PVOA

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) seeks two chartered commercial fishing vessels to conduct a longline survey assessing relative abundance and biological characteristics of sablefish stocks in the Northern Southeast Inside (NSEI) Subdistrict in July 2012. Chartered longline vessels will be contracted for up to 14 days beginning on July 24, 2012. Charter bid packets for the survey are available in Douglas, Petersburg, and Sitka offices. Details of the survey, including a work summary and minimum qualifications, follow. Charter bid packets are due in the Douglas office by 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 23, 2012. The contract will be awarded to the two lowest bidders that meet the minimum qualifications after a five percent Alaska bidder’s preference is applied.

The survey encompasses 15 longline sets each in the northern and middle portions and 14 longline sets in the southern portion of NSEI (Chatham Strait). Chartered vessels will fish one of three survey portions as assigned by the department. The survey is expected to require approximately seven days of fishing and travel time, but weather or mechanical problems could extend this time. Interested vessel owners must provide a vessel captain with a minimum of three years of experience operating a vessel in the NSEI commercial sablefish fishery. In addition, three crew members must be provided; two crew members must have a minimum of three years of commercial longlining experience, a third crewmember must be capable of all of these tasks, but three years minimum experience is not required. The vessel crew is responsible for offloading of the fish at the processor or tender. The department will provide bait, hooks, and longline skates used on the survey. Survey vessels will be responsible for fuel and all other fishing gear. The vessel must have a deck with a sheltered area for fish sampling and a sheltered marine head. The vessel must have an operational DGPS, 24-mile radar, color video sounder, and VHF. Additional details are provided in the charter bid packet.

Two department employees will be deployed on each chartered vessel to collect survey data. Meals and accommodations for each department employee onboard the vessel will be provided by each contract vessel for the duration of the survey. Chartered vessels must provide evidence of having successfully completed a United States Coast Guard Commercial Fisheries Vessel Safety Inspection in the 12 months preceding the start of the survey.
For further information please contact Forrest Bowers, (907) 465-1191, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Kristen Green, (907) 747-2683, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

COAST GUARD TO CONDUCT VOLUNTARY COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL DOCKSIDE SAFETY EXAMS 17-20 MAY 2012

Coast Guard Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiners will be conducting voluntary dockside examinations for Commercial Fishing Vessels in Petersburg from 12:00 Thursday 17 May to 4:00pm Sunday 20 May 2012.

Voluntary dockside examinations are free, take about an hour and help foster public awareness of fishing vessel safety, regulations and safety carriage requirements.

Anyone interested in receiving a Voluntary Dockside Examination may contact Scott Wilwert at (907)957-0152 or sign-up on the list at the Harbormaster’s office.

PETERSBURG IS CURRENTLY WITHOUT A DEDICATED DOCKSIDE EXAMINER, THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY FOR THE YEAR TO GET YOUR DOCKSIDE EXAM.

PVOA members,

Please share the Dungeness Task Force agenda with other crabbers. Agenda is in draft form, if you have any other important items to add let me know.

SOUTHEAST ALASKA COMMERCIAL DUNGENESS CRAB FISHERY INDUSTRY MEETING

MAY 16, 2012, 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Tides Inn Conference Room, Petersburg, Alaska

Agenda

1)      Review recent Southeast Alaska commercial Dungeness crab fishery performance and data. (Joe Stratman/Adam Messmer)

2)      Review recent Alaska Board of Fisheries actions on Southeast Alaska Dungeness crab. (Forrest Bowers)

3)      Discussion of Southeast Alaska commercial Dungeness Crab Management Plan. (Joe Stratman) –

a.       Background

b.      Implementation

4)      Issues related to paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). (Michael Gentry, ADEC)

a.       Plans for preseason PSP testing

b.      Plans for inseason PSP testing

c.       Process for implementing closure of PSP areas

5)      Discussion of potential joint UAF/industry study of Dungeness crab molt timing.

6)      Update on UAF Southern Southeast Sea Otter project. (Sunny Rice)

7)      Update on UAF Southeast Alaska Dungeness crab fishery economics project. (Alice Smoker)

8)       US Forest Service permitting of on-land crab pot storage sites within Admiralty National Monument. (Jim Case, USFS)

The Alaska Supreme Court just ordered the Alaska Redistricting Board to redraw House district lines for State Legislature representation.  In order to comply, the Board must first redraw lines in Southeast Alaska “without any deviations based on the Voting Rights, specifically without an influence district and without any deviations based on avoiding the pairing of minority incumbents.”

In reading the Court ruling, it appears that Petersburg was the driving force in the ruling for redrawn House district lines, and no other regions were ordered to be redrawn. See the full ruling here http://akredistricting.org/Files/SuperiorCourtDecision_April20.PDF.