery, failing to account for the mobility of both Chinook and orca populations and their fluctuating migratory pathways.
The hard truth is that there are no shortcuts when it comes to restoring wild salmon. We have seen everywhere else in the world that without healthy habitat and free-flowing rivers, we cannot have healthy wild salmon. Alaska trollers understand this. We work to protect salmon habitat to protect our way of life, our communities, and ocean health.
If nothing else, I hope that our legal battle to save our small boat fisheries, communities, and way of life in Southeast Alaska can be a reminder to both fishermen and non-fishermen around the country that we need to work together to ensure our fisheries are sustainable and our oceans are healthy for generations to come.