October Newsletter

Please click on attached link for important news and dates affecting your livelihood-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RxpvsfzGAhiS5yGtzsehRuJzQfh07_GX/view?usp=sharing

SSRAA BOD nominations and more

A seine seat on the SSRAA BOD is expiring December 2019. Dan Castle currently holds the seat and will not be seeking re-election. This term is for three years ending in December 2022. Dan has been a long-term Board member, and has acted in a leadership role for the seiners for many years. We need someone who can attend their usual four meetings a year from October through May. All expenses and board/committee fees are paid by SSRAA. Deadline for nominations are due by October 16, 2019. Election results will be certified at the December 2019 BOD meeting. 

Please talk to your fellow permit holders and submit a candidate who can commit the necessary time. This is a pivotal time for SSRAA with their financial challenges, and for the aquaculture program in general throughout the state due to political pressures. 

You can download the SSRAA application here-

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/18NZdHox0TYMyeMgo7-G6rUDloMdoJOh5/view?usp=sharing

Changing subjects – Disaster relief for SE, sorry it’s a joke. I thought it might be, and tried to lump the money for our purposes to use for research “we” wanted. If you are not going to bother with the paperwork to get your $300-500 including crew, can you please let me know? I am going to be working on an idea to combine unclaimed funds, to…cough … cough do some of the work the money is supposed to be targeted for. It might be a tree that will never bear fruit, but I’m an optimist! And you pay for me to chase this rabbit (wish my left knee was better!)

Cheers!

August 12th Update

Latest update about 2016 pink salmon disaster relief funds


https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yhuqLOi7QPH6O2Qx2XLWv18dnK_PxXck

2016 Pink Salmon Information

2016 Pink Salmon Disaster Update

Here are a couple informational notes about the process for fishermen and crew-

*letters should go out to fishermen any day, deadline to return applications will be October 31, 2019.

*the $ amount that is listed is for the captain and crew; the crew names, addresses and % amounts are to be filled out by the skipper. The estimated $ amount is for all.

*the $ amount is calculated on your average ex-vessel value in the years 2006, 8, 10, 12, and 14 for the area that you fished in 2016; compared to your value in 2016. If you only fished a few of those years, they will use only the years you fished for the average. If you fished a new area that qualified for funding in 2016 and had never fished it before, they will use the fleet average for that area compared to your actual in 2016.

* You have to have landed 1000 lbs. in SE, PWS, Kodiak, SA Peninsula, and Chignik in 2016 to qualify.

*You have to have had at least one landing in Yakutat and Lower Cook Inlet to qualify.

*There will be an appeals process after this first step if your situation merits special consideration, or re-evaluation.

*the funds need to be used in 4 years; unclaimed funds will most likely go to research projects.

2016 pink salmon disaster relief funding update

This from Matt Gruening-
This is update # 7 to the disaster relief list and I am pleased to report that NOAA has approved the 2016 pink salmon disaster relief funding!! I spoke to one of our contacts in PSMFC yesterday who told me that the funding transfer itself will not occur until the end of the week, possibly early next week but it is greenlighted. At that point, we are finally to distribution!!!

Please see below email from ADF&G Deputy Commissioner Rachel Baker :

1)      NOAA has approved approximately $54 million in disaster funds spending for research and direct payments to CFEC permit holders, crew and processors. The funds will be transferred to Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission). The Commission has established a fisheries disaster web site at https://www.psmfc.org/fishery-disaster-programs. This site is the best source of information about the funds distribution process and timeline, please monitor the site for updated information.

2)      The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission will be mailing disaster funds payment applications directly to affected CFEC permit holders and processors. CFEC permit holders will be required to submit the names and addresses of each crew member on their application and Pacific States will send a separate application to those crew members. Applications must be completed and returned by the deadline to receive a payment. The application period will accommodate the summer fishing season.

3)      To help ensure that CFEC permit holder applications are mailed to the correct address, permit holders may wish to verify the current mailing address on record with CFEC: https://www.cfec.state.ak.us/plook/#permits

If a correction is needed, submit the following address change form to CFEC:

https://www.cfec.state.ak.us/forms/Address_Change_Form.pdf

4)      We are making good progress to find a method for distributing direct payments to eligible municipalities. The Pacific States web site will be updated with information as soon as it is available.

I do know that they will also be setting up a 1-800 hotline relatively quickly as well. I would recommend checking CFEC to ensure that you have the right address on file. The application period has yet to be established and the website does not have a lot of info on it currently, but I expect it to be updated as things move along.

2016 Disaster Relief Funds

Good news, the salmon relief funds have been released by NOAA, it will take a couple days for the website to be up and running.

Matt Gruening will give an update on Wednesday when more info is available. 

If you have any questions please email Matt at matt.gruening@akleg.gov or call 465-3271

Vessel Registration Update June 24th

Commissioner's Response

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uEMLxxdVWbbAz_ArI3pkuGw_S1GQHF1j

Vessel Registration Update June 19th

Latest Recommendations for Vessel Registration Compliance

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TcMD01ckpsk5A6neOWTbRV6HI_V-Yrjg

Derelict vessel bill

UFA asks for delay in implementation of SB 92


https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0llQu-MT71AV2hybk43YzhIclJaaE01WHRLZ2U4dHlqV1dV

NEW INFO ON DR PAYMENTS

This just in from ADF&G

Update on the distribution of funds for the 2016 GOA pink salmon fisheries disaster. The State has learned that the federal government is moving forward with the funds distribution process for 1) research projects related to pink salmon in the affected areas (~$3.6 million), and 2) direct payments to fishery participants (permit holders and crew ~$31.8 million) and processors (~$17.7 million) affected by the disaster. The State does not currently have the final distribution amounts or a timeline for the distribution of funds, but we are pleased that the process is moving forward and are hopeful the process details will be available soon. The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission will be administering the program and will provide implementation details.

The federal government has not yet approved the proposed direct payments to municipalities (~$2.4 million), so the State is working with Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and the federal government to identify an acceptable process for distributing disaster funds to affected municipalities.

MORE DELAYS

Pink Salmon Disaster Relief Funding

Hard to stay positive when this was a 2016 declaration!

Murkowski’s office reported that OMB has approved all the disaster relief funding components with the exception of the community aspect (2.4) and that NOAA will be dispersing those funds shortly to fishermen and processors. NOAA missed the June 1^st deadline, so now the agency is aiming to release the grant funding by the next cycle on July 1^st. Three years into this process, what is clear is that the only consistency with federal timelines is delay.

UFA Hires Former ADF&G Commercial Fisheries Director

Scott Kelley has been hired as UFA’s Executive Administrator effective June, 2019. Mr. Kelley, a Juneau resident, brings vast experience in commercial fisheries as the former Director of Commercial Fisheries for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Scott’s immense knowledge of commercial fisheries in Alaska is well-respected and his relationship with commercial fishermen is extremely valuable. SEAS couldn’t be more pleased with this news! Mr. Kelley will be replacing retiring UFA employee Mark Vinsel who has dedicated 18 years to UFA. We thank Mark for all his years of service, and wish him the best in his retirement. 

BOF appointees NEED letters of NON-Support!

!ALERT NEED FOR ACTION!

1.         Email and CALL your members in your groups encouraging them to participate in Public Testimony on both Wednesday, April 10 and Saturday April 13.  Information on these meetings and instructions how to testify below. 

2.        Email and CALL your members encouraging them to send in letters of opposition to ALL legislators via the Alaska State Public Opinion Message.  This online message form is for residents of Alaska only.  If members are not a resident of Alaska, they will need to email legislators directly.  Attached to this email is a list of Legislator’s and their email addresses as well as phone numbers.

3.         Share on Social Media- If your member group has social media, please share UFA posts or create your own posts encouraging people to testify and write letters of opposition.  UFA will be sharing articles as well as ways to testify and send in comments.

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To testify, watch or listen in to a hearing …
To testify it’s best to go to a Legislative Information office – see them online at http://akleg.gov/lios.php . If you can’t get to an LIO you can call in to listen in or testify through the following numbers - call & ask for the specific committee hearing:

• From Anchorage based phones call 907-563-9085;
• From Juneau based phones or outside Alaska call 907-586-9085;
• From other areas of Alaska, call toll-free 844-586-9085…and ask for the specific hearing.

These are the appointees-

Mr. Israel Payton of Wasilla is a lifelong Alaskan. Raised in Skwentna, Mr. Payton lived a subsistence lifestyle harvesting fish and game. His years of work experience throughout Alaska includes guiding, North Slope operator, commercial pilot, airplane mechanic, deck hand, and property manager. Currently, Mr. Payton works for Airframes Alaska, Alaska’s largest manufacturer and seller of aviation parts. Mr. Payton enjoys hunting, fishing, and flying. He has participated in the Board of Fisheries & Game meetings for many years and is a past Advisory Committee member.

Ms. Marit Carlson-Van Dort, a born and raised Alaskan, spent over a decade salmon seining and forging a strong appreciation of Alaska’s fishery resources as a young woman. Ms. Carlson-Van Dort received her BS in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduate work in Fisheries Science and Secondary Education. She has a background in both the private and public sectors, with experience in government affairs, environmental policy, permitting, development, and community outreach. Ms. Carlson-Van Dort currently serves as director of external affairs for Nana Regional Corporation.

Mr. Gerad Godfrey of Eagle River grew up commercial fishing in the Kodiak Island Fishery for twelve years. He spent fourteen years working on the North Slope and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in the Port of Valdez. Mr. Godfrey has worked for Afognak Native Corporation since 2009, recently becoming the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors. Previously, he was Governor Walker’s senior policy advisor on rural affairs and served for 17 years as the chairman of the Violent Crimes Compensation Board. Mr. Godfrey has held numerous other board seats including AFN, ANVCA, and the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Karl Johnstone of Anchorage is married with four children. He has been a resident of Alaska since 1967. Karl graduated with a BS in Production Management in 1964 and with Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona. He practiced law until 1979 when Governor Hammond appointed him to the Superior Court. He served as Presiding judge for the last four years until retiring in 1996. Karl previously served as member and chairman of the Board of Fisheries from 2008-2015.

Mr. Payton is currently on the Board of Fish and will continue to serve per his reappointment. Mr. Johnstone and Ms. Carlson-Van Dort will take their seats on the Board of Fish immediately, with Mr. Godfrey taking his seat on July 1, 2019.

SEAS letter- available at this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QrioQPz5yFnz_YLNACiZMQRqG-rsnVNT/view?usp=sharing

 

Executive Director SEAS

Buy Back Info posted on the Federal Registry

To view the pdf please click on the link below.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Sy2n_S97dYu-jZeffHNat0RIdOGh_PB6

SE Alaska Buy Back Passes

The referendum to permanently retire 36 SE Seine permits has passed. Look to the Federal Registry for specific information. As soon as it is published we will update this site.

SEAK ballots to be mailed FEB 1

Ballots for the SEAK purse seine buyback will be mailed to permit holders this coming Friday 

(Feb. 1). The 30-day period for the refeendum will be February 4 - March 6. Questions? 

call (907) 220-7630

BOATERS BEWARE OF VESSEL DOCUMENTATION FRAUD ONLINE-

http://alaska.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2017/10/boater-beware-vessel-documentation-fraud-lurks-online/