Comments on: Yukon Fish Swimming Up the Mainstream.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:33:15 +0000

Obviously the King Salmon have not read the above paragraph!

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:32:16 +0000

BEFORE reading this article I bought a piece of smoked pollock, at my localMaine market. In looking for recipes online I found this
LIE by a corporate entity, Good Food Channel. Someone needs to educate them ( if they are receptive)
“Not only are Alaskan pollock abundant in numbers, the way that they swim and are therefore caught is also very eco-friendly. They move in large shoals near to the surface of the water and so can be easily caught using mid-water trawling methods which do not disturb the sea bed, and so very few other unwanted fish are caught in the nets at the same time. ”
http://uktv.co.uk/food/stepbystep/aid/589099 …. OH! UKTV! makes it worse!

By: Bretta

Bretta — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:32:36 +0000

Hope this thread isn’t closed; here’s a FEMA update from Monday:

Over $4.7 Million In Federal Assistance Goes To Alaskans Affected By Disaster:

August 10th Deadline for Individual Assistance Fast Approaching

Release Date: August 1, 2009
Release Number: 1843-011

» More Information on Alaska Flooding and Ice Jams

» 2009 Region X News Releases

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Since President Obama declared the spring flooding and ice jams a federal disaster on June 11, 2009, federal agencies have committed over $4.7 million in disaster-related individual assistance and loans to residents of the Yukon River and Kuskokwim River communities.

Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management remind all Alaska residents affected by the disaster in the federally declared areas that the deadline for individual assistance registration is August 10. They can register by calling, toll-free, 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) (TTY 1-800-462-7585) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time, seven days a week, or by registering online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov.

State Coordinating Officer Bob Stewart said, “We don’t want anyone to miss the deadline. People should get appropriate help in these situations.”

Residents of the Alaska Gateway Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA), Yukon Flats REAA, Yukon-Koyukuk REAA, Lower Yukon REAA, Kuspuk REAA, and Yupiit REAA are eligible to apply for disaster-related individual assistance.

So far, 658 Alaska homeowners and renters have applied for disaster-related individual assistance, and inspectors have visited 636 homes. Funds awarded to date total $4,747,726 which includes:

* $1,999,312 in Housing Assistance to cover temporary rentals, home repairs and replacement;
* $1,795,114 in Other Needs Assistance to cover essential personal property losses, subsistence items, medical, dental, transportation or serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance; and
* $953,300 in Small Business Administration loans to pay for the repair or replacement of homes, businesses, or personal property not fully covered by insurance or other compensation.

Federal Coordinating Officer Doug Mayne expects the amount of federal funds invested in the recovery effort to increase. “Because of the climate in the affected areas, we have a limited time during which rebuilding can be accomplished,” observed Mayne. “Right now, there’s a flurry of activity. FEMA will continue to process applications for individual assistance as quickly as possible, to get funds and materials to the people who need them.”

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 03-Aug-2009 08:31:51

By: twodux

twodux — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:30:50 +0000

Let it be noted that while I think the pollock by-catch is a problem, and not one to be ignored, I also don’t believe it’s the only problem. And this is coming from someone who usually catches lots of Copper River kings. The last two years have been horrible on the Copper and just about every other system in South Central Alaska and Western Alaska.

I could be wrong, but something else is going on besides by-catch.

By: yukonbushgrma

yukonbushgrma — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:24:10 +0000

@#56 twodux:
“I fished pollock for three years in the 90’s. I also worked in a pollock plant in Dutch Harbor one season. There is a problem with the salmon counts as far as observers go. I have no doubt that the actual salmon count (chinook and chum) is higher than reported which would make the problem worse than most believe. The main problem is, only the catcher processor boats have full time observer coverage, at least that was the case when I fished. The smaller boats were only required to have coverage for a quarter to a third of the season or so and the observers were rotated from boat to boat. This leads to highgrading (tossing salmon over the side to keep reported bycatch low. On catcher boats, the nets are unzipped and the fish drain from the net into the fish hold. While it would be next to impossible to sort the whole catch, any salmon that are apparent can be tossed. The actual counts of by-catch from catcher boats are done in the cannery where the fish are delivered. As the fish are pumped from the boat into the cannery, there is a sorting belt where people grab any fish that isn’t a pollock and throw them into a bin to be counted. A plant observer does the counting.”
————
Ah — you answered a question I had! …. and that was, who determines what the bycatch numbers are?

What a good answer! Thank you for explaining it from your own personal experience.

Methinks there need to be some ‘impartial’ counters on those boats! Not just sometimes, but all the time! (or at least they can show up unannounced, get on the boat, and say, “I’m counting bycatch!”)

By: yukonbushgrma

yukonbushgrma — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:59:22 +0000

@31 EatWildFish Says:
“I also know that whenever someone poses hard questions to the CDQ directors, they are branded as ‘racist.’ So nobody ever pushes it at a political level. And the CDQ books are closed to all who are not ‘insiders.’
“A couple of years ago, the six CDQ groups formed a consortium and hired Wanetta Ayers to be the executive director, based in Anchorage. Maybe she has some answers…”
————–
EatWildFish —
Sounds to me like the answers to these questions have something to do with money ………
Just sayin’ ………

By: Alaska Pi

Alaska Pi — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:52:25 +0000

56 twodux
I want them to be good stewards of the spawning grounds and the best way to accomplish that is to share the bounty.
————————–

There’s a attempt on the Yukon to share the spirit of co-operation…

your comment is a great add here!
hear stories about non-observing obervers but your info makes sense in a an everyday life manner…
Agree- hard cap and MORE oberservers .
http://www.yritwc.org/

By: Alaska Pi

Alaska Pi — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:56:16 +0000

50 rebekkah Says:
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 AM
Alaska PI: Thanks for the correction – Like many governments, federal and state (province) work together, and it’s an old problem, where lack of good communication between the two, sometimes makes the “left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.”

… Hope this most recent exposure will push it ahead on the top of the list.
————————————————
oy- it IS the not knowing what each or doing and in this case, to some extent, compartmentalizing within the same place/function and not being aware of what all the fingers on one hand are doing!

I think this is exciting… having so much more talk and news -out in the open…
I’m hoping it all spurs some deep re-thinking across the board… and a consolidated approach to solving problems.

By: Martha Unalaska Yard Sign

Martha Unalaska Yard Sign — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:13:34 +0000

@ cuppajava

I just re-read your post – good work! Great questions! It ticks me off to think about this council right now. Didn’t they just have a big meeting in Seattle regarding the pollock industry and we couldn’t find anyone who knew about it?

By: Martha Unalaska Yard Sign

Martha Unalaska Yard Sign — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:08:39 +0000

Gosh, I’m all fired up and wanted to jump in here with Jo and everyone, but dang it – Ann and Jane pretty much stated what I also feel. The bycatch is the most immediate issue relating to fewer salmon in the Yukon because it is something we can examine, and affect relatively quickly.

We have all reviewed scientific info coming from around the country regarding environmental and other theories, but there is not enough solid information for us to affect these factors immediately. The bycatch cap doesn’t even go into effect until 2011, so it’s not exactly like that’s any great response to THIS winter’s upcoming shortage, either. Other modifications to bycatch issues will also take time. New scientific data will hopefully be more conclusive as we go along, also – and when it is, and we can act on it, or adjust for it, we will most certainly attempt to!

C’mon Jo – we may be laypeople but we keep well informed and continually discuss these issues on the blog at Anonymous Bloggers as well as behind the scenes.