The Fish Ticket
September 9, 2024
Permits & State Fisheries
In permit news, Bristol Bay drift permits may have found the bottom. Our first postseason sale was at $121,500 last month, our most recent sale was at $127,000 this week and our highest offer is currently $124,000. Of course, this is still a far cry from where these permits were just two years ago; here's how we ended up here (complete with input from yours truly).
In Southeast, power troll permits are getting a bit more attention, with a sale this week at $17,000, on par with preseason sales. I'm sure that the court's decision to keep the fishery open has something to do with that...
In PWS, we've seen little movement in drift permits, despite the fishery exceeding harvest projections and beating last year's total sockeye harvest by 59%. Our lowest asking price is $89,000. The seiners are a different story, with the PWS pink harvest down 67% from 2022 and the chum harvest down 71% year-over-year, it's no mystery why those permits aren't moving.
As the salmon season comes to an end, ASMI's Weekly Salmon Harvest Update paints an abysmal picture, with statewide sockeye harvests down 20% YoY, pinks down 45% from 2022, chums down 31% YoY, coho down 51% YoY, and Chinook down 24% YoY.
The Board of Fisheries published the proposal book for the 2024/2025 meeting cycle, which kicks off with a work session October 29-30, and then dives into Prince William Sound and Upper Copper/Upper Susitna Finfish and Shellfish (except shrimp) in Cordova December 10-16. January 28-February 9 the Board will tackle Southeast and Yakutat Finfish and Shellfish in Ketchikan and March 11-16 they'll finish with Statewide Shellfish, Prince William Sound Shrimp, and Supplemental Issues in Anchorage.
IFQs & Federal Fisheries
It's about that time again! I want to hear from YOU. I've been droning on for months now about how slow the quota market is, the depressed dock prices, the scratchy halibut fishing. This week, I'm asking you all to reply to this email and let me know what YOU'RE seeing on the grounds. How's the fishing? What trends are you picking up on? What's working and what's not? What gives you hope? What are some of the biggest challenges for the IFQ fisheries right now? I'll share feedback in the coming weeks. (You can choose to remain anonymous or not!)
The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council will meet September 30-October 8 in Anchorage. The comment period opens on the 9th with a deadline for written comments of September 27 at 12pm AKT. This meeting will cover BSAI crab specs, groundfish harvest specs, fee modifications for the RQE program, initial reviews on crew data collection and pelagic trawl gear definition, and a review of the IFQ program report, among other things. If you're a stakeholder in these fisheries, I can't stress enough how important it is to participate in these meetings. Attending in person can be valuable for networking and building relationships, but it's expensive and time consuming, I know. Tuning in remotely is a completely free way to make sure your voice is heard and to protect the investments you've made by advocating for your fisheries. Remember: if you're not at the table, you're on the menu.
What Else?
Russia will be conducting a large military exercise in the Bering Sea starting September 14. The US Coast Guard issued a statement to fishermen assuring they would maintain a presence in the area.
In line with their restructuring efforts, Trident Seafoods hired longtime Microsoft executive Mike Quinn as COO and appointed Jeff Welbourn president of Trident USA and Kenji Nasu president of Trident Alaska, both in-house promotions.
The National Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee will meet in Kodiak September 10-12 to examine the impact of climate change on Gulf of Alaska fisheries and communities.
NOAA scientists' new models can predict red king crab bycatch and abundance in Bristol Bay bottom trawl fisheries, which will be used to help managers reduce bycatch.
The mayors of Kodiak, Unalaska, Akutan, Sand Point, and Aleutians East Borough jointly penned an opinion piece defending the Gulf and Bering Sea pollock trawl fisheries and noting their importance to the survival of many coastal communities.
Fred Wahl Marine Construction, known for their iconic "Super 8" 58' boats like the listing above, turned 50 this year.
ASMI's annual commercial fishing photo contest is open for submissions.
This week's Alaska Fisheries Report: warming arctic waters, objections to listing GOA Chinook salmon as endangered, the Kotzebue Sound chum salmon crash, and the trouble with Marimo Balls.
On this week's Bering Sea Barometer, "Captain Pete Neaton joins you on the airwaves from what's been called the Shangri-La of Alaska; and the fall B season for the federal pot cod fishery is open, but a low dock price is keeping participation low."
