North Pacific Focus 2019 Winter Edition by National Fisherman

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24 DEPARTMENTS DEPARTMENTS 22 PILOTHOUSE PILOTHOUSELOG LOG 44 TIDINGS TIDINGS 44 CALENDAR CALENDAR 66 INDUSTRY INDUSTRYWAYPOINTS WAYPOINTS 87 SEASON SUMMARY BOOK REVIEW 108 PACIFIC GALLEY CATCH WATCH 129 FISHERPOETS FISHERPOETS 14 THE MARKET 10 ON SEASON FORECASTS 16 Q&A 12 OUR YARD ALSO ALSO

35 35 AD ADINDEX INDEX 36 IN 36 INFOCUS FOCUS

alaska longline Fishermen’s assoCiation

Cheryl ess

Winter 2019

COLUMNS

FEATURES

ON THE HORIZON Finding the tools to jump into the mariculture business.

21 YOUNGBLOODS Fishermen of all kinds need to unite to fight for fisheries.

22 ON THE HOMEFRONT Pacific Marine Expo was a vacation for one Fish Wife.

23 THE LONG HAUL What we have in common with the Kodiak Killers.

OUR TOWN: FALSE PASS, ALASKA False starts in False Pass highlight a return to Ikatan Bay after 22 years away.

GEAR SHIFTS

With the derby days long gone, the halibut fleet is focused on preservation.

BOATBUILDING

B.C.’s Commodore’s Boats gets a Dungeness crabber in and out in a jiffy.

THE HULL STORY

America’s Finest is finally ready (and Coast Guard approved) to fish the Bering Sea.

Cover: Author Charlie Ess and commercial fisherman Joe Weber aboard the gillnetter Kelly Rae in False Pass, Alaska. Cheryl Ess photo.

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

PILOTHOUSE LOG

COME, FISH I

t’s ComFish season, folks. And that means we’re closing in on salmon season. We talk a lot about salmon, with good reason. There are a lot of salmon in Pacific waters and consequently a lot of salmon boats to chase the returns. But one of the things I love about this quarterly is that it provides the space for us to drill down into all of our West Coast and Alaska fisheries by the season, as well as the boats and crews that find their livelihoods in and on the water, in synchronicity with a full range of wild stocks that ebb and flow. This issue is full of updates on the unsalmon fisheries. Our Pacific Catch feature on page 10 digs into the West Coast Dungeness season, including the aftermath of the loss of three souls on the Mary B II out of Newport. Boats & Gear Editor Paul Molyneaux also profiles a West Coast crabber that got a fast-track sponson and nose job at Commodore’s in British Columbia. The ex-Lady Nell went to the yard in midsummer and was back on the water in time for the start of the fall season — with only a new paint job to go before the work is completed. Read the full story on page 28. Kodiak’s Terry Haines literally digs deep into halibut in his Long Haul column on page 23. And Boats & Gear Editor Paul Molyneaux explores the evolution of the Sitka-based Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association from a marketing entity to a community and fisheries preservation machine. The association’s most recent project is its Crew Apprenticeship Program, which in part aims to find safe boats for young people, women in particular, who are interested in fisheries. The hidden beauty of this program is its educational component. Anyone who uses the program to embark on a career in fisheries is a score, making it a potentially critical entry point for nontraditional fishermen. But there are those who complete the program merely to get an education on the commercial fishing industry then return to their regular 9 to 5. Those are the people who become fisheries ambassadors, according to the association’s executive director, Linda

EDITORIAL PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF ASSOCIATE EDITOR BOATS & GEAR EDITOR ART DIRECTOR

Jerry Fraser Jessica Hathaway Samuel Hill Paul Molyneaux Doug Stewart

www.divbusiness.com

Behnken. Read Paul’s story and learn more about what this group is doing to expand its reach into Alaska’s coastal communities and data-supported fisheries on page 24. Alaska is known for being on the cutting edge of fishery science and management. And while it’s not the leading market for mariculture, it is a burgeoning JESSICA HATHAWAY location for investment Editor in chief in bivalve and kelp farms (ocean-based finfish farms are not legal in Alaska waters). Columnist and mariculture entrepreneur Markos Scheer continues regaling us with wise words on his journey to becoming an Alaska sea farmer. Markos is learning as he goes and generously sharing his lessons learned. His column on page 17 explains key best practices for anyone looking to invest in mariculture in Alaska. Outside of Alaska, the restrictions and opportunities vary, but the essentials are the same. Working our way back to salmon, North Pacific Bureau Chief Charlie Ess shares scenes from a heartwarming (if not hold-filling) salmon season on Ikatan Bay, where he hasn’t ventured for more than two decades. But when a good friend loses his brother and lifelong fishing partner to illness, Charlie and his wife, Cheryl, head back to False Pass to make a go of it like old times. Read our cover story on page 18, and let it serve as a reminder. The long summer salmon days are not too far away. Come, fish.

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North Pacific Focus, Winter 2019, Vol. 6, No. 1, is published quarterly by Diversified Business Communications, 121 Free St., P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438. READERS: All editorial correspondence should be mailed to: National Fisherman, P.O. Box 7438, Portland, ME 04112-7438.

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

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GLOBAL MARKET CONDITIONS SUPERB FOR ALASKA SALMON SALES

food Development Association. Market watchers are awaiting the last four months of sales data, but all salmon species have been selling well, and holdover inventories are not expected heading into the coming season. “We saw strong pricing on the wholesale side and volumes moved at a quick clip,” Wink said. Another good sign is that the value of the dollar has held steady. Demand continues to increase in the states, where Wink said more appreciation has grown for wild salmon in general. He pointed to Costco as a new market channel, which rolled out a national sockeye salmon program last year. That really gave sockeyes a boost, and Wink said it was clearly shown in Bristol Bay’s branding promotion that has grown from a small pilot program in a handful of stores in Boulder, Colo., in 2016 to 1,000 stores across the country and growing. — Laine Welch

eading into the 2019 salmon season, markets are looking good, as global demand exceeds supply. Constraints on the world’s biggest producers of farmed Atlantic salmon — Norway and Chile — are helping to prime markets for the season. While farmed production continues to tick upward, growth in both countries is limited as to the maximum amount of fish regulations permit them to have in pens. Chile also is still recovering from a deadly virus that wiped out millions of fish in 2016, and Norway is battling pervasive sea lice issues. Supply setbacks are no longer being made up by doubledigit increases in production. Couple that with expanding salmon demand, and the result is that market conditions are creating a larger niche for wild salmon not only in the United States but also in China, according to Andy Wink, a fisheries economist and director of the Bristol Bay Regional Sea-

Legislators continue push for clearer GE labeling

Katrina Liebich

Restraints on global salmon farms has primed markets for wild salmon.

enator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced the Genetically Engineered Salmon Labeling Act to the Senate in January, continuing her fight for crystal-clear labeling on all genetically engineered products marketed in the United States. The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Maria Cantwell (DWash.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would

require manufacturers selling GE products to include “genetically engineered” directly in the market name, instead of using backdoor disclosure options such as QR codes or hotline numbers that can be easily overlooked by seafood shoppers. Such methods are allowed under current U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. “USDA’s new guidelines don’t require mandatory labeling, and instead allows producers to use QR codes or 1-800 numbers, which is a far stretch from giving consumers clear information,” said Murkowski. “We have the right to know what we’re eating. When you splice DNA from another animal and combine it with farmed salmon, you are essentially creating a new species, and I have serious concerns with that. If we are going to allow this fabricated fish to be sold in stores, we must ensure there is at least clear labeling.” “Wild seafood from Washington and Alaska is simply more sustainable and more delicious,” said Cantwell. “Mandatory labeling of genetically engineered salmon is necessary to protect consumers and promote environmental sustainability.”

2019 CALENDAR MARCH – MAY March 5-9 Alaska Seafood Processing Leadership Institute University of Alaska Fairbanks 118 Trident Way Kodiak, AK www.alaskaseagrant.org

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

March 6-8 Alaska Board of Fisheries Meeting Coast International Inn 3450 Aviation Ave. Anchorage, AK www.adfg.alaska.gov

March 8-14 Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting One Doubletree Drive Rohnert Park, CA www.pcouncil.org

March 22-24 ComFish Alaska 2019 Kodiak Harbor Convention Center 211 Rezanof Drive W. Kodiak, AK trevor@kodiak.org www.comfishalaska.com

.S. and Canadian commissioners on the International Pacific Halibut Commission agreed on catch limits for halibut fisheries from California to Alaska on Feb. 1, overcoming disagreements that led to an impasse last year. In recent years, Canadian commissioners sought roughly 20 percent of the total quota for its lone regulatory area along the B.C. coast — a figure that their U.S. counterparts have deemed too high. U.S. regulators suggested 12 percent. A new quota of 38.61 million pounds was set at the meeting, an increase of 1.4 million pounds from 2018. The commission agreed to rebalancing the quota distribution, giving Canada a 17.7 percent share and the United States an 82.3 percent share. The Canadian catch limit will mostly be determined by the recent historical average in area 2B and partially by the commission’s current harvest policy. The commission plans on applying a similar allocation process over the next four years. “While the overall quota for 2019 is a slight increase over 2018, the catch limits agreed to at the meeting reflect a sensible, conservative approach that will secure the future of this iconic and economically important species,” said NMFS Director Chris Oliver. “We solved several challenging international fishery management issues, and we accomplished our goal in the spirit of cooperation and compromise.” The commission also agreed to a 1.65

Canadian fishermen will get 17.7 percent of the Pacific halibut quota.

million-pound allocation for the West Coast (Area 2A) to address tribal, recreational and commercial needs in that area. — Samuel Hill

First Nation sues Canada over B.C. fish farm licenses

he Dzawada’enuxw First Nation filed a claim in Vancouver federal court in January against Canada’s federal government for authorizing licenses for 10 fish farms in tribal waters without consulting or consent from the group. The Dzawada’enuxwm, from Kingcome Inlet, B.C., say the net-pen Atlantic salmon farms owned by Marine Harvest and Cermaq along the British Columbia coast pollute and poison wild salmon habitats and that the establishment of fish farms without their input infringes on their Aboriginal rights, which are

protected under Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution Act. The First Nation’s lawyer said the government has no excuse for infringing on constitutionally protected indigenous rights and that both federal and local governments know very well what their obligations are. “This nation is claiming their Aboriginal rights, they’re claiming their title, and they’re saying those fish farms violate that title and those rights and they have to go,” attorney Jack Woodward said. “These court cases will undoubtedly be successful.” “Our salmon stocks continue to decline rapidly, and soon I fear the very possibility that our salmon will be no more. It is a keystone species and its decline impacts us on so many levels,” said Faron Soukochoff, elected chair of the Dzawada’enuxw. “Casting aside all that we hold dear in the pursuit of the almighty dollar throws off that balance, bringing chaos to order. I was raised on the land and water and taught to respect all of the creator’s creation — the animals, the sea, the land, Mother Earth, and I will teach my sons and my grandchildren the same teachings.” The case is the first rights-based challenge to Canada’s federal system for fish farm licensing, and the Dzawada’enuxw seek to have the licenses for the 10 farms along the coast repealed. — Ben Fisher for Seafood Source

MariNe HarveSt

Halibut commission avoids impasse, agrees on limits

NMFS

AquaBounty Technologies, the creator of the genetically engineered AquAdvantage salmon and main target of GE legislation, is reportedly looking past North America to find partners in Asia and the Middle East while the battle over labeling guidelines continues. — Samuel Hill

British Columbia net pens violate First Nations’ rights, according a court claim. To list your event in North Pacific Focus, contact Samuel Hill at shill@divcom.com

April 2-10 North Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting Hilton Anchorage 500 West 3rd Ave. Anchorage, AK www.npfmc.org

April 14-15 Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival

May 6 Newport Historic Bayfront

May 24-28 Kodiak Crab Festival

Westside Park, Westshore Rd Bodega Bay, CA info@bbfishfest.org www.bbfishfest.org

Contact: Newport Fishermen’s Wives P.O. Box 971 Newport, OR 97365 newportfishermenswives.com

Downtown Kodiak, Alaska Kodiak Chamber of Commerce (907) 486-5557 www.kodiak.org

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

INDUSTRY WAYPOINTS

A California sea lion preys on a salmon.

• Pebble Limited Partnership spent more than $1 million to lobby the federal government last year on its plan to dig its controversial mine in Southwest Alaska, according to Washington, D.C., firms. Pebble Spokesman Mike Heatwole pegged the total amount at $1.37 million. Among the lobbyists representing Pebble last year was former congressman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.). Pebble also spent $70,000 on in-state lobbying last year, primarily paid to former legislator Eldon Mulder.

In late December, President Donald Trump signed off on legislation that allows the lethal taking of sea lions that prey on at-risk fish populations on the Columbia River and select tributaries in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The bill, co-sponsored by Sens. James Risch (R-Idaho) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) has been in the works for several years. The bill makes slight changes to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and institutes a permit process for the lethal taking of sea lions. The bill will help an estimated 32 wild salmon populations at risk of predation in the Upper Columbia River and Snake Rivers.

• Oregon and Washington are still figuring out what to do with gillnets on the Columbia River. Since 2013, the

A gillnetter on the Columbia River.

states have operated under the Columbia River Reform Plan to phase gillnets off the main stem, but Oregon’s commission has been open to allowing gillnetters some time back on the main stem in recent years. Washington has not. A committee including fish and wildlife commissioners from both states met for the first time in January to review where each state stood on policy. No decisions were made. The committee was expected to develop recommendations ahead of the regular season-setting process in March.

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• The Washington Department of Ecology is issuing a proposal to allow more water to spill over eight federal dams along the lower Columbia and Snake rivers in order to improve the survival of juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean — and increase food availability for a struggling Southern Resident orca population. A dam along the Snake River.

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mark. The fall and summer fisheries toALASKA’S PREMIER FUEL AND LUBRICANT SUPPLIER gether hit 4.08 million pounds.

Statewide: 1-800-276-2688 ALASKA’S PREMIERFUEL FUELAND AND LUBRICANT LUBRICANT SUPPLIER ALASKA’S PREMIER SUPPLIER

PREMIER FUEL AND LUBRICANT SUPPLIER • A Canadian federal judge, in Vancou- ALASKA’S Statewide:1-800-276-2688 1-800-276-2688 Statewide: ver, B.C., has ruled that fish farms Statewide: 1-800-276-2688 must test their young salmon for contagious viruses before transferring them into open-net pens. InALASKA’S a 199-pagePREMIER FUEL AND LUBRICANT SUPPLIER ALASKA’S PREMIER FUEL AND Harbor decision issued in February, Justice Ce- Dutch 1577Harbor E. Point Rd Dutch Harbor, cily Strickland gave the Canadian De-1577Dutch E. Point RdAK Dutch Harbor Dutch907-581-1295 Harbor, AK Harbor partment of FisheriesDutch and Oceans four 907-581-1295 1577 E. Point Rd Point Rd Dutch Harbor, AK months to develop a1577 newE.policy that Dutch Harbor, AK 907-581-1295 considers the threat piscine reovirus posNaknek 907-581-1295 0 Peninsula Hwy es to wild salmon and to comply with Mile Naknek Naknek, AK ALASKA’SMile PREMIER FUEL AND LUBRICANT 907-246-6174 0 Peninsula Hwy ALASKA’SSUPPLIER PREMIER FUEL AND the country’s preferred precautionary Naknek, AK Naknek 907-246-6174 approach. DWP Banner PROOF.pdf

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Statewide: 1-800-276-2688 Statewide: 1-8 Mile 0 Peninsula Hwy

AK Dutch Harbor Naknek, Dillingham 309 Main St • The NMFS Office 1577 of Naknek Law EnforceE. Point Rd 907-246-6174

Dutch Harbor

1577 E. Point Rd Mile 0 Peninsula Hwy Dillingham, AK Harbor, AK to Dillingham ment is offering a Dutch reward of up 907-842-5441 Dutch Harbor, AK Naknek, AK 309 Main St 907-581-1295 $20,000 for information that leads to a Dillingham,Anchorage, AK 907-581-1295 907-246-6174 Fairbanks, 1

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WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

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• After a series of delays, Unalaska’s new city dock opened for business in January. Construction on the $39 million project began in June 2017 and is still within budget, according to Ports Director Peggy McLaughlin. In the past, McLaughlin said there was a 10-day cycle of vessels lining up for space at the dock. Now, the Unalaska Marine Center has two additional acres of laydown area. There are 1,600 linear feet of dock space, 800 feet of crane rail, and 168 hours a week available for scheduling.

309 Main St Naknek, AK Dillingham, AK 907-246-6174 907-842-5441

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309 Main St

Dillingham, Sea lions are protected under theAK Ma907-842-5441 rine Mammal Protection Act, which carries civil penalties of up to $28,520Mile 0Naknek Peninsula Hwy Anchorage, Fairbanks, AK per count, a year in prison, criminal fines Naknek, Prudhoe Bay, St George, 907-246-6174 and forfeiture of any vessel involved. Bethel, Yakutat, Haines,

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Dutch Harbor, 309 Main AK StAK Naknek, 907-581-1295 Dillingham, AK 907-246-6174 907-842-5441

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Dungies were strong throughout 2018.

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• While Southeast Alaska’s Dungeness crab fall season was cut short in 2017 after a weak harvest, 2018 proved to be one of the best seasons in the past decade. According to the state Department of Fish and Game, fishermen caught 1.07 million pounds of Dungeness crab in the fall fishery — better than the 10-year average of 705,000 pounds. It was also just the fourth season in the past 12 years to hit the million-pound

907-842-5441 Prudhoe Bay, St George, civil penalty or criminal conviction inDillingham Bethel, Yakutat, Haines, ALASKA’S PREMIER FUEL AND Juneau and Sitka 309 Main St the shootings of California sea lions Anchorage, Fairbanks, Dillingham, AK Bay, St George, Prudhoe in and around West Seattle. than Bethel, Yakutat, Haines, 907-842-5441 Dutch More Harbor Juneau and Sitka Dutch Harbor 12 sea lions have been 1577 confirmed shot in Naknek E. Point Rd Naknek Dillingham Anchorage, Fairbanks, 1577 E. Point Rd 0Kitsap Peninsula Hwy Washington’s King Mile and counties Prudhoe Bay, St George, Dutch Mile 0 Peninsula Hwy 309 Harbor, Main StAK Dutch Harbor, AK Bethel, Yakutat, Haines, Naknek, AK since September. 907-581-1295 Juneau and Sitka Naknek, AK Dillingham, AK 907-581-1295 Anchorage, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, St George, Bethel, Yakutat, Haines, Juneau and Sitka

Ecology is responsible for regulating the levels of dissolved gases in the dam water. This temporary change for the 2019-21 spring spill seasons at the dams would test the potential benefits for fish passage when higher levels of dissolved gases, mainly oxygen and nitrogen, are allowed. “Helping more juvenile salmon survive the journey to the ocean is one of many steps we want to take to protect and restore salmon. Our hope is this will also support the recovery and sustained health of our orcas,” said Gov. Jay Inslee.

SEASON SUMMARY

Outlook ALASKA/WEST COAST

PATRICK O’DONNELL Owner of the 86-foot trawler Caravelle and president of Alaska Whitefish Trawlers, based in Kodiak, Alaska POLLOCK “When they did the TAC-setting process at the [North Pacific Fishery Management] Council for pollock in December, they decided to use a different model, something called a risk management model, which was for unforeseen circumstances. “Based on the fact that we didn’t have a bottom trawl survey and the fact that they’re only seeing one year class of pollock out there — which is not the case, by the way — they’ve reduced the TAC for pollock by 15 percent, or 14.6, to be exact. Then when they went to the Bering Sea, they decided not to use that risk matrix there. “Meanwhile, fishermen on the grounds [in the Gulf of Alaska] are seeing the biggest biomass of pollock they’ve ever seen and are a little frustrated that the quota got reduced… It’s basically a lack of information, and we’ve had our surveys reduced. We’re only talking about $4 [million] or $4.5 million dollars for entire Gulf of Alaska fishery. In the scheme of things, it’s a pittance.”

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

ETHAN NICHOLS Alaska Department of Fish & Game Assistant Area Management Biologist for the Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands, out of Dutch Harbor KING CRAB “The 2018-19 Bristol Bay red king crab fishery opened on Oct. 15 with a TAC of 4.31 million pounds, a 35 percent decrease from the 201718 TAC as a result of continued downward trajectory for estimated spawning biomass, legal males, females, sublegals, and low estimated recruitment. “The TAC was 99 percent harvested by the second week of November, with the remaining 1 percent harvested in early January. Average weight for the season was 7.10 pounds, compared to the 2017-18 average weight of 6.84 pounds. The large average weight is likely a result of a higher proportion of large males in the population available for harvest. “Six fewer boats participated in the fishery this season compared to 2017-18, which largely attributed to consolidation of quota within the fleet, given the 35 percent decrease in TAC.”

ALAN OTNESS Skipper of the F/V Commander, a 58-foot Delta seiner targeting Sitka herring, out of Petersburg, Alaska HERRING “The Sitka herring fishery has had its ups and downs, but it’s always been a pretty darn good business. “We’re approaching a time now when there’s more political pressure to change the fishery from what it has been into something else. That might even mean closing the fishery, even though the biology supports a robust stock of fish and a high harvest level. “There’s a feeling that there’s not enough spawning stock to sustain the fishery, but I think what’s happening is that the fish are spawning in different places, and I think it’s because of marine mammals. “I remember 20 or 30 years ago, you never saw a whale in Sitka Sound, now there’s a population of around 20 of them that basically don’t move. That has to be affecting how and where these fish spawn… But our TAC this year is around 13,000 tons. There’s 47 [boats], so it’s a lot of fish to catch, and there’s a market for good quality fish.”

SEASON SUMMARY

NICK JURLIN Skipper of the F/V Eileen, an 80-foot squid seiner, and former sardine fisherman out of San Pedro, Calif.

CASEY EMMERSON Deckhand and engineer on the F/V Cerulean, out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska

MIKE RETHERFORD Skipper of the F/V Winona J, a 75-foot, 500-pot Dungeness crab boat out of Newport, Ore.

SARDINES “We’re done early because the size got smaller, so the squid just wasn’t as marketable. Even if we did fish them, the price would probably drop, so it’s not going to be in our best interest to go fish right now. You put a bunch of small fish on the market and you damage the market for when the fish are bigger. It wasn’t our best year, but we did alright. And of course not having sardines makes it even more difficult. On years like this in the past, we would have concentrated more on sardines. When we had a sardine fishery, we would go out for squid and when that wasn’t happening, we could always throw a load of sardines on our boat. “The last year the [sardine] fishery was open, I never fished sardines, because there wasn’t enough around for it to be profitable. When there aren’t enough fish to make money, we don’t fish. They kind of protect themselves in that way. There has to be a pretty big biomass of fish around for us to go out and target them. That might be the best available science. Let the fishermen look at whether there are sardines around or not. We know what’s happening long before the managers go through the whole process and figure it out.”

POT COD “The federal fishery was short this year because of the government shutdown. We didn’t get the 3 million-pound rollover that we usually get, which cost us about a week of fishing. But the cod per unit was good, and our boat ended up with 450,000 pounds for just 12 days of fishing, which is good for January. The state fishery just started, and we’re not even 24 hours into it and having an above-average cod per unit right now. The fish are very healthy and large this year, and we’re fishing the same grounds we’ve been fishing for years.”

DUNGENESS CRAB “Last year, I think the revenue for Dungeness crab just for Oregon was $72 million — like, a record. It’s hard to compare to that. But the quality of the crab this year is exceptional. The yields that we’re harvesting have been as high as 59 percent. The processors are putting up a real good TAC. The live price is anywhere from 40 to 60 cents over the ex-vessel price, so that would suggest that live market is very strong. “Production is down from what it was last year, but I would say we’re still looking at an average to aboveaverage season. And our first trip sold for $4 a pound, and don’t think we’ve done that one other time over the years. That’s good for everybody. “Like every year, we tested for meat recovery and domoic acid going into the year, and northern Oregon, except one spot, was clean. And that one spot was just above alert levels. I think we’ve gotten used to the late, late start over the past few seasons. I think the customers have, as well, because we take such careful steps starting the season to make sure we have good quality and that we have no issues with the crab that will cause concern or instability in the marketplace. So I think these are good protocols we have in place to ensure that when we deliver crab. They’ll be the best they can be.”

“The State Water

Resources Control Board took a small step in the right direction… to restore salmon in the Central Valley, by modestly increasing flows on the San Joaquin River.

”

— John McManus GOLDEN GATE SALMON ASSOCIATION

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

PACIFIC CATCH

DELAYS: THE NEW NORMAL West Coast Dungeness fleets ride out a bumpy season By Paul Molyneaux and Jessica Hathaway

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Stephen Biernacki, 50, of Barnegat Township, N.J.; Joshua Porter, 50, of Toledo, Ore.; and James Lacey, 48, of South Toms River, N.J., all perished on the Mary B II.

Tauny Ann. The 42-foot Mary B II was being assisted by the Coast Guard in crossing the weather-restricted bar. James Lacey, 48, from South Toms River, N.J., and Joshua Porter, 50, of Toledo, Ore., were both found and declared dead that night, the Coast Guard reported. The skipper, Stephen Biernacki, 50, from Barnegat Township, N.J., was trapped in the wheelhouse. His body was

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he Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee opened the season between Cape Arago, Ore., and Klipsan Beach, Wash., after a monthlong delay. At 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, 73 hours before the opening, Dungeness crab pots finally splashed into the water off the coast of Oregon and southern Washington. On Jan. 3, Newport, Ore., crab fisherman Mike Retherford headed out. “We’re leaving now because the bar is going to be pretty bad by morning,” he said. “The swell is building.” Oregon’s crab season was off to a rough start. The 15- to 20-foot swell breaking on the Yaquina Bay Bar off Newport kept many boats in port on opening day, and led to the sinking of one boat, the Mary B II, and the loss of her captain and two crewmen, late on Jan. 8. “One of the crewmen had just brought his pregnant girlfriend out here from New Jersey,” said Taunette Dixon, president of the Newport Fishermen’s Wives. “The community just wrapped itself around her and she’s stayed,” added Dixon, who together with her husband, Kevin, owns a 63-foot crab boat, the

Stephen Biernacki, of Barnegat Township, N.J., reportedly bought the Mary B II in the fall and died onboard while crossing the bar in Oregon’s Yaquina Bay.

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

recovered the next day. “We are all really saddened by it,” Ernie Panacek, dock manager at Viking Village in Barnegat Light, told the Asbury Park Press. “We knew them both. Steve had high hopes. He just bought that boat in the fall and got his Dungeness crab permit.” According to Dixon, the weather has moderated, but catches are off and the crabs are smaller. “So far, it’s a little slow,” Dixon said in February. “We’re used to 2-pound crab, but the last trip our boat brought in, they were 1.8 pounds.” While Dixon notes that some boats have been lucky, overall catches are down. “We’re moving a lot of pots trying to find the crab,” said Dixon. “But the price is starting to go up.” The Dixons’ boat recently landed crab at $4 a pound, up from this year’s starting price of $2.75 a pound, and already higher than last year’s average price of $3.20 a pound. Hugh Link, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, reported that last year, Oregon crabbers landed 23 million pounds and that so far this year they had landed 10 million. With the bulk of the catch often landed in the first few weeks of the season,

PACIFIC CATCH

The Timmy Boy, out of Newport, Ore., fights its way over the bar to the grounds as the season opened.

Finer image PhotograPhy/yale Fogarty

harvesters were not optimistic in midFebruary. “There is a sense that there will be lower landings this year,” said Link. “But Mother Nature is in charge of that.” In California, most of Sonoma County opened on Nov. 15. Mendocino and El Norte counties, which are part of the tri-state committee, had their seasons delayed from Dec. 1 to Jan. 12 as the first day to drop pots with the season opener scheduled for Jan. 15. For most of Washington state, regulators from the state and three Native Tribes comanage the Dungeness crab fishery. The seasons have to be structured to ensure that tribal fishermen harvest 50 percent of the crab. “We have to sit down with the Tribes and come to an agreement,” said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish lead biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We do that by holding back non-tribal fishers until it looks like the tribal fishers will get 50 percent.”

This year the state and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission decided to open the non-tribal season between Klipsan Beach and Destruction Island on Jan. 10. Fishermen in that area were allowed to drop pots at 8 a.m. on Jan. 7. Crab management off the Pacific Coast

relies on testing the meat percentage of the crabs. When the average weights of edible meat hits 23 to 25 percent of the crab’s weight, the season opens. That is, assuming any signs of domoic acid, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning, is within safe limits.

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WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

FISHERPOETS

FISHING FLOCK Jon Broderick has been a commercial salmon fisherman since 1976. His family runs a setnet operation in Bristol Bay, Alaska. He’s a founder of the FisherPoets Gathering. For more information about the gathering, visit www.fisherpoets.org or contact him at jbroderick@fisherpoets.org. BY JON BRODERICK

ay you’ve just finished stripping the season’s ragged gillnet and have stacked the corkline and leadline in tidy figure eights above the high tide line. The coffee in your cup has grown cold. You wander down the beach to the burn barrel, where a half-dozen setnetters shuffle their boots in the gravel, shifting a bit, trying each to keep out of the sooty smoke. You recognize a few, hands on boats you’ve waved to each time you passed this summer. They make room for you. Someone’s telling a story, how they drove hard aground in the dark on a sand bar and spent six hours missing fish and waiting for tide. It’s funny now. Someone else hands you a can of beer. You’ve got other things to do, but one of them isn’t catching fish here at the end of the season, so you linger with this scruffy collection of fishermen: an Amishman — errant from Olson’s

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

crew; a young woman you recognize from Emy’s; Old Tom from the Inlet and two farmworkers’ sons from the Valley; two black guys, one an Iraq war vet, you’ll learn, who share a cigarette. And you, maybe white and masters-degreed, wonder at the bonds that knit this American menagerie together around this burn barrel at stubborn dusk, this drizzly Alaskan evening. It’s a divisive season in our country. But not here. Nor in Astoria, Ore., each February, where scores of folks like these gather to celebrate what we have in common: our work in the commercial fishing industry. When it started 21 years ago, the FisherPoets Gathering hosted 40 or so men and women, mostly from the Pacific Northwest, many of them found from poetry published in the Alaska Fisherman’s Journal. Over the years musicians, storytellers and poets from other commercial fishing cultures have joined us, building creative bridges between our coastal cultures. Point Judith, New Bedford, Tarpon Springs, the Cranberry Islands dropped in. San Francisco and Chesapeake, Morro and Tomales bays showed up. Folks who’d never seen a grouper or set foot on a lobster boat, who had only a vague idea of a blue crab, nodded, winced and laughed at stories sung, recited and told from coasts far away from theirs. Every February at venues along Astoria’s waterfront, fans of commercial fishing culture hear some of its creative voices celebrate the work we love, mostly. If you’ve got a story to tell, pull up to the burn barrel. We’ll make room for you.

Cause It’s One Drift and We All Go Home BY TOM HILTON Tom Hilton lives in Astoria, Ore., drift gillnets salmon in Oregon’s Columbia River and Alaska’s Cook Inlet, and fishes for herring out of San Francisco.

Man, Now that you’ve got your ticket The weather will be great The reds will be thick Just enough to keep the boat off the gear Hangin’ like grapes The girls will be friendly Food will be delicious Jokes will be told Legends made And… chasing dogs is foolish The cast is all gathered New faces and old Greenhorns and Legends Lookin’ for the big score From Ninilchik, Homer and Halibut Cove To the west-side set-netters And the girls on Fisherman’s Road They’ll be counting down the minutes To throw the buoy ball Looking for bunches hitting Telling stories in the mess hall Cause it’s summertime in Alaska And along the Kenai Peninsula The salmon are running, jumpin and finnin Their way home They are runnin… Up, Up, Up, the Inlet That’s how they run In the Land of Milk and Honey And the Midnight Sun… Maggots line the college hole bank Pukers with full boats The dippies are up their necks in our wakes An eagle flies alone The south wind blows Pizza at Paradisos Sun never sets Baseball at Oiler’s Park Drive down the North Beach The boys belly up to Kenai Joe’s Bar The smell of blood, sweat and gurry

The gulls shuffle along the tin roof of the bunkhouse Hurry, squawkin’, talkin’, sharing a meal No time to lick your wounds Or let the bruises heal Not so young anymore No youthful zeal Ice in the cooler Boats cleaned, windows washed Crank up the tunes… (insert name here) It’s your turn for wheel watch!!! No time for sleep Looking for jumpers Radio crackles that sound of squelch Last sip of coffee Mountain Dew belch South 210 That’s the heading South-end of the island That’s what we are betting The red’s are layin’ along the edge of the bar Last of the flood High-water down Load the boat Head to Town Cause it’s one drift… and we all go home!!! East on the flood West on the ebb That’s the rules to follow Look for the Jumpers Follow the seams Up, Up, Up, the Inlet Sunken net in your dreams… Cause it’s summertime in Alaska And along the peninsula The reds are runnin’, jumpin’, and finnin’ Their way home They are runnin’ Up, Up, Up, the Inlet That’s how they run In the land of Milk and Honey And the midnight sun

An ASRC Company

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

ON THE MARKET ASMI Seeks Candidates for Executive Director The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, a corporate entity of the state of Alaska, is seeking candidates for executive director. This position is located in Juneau and reports directly to ASMI’s Industry Board of Directors. This position requires a bachelor’s degree and professional senior management experience. Fisheries, legislative/ government, or marketing experience preferred. For a full job description, and to view instructions on how to apply, please visit www. alaskaseafood.org/careers.

COMMUNICATIONS

DOMESTIC

In honor of fish and fishermen

Foodable.io with Alaska

Alaska, the nation’s largest provider of wild seafood, commemorated National Seafood Month by declaring October Alaska Seafood Month and Oct. 25 Commercial Fishing Day. In celebration, ASMI shared new recipes and offered dozens of promotions and discounts at retailers nationwide.

Alaska seafood was featured at Foodable’s event “Foodable.io: Feeding the Future — The Seafood Talks,” in Seattle on Oct. 10. Foodable is a media platform aimed at the foodservice industry. An array of experts discussed seafood-forward topics, including ASMI’s Susan Marks, who led a panel discussion about sustainability. Alaska seafood was also demonstrated by Chef Will Gordon, former executive chef of Westward, who prepared a Matbucha Braised Wild Alaska Pollock dish; and Chef David Glass from Seattle’s Staple and Fancy Mercantile, who prepared a Lemon and Thyme Stuffed Wild Alaska Pollock dish. These chef demos were filmed at the event and later released as episodes in a four-part series about Alaska seafood on Foodable’s website.

Photo contest winners ASMI received nearly 500 photos from the lenses of commercial fishermen in the 2018 Alaska Commercial Fishing Photo Contest. The first-, second- and third-place winners were announced on social media, and photos will continue to be used to help tell the Alaska seafood story.

Seafood consumption jumps According to NOAA’s Fisheries of the United States report, Americans ate 16 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2017, an increase of 7.4 percent from the 14.9 pounds consumed in 2016. “More than a pound increase is substantial,” said John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute. Seafood consumption hasn’t reached 16 pounds per person in nearly a decade.

SUSTAINABILITY/ TECHNICAL How much fish are we using? A new infographic summarizes current and potential efforts by the Alaska seafood industry to utilize more of the harvest. The industry is continuously striving for full utilization of Alaska’s seafood resources. Data comes from the Analyses of Specialty Alaska Seafood Products report.

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

Trendspotting Dine Around Datassential released its December Trendspotting magazine, Dine Around: Alaska, featuring an interview with ASMI Foodservice National Accounts Representative Stephen Gerike. Gerike highlights ASMI’s Ugly Crab campaign, centered around Tanner or Bairdi crab, with the aim of reducing food waste and promoting sustainable fishing practices. The article is accompanied

by interviews with Alaska chefs across the state, calling out Alaska-forward trends for inspiration in foodservice application across the country. The full issue is available on our website.

University of North Dakota Food Management published an article, “Check out these fresh ways to eat seafood at North Dakota,” following the Alaska Seafood Sustainable Dinner at the University of North Dakota.

INTERNATIONAL German universities get seafood ASMI Central Europe is promoting Alaska seafood at universities in Germany. Around 600,000 freshman students entering university receive welcome bags designed for students living on their own for the first time and often new to a foreign city. This promotion educates students on the health benefits of Alaska seafood while providing easy recipes and promoting species like pollock as a high-quality and affordable protein.

ASMI Japan educates nutritionists ASMI Japan conducted an Alaska pollock and surimi seafood nutritional seminar with the National Kamaboko Federation at Kagawa Nutrition University on Oct. 4. More than 120 nutritionists and media participated in the seminar, which included two presentations about the nutritional benefits of Alaska pollock, as well as a cooking demonstration with surimi products by Kijima Ryuta.

China’s culinary training program To continue promoting in the Shaanxi province of China, specifically in the hotel, restaurant, and institution sector, ASMI China organized a culinary school event in the city of Xi’an, Dec. 3-7, with a focus on wild Alaska pollock, yellowfin sole and pink salmon. This event educated more than 300 chef students on Alaska seafood, from proper storage and handling to different cooking techniques and quality characteristics. During the week, the students split time between the classroom and the kitchen.

Quick bites This Alaska seafood course will be added to the school’s curriculum.

Brazil hosts Facebook workshop On Dec. 4, ASMI Brazil hosted a workshop on Genuine Alaska Pollock. The event included a presentation about Alaska seafood sustainability, seasons, harvesting methods and product formats, followed by a chef cooking demonstration of two recipes: Breaded Genuine Alaska Pollock and Alaska Pollock Confit. Fifty trade, retail and press members attended the event in person, while another 790 people joined via Facebook Live. The video was posted to the ASMI Brazil Facebook and Youtube pages and currently has over 17,000 views.

Spanish show features sablefish ASMI collaborated with Chef Nicolas Roman from Palau Alameda restaurant in Valencia for a recipe with Alaska sablefish to be featured on “L’Arros de Ximo,” a local television show. The episode aired in January with an audience of approximately 170,000.

EVENTS Federation of Natives Convention ASMI sponsored a booth at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention Oct. 18-20, 2018. The annual convention serves as the principal forum for the Alaska Native community, where thousands of official delegates and participants from membership organizations across the state gather. ASMI staff handed out recipes and informational materials to the convention’s 6,000 attendees.

Conxemar in Vigo, Spain The Alaska pavilion had a recordbreaking number of co-exhibitors at the Conxemar trade show on Oct. 2. Demand is high in the region for Alaska cod, pollock and salmon.

Tokyo on sustainable seafood Sustainability Director Susan Marks and ASMI Japan representative Akiko Yakata attended the Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Symposium on Nov. 1. Marks

participated in a panel discussion called “An Introduction to Global Seafood Certification Schemes,” and gave a presentation on Alaska’s sustainability and certification. ASMI also distributed materials about Alaska’s RFM program and how to apply. The symposium is organized by Seafood Legacy, a Japanese NGO with a focus on sustainable fisheries and educating businesses and consumers about sustainable seafood.

Gastronomika & Chef Congress ASMI Southern Europe participated in the Hotel Restaurant Trade Show and Chef Congress at San Sebastian Gastronomika Oct. 7-9, 2018. The event took place in San Sebastian, Spain, and had over 1,500 participants from 37 different countries and roughly 13,000 visitors. From the booth, ASMI served samples and distributed brochures. ASMI chef ambassador Sergio Garrido was one of the show’s presenters and used his time to demonstrate techniques for preparing wild Alaska salmon. He discussed how Alaska’s environment and fishing methods result in delicious, high-quality seafood.

Busan’s seafood & fisheries expo The ASMI Japan office worked with the Korea Agricultural Trade Office to exhibit as part of U.S. Pavilion at the Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo, Oct. 31–Nov. 2. Trident Seafoods Asia and American Seafoods joined ASMI in hosting the booth, displaying a variety of species, including Alaska salmon, pollock, herring roe, surimi and crab. There was no charge for ASMI to exhibit, making all meetings a worthwhile promotion for the Korean market.

Fortune Fish incentive program Fortune Fish launched an incentivebased sales program from Oct. 1 to Nov. 16. Sales associates were rewarded with $1 per case sold to existing customer purchases and $2 per case sold for new customer purchases. Featured items included Alaska cod, pollock, salmon and surimi seafood. Vendors at the Oct. 9 Fortune Fish Food Show in Chicago showcased samples of the products with special pricing to for attending customers. Sales aids and merchandising materials were available at the ASMI booth. Both Chicago and Minneapolis Fortune Fish divisions participated. SoCal Pavilions ASMI ran a three-month digital Ibotta offer that kicked off in October for National Seafood Month, featuring $1 off Alaska salmon, halibut and crab and up to $3 off when combined with Villa Maria wine. The offer featured Alaska halibut as the primary image and recipe engagement in October, Alaska salmon in November, and Alaska crab in December. China retail promotion with Epin Life/SKP In Dec. 1, ASMI China ran a retail event in Xi’an targeting the rapidly developing western province of Shaanxi. Partnering with Epin Life and SKP supermarkets, the promotion featured wild Alaska pollock, sablefish and pink salmon. The promotion included sampling at five store locations, distribution of ASMI product guides/ recipe books, and answering consumer questions about Alaska seafood. Alaska seafood in Ukraine promotion Ukrainian celebrity chef and ASMI culinary mission participant Volodymyr Yaroslavsky launched a video promotion with GoodWine, a premium retail and restaurant chain in Kiev, to promote wild Alaska salmon. In the video, which received nearly 70,000 views in five days on the GoodWine YouTube channel, Yaroslavsky discusses the quality of the product as well as his time in Alaska. “This summer I traveled to Alaska to see with my own eyes the place where the wild fish is harvested. Wild salmon is born at freshwater streams and rivers far away from civilization and swims thousands of kilometers [in] the cleanest waters of the world. It has special taste that [other] salmon doesn’t have.” ASMI and GoodWine hosted a promotion with tastings, special menus, POS and media/VIP events at all GoodWine retail and restaurant locations in December and January.

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

Q&A

Q&A with Alaska Sea Grant Heather Brandon was named the new director of Alaska’s Sea Grant program in August 2018. She is an environmental policy leader based in Juneau, Alaska.

BY SAMUEL HILL

n August, the University of Alaska Fairbanks announced the selection of Heather Brandon to serve as Alaska Sea Grant’s new director. Brandon is an environmental policy leader with experience in fisheries issues on a broad geographic scale, ranging from Alaska to the Arctic and Russian Far East. The Juneau resident was selected after a competitive national search. “I am very pleased that Heather will take the helm at Alaska Sea Grant,” said Bradley Moran, dean of the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. “Heather has a solid working knowledge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s programs, including Sea Grant, and brings a wealth of experience that will be an asset to the Alaska Sea Grant program.” North Pacific Focus caught up with Brandon in February to ask about her career, her new role at Alaska Sea Grant and what the organization has on the horizon.

work someday, because the mission of the organization is so closely aligned with what drives me personally to work in the ocean and coastal field. Alaska Sea Grant’s mission in essence is to ensure the sustainable use of Alaska’s resources. I love that; I want to help with that. I’ve moved away from and come back to Alaska three times, each time knowing that there is something so special about living here that I couldn’t keep away. The last time I moved back was 10 years ago after working for a couple of years for the Pacific Fishery Management Council. I plan to raise my young family in Alaska and serve the people and the resources in this special place. NPF: What role do you see the organization play in Alaska fisheries? Brandon: Alaska Sea Grant does such diverse work across Alaska but also across the many fields of marine policy. For example, the Sea Grant team developed FishBiz, which are web resources for any fishing business. Sea Grant works to provide communities and decision-makers with tools to address climate change impacts — such as assessing the rate of coastal erosion. Sea Grant funds practical research, such as how to grow seaweed as a crop in the ocean. This diverse work is what drew me to join the Alaska Sea Grant team — and to be director is akin to supporting a team of All-Star players. Our Sea Grant marine advisory agents are known around the state for their work and for putting communities first. NPF: What are some of the biggest fisheries issues Alaska Sea Grant works to address?

NPF: What led you to work for Alaska Sea Grant?

Brandon: Alaska is on the front lines of climate change, and our warming waters most certainly are having an impact on fish and shellfish that are important to our commercial fishermen, subsistence harvesters and anglers. We produced a report not long ago called “Climate Change and Alaska Fisheries.” Here are some of the take-home messages: The sea is changing — it’s getting warmer (overriding decadal-scale variations), sea level is rising, sea ice is decreasing, and water chemistry is changing. Invasive species, harmful algal blooms, and disease-causing pathogens already are becoming more common, are harming indigenous fish and shellfish, and threatening human health. Commercially valuable fish stocks are undergoing changes in distribution, abundance and behaviors. Any projections for stock abundances in the future are tentative, and observed trends may be specific to regions or locations. Major abundance shifts, if they do occur, will develop over a period of decades. Hard times may be coming for Bering Sea pollock and some crab stocks and the fisheries that depend on them. Most Alaska salmon stocks probably will continue to prosper, and some may increase or expand their range. Exploitable halibut biomass may increase from current levels. As you know, the Bering Sea is undergoing massive changes with potential impacts, including food security, public health, increased risks to subsistence mariners, loss of income, as well as increased uncertainty and stress.

Brandon: I always thought of Sea Grant as a place I’d like to

NPF: Can you tell us about any big Alaska Sea Grant projects/

NPF: What has driven you to work with fisheries throughout your career? Brandon: I didn’t always work in fisheries, and in fact I started out in college as a general biology major, studying cells, microbes and genes. I knew I liked studying the ocean and creatures in the ocean. I also liked observing politics in action, so I interned at the Oregon Legislature and later worked in the Hawaii and Texas legislatures, too. From those experiences, I figured out that I wanted a job that would let me marry my interests in ocean resources and public policy, so I went for a master’s at University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs and Environment. It was there that I discovered the big wide world of fisheries management and policy. I wrote my thesis on catch shares programs in Alaska — pollock, halibut and crab — and that was the hook that brought me into fisheries work. Since then I’ve worked on West Coast trawl rationalization, salmon conservation in the Russian Far East, and reducing illegal fishing in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. The opportunity to work at Alaska Sea Grant brought my focus home and to supporting fishermen and coastal communities here in Alaska.

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

Q&A / ON THE HORIZON issues happening now or coming soon? Brandon: We are gearing up for the Lowell Wakefield Symposium in May, which draws hundreds of marine scientists from all over the world to Anchorage. This year the focus of the symposium is Cooperative Research — strategies for integrating industry perspectives and insights in fisheries science. We’re also in the early stages of planning for the next Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit in January 2020, which is an important training ground and networking opportunity for the next generation of commercial fishermen. NPF: What success stories do you wish people knew more about? Brandon: Our seafood technology specialist Chris Sannito helps many budding and established entrepreneurs get their processing, seafood and food businesses up and off the ground or expand to the next level.

It’s go time! Markos Scheer is a Seattle-area attorney and entrepreneur who has spent more than 30 years in the seafood industry. He is developing a 127-acre kelp and oyster farm near Craig, Alaska, and operates a law practice. BY MARKOS SCHEER

o you made the plunge. You stepped off into the grand abyss and will be joining an ever-expanding group getting into the Alaska mariculture business. Once you have your site planned out and approved, built your business plan and found the funding to get started, it’s time to implement your plan. Where do you start? Sourcing raw material. In the case of oysters, that means spat or seed that’s large enough to out-plant into your site. For kelp, it likely means building a hatchery or purchasing seeded line from one of the hatcheries in Alaska. Sourcing gear — line, buoys and anchoring systems for the build-out of your site. Sourcing or building rafts or other structures the operation will need. Finding a market for your product, including branding design and monitoring. Building or finding a processor that will custom process your product. Planning transportation and logistics to get your product to market. Raw material can be sourced from a number of local and out-of-state, but approved, vendors. Oyster spat and seed can be sourced in Alaska from OceansAlaska in Ketchikan and Blue Starr Oysters, which operates near Marble Island off Prince of Wales Island. The primary out-of-state and approved producer is Hawaiian Shellfish. Blue Starr has floating upweller (flupsy) capacity and can produce seed large enough (say 25 mm) to be out-planted directly into trays on your farm. Other seed providers are likely to be able to provide 3- to 6-mm seed. To get seed, you should expect to pay a 25 percent deposit to secure your position in line for the beginning of the year.

He assists everyone from kelp salsa producers to tribal members working to get FDA certification to serve seal oil to elders in nursing homes. Together with our seafood marketing specialist, Quentin Fong, he also teaches a range of classes to get fishermen and seafood processors better educated on the latest techniques or rules and regulations affecting them. NPF: How can fishermen become more involved in Alaska Sea Grant? Brandon: We would love to hear from them and learn about how Alaska Sea Grant can help. We have marine advisory agents in several coastal communities from Ketchikan to Nome. Our folks have a wide range of scientific and business expertise and can assist fishermen with a variety of topics, including how to write a business plan, how to directly market their catch, how to stay safe on the water, and a lot more. They can also follow us on social media and engage with us that way.

To get oyster seed to an appropriate size for your site, you either need to buy or build a flupsy, or you need to work with someone who has one and can raise the seed to size. Blue Starr and the Naukati Bay Shellfish Nursery are two facilities in Alaska. Others are in the process of developing flupsy capacity, and the industry can expect to see more sources in the coming years. Kelp seed can only be produced from seed stock sourced within 50 kilometers of the farm site and grown out in a hatchery or nursery (which is really a greenhouse to produce juvenile plants) located inside the state of Alaska. Unless you build your own hatchery, you have only a couple of options. Blue Evolution operates a kelp nursery at the NOAA facility in Kodiak, and OceansAlaska and Premium Aquatics are working together on a kelp nursery located outside of Ketchikan. Lines, buoys and other gear can be sourced from any commercial fishing supply store or from net manufacturers like Net Systems.You can build your own rafts or have them built. Marble Construction in Ketchikan builds oyster rafts. A number of companies manufacture and sell oyster processing equipment, including tumblers, sizers and other associated equipment. The Alaska Shellfish Growers Association is also a terrific resource for information and suppliers. Fortunately, new shellfish growers can expect to have a year or two to develop markets while the oysters are coming up to size. It is critical, however, to tee up the sale of the product and understand the transportation costs and logistics associated with getting your product to market. Will you sell directly to consumers? To distributors? Will you create your own valueadded products, like Barnacle Foods is doing with kelp products out of Juneau? You should also think about a brand and artwork. How are you going to tell and sell your unique story? Planning and implementation are essential to the success of any new venture. The best way to mitigate risk is by learning from others in the industry and use that information about technologies and systems to benefit your burgeoning business. Keep an eye on future columns that will explore this topic in more detail. WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

OUR TOWN QUICK LOOK at FALSE PASS, Alaska

FALSE PASS

GooGle Maps

IKATAN & FALSE PASS

False Pass, which lies on Unimak Island in the center of Isanotski Strait, is the closest port of call if you want to fish Ikatan Bay. False Pass sits on the east side of Unimak Island in Alaska’s Aleutian Chain. Trident, Peter Pan and Silver Bay support the fleets and have processing facilities there. STORY BY CHARLIE ESS & PHOTOS BY CHERYL ESS

e knew we’d get dinged for excess baggage. We’d chartered the plane, a twin-engine turboprop, and split the cost among other passengers. Then my wife, Cheryl, swiped the credit card and signed in the amount of $2,200. That was for the two of us. One way. But it gets worse. We’d each splurged two precious weeks of paid leave time at our jobs and had put in for two weeks more —without pay. As it would turn out, jumping on that plane was but a fraction of the cost we’d incur in our quest to gillnet salmon in the blue waters of Ikatan. Though some aspects of the trip would resemble an extended vacation, all notions of bliss in the coming month seemed lost to a list of nagging questions: What was that dream we were chasing so many years ago, when we committed our summers to Ikatan’s winds and tides? Why did we sell our operation and quit fishing? What would it cost to get back in? Though we vowed we’d return to fish Ikatan someday, that devil, time, tricked us into a hiatus of 22 years and robbed us of our confidence that we’d have the wits and the strength to give it another go. We’re not alone in the revelation that our clocks have been ticking too fast. 18

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Charlie Ess and his wife, Cheryl (below), ventured back to fish salmon in Ikatan Bay after a 22-year hiatus.

We strap into the seats of the plane beside Joe Weber, a commercial fishing friend we’ve known for 37 years, and we’re four days late. Our time away delayed by the unfortunate death of his mother. But for Weber, our partnership in this fishing venture has been catalyzed by yet another loss. His older brother Eric was then stranded at an assisted living facility in Anchorage with Alzheimer’s.

POPULATION 300 — the resident population of Aleut fishermen is 70, and the recent surge of seafood processing work has brought in more than 200 workers who have housing near the plants. When the June salmon fishery is in full swing more than 80 boats tie up in the harbor. YARD False Pass maintains a large boat trailer, which connects to a front-end loader and can haul boats of up to 40 feet. The boats are launched at high tide and blocked up with dunnage. PROCESSORS Peter Pan Seafoods Trident Seafoods Silver Bay Seafoods SHIPS SUPPLY & HARDWARE Peter Pan Seafoods maintains a small inventory of hydraulic valves, fittings, lines, hoses and fittings. Specialized parts must be ordered then shipped by air. FOR COFFEE Your boat FOR BEER False Pass runs a small liquor store for limited hours and as long as supplies last.

OUR TOWN For 33 summers the Weber brothers had been inseparable in their setnet operation. Though the two made the trip out to False Pass in 2017, they never fished, as Ric’s condition had worsened. In the preamble of this year’s season Joe lamented whether to return or say goodbye to his gillnetting ritual and flip to the next chapter in his life. Though Cheryl and I know the tides and other intricacies of the area, we’d always pulled gear by hand, in open skiffs, and had never fished setnet gear from a boat with a reel. It would be a new dance for us, and in many ways Joe would be working with newbies. “I didn’t know if I’d ever want to do this again,” he says of the venture without Ric. His decision to gear up and go was predicated in part by rumors of high ex-vessel prices for sockeyes. Since late winter we’d heard that wholesalers had liquidated inventories and that markets were starving for product. Murmurings of $2 a pound and Joe’s offer of a generous percentage for our crew shares solidified our choice in joining him for the month of June. After numerous stops along the Alaska Peninsula, we land in False Pass. For the next 26 days, we’ll stage our operation out of Weber’s house on the beach and raid a hodgepodge of shipping containers and sheds for lines, buoys, tools and supplies. Our ticket to Ikatan, seven miles out, rides on the mechanical health of the Kelly Rae, a 36-foot Mel Martin gillnetter that the brothers have used throughout the years.Weber introduces us to the boat as the KFR, “which stands for Kelly F’n Rae,” and in the month to unfold we’ll come to understand how this boat and its temperament became a prominent force in the Weber brothers’ lives. The Kelly Rae rests dry-docked on timbers and wooden pallets about a quarter mile up the beach. With just three days before the first opening, Weber fires up its antiquated Detroit 8-71, charges the batteries, lights the galley stove and revives the hydraulic system. Beneath its weathered hull we embrace the process of installing a new shaft, a refurbished prop and a new stainless rudder. Alas, the day has come to launch the Kelly Rae. Longtime friends Billy Shellikoff and Dennis Jackson arrive

Launching the gillnetter Kelly Rae after a few false starts.

Joe Weber, the youngest of the crew at 59, mends the gillnet in the morning.

Cheryl Ess drives Knute the skiff toward Ikatan Point.

with a monstrous front-end loader and position a large boat trailer with hydraulic lift pads carefully under the boat. They ease us down to water’s edge on the beach, and we back out of the cradle into the water. Though bobbing about in the waves feels liberating, we dart about the boat, checking for leaks in stuffing boxes or other through-hull fittings that could sink the good ship Kelly Rae.With the boat tied up safely in the harbor, we return to a shed near Weber’s house and begin loading 65-pound anchors and their respective shots of chain into the back of a weathered Jeep Cherokee. “These have gained a lot of weight since I put them here when we quit fishing,” he says with a chuckle. I’m feeling it, too, and can’t help but acknowledge the disparity between what the mind anticipates in lifting the anchors to what the muscles actually accomplish as denoted by huffing and puffing and a humbling grunt.

“I don’t remember all this drama when I lifted anchors back in the day,” I say to Weber. “You’ll get used to it,” he says. “It’s our 60-year-old soundtrack.” Sixty two, to be exact. Cheryl’s 63, and Joe’s the young pup at 59. I lose myself for a minute in a reverie of what Charlie the 24-year-old who came into this fishery so long ago would have thought of the geriatric crew struggling with the anchors. The next morning, Shane Hoblet, another longtime friend and local seiner from False Pass, drives up to Weber’s house and foreshortens our breakfast with news that the Kelly Rae has an appreciable port list and appears to have taken on a lot of water overnight. By the time we arrive, Hoblet has already set up a pump. Two hours and 800 gallons later, we determine that I’ve used the wrong type of caulking to seal up the gap between the bronze rudder flange where it WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

OUR TOWN

Llifelong resident Tom Hoblet pauses for stories and a few laughs with Ess and Weber on the way to his boat.

contacts the hull. That translates to a trip back to the trailer and hauling her out. We all know that positioning the boat up against the bunkers of the trailer will be no easy feat, as winds have picked up from the northwest, which is a crosswind on the beach. After numerous attempts, we hit the trailer at a favorable angle, and Shellikoff and Jackson haul her out. I add a heavy rubber gasket and finish off the job with a proven marine sealant. We relaunch, tie up in the harbor, and load buoys and lines for the impending opener. The Kelly Rae is floating high and level the next day, but her bilges hold a huge surprise. We arrive with plans of firing up her ancient Detroit, taking on ice and fuel, then heading out to Ikatan. “Can you check the lazarette?” Weber yells to me from the access to the engine room. “I smell fuel.” Back in the well deck, I remove the aluminum access cover and immediately hear a steady drip coming from the port side fuel tank. It’s a game changer, as the epicenter of the leak lies directly over a wooden support beam affixed to the hull, leaving no chance to put on a patch. Joe climbs down for a second opinion and determines there’s no remedy but to remove the deck and replace the tank.That could take weeks. KFR, indeed. We muster at the galley table to contemplate our next move. 20

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“At this point, I’m open to all options,” says Weber. We could haul her out, pump out the fuel, catch a plane, cut our losses and return to our jobs. Weber and his wife, Shannon, own a ski and bicycle rental shop in Enumclaw, Wash. But something drives us to fish. We’re already missing the first opener, and we brainstorm moves that will get us on the water for the second of four openers in June. In the end, we decide to transfer fuel from the leaky tank into the starboard tank and isolate its supply and return lines from the engine. To keep the Kelly Rae on an even keel, we fill the port tank with 200 gallons of water for ballast. It’s a bold move, according to some of the locals, and running on just one tank will severely impact the boat’s traveling range. But it’s all we’ve got. As an addendum to our plan B, we launch the Knute, the 20-foot skiff that Cheryl bought for her operation when she came out to fish Ikatan for the first time in 1980. She’d hired me, almost sight unseen. Weather and time in the Knute that summer had a way of rendering things down from a working relationship to companionship. We fell in love, got married and fished 14 more summers before we sold out. Which is how the Weber brothers came to own the nostalgic skiff. Now we’ll use it to tend to the nets and as a tugboat to tow the

Kelly Rae, should she decide to throw any more mechanical foibles our way. With the Knute in tow, we head out to Ikatan to greet a blazing sunrise and a bronze cast on the water. We hold off on setting our two nets and watch 300 porpoises jump within a tide rip that surrounds the boat and extends far to the eastern horizon. In all of our collective years at Ikatan we’ve never seen anything like it. At his mother’s grave site a week earlier, a woman said that he should be prepared for miraculous experiences to follow in the wake of his mother’s passing. That we actually got the Kelly Rae floating and out to the fishing grounds constitutes one of those miracles, Weber tells us late one evening. And those porpoises? “I’ll attribute that to Mom, too,” he says. The days roll on, and we concentrate our fishing efforts in the bight at Ikatan Point. The nets lie anchored perfectly crosswise in the tide, but we’re not catching many sockeyes. Fishermen plying the waters outside of Ikatan Bay have been reporting that fishing is equally slow. It’s been calm — too calm, Weber says. “This place needs some weather; the ocean needs a good shaking.” The relative calm, however, offers respite to my aching shins and my back. My sea legs have been slow to develop this season, and I’ve got bruises to show for it. The anchors haven’t gotten any easier to handle despite hefting them aboard each day. Meanwhile, the practice of pulling taut cork lines up to the gunnels of the skiff, leaning over the rails and other strains have left Cheryl with three broken ribs. Our 60-year-old soundtrack has evolved to include the rattling of Ibuprofen tablets in their plastic bottles just before we settle into our berths for the night. One morning we run through the nets and are blessed with a pick of more than 100 fish. Two days later, however, our catch drops to just one fish by late afternoon, and we begin to embrace the possibility of a catastrophically poor season. Worse yet, we learn that processors are paying only a dollar a pound. “We’ve spent $60 in fuel just to get here,” says Weber of our predicament. Continued on page 35

YOUNGBLOODS

Fight for the fish Hannah Heimbuch is a commercial salmon and halibut fisherman from Homer, Alaska.

By HANNAH HEIMBUCH

ish is a fighting word no matter what coast you home port in, what kind of metal or mesh you put in the water.There’s always something between you and making that landing — the weather, the water, the fish itself or the politics of its capture. I live and commercial fish in a region of Alaska particularly known for its fish wars. The Kenai Peninsula is on the road system, with Homer at the end of it. It’s ideal for accessing both commercial and recreational fisheries; we can ship out fresh catch in short order, and tourists can park their rental cars and campers and step easily onto a guide boat or river bank. It has the basics of convenience, with a wilderness at your fingertips. Like anything precious, over the years it’s made us both popular and polarized, and I grew up with the innate knowledge that we were a fishing people, but with a line down the middle of us — the one between commercial fishermen and sportsmen. Neighbor to neighbor, I would say most of us understand the value of a diversified working waterfront. That the public needs myriad ways to gain value from this incredible resource — through food, economy, culture and recreation. Our state constitution reflects that, and we’ve worked hard to protect it. But the top tier power struggle for access easily leaves that value behind, a trend exacerbated in recent history and mirrored up the food chain. From local fishery to national stage, in varying degrees across the country, fishermen are willing to fight their opposing sector into oblivion, convinced of a certain righteousness. If there’s anything I hope my generation is able to improve on and off the water, it’s that. We’ve seen major community schisms at the End of the Road. They cut deep, splitting local businesses, families and neighbors that had built lives and livelihoods alongside each other for decades. Every few years a new issue re-ups the ante on old bitterness, and fingers start pointing, who’s responsible for killing off the behemoth halibut and King salmon, who’s taking more than their share, whose boots or gear is mucking up the habitat. What to me seem like natural companions — Alaska’s community-based commercial and sport fishermen — have long stayed at loggerheads, at the expense of their common interests and the ability to problem solve the largescale issues that impact all of us: habitat protection, sustainable harvest, ocean policy and substantial upheaval in the ecosystem. Our multigenerational division is at best a mutually destructive waste of energy, and at worst a distraction from the actual threats operating outside our immediate ocean view. While I believe we need the push and pull of widely differing views to get to the reasonable middle, commercial and sport fishermen have been taking shots at each other long enough that we’re in

danger of leaving that common ground behind for good. And what’s building in the wake of our community infighting is a blindness to the bigger picture: Coastal communities rely on diverse fisheries and healthy ecosystems, and our behavior in the policy arena needs to reflect that unity before we get down to the brass tacks of who gets what. Our public-facing narratives all say that, but that’s hardly how we operate. Our commonality slips away all too easily, and “public resource” becomes something awarded to the individual rather than something made accessible for the broadest community good. I won’t say I want us to stop fighting.That isn’t going to happen anytime soon, and I’m concerned that if it does, it means that we’ve chosen a winner and a list of losers, and one type of fisherman is sitting at the peaceful, lonesome top — Thanos before a bittersweet sunset. So no, let’s not stop fighting just yet. But I would like to see us fight harder and first for the fish. For leaders and policies that are committed to growing the resource for everyone, and that understand that our communities are strongest when our fisheries are diversified. Our fishing families are relying on us to create programs that maintain access for new generations, and preserve a spectrum of coastal community livelihoods and recreational opportunities that aren’t narrowed to a single, steep path. We also need to show the non-fishing public the value of that perspective. Commercial fisheries in particular are suffering from a public perception problem, one that we should have started fixing together a long time ago. For some reason we have yet to capture the hearts of the nation in the way of the American farmer, but we can and should, side by side with the recreational fishermen who also value this resource. Instead we are prone to stereotyping one another for the public arena, pulling the humanity out of our respective identities so they’re easier to oppose through the loud speaker of modern media. Commercial fishermen are greedy pillagers, out for a buck with no regard for ecosystem or neighbor. The solo angler is an elitist trophy hunter, protecting an individual’s access to an experience over the public’s access to healthy food. Those stereotypes can be true on a case-by-case basis, but more often than not they’re exaggerations and assumptions that prevent us from valuing the important role both have in a healthy coastal community. In the end we are both ambassadors for the water and the land fish depend on, connecting people across the globe to the fish and ecosystems we so highly value. None of this is new. But it’s becoming drastically more important. Our differences have prevented us from asking smart questions about the resources we share, and the biggest threats facing them in a modern era. While we’re fighting about whether rod or net is more deserving of the salmon, whether that halibut should land on a charter boat or longline vessel, let us not forget to fight first for the fish. For science-based ocean and habitat policies that leave us something to fight for, for community access for this and future generations, for diverse working waterfronts that understand how their businesses complement each other, and the ability to evolve our fisheries, side by side rather than in opposition, for the greater good of the resource and those who depend upon it. WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

ON THE HOMEFRONT

Dungennexpo season Lori French is the president of Central Coast Women for Fisheries, the executive wife and mother of a commercial fishing family, and serves on the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations’ board of directors.

BY LORI FRENCH

t’s the most wonderful time of the year — Pacific Marine Expo. Not to be confused with the other most wonderful times of the year — opening day of Dungeness season and my birthday. Wait. Cross my birthday off that list. The Old Man of the Sea has decided that he is only going to celebrate my birthday every five years. I’ll deal with him later. But Pacific Marine Expo and the opening of crab season are linked in our area of California, so therefore, it’s a wonderful thing. The opening of crab season is stressful and hopeful all at the same time. There’s an energy that crackles. Everything is prepped and ready to go, right down to the boat’s supply of Good Luck Snacks. The Old Man of the Sea is pretty good about managing stress, but I find that by opening day I am ready to escape. The thing about Pacific Marine Expo — AKA Fish Expo — is that it allows me to get away on a Fish Wife Vacation and do things that I genuinely love. The part that makes it a vacation is a) I don’t have to make coffee, b) someone comes and makes my bed every day, c) I can eat what I want, when I want (this has become more important in my life, as the last few years they have been fishing out of Morro Bay vs. traveling, due to a family health issue. I’m not cold hearted, I am just over cooking), d) I get away from my Monday-Friday job that nobody in the family seems to think I have, e) I can take a nap without a phone ringing or someone asking me to do something, and f) I always book one extra day to Christmas shop. And now you know the secret. Psst, you don’t need to tell him this either. This year I actually left on the opening day of crab season in our area. The Old Man of the Sea called and texted me several times to sing, “You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille.” Hey I didn’t pick the dates this year OK? Anyways, there were absolutely no travel problems whatsoever. If you knew my travel history with TSA and flights you would be shocked. OK, no problems until I reached the hotel. Somewhere along the way my reservations at the hotel got screwed up. I had arrived they day before they thought I was. So I just asked for a room and figured I would move my stuff the next morning — no big deal — until they told me that there were no rooms available. For the next hour and a half, I sat in the lobby trying to find a room for the night while the front desk worked to find me a room also. Apparently, the Seahawks were playing someone important and there were NO and I mean NO, rooms available anywhere in Seattle. I texted Tall One #1 on the boat, figuring he would tell the Old Man of the Sea. He did. The next morning. I didn’t want to stress my husband out too much. Well after an hour and a half, we finally located a room out in Bellevue in a sort of 22

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sketchy neighborhood, thus breaking my #1 Traveling Alone Promise to the Old Man of the Sea: No hotels or motels in seedy, sketchy areas. Next problem, getting a ride over to the seedy, sketchy motel at the same time the game let out. Uber gets freaking expensive at times, I tell you. However, the driver got me there with only one illegal U-turn. I let that pass because if I’d been driving I would have made the same illegal U-turn. After a nice Jack in the Box dinner at midnight, I was ready to enter the Fish Wife Vacation Mode. Early the next morning, I peeked out my sketchy motel window to see where I had really landed. And much to my surprise, next door I spied a pot shop. BING! Did you see the light bulb go off over my head? I recently discovered pot cream for Nancy New Knee (CBD for the knee replacement). Pot Cream — the Gateway Drug for the Arthritis Generation. So I donned my sunglasses and walked over to the shop in what I hoped was an inconspicuous manner. I entered the store and stood there wondering what to do next. The nice young man by the door directed me to a nice young girl who then explained all the various creams and oils and chocolate candies. And the prices! So much less expensive than California! I stocked up. The nice young lady at the counter put everything in a plain brown paper bag and didn’t even charge me for the bag. (In California — land of tax everything — bags are a dime.) I have to admit I felt pretty slimy. Being the Mom I am, I immediately had to call Tall One #1 to tell him of my discovery. He laughed at me. LAUGHED! It didn’t matter, I went back to my sketchy motel to get my swollen new knee high. Now I’ll spare you the Christmas shopping details and move right on to the Fish Expo details. (OK except for one detail: I said no to the really nice Pendleton hoodie for Tall One #1. I just don’t love him $350 worth.) Now on to Fish Expo. Everyone was there, well except the California crabbers who had just opened or were thinking about opening. Bruce Schactler from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute was holding court at their booth. If you haven’t seen their booth, you should. It’s everything that’s right about fishing.The bright handouts, the great graphics and information that show what we do and why people should eat WILD vs. farmed. ASMI also decorates the Alaska Hall with their banners and marketing posters that bring commercial fishing to life. Wild Bill from “Deadliest Catch” was over in the Grundéns booth, and yes I made him take his picture with Kenny my Traveling World’s First Commercial Fishing Advocate Gnome. Bill gracefully consented to this, by the way. I will use the picture elsewhere to promote fishing, trust me. I ran into another fisherman’s parents. I will not name him publicly in this story, as they dished on his childhood behavior in the way only parents can.We took a group photo and texted it to him so he knew I was getting the scoop. Rob S., are you reading this? Miss you, Rich Dragger. There was a pack of people who were moving along like a hive of bees or a school of fish. Inside of that pack was Sig Hansen. He just looked like he needed to be left alone, so I/we didn’t harass him for a signature on our petition. What petition? The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations was there. And since I’m a director, I was working in our booth alongside Noah Oppenheim, the executive director. Our purpose was to collect as many signatures as possible

ON THE HOMEFRONT / THE LONG HAUL on a letter that addresses the dangers of offshore net-pen aquaculture to our fisheries and opposes a couple bad bills. It’s an issue that is rearing its ugly head again. The federation would turn around and submit the letter and signatures to Congress. Noah also signed us up to give a program on fishery insurance, kind of like crop for crabbers. This project is in the beginning stages with Dungeness crabbers as the guinea pigs. Why you ask? Think back to the Dungeness crab closure of 2015-16, where California crabbers were closed for six months thanks to Domoic acid levels in the crab. A bit of insurance income would have been a welcome relief at that time to many. (It’s 2019, and even though the Disaster Money has been allocated, no one has seen a dime, partly driven by the government shutdown.) This approach may or may not pencil out, but if it

succeeds, it could be used in other fisheries. And after a day at the Expo come the After Parties. Actually the parties always start in the Beer Garden with the Seahawks cheerleaders, the Sea Gals. Beer starts flowing, and plans are hammered out. This year we hit the No Pebble Mine party. We cannot lose this resource. Period. Amen. The next night we partied with the Marine Fish Conservation Network. The oysters were killer. The thing about the parties is it’s a chance to talk off the record and bounce ideas around. And when the day is all over, I get to return to my clean hotel room with the towels hung up, toilet paper on the roll and my trashy novels. Heaven, just heaven. With a heavy sigh, my Fish Wife Vacation is always too short.

The Kodiak Killers

hoping. But if you are a fish and you see me, hope is lost. I am sudden darkness. I am death. I slide her down the hatch and into the icehold. The knife fidgets between my fingers. He wants another fish. My knife is Swiss, a Forschner. His name is Notch. I lean across the cleaning table and grab another big flatfish by the lips. This one does not go easy. It flies into a frenetic, flapping dance in the pooled blood on the table, splashing war paint onto our faces. Branson laughs and stuns the rebellious uberpredator with the leaded end of the whacking club. His face is crusted with dried blood. There is an intestine swinging from his ballcap. Over his shoulder, across the pitching grey sea, Kodiak Island shows as a row of icy mountains glowing dirty pink in the hazy distance, 40 miles away. Next to the boat, a crowd of fulmars is clucking and fussing, scavenging scraps of bait and fighting over the livers. The skipper gaffs a fish at the rail as another hits the crucifier and slides onto the table. I feel a big wave rising under my feet, so I brace my knee against the table and pull the now cooperative halibut back toward me when the table tilts in my direction. Notch rushes to the fish’s throat, and I let my hands do the work while I drink the wet air and taste the sea and feel the salty sweat run down my back. I am happy. We have a local pod of killer whales that cruises through the harbor occasionally, looking for sea lions to eat. We call them the Kodiak Killers. Orcas who hunt fish often swim together by the hundreds and are a noisy rabble. Mammal hunters like the Kodiak Killers form family units of a dozen or less and are very quiet. That is, until they make a kill. Then they explode into song. They have a celebration that sometimes includes tossing the prey high into the air. They are happy. My cat is old. In his youth he had a rabbit habit. The woods across the street are home to innumerable bunnies, and Meowcat liked to hunt them at this time of year. He sometimes brought them home to my wife, black as a panther, yellow eyes glowing, proudly holding up the snow white rabbit. So happy. Of course, my wife chased him around the yard. Meowcat sits on a pillow and looks out the window these days. He seems pretty content. But I wonder if he misses the rabbits.

Terry Haines is a North Pacific groundfish fisherman and a former member of the Kodiak (Alaska) City Council.

BY TERRY HAINES

y gloved left hand holds the halibut by the jaw. Her body arcs up on the table. She is strong and proud. She is not a delicate trout that might die in your hands like a frightened bird. She is ivory and onyx, 6 feet long, broad as a storm door, thick as a slab of concrete, smoother than wet china; her invisible scales forming a seamless slippery coat over her tough skin. I have turned her white-side-up, the blind side. The eye on the white side migrated over to the dark side when she was a very small fish, while she flattened out and learned to swim sideways. When she settled down on the bottom as an adult, both eyes looked up from the dark side. The halibut is a hungry ghost, a perfectly camouflaged eating machine. In the muddy bay, the halibut’s dark side turns olive green. Offshore, it is slate black. In the stony kelp beds where they wait for salmon, they sport a beautiful mottled mosaic pattern. Her prey, in the seconds before death, might glimpse a rippling smudge of pebbly darkness, might notice two bulbous disembodied eyes scanning upward. Then the phantom rises in an explosion of motion. Her jaws extend impossibly and her gillplate flares as she literally sucks her victim into her belly. She is sudden darkness. She is death. I club her, hard. She curls up like a big potato chip then goes flat. I slide the tip of my knife under her gillplate and open up her throat. Blood pumps out onto the table. The knife jumps to life in my hand. A stab, a cut, a whirl of the wrist. The Vorpal blade went snicker snack. In a moment, the big fish is hollow, and its prodigious guts are flying into a big black bucket sitting on a cocoa mat on deck beside me. The plum sized heart falls out onto the table, still beating, still

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

GEAR SHIFTS

TESTING THE

WATERS

The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association shifts focus from marketing to preserving community with bycatch reduction, new gear and apprentices By Paul Molyneaux

razy, dangerous, and exciting,” is how Linda Behnken describes Alaska’s halibut derby days. Many Alaska longliners recall the mad halibut openings — sleep deprivation, and dollar-a-pound fish coming out of the hold pockmarked and dented from the ice. With an eye on the long-term interests of Alaska’s many fisheries-dependent communities, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association is taking a multifaceted approach to guarding the future, using new technology in management, harvesting, and marketing, and launching an apprenticeship program to bring new blood into the Alaska fishing culture. “ALFA was started in 1978,” says Behnken, who started fishing in 1982 and took over as the association’s executive director in 2009. “The focus was originally on marketing, but now it’s more about education and community building,” says Behnken. “But our core mission has always been the same: promoting sustainable fisheries and thriving fishing communities through research, collaboration and innovation.” Back in the derby days, halibut fishermen were price takers, focusing more on quantity than quality. Individual Transferable Quotas get mixed reviews, depending on who you talk to, but one advantage that privatization of the resource did offer was to

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

AlAskA longline Fishermen’s AssociAtion photos

“

A network of fishermen has worked with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association on a 10-year program to compile sea-floor data.

eliminate the race for fish, leading to a total overhaul of the fish-handling system and increased options for fishermen interested in getting more money for what they catch. In order to get top dollar for the blackcod, halibut, rockfish and salmon they catch, some association members started a community supported fishery, Alaskans Own, which sells flashfrozen fish to subscribers, online buyers, and in bulk. “We did blind taste tests,” says Behnken. “And people preferred our flash frozen fish over so-called fresh fish.” Behnken and other fleet members land halibut, blackcod and rockfish in Sitka, where the fish are frozen and stored until shipment. According to Behnken, a big part of the association’s work involves maintaining sustainability on many levels.

The association combines human resources and ingenuity with advances in technology to guard fish stocks and bring new people into the fisheries. At the top of the list is reducing halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea trawl fisheries. The association has called for electronic monitoring and a change in the bycatch caps. “We started with a pilot program in 2010; and fully integrated the monitoring/catch accounting system as an alternative to carrying an observer, in 2018, in the halibut and sablefish fisheries,” says Behnken. Electronic monitoring, essentiality putting cameras on the boats, has saved fishermen in Southeast Alaska $198 a day for observers. Fishermen in Homer saved $332 a day. “Where we don’t have it is in the Bering Sea trawl fishery, where bycatch is a prob-

lem. Three years ago, the bycatch was so high we weren’t going to have a season in Areas 4 C, D and E,” says Behnken. Since then, the trawl industry has made changes. “They’re using deck sorting and excluders,” says Behnken. “They’ve gotten their act together, so the situation is not so dire. But what we’re working on is shifting to abundance-based caps on bycatch. Right now we’re working with bycatch limits that are 15 years old,” says Behnken, speaking in between sessions of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Portland, Ore., where she and others are working to get bycatch caps set according to current abundance of halibut. “Which is down,” she says. “And expected to keep going down.” According to Behnken, the halibut that spawn in the Bering Sea migrate south and support fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska and Southeast. On the harvesting side, some association members want to switch to a pot fishery for halibut and blackcod when sperm whales are in the area. Sperm whales have learned how easy it is to pick blackcod off a longline, making for a veritable buffet in season. For blackcod longliners in Southeast Alaska, sperm whale depredation has had an effect in recent years. “They still catch their quotas,” says Behnken. “It just takes them a lot longer.”

Installing electronic monitoring cameras has saved Alaska blackcod and halibut fishermen hundreds of dollars a day on observers.

To enable the whales and fishery to coexist, the North Pacific council is allowing some pot fishing for blackcod and halibut. “A lot of fishermen are switching to pots when whales are around,” says Behnken. Since March 11, 2017, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has allowed fishermen to use 150 to 300 pots, depending on

the area they’re fishing, with tight restrictions on pot retrieval, tagging, and marking, in order to avoid pots getting lost and ghost fishing. Among other things, vessels must retrieve all pots when leaving the fishing grounds to make a delivery. The problem with pot fishing and whales, however, is buoy lines and entanglement. “We haven’t had any problems yet,”

“A lot of fishermen are switching to pots when

”

whales are around.

— Linda Behnken, ALASKA LONGLINE FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION

With sperm whales picking fish from longlines, many Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association members are opting into the pot fishery for blackcod.

says Behnken. “But I imagine that’s coming.” In another technological embrace, association members are using Nobeltec’s Timezero software to create WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

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detailed bathymetric charts of the areas where they fish. “We compile data into one digital file and provide that back to members who are contributing data,” says Behnken. “Mapping improves fishing efficiency, and our members’ ability to catch target species, while controlling bycatch rates and minimizing impact to sensitive habitat.” According to Behnken, close to 100 members are involved in the bathymetry mapping. Another change in the small-scale fishing scene in Alaska has been a shift in the demographics of seasonal processing plant workers that once provided a pool of new blood for the fisheries. According to association member Eric Jordan, factory workers have changed from U.S. college kids who had the flexibility to commit to the fishing life if they felt the call, to immigrant workers often on temporary visas. “I’ve always been involved in teaching and coaching,” says Jordan. “I’m 69 years old and still fishing competitively, but I was having trouble finding crew. Linda [Behnken] suggested I take this young woman, Cathryn, who had been a writer in residence at the Island Institute here in Sitka. “I needed a job,” says Cathryn Klusmeier, Jordan’s first apprentice. “I convinced him it would be OK, and I went fishing with him from April to September in 2015.” Jordan found more people wanting to go fishing. He told Behnken what was happening. In response, the association launched its crew apprenticeship program (CAP), which has taken off. In 2018, the group received funding in excess of $100,000 and put 13 out of 100 applicants on boats. “They’re mostly women,” Jordan says. “They are writers, artists, bankers. I had one young woman, we found the fish and she was back there slinging fish and hauling lines, hard work, and I said, ‘I bet you wish you were back in your office.’ She dropped everything and came up to where I was. ‘Listen,’ she said. ‘Let’s get one thing straight. This is heaven. That was hell.’” “I could have said the same thing,” says Lea LeGardeur, who fished with

GEAR SHIFTS

Cathryn Klusmeier and Jake Metzger apprentice on the troller F/V I Gotta.

Jordan under the apprenticeship program in 2018. “Eric said the only time he ever saw me mad was when there were still five days in the season and he said we were going to finish up early. I didn’t smile again until he changed his mind.” While LeGardeur is actively seeking a site in Alaska or Maine, where she has summered most of her

life, she’s also looking at going after a Ph.D. “I’d be doing seafloor mapping,” she says, noting that while that’s not fishing, it could help fishermen. “Surprisingly few of them stay,” says Jordan. He has found that while most apprentices don’t want to devote their lives to fishing, they want fishing to always be part of their lives. “Linda says they will become our ambassadors for our fisheries,” says Jordan. Klusmeier adds that the program has helped bring more women into the fisheries workforce. “It’s not often where women are encouraged to do this kind of work. Linda is making a cognizant effort to do that by finding boats that women can work on.” As the core mission for the longline association endures, the principal goals of fishing remain the same, feeding people with wild fish harvested from the sea, and adapt to changing circumstances. The association is setting an example

Apprentice Lea LeGardeur and skipper Eric Jordan take a break in Sitka.

on how to stay ahead of the curve on all those issues, embracing the technology and people that will perpetuate Alaska’s dynamic fishing culture for future generations. More details on the association are available at alfafish.org. Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for North Pacific Focus.

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Inspire leadership, learning and a legacy of service by supporting the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard through the Coast Guard Foundation. To learn how you can help, call (860) 535-0786 or visit our website at www.coastguardfoundation.org. Ask about our Boat Donation Program.

WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

BOATBUILDING

QUICK-CHANGE

ARTISTS

Commodore's Boats photos

Commodore’s Boats turns out a sponson and bulbous bow (minus a new paint job) in time for the Dungeness season opener

s boat owners seek to increase their vessels’ capacities without increasing length, sponsons have become a common option, and Commodore’s Boats offers the facilities and reputable crew for getting the job done quickly. In July 2018 the yard hauled out the Washington-based Dungeness crabber Lady Nell for a major transformation. 28

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

BY PAUL MOLYNEAUX

The 54-foot steel vessel, built in 1988, would have its lean 18-foot beam expanded to 28 feet, and see the addition of a bulbous bow. Commodore’s hauled the boat with its 75-ton travel lift. “We also have a 220-ton lift. We can do boats as big as 110 feet,” says Ryan Galovich, business development manager at the yard. After adding five-foot sponsons on each side, Commodore’s changed the sheer

and raised the bulwarks about a foot, according to Galovich. “Very few people in the U.S. are able to do this kind of quick turnaround. It takes a unique yard with experienced people and an eye for detail,” says Galovich, who speaks proudly of the yard, noting the yard owner Bo Spiller’s deep involvement in the work. “It was a bit of an odd job,” says Spiller, who, now in his mid-40s, has been in the

BOATBUILDING

The Lady Nell in July 2018, upon arrival at Commodore's Boats in Richmond, British Columbia, ready for a makeover.

The old hull disappearing under the new: the Lady Nell with bulkhead extensions and new stern ready for plating.

Commodore’s Boats photos

business since age 16. “But we’ve done a few sponsons before, and we’re pretty efficient at it.” According to Spiller, many of the Washington yards were booked up and would not have had the boat ready for the 2019 crab season. Commodore’s gave the owner a close estimate and got the job. With the help of naval architect Bruce Culver, Spiller and the vessel owner came up with the plan to widen the boat, giving it a slightly more than 2:1 length-to-beam ratio, while maintaining the hull’s fair lines, and adding the bulbous bow to increase fuel efficiency. Aesthetics are important, but efficiency considerations are the primary motivation for the changes in the Lady Nell. Spiller notes that the new boat will be heading out with the capacity to carry close to 500 traps and twice as much crab. “It’ll be more economical. Fewer trips setting gear, and she’ll be able to stay out longer and bring in more crab,” he says. According to Galovich, Commodore’s has been at its current location, fronting the estuary of the Ladner River in Richmond, British Columbia, just south of Vancouver, for the last 15 years, but established itself as a wooden boat yard 25 years ago. While Commodore’s remains the go-to yard for wooden boats in the Pacific Northwest, over the years, the yard has diversified into steel and fiberglass. “We have a wood shop, a fiberglass shop, and a metal fabricating shop,” says Galovich. The yard employs anywhere from 10 to 20 people, depending on the season, and has employed up to 35 workers when things get really busy. For the Lady Nell, Commodore’s used a crew of about six welders, and all U.S.manufactured quarter-inch steel plate. The crew welded bulkhead extensions 5 feet out from either side of the original hull amidships, tapering slightly toward the stern and feathering all the way in to meet the existing bow stem. The workers then welded more steel plates onto the sides, bottom and stern, effectively sealing up the new hull, with the old boat inside it. Galovich points out that Commodore’s does its own steel fabrication.“We looked at precut,” says Galovich. “But we buy

The Lady Nell nestled in the new outer hull that will give her a more than 2:1 length-to-beam ratio. WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

BOATBUILDING

Commodore’s opened up the sides of the original hull, creating more space in the hold, engine room and foc’s’le.

One of the Commodore's Boats welders lays a bead down inside the chine on the Lady Nell’s new sponsons.

the sheets, make the patterns and cut it here.” Commodore’s strengthened the steel plating on the Lady Nell with 2- by 4-inch angle iron transverse and longitudinal framing, and welded a stringer along the new chine. With the outer hull complete, and the original hull nestled

inside it, the yard’s crew cut away sections of the old hull, opening it up into the new. “We gave her more tank space and more space in the engine room and crew’s quarters,” says Spiller. Galovich points out that the now spacious engine room and fo’c’sle led to more changes in design. “You know how it is,” says Galovich. “When people bring a boat up here it’s kind of a leap of faith at first. But after a few weeks’ work and the exchange of some money, the owner got more comfortable with us.We utilized a lot of the new space in the engine room; it’s more comfortable now.” In addition, Spiller points out, numerous small changes needed to be made. The conversion included the installation of a new reduction gear that necessitated a complete retooling of the shaft alley, as well as new raised engine mounts, and modifications to the exhaust system. “The output shaft on the new gear was 2 inches lower than

“Very few people in the U.S. are able to do this kind of quick turnaround. It takes a unique yard with experienced

”

people and an eye for detail.

— Ryan Galovich, COMMODORE’S BOATS

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The new 10-foot-long bulbous bow will increase fuel efficiency, and thrusters will add to maneuverability.

BOATBUILDING

Lund Electro 5415-24th A 5415 Seattle, Se W Ph: 206.7 Ph or 800.2 o Adding five feet on each side of the hull, the sponson job Commodore’s Boats uses its 75-ton travel lift to putF the put a F ax: 206.7 begins with the addition of bulkhead extensions. the Stormie B back in the water in time for crab season. the old one,” says Spiller, and that small discrepancy had a domino effect on the entire system — a situation familiar to anyone who had modified systems on a boat. Commodore’s had the 10-foot-long 54-inch-diameter bulbous bow tube rolled and the spherical end fabricated by a subcontractor. “We fit that onto the bow, and added an 18Lunde Marine inch Key Power bow thruster,” says Galovich. Electronics, Inc. Originally scheduled for four months, the job took five 5415-24th N.W. and the addition of thrusters in the because of Ave. the changes Seattle,bow. WA 98107 bulbous “She206.789.3011 left here in November,” says Spiller.“We hadn’t finished Ph: painting her, but he needed to get ready for the crab season.” or 800.275.3820 “Unfortunately crab season has been delayed,” adds Fax: 206.782.3188 Galovich. Dungeness crab season opens traditionally on Dec. 1, but this year the meat ratio remained low, and testing was WA rough seas. Dungeness crab must slowed Tacoma, by unseasonably contain 23 percentWay meat by weight in order for the season to 1928 Milwaukee open. While some crab Tacoma, WA 98421 tested as high as 22.8 percent in late December, Washington crabbers weren’t able to set gear until Ph:January. 253.627.6968 early “We could have had her here and finished, but you never

know,” Galovich says. As it was, Commodore’s had to rush the paint job, and there was no time to sandblast the hull. “We were priming as we went along,” Galovich adds. “And we got two coats on the outside before she left.” The Lady Nell, renamed the Stormie B, reached the crab grounds with a unique piebald mix of gray primer and patches of navy blue. Aside from steel fabrication in its shop, Commodore’s did the work on the Lady Nell out in the open, draping tarps over the entire boat sometimes so the welders could continue working safely in the rain. According to Spiller, the sponson job is only the first phase of the modifications intended for the vessel. “The owner needs to make some money,” says Spiller. “Then he wants to bring her back, and we’re going to raise the deck by 3 feet and the bow by 6 feet, and add a whaleback. The old wheelhouse will be enclosed in the whaleback, and we’ll build a new wheelhouse on top of it.” According to Spiller, Bruce Culver has already done the drawings for the future modifications. It all depends on the crab, and how the season works out.

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Paul Molyneaux is the Boats & Gear editor for North Pacific Focus.

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WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

The HULL STORY

F/T AMERICA’S FINEST America’s Finest sets out to make history (again) with a small carbon footprint

INSIDE the AMERICA’S FINEST Home port: Anacortes, Wash. Owner: Fishermen’s Finest, Kirkland, Wash. Builder: Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, Wash.

By Sierra Golden

Hull material: Steel Year built: 2017 Fishery: Whitefish and groundfish products in the North Pacific Gulf of Alaska, Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea Length: 261' 9" Beam: 50' 6" Jeff Pond Photos

Draft: 18' 3" Propulsion: MAN 8L32/44CR diesel engine Speed: 15 knots The America’s Finest, a new 264-foot catcher-processor, will finally be able to go fishing in the Bering Sea after securing a Jones Act waiver.

merica’s Finest might just be America’s best-known fishing boat. The 264-foot catcherprocessor made headlines across the country in 2018 as the ship that could be barred from fishing in U.S. waters. Anacortes, Wash.-based Dakota Creek Industries was issued a long-awaited congressional waiver on Dec. 4, more than a year after the ship was originally predicted to be delivered. The waiver exempted

the company’s violation of the Jones Act in using steel bent in the Netherlands to make up about 10 percent of the vessel’s weight. The federal law requires that goods transported between U.S. ports be on American-made ships owned by American citizens and that less than 1.5 percent of the weight of those ships be composed of foreign-made parts. The waiver was signed into law when President Trump signed the Coast Guard Authorization Act on Dec. 4.

The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act, including the Jones Act waiver for America’s Finest, was signed by President Donald Trump on Dec. 4.

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

Generators: Hyundai 2,900-kW shaft generator Crew: 49 people plus hospital

That same day, America’s Finest was taken off the market for international sale and to the water for its first sea trials “This is the biggest thing to happen to the industry in Alaska,” Darin Van Der Pol, one of the ship’s two captains, told the Anacortes American. However, before political headlines shone a spotlight on America’s Finest, it was predicted to make a splash in the fishing industry. Owned by Fishermen’s Finest, a Kirkland-based company known as a pioneer in the early head-and-gut fisheries, America’s Finest is a catcher processor and will trawl for groundfish in the Bering Sea. Next to America’s Finest, the youngest 200-plus-foot Jones Act-compliant catcher-processor in the country is the Starbound — built by Dakota Creek in 1989. Fishermen’s Finest President Dennis Moran told the Seattle Times that America’s Finest will bring the industry updated technology that helps reduce greenhouse emissions, improve safety, and use

“This is the biggest thing to happen to the industry in Alaska ” .

— DARIN VAN DER POL, FISHERMEN’S FINEST

Fishermen’s Finest claims the new catcher-processor will have “the lowest carbon footprint in Alaska thanks to its fully EPA Tier II-compliant MAN 8L32/44CR diesel engine.” WINTER 2019 / NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS

which can significantly improve security and health of the crew. America’s Finest is made more environmentally friendly with its state-ofthe-art UV ballast water treatment system from Optimarin. Ballast water on large ships can contain organisms that pose environmental and public health risks when discharged. UV treatment of ballast water kills those organisms without harmful residuals or chemicals. Optimarin’s system is also “self-cleaning, with no moving parts or need for chemical cleaning.” With the all-important waiver signed and sea trials underway, America’s FinThe 264-foot boat was built by Anacortes, Wash.-based Dakota Creek Industries. est was waiting only for the Coast Guard The company’s future was on the line without a Jones Act waiver. to investigate internal affairs to confirm “This machinery is undoubtedly a that the Jones Act violation was unintenmore of the fish that are caught. America’s Finest is powered by a new departure for fishing vessels towards tional. The yard and Fishermen’s Finest MAN 8L32/44CR diesel engine. It’s the electrical drive,” said Ibercisa General got that final approval in January and left Anacortes for Alaska first common-rail enwith National Fisherman gine sold for American fishing that is fully EPA This machinery is undoubtedly a new departure Highliner Robert Hezel at the helm. Tier II-compliant, and Now America’s Finest Fisherman’s Finest said for fishing vessels towards electrical drive. should soon be doing it the boat will have “the lowest carbon footprint — RAMON CARREIRA, IBERCISA was designed to do: Fishing — with a small carin Alaska.” Also notable are the deck winches Manager Ramon Carreira. Such equip- bon footprint. supplied by Ibercisa. The winches are ment should immediately decrease fuel electrically driven and designed for re- costs and will also require less deck space, Sierra Golden is a seiner deckhand and reduce onboard oils, and reduce noise — freelance writer living in Seattle. generation of power.

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OUR TOWN

Continued from page 20 “And we’ve got one fish for $6.50. Where’s the logic?” Later that day, the captain of a tender announces over the VHF radio that he’s approaching Ikatan Point and can take our fish. “I could off-load,” Weber says to us with a laugh. “But then we’d have nothing for dinner.” That fishing has turned dismal doesn’t deter us from the daily tasks of mending holes in our nets, cooking and living aboard the Kelly Rae. On two of the calm days, Cheryl and I climb the hills above Ikatan Point. The scent of wildflowers and the songs of savannah sparrows trigger primordial feelings from more than three decades ago, and I realize that we’re standing in a place from which we’ve derived the strength to carry us forward through the years. It is a place that beckons us to return for as long as we can. “I feel like we’re starting something back up again,” says Cheryl when we’re standing at our old campsite in the abandoned village of Ikatan one night. “We’re going to keep coming out here, year after year,” she says. “We’re coming back.” In what capacity rides on many factors. Our fishing arrangement with Weber could feel serendipitous if not at the expense of his brother’s failing health. It was here at Ikatan Point that things

Writer Charlie Ess is making a list for this year, even after a 2018 bust.

started to unravel for the brothers in 2016. An onshore northwest gale had come up; so they decided to pull their nets and head across the bay to find lee and anchor beneath a series of bluffs known as the Palisades. The next morning, they woke up, and Ric said things that just didn’t make sense — especially coming from a man who had been an articulate voice in fisheries issues, kept their operation current with the licensing and permitting. By the end of that summer both brothers knew that something was seriously wrong. “Ric was my anchor,” says Weber. “He

was my big brother and my hero, and now my hero was gone.” On a day that arrives too soon, we haul out the Kelly Rae and block her up for what may become her final place of rest. Removing the decks, replacing the leaky tank, the engine, the hydraulics, the aged wiring and installing a much-needed refrigeration system tallies up to around $100,000. “I seriously have to reconsider my investment in this fishery,” says Weber, as he lashes a 5-gallon bucket over the top of the exhaust stack. In the hours before we catch the plane back to our other world, Weber calculates our crew share and writes us each a check for $500. So the season’s a bust. We’ve seen lean years before. We used to joke that if you came out of the summer alive, you came out ahead. The joke takes on new meaning not a minute after the pilot sets the plane into a steep climb and False Pass fades beneath the clouds below. The hours ahead fall captive to the drone of the turboprop, and that devil time gives sufficient pause to justify the costs of doing the things we love, those things we cling to, at least to our graves, and perhaps for eternity. My hand reaches instinctively to my pocket to find a pencil and a notepad, and I catch myself making a list of supplies for next year. Charlie Ess is the North Pacific Bureau Chief for North Pacific Focus.

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IN FOCUS / ALBACORE TUNA

Deckhand Matt Nichols on the albacore boat James Lee out of Reedsport, Ore. Skipper Patrick Roelle says the 2018 albacore season was good from June until September, when it dropped off dramatically. “2018 did not break any records for any vessels I know of,” he says. “The fish were very small overall, with most vessels landing an 11-pound average.” Photo by Patrick Roelle, aka Fishpatrick

NORTH PACIFIC FOCUS / WINTER 2019

EYES ON THE

HORIZON YOUR PASSION: harvesting Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wild seafood. OUR MISSION: making sure the world demands it.

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High resolution echogram from shrimp ﬁshery. Trawl opening is 10m, trawling depth is 200m, towing speed 1,6kn

33º

SIMRAD FISHERIES, 19210 33rd Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036, USA Ph.:+1 425 712 1136, ﬁsh.usa.support@simrad.com