PVOA

2010 SOUTHEAST PACIFIC COD FISHERY ANNOUNCEMENT
Sitka…The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reminds fishermen that the directed fishery for Pacific
cod was reopened in the waters of Frederick Sound on July 1, 2010.The directed fishery was closed in this
area on March 21 as the seasonal harvest objective had been taken. For details on the 2010 Southeast
directed Pacific cod fishery and the Frederick Sound closure, please refer to the ADF&G news releases
issued on December 22, 2009 and March 17, 2010.
Catch and effort will be closely monitored and area closures may occur on short notice. Closures will be
announced on the Coast Guard’s “Notice to Mariners” report and the National Weather Service’s
broadcast. Closure announcements will also be posted on the Groundfish Hotline at 907-747-4882.
Additional information on Southeast Regional Groundfish Fisheries can be found on our web site at:
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region1/finfish/grndfish/grndhom1.php

Senate Passes Murkowski-Boxer Legislation to Extend Moratorium on Discharge Permits for Commercial Vessels

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation that would extend  the current moratorium on a permit requirement for commercial and charter fishing vessels and other commercial vessels under 79 feet long, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Barbara Boxer, D-California, passed the Senate tonight by unanimous consent.  The bill would provide these commercial vessels a three-year moratorium extension from permits for discharges under the Clean Water Act. 

Two years ago, in the 110th Congress, bipartisan legislation introduced by Murkowski was enacted to place a two-year moratorium on the permit requirement while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Coast Guard were directed to conduct a study to evaluate the impacts of discharges incidental to the normal operation of such vessels.  The results of that study will determine whether the discharges should be regulated by EPA through National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.

The two-year moratorium is set to expire on July 31, 2010; however, the study has proved to be difficult and time-consuming and the results have yet to be verified. It is also critical to note that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the EPA to issue up to 140,000 permits by July 31.

“I am pleased that the Senate passed this important piece of legislation, and look forward to its passage in the House hopefully before the current moratorium expires at the end of the month,” Murkowski said. “In Alaska, the 9,700 vessels that make up the commercial and charter fishing fleets would be adversely affected if the moratorium expired. Given the near impossibility of the EPA to have a permit in place by July 31, these vessels would immediately be in violation of the Clean Water Act for an incidental discharge of any kind.  It will take the EPA a significant amount of time to analyze the study and determine if these discharges need to be regulated.  If so, they then would have to further develop a new permit for these vessels.  Given the amount of time all of this would take, it is imperative that we extend the moratorium on a permit requirement as soon as possible.” 

 Please do not respond to this e-mail. This mailbox is unattended. For further information, please contact Sen. Murkowski’s press office at (202) 224-9301 or (202) 224-8069.

Visit our website at http://energy.senate.gov

 

Michael Brumas

Communications Director

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

202-224-9301--Direct

202-341-7175--Cell

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Noise Devices May Prevent Whale Entanglement http://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/fishlines/2010/july.php

MAP marine mammal specialist Kate Wynne has been working with Greeneridge Sciences Inc. this summer to test potential acoustic whale deterrents near Kodiak Island. They recently deployed a suite of devices that could dissuade whales from inadvertently entering salmon seines and gillnets where they can become entangled.

All of the devices being tested have been used previously by commercial salmon fishermen, who described the deterrents in 2009 at fleet meetings and field investigations in Kodiak and Petersburg.

This summer Susanna Blackwell, Greeneridge Sciences acoustician, measured and characterized the underwater sounds generated by the devices, as well as overall noise levels produced by seine vessels when deploying, holding, and hauling their gear. Analysis will help determine which sounds are within the hearing range of large whales and can be detected above ambient noise levels, yet are not loud enough to harm the whales.

In addition to describing the acoustic parameters of devices and techniques, the study will monitor the response of humpback whales to them. Specialized tags will be attached to free-ranging humpback whales to measure changes in swimming/diving behavior when sound is generated.

The objective of the research is to find a device that fishermen can safely use to alert whales and reduce the likelihood of entanglement, and that can be approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The deterrents that are effective in Kodiak and Petersburg will be applicable statewide and possibly elsewhere.

The North Pacific Research Board funded the 2009 research, led by Wynne and Sunny Rice. The 2010 studies are funded by NOAA; Wynne and Bree Witteveen are principal investigators.