Je me souviens
Thursday,21 April,2011 08:37:23
Though this phrase is best known for being Quebec's motto, the Acadian people in Canada and Louisiana are connected by more than language.
On this anniversary of the worst oil spill in our country's history, I hope our northern neighbors will lend us the French "I remember" to honor their distant relatives in the bayous of the Gulf of Mexico.
Today we celebrate the first Earth Day since the Deepwater Horizon well began spouting oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
While it hardly feels like a day for cheer, there are some things for which we can say grace. Yesterday marked the first time NOAA reopened all the fishing grounds that closed after the spill began. The seafood that is coming out of the region is clean and thoroughly tested. In fact, I'd wager it's the best money can buy right now. Even better, many fishermen are back to fishing after a full summer of running booms.
But the few bright spots do not justify the Obama administration's declaration of "mission accomplished" on the Gulf Coast.
We still have a ways to go before we have an inkling of the long-term effects the oil and dispersants have had on the marine ecosystem. The damage to vital tourism in this part of the country is painfully clear.
April 20 may be our national day to remember, but the people we are keeping close in our thoughts today have been coping with the disaster for 365 days with no end in sight.
Honor them with an oyster, a snapper, a shrimp on your plate.
Thank you for your time.
Jessica Hathaway
Editor in chief, National Fisherman
Fit for kings
Monday,18 April,2011 07:42:40
The word came yesterday from the Pacific Fishery Management Council: Salmon is back.
To be sure, any recovery would be a vast improvement for fishermen in California and Oregon who have been rigging their boats for other fisheries, trying to string together enough cash to stay afloat.
But beginning May 1, just three years after the West Coast fleet began receiving federal disaster assistance, salmon fishermen will again be granted a season for fall run chinook. And it ought to be a good one.
The council estimates 730,000 adult chinooks will return this year, triple the 2008 numbers and almost 20 times those of 2009.
Theories abound as to what has sparked this seemingly miraculous turnaround, but I don't think we can discount the value of water resources when it comes to fish.
Certainly, every species needs food to grow. But without water, you have no spawn. And I don't think I've ever heard anyone solve the chicken or egg conundrum with chicken feed.
I hope a good season of salmon fishing that provides fresh, local and wild fish into California and Oregon markets gives the locals something to consider with the next wave of battles over water rights.
Thank you for your time.
Jessica Hathaway
Editor in chief, National Fisherman
www.nationalfisherman.com
Safety research at risk
Monday,11 April,2011 08:47:47
With the federal government on the verge of a shutdown, budget cuts are looming over every national agency.
Unfortunately, a positive review of the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety landed its Commercial Fishing Safety Research Program on the chopping block for 2012.
As Gunnar Knapp, economics professor at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, pointed out in his op-ed for the Anchorage Daily News this week, cutting this program at a time when its effectiveness is most apparent is dangerously counterintuitive.
Fishing is still the deadliest profession in this country, but safety research has improved the survival rates of American fishermen over the last 20 years.
The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 put into effect stricter standards for skippers of large vessels and tightened requirements for dockside exams.
I don't discount the value of dockside exams. But I can't comprehend how we can find funding for more exams and coursework for skippers but not for a national safety-at-sea research program.
We need to do everything we can to keep fishermen alive at sea and continue to improve our national safety record in the industry.
If you want to help preserve NIOSH and fishermen's lives, make a phone call or write a letter to your members of Congress.
Thank you for your time.
Jessica Hathaway
Editor in chief, National Fisherman
www.nationalfisherman.com
Yearning for yen
Tuesday,5 April,2011 08:43:54
This week we look to the West again, to Alaska and Japan, keeping an eye on the future of Alaska's fishing markets.
It remains to be seen what effect the fallout in Japan will have on Alaska's fishing industry. But for now, Alaska seafood businesses are doing all they can to help the citizens of Japan, the state's largest trade partner.
Last year, Alaska's seafood exports to Japan were valued at $523.4 million, including blackcod, king crab, sockeye salmon and, of course, herring roe.
As the herring seiners prepare to launch on Sitka Sound in what is predicted to be a strong year, they can't help but wonder if their 2011 product will create a glut.
The Japanese reportedly have about 3,000 tons of herring roe in cold storage from last year. In a typical year, the nation consumes 6,000 tons of the sac roe, which is incorporated into kazunoko, a delicacy reserved for gifts and special occasions.
So the question remains, will the Japanese be splurging on delicacies this year, when some of their basic needs are barely being met? And if so, will their distribution system have recovered well enough to guide the products to market?
The bright spot for those Sitka boat owners who have diversified permits is that Alaska's salmon season is predicted to be the strongest since 2007 at 203.5 million salmon, a nearly 19 percent increase over last year's 171.2 million.
With a global shortage of farmed salmon and the American economy slowly scratching its way out of the downturn, this could very well be an effulgent season for wild salmon.
Thank you for your time.
Jessica Hathaway
Editor in chief, National Fisherman
www.nationalfisherman.com