| | | | Hello Trollers,
If you haven't already heard about what happened recently to commercial salmon fishing in British Columbia below are links to two articles from the Canadian press and one from Wrangell's KSTK public Radio. I don't have the details but Canada has eliminated commercial harvest of Coho and Chinook salmon but, ominously, kept open sport harvest. This decision was made on a national level in Ottawa. B.C. commercial fishery managers were not consulted.
- Matt Donohoe | |
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| | ATA Now Has a gofundme site for our legal fund. (which has been drawn down to zero!) Please share this link. > https://gofund.me/d02bd8a1
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| | Logbook Program Update by Jim Moore
ATA applied for funding for our electronic data collection and management (logbook) program from treaty mitigation funds but our proposal failed to meet the criteria for the RFP according to the "stakeholders panel". The exercise in putting together that proposal was very useful in defining and refining the new program. Research into what ATA had done before and how it worked was really enlightening. We can be proud we have pioneered a citizen-scientist project the likes of which are currently springing up all over the world. The ATA logbook program which was conducted from 1976 through 1991 provided a data set used in management and oceanography to this date. The program was directed by a steering committee comprised of representatives from ATA, ADFG, NMFS, and SeaGrant. Our proposed electronic program is similarly guided by such a steering committee and we have recruited top scientists from ADFG including John Carlyle, Grant and Ann Manney (head of Port Sampling) ,two from NMFS, including Wes Strassberger (led the Anadromous Fish Commission research expedition in Gulf of Alaska last winter), Dr. Yumi Aramitsu from USGS (forage fish research), Dr. Ron Heintz- Sitka Sound Science Center, Sunny Rice- SeaGrant, Dr. Hennon and Dr. Simmons, oceanographers from UAF, Steve Reifhenstul representing aquaculture. The grant we have applied for is for a pilot program to fund a coordinator position, develop software for collection and data management and to equip 10 boats to put it to use and work out any bugs.
Having the program defined and first RFP for reference I have applied for a nfwf grant (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation} which seemed like a very good fit. The federal grant process was nearly overwhelming however and without help from Sunny Rice of SeaGrant, and Dan Falvey of ALFA it would not have happened. ALFA has been tremendously helpful in connecting us with other organizations involved with similar programs and as a result of that connection I am participating in a pilot study this summer testing a temperature/pressure data collection system designed by Bering. This system is in use in Europe and on the East Coast and now two units are being tested for use in the troll fishery in Alaska.
This work with Bering is not to be confused with the proposed contractual arrangement between ATA and the UAF research project to be funded by AOOS. This contract will require six volunteer trollers to receive training to take monthly samples of temperature and salinity at 6 stations in inside waters. Initially there will be three instruments and three volunteers do cover the work with three others trained as backup. ATA will receive $25,000 per year for this work which will commence as early as next winter. | |
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| | ON SALE NOW 2022 RAFFLE TICKETS
Can be purchase online or from an ATA board member.
Tickets are $20 Each | |
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| | Alaska Trollers Association Litigation Update by NW Resource Law Litigation is ongoing concerning Wild Fish Conservancy’s challenge to the 2019 Biological Opinion and accompanying Incidental Take Statement which effectively allows the Southeast Alaska Troll Fishery to operate with protection from the Endangered Species Act. Wild Fish Conservancy alleges that the federal actions at issue jeopardize the Southern Resident Killer Whale and endangered or threatened salmonids. Specifically, Wild Fish Conservancy attacks the reliance on hatchery production to aid the population of the Southern Resident. Additionally, Wild Fish Conservancy alleges that the federal government did not conduct the requisite environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. If Wild Fish Conservancy were to succeed on its claims, the Southeast Alaska Troll Fishery would no longer be able to operate. Thus, the litigation threatens significant harm to the communities of southeast Alaska. The National Marine Fisheries Service, the State of Alaska, and the Alaska Trollers Association are all defending the Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement.
The four parties completed briefing in the middle of June. Each party filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that the issues could be resolved as a matter of law in their favor, even accepting the facts in the light most favorable to the opposition. The Alaska Trollers Association primarily argued that Wild Fish Conservancy does not have standing to bring its claims. Wild Fish Conservancy alleges that its members have been injured by the actions at issue because there will be decreased opportunities to view Southern Residents. The Alaska Trollers Association has argued, however, that ceasing the operation of the Southeast Alaska Troll Fishery will not result in an increased population or more viewing opportunities of the Southern Residents. Thus, in the Alaska Trollers Association’s view, Wild Fish Conservancy should not be able to put its arguments before the court.
The magistrate judge held oral argument on the parties’ motions on July 27, 2021. Once the magistrate reaches a decision, she will submit a recommendation to the district court judge for a final ruling. This process is likely to take some time. Importantly, the magistrate indicated at oral argument that if she agrees with Wild Fish Conservancy’s claims, she will request separate arguments on the appropriate remedies. If the case reaches that point, the Alaska Trollers Association will be given the crucial opportunity to argue that the Biological Opinion and the Incidental Take Statement should remain in place—allowing the Southeast Alaska Troll Fishery to operate—while the National Marine Fisheries Service remedies any defects in its analysis. This matter involves activities beyond the Southeast Alaska Troll Fishery. If there is an adverse ruling against the Federal Defendants, it is important for the Alaska Trollers Association to participate in the briefing on remedy to make sure it does all it can to preserve its fishery. | |
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| | On Little Port Walter... by Scott Wagner and Jim Moore | |
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| | NMFS has decided to immediately discontinue its Chinook research program orphaning 75,000 Keta River Chinook fry and 40,000 Unuk River fry. In an NSRAA board executive committee session the committee voted to fund up to $24,000 to cover costs of transport, tagging, and rearing at Hidden Falls Hatchery for the Keta River fry. NSRAA board has already approved switching to Keta brood stock and most permitting is in place. The committee also approved additional expenses under the Sawmill Creek Hatchery operating budget of up to $12,000 to cover costs for transporting, tagging and rearing the Unuk stock in Sitka. The Science Center has room for them and they are to be released in Deep Inlet.
These plans may be changed if a better solution presents itself. A back channel discussion with a top NMFS administrator suggests that the state should petition NMFS NW to direct more funding to salmon research in Alaska cc. the Alaska delegation and hope the decision to close out Chinook at LPW could be reversed if more funding is found before the end of the summer. |
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| | | Please Note: ATA Will No Longer Take Credit Card Payments Over the PhoneDue to higher credit card fees we will no longer be taking credit card payments over the phone. Our PayPal option is still available online and can handle credit card payments. We also accept checks for membership payments. Call us if you need any assistance, thanks for your continued support. | |
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| | Addressing Treaty Rumors by Matt Donohoe and Ceri Malein
Rumors are circulating (particularly on face book) that the new 2019 Salmon treaty will, at times, provide more kings to the troll fleet than the 2008 agreement (which was already a 15% Chinook cut from 1998). The new treaty agreement sets Chinook quota based on the Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) in the first eight weeks of the Sitka Sound Winter Troll harvest. Prior to 2019 Chinook quota had been based on the Abundance Index (AI), a computer model. ADF&G modeled the new CPUE system on a 17 year baseline (2001-2017). This Baseline depicted annual Chinook allocations not actual Chinook harvest. Although there are a couple of years under the new system when Alaska may have been allocated a larger quota those years are anomalies. Too many anomalies and the treaty will be reassessed. The fact is that these few years of gain do not make up for all the years of loss. This loss is in part due to the payback stipulation which Alaska accepted in order to implement the CPUE model.
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