Ben Fisher

Reporting from Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Ben Fisher is a Seattle-based freelance writer. Previously, he worked as night and copy editor at the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s largest English language newspaper, and as digital editor of Jewish Quarterly. He is fluent English, French, Hebrew, and Arabic.


Author Archive

Published on
May 13, 2020

Although there was no commercial herring sac roe fishery this year in Sitka Sound due to small average fish size, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game report has provided encouraging data for the fishery to consider an eventual reopening.

Some 83 percent of this year’s guideline harvest level was forecast to be age-four herring, with an average weight of 92 grams. The size forecast for herring across all age classes was slightly larger,

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Published on
May 7, 2020

The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) is awarding nearly USD 1 million (EUR 927,330) to four European partners launching new products made with pollock for the European market.

The partners receiving funding are

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Published on
May 1, 2020

Canada Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say that they are planning to use a pneumatic fish pump, commonly known as a salmon cannon, to help salmon migrate past a landslide on the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada.

A ladder is being constructed to lead the fish to a holding pool, where humans or a machine will sort them by size and push them into one of two different-sized tubes. The salmon will then be shot through the cannon

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Published on
April 29, 2020

Alaska Air Cargo plans to begin flying Alaska passenger jets as domestic cargo-only flights, which will carry only essential goods including seafood, mail, and medical equipment, according to the company.

The move comes after the airline cut back flights by about 80 percent due to the coronavirus crisis. If the Federal Aviation Administration approves the new cargo flights, they would begin next month.

Although the airline didn’t specify

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Published on
April 28, 2020

Pacific Seafood released its third annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report on 22 April, a move intended to coincide with Earth Day celebrations.

According to a press release from the company, the report is intended to detail “efforts to be socially responsible in all areas of our business from coastal communities and team members, to sustainable fishing practices and traceability, to food safety standards, and the environment during

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Published on
April 24, 2020

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced an early closure to the Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to protect whales and sea turtles from being entangled in fishing gear.

According to the official declaration, the decision co close the fishery on 15 May was made to protect humpback whales, whose migratory path is through the central management area of the fishery.

“I have

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Published on
April 23, 2020

The Pacific sardine fishery on the U.S. West Coast appears to be headed for another year of being shut down after a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) assessment showed a low biomass.

The NOAA assessment estimated the Pacific sardine biomass will be at 27,547 metric tons by the summer – significantly less than the 150,000 metric tons needed to reopen the fishery to commercial fishing. Any fishery at less than

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Published on
April 14, 2020

With the famed Copper River salmon season set to begin in about two weeks, Cordova, Alaska, is wrestling with how to prepare for the influx of seasonal workers who are planning to travel to the city

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Published on
April 9, 2020

Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), the Alaska pollock promotional and trade group, has teamed up with James Beard-award winning chef Thierry Rautureau to provide consumers who are staying home due to the coronavirus crisis with new recipes in an attempt to supplement their “quarantine cuisine. " ...

Photo courtesy of Genuine Alaska Pollock

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Published on
April 2, 2020

The Alaska sablefish and halibut season got off to a successful start in terms of volume, but less so in terms of sales price, according to a Homer News report.

The commercial halibut season began on 15 March and the sablefish season in the state got underway the day before.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) figures revealed that during the first week of the season, 332,478 pounds of halibut were harvested compared to 258,227

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