Friday, November 07, 2008

SEAS board meeting Dec 1 in Juneau

Guys

The task force is the next day, December 2nd.

Get your tickets soon, as the Thanksgiving holiday has the flights booked up a bit.

Dec 1, Monday, 1:00PM is the SEAS board meeting.

Task Force meeting starts the next morning, December 2nd.

bobbyt

Thursday, September 25, 2008

United Fishermen Of Alaska

Guys

We're up here in Anchorage for a 3 day UFA meeting where there will be some major endorsements made tomorrow.

The reception went exceptionally well last night and the meeting is being well attended.

Thanks for your support of UFA.

SEAS members and SO1A permit holders are the largest single member group of UFA with 1/6th of the total membership of UFA. There are 36 organizations that belong to UFA and we have 1/6th of the individual members.

Excellent participation guys and we at SEAS are extremely pleased that you guys form the core that supports commercial fisheries everywhere in Alaska.

SEAS thanks you and UFA thanks you.

Call the office at 907-463-5080 if you are one of those 50 plus UFA members from SEAS who has no UFA hat. SEAS hats are in as well and call if you'd like us to mail a couple to you.


Good Day

bobbyt

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Nominations still open

Nominations for the SEAS board will close October 31st.

Forms will be sent to all current members by mail this coming week but you may also nominate by email or by calling the SEAS office at (907)463-5080.

SEAS endorses Ted Stevens for Senate

Along with a core voting block at United Fishermen of Alaska totaling eight associations, SEAS endorsed Ted Stevens at a press conference at the Alaska Fishermen's Building.

The United Fishermen of Alaska will take up the endorsement of the remaining candidates not on the "auto endorse" list as well as the endorsements of Don Young's congressional seat, Ted's seat and the McCain-Palin ticket. Not that these are foregone conclusions, of course.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Pacific Salmon Treaty annex, 2009-2018, finished

ADF&G Press Release
Denby S. Lloyd, Commissioner
Tim Barry, Communications Director
P.O. Box115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811
Phone: (907) 465-6137 • Fax: (907) 465-2332

Press Release: No. 08-10, May 22, 2008

Contact: David Bedford, Deputy Commissioner (907) 465-4100


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pacific Salmon Treaty Negotiators Reach Agreement


(Juneau) – The Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) today announced an agreement on a ten-year extension of fishery arrangements under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The agreement addresses a number of salmon fisheries in Southeast Alaska, including those near the British Columbia/Alaska border and on several rivers that cross between the two countries.

The Pacific Salmon Treaty, first signed in 1985, is a bilateral agreement under which the U.S. and Canada co-operate on management, research and enhancement of Pacific salmon that swim through the waters of both countries. Under the treaty, fishery arrangements put in place in 1999 expire at the end of December, 2008.

“Ten years ago, the commission had a much more difficult time reaching agreement, and the final negotiations had to be conducted at a government-to-government level,” David Bedford, Alaska’s representative on the PSC, said. “This time, the Commissioners, along with stakeholders and fisheries management staff up and down the coast, worked hard to conclude an agreement within the Commission process, and this ensured participation by the state and the affected people, organizations and communities.”

“Throughout nearly two years of negotiations, the State of Alaska worked in close coordination with fishery representatives,” he continued. “While we had to make some sacrifices to reach this agreement, we were convinced that this is a responsible agreement that provides stability for our fisheries and helps ensure the long-term health and sustainability of shared salmon resources.”

For Chinook salmon, the most complex of the species covered under the treaty due to the geographic scope of their migration, the revised agreement:

maintains the fundamentals of the abundance–based management system established in 1999, which mandates that harvests vary up and down with productivity of the stocks, and has provided substantial benefits to Alaska fisheries.
recognizes that Chinook stocks in the area covered by the treaty vary in status with many being healthy and abundant while others are considered to be stocks of concern.
recognizes the depressed status of a number of stocks originating in southern B.C. and the U.S. Pacific Northwest (some of which are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act), and reduces the allowable Chinook catch levels for fisheries in in fisheries off the west coast of Vancouver Island in B.C. by 30%, and in Southeast Alaska by 15%.
requires the Commission to review the need for the continuation of these levels of reduction in 2014.
contains provisions to fund and conduct important programs to obtain additional information critical to conservation and fisheries management which will be of value in the 2014 review. The funding includes $10 million over 5 years to better account for salmon escapement and $15 million for improvements in fishery monitoring.
“The catch reduction is a tough position for us to accept,” said Bedford, “but those of us who have been working hard on these talks, including representatives of southeast Alaskan fishing interests, recognized that there are expressed conservation concerns for a number of stocks and that reaching an agreement that mandates additional monitoring and analysis of these stocks should help answer questions about their status and significantly contribute to the review of the reduction that will take place in 2014.”

For other Alaskan fisheries covered by the Treaty, the agreement revises fishery provisions for terminal area and in-river sockeye, coho, and Chinook fisheries on the Stikine, Taku, and Alsek rivers. The agreement builds upon the current abundance-based management system for conservation and harvest sharing, provides for additional harvest opportunities for sockeye through responsible stock enhancement on the Taku and Stikine rivers, and addresses possible future opportunities for fisheries on the Alsek River after coordinated stock assessment work.

For relevant fisheries in the boundary area between northern British Columbia and southern Southeast Alaska, negotiators recognized that the fishery arrangements established in 1999 are working well, and the new agreement extends those terms for another ten years. Key provisions in this area relate to the catch ceilings established for some B.C.-bound sockeye stocks harvested in the commercial seine fishery near Noyes Island and the commercial gillnet fishery at Tree Point.

The Pacific Salmon Commission action is a recommendation to the U.S. and Canadian governments for formal approval. There are domestic processes in the respective countries that will take place in ensuing months, with the goal of having the revised fishery arrangements in place by January 1, 2009. In the U.S., the process for final approval by the State Department includes analysis by the National Marine Fisheries Service that the fishery arrangements meet Endangered Species Act requirements.

###

Return to ADF&G's News Release Home

State of Alaska ADF&G Sport Fish Wildlife Commercial Fish Subsistence Boards Admin
Webmaster • Accessibility • OEO Statement • Terms of Use • Privacy • Copyright © 2003 - 2008
Last updated: May 23, 2008

fleet consolidation phase #1

It's all but done.
There was a snaffu with the way the funds could be spent- the system is a reimbursable expense system, meaning that PSVOA had to lend half the money to the SRA to buy half the permits (17 or so) while the remaining permits (16- total of combined bought permits is 33) are still waiting for their checks as we speak. --update-9-12-08-- we managed to buy 35 with the last one needing a partial loan from SEAS and PSVOA to the SRA in order to get it. We felt collectively that we wanted to squeeze every nickel to get the extra 2 permits.

Anyways. 8% of the SO1A permits have now been purchased and relinquished, save for those awaiting their funds.

Sorry for the slow draw here but we've managed to draw out not only Alaska's first ever fleet consolidation program but we'll probably also set a record for the longest process in achieving our goal. Remember SEAS began their quest for fleet consolidation before the bottom of the pink prices back in November 2001. It is apparent that we won't be finished with phase 2 until the winter after the 2009 season. In what amounts to a government shutdown or slowdown, the Bush administration has ceased new rulemaking.

Thanks to the Palin Administration for their coordination and support through Alaska Department of Fish and Game as well as the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. Commissioner Denby Lloyd, Special Assistant Aspelund, CFEC Commissioners Peter Froelich, Bruce Twomley and CFEC Chairman Frank Homan. Of course the senior Fisheries Advisor to Governor Palin, Cora Crome. We couldn't have done it without all of their valuable assistance. And Governor Palin's leadership was certainly evident here as she is showing a broader understanding of the long term needs and issues of other regions of the state such as ours

And kudos to SEAS, Mr.Zuanich and PSVOA for their diligence, persistence and hard work.

bobbyt

Friday, April 04, 2008

Fleet Consolidation article in ADN

adn.com | Money : $3 million allocated for seine buyback

http://www.adn.com/money/story/365239.html

good day


bobbyt

Saturday, March 15, 2008

HERE WE GO

Guys

If you are interested in being in the first wave of the fleet consolidation program, read your information carefully.

The bid forms will be mailed out to you on April 7th. The bids will be due to the CPA firm that is counting them by April 28th.

The forms you got already for relinquishment were sent early so that you could have time to visit your local notary public.

Disregard the Alaska Notary Public part. No you don't have to fly up here if you are outside or whatever. Any state's Notary Public will do.

Thanks for your support of SEAS over the years and thanks for your support of this important program.

bobbyt

Saturday, February 23, 2008

March 2nd Sunday Seattle Port Meeting

Gentlemen

SEAS members have a port meeting at the PSVOA office room- we'll expand to a bigger room if need be. The meeting will begin at 7pm.

All SEAS members are welcome to attend. We will be serving refreshments and pizza.
Several large issues will be discussed, especially enhanced allocation and fleet consolidation. Difficult to imagine that permit cards are going to be cut up in just a couple months time.

Don't be bashful. And we could attempt to teleconference in if that is your wish.


bobbyt

Monday, February 11, 2008

SEAS Board Meeting March 1-3

With no meetings in Seattle since 2004 and none on the horizon until 2010 or 2011, SEAS board of directors decided to hold this year's annual SEAS meeting in Seattle, Washington.

Our meeting will begin at noon on Saturday the 1st of March and conclude by mid-afternoon on Monday the 3rd of March.

All SEAS members are welcome to attend.

The meeting will be held at PSVOA headquarters at Fishermen's Terminal in Ballard/Magnolia.

See you there.

Important issues to talk about. Fleet consolidation, Enhanced Allocation, Treaty and much, much more.

bobbyt

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

SEAK Purse Seine Fleet Consolidation Proceeds

Fleet Consolidation steps up the pace

In late December Congress appropriated $235,000 to the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish a loan program for the Southeast Revitalization Association, not to exceed $23.5 million dollars.

In late January, the ADFG determined that the existing $2.88 million grant through the SSSF funds could go to a fully agreed upon program to do a reverse auction to achieve nearly a 10% reduction in permits prior to finishing up the remaining permits with the loan program through this coming fall and winter.

The Southeast Revitalization Association will be meeting soon and we will have concurrent discussions with the SEAS board at our annual SEAS Board meeting on March 1,2,3.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to call the SEAS office at (907)463-5030.

Stay tuned for fleet consolidation action imminently this spring.

warmest regards

bobbyt

Friday, January 18, 2008

10 More Years!!

A 10 year agreement Boundary Area is jointly settled in current Portland Pacific Salmon Treaty talks

Alaska’s Northern Panel, including SEAS member Mitch Eide, John Carle, Bob Thorstenson and PSC Alternate Commissioner Jim Bacon, reported today that they and their Canadian counterparts have come to agreement upon a rollover of the Boundary Area ( Tree Point and Noyes Island) for the period 2009-2018. The agreement will be identical to the agreement signed in 1999 that we have been managed under since that time.

The Northern Panel and the scientists and experts at the corresponding Northern Boundary Technical Committee have been working on a new agreement for nearly 2 years now, as dictated by the annex signed in 1999. There have been only approximately half of the sockeye harvested during this decade compared with the prior decade but this is a result of lower than expected sockeye production from Southeast rivers and streams as well as decreased Nass and Skeena River runs. We signed an agreement based upon abundance and health of salmon stocks and we will harvest less sockeye during times of lower abundance and more during times of increased abundance.

Although there will be more water to cross with the remaining annexes, Chinook for the troll and sport fleets , and the Transboundary Rivers annex dealing with the driftnet fisheries at the mouth of the Taku and Stikine Rivers, this is the cap of SEAS efforts to put to rest the negotiations for the seine fleet for the next decade.

SEAS will be very supportive and will be standing tall alongside the driftnet, troll and sport fleets to ensure that there is a fair and equitable deal for these groups as well. In order to move ahead with the final, final agreement, the troll Chinook and driftnet TBR fisheries must be finalized as well.

But it’s time to celebrate this significant victory for SEAS’ efforts in this process. When you have the opportunity to thank Mr. Carle (FV Pacific Lady), who represents subsistence users on the Northern Panel, Mr. Eide (FV Rose Lee), who represents seiners, and Mr. Bacon (FV Wavedancer), who represents all Alaskans as the highest ranking commercial fisherman in this process as Alternate Commissioner to PSC Commissioner David Bedford.

Also a round of thanks to Glen Oliver, Phil Doherty, Scott Walker, Gordy Williams, USAG President Bill Auger, Arnold Enge, Russell Thomas, Howard Pendell, Dennis Longstreth and the rest of the panel members and staff for their remarkable stamina and work ethic. And a special thanks to Governor Sarah Palin for sending her Fisheries Advisor, Cora Crome, to speak on behalf of the state of Alaska at the Portland meeting. We couldn't have done this without the support of the administration, the Alaska state legislature and, of course our magnificent Congressional delegation, Senator Ted Stevens, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young. They are all key folk who give the backbone to our negotiation.
And, of course, you SEAS members who make this organization all possible. Thank you all.

And cheers as well to our Canadian brethren for their hard work and ability to work well with the Alaska delegation.


bobbyt