Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards

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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
Deal ’em! Alaska’s rockfish playing cards

www.pacificfishing.com   THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN n JANUARY 2020

                                       The
                                       safety
                                       issue
                                                                    US $2.95/CAN. $3.95
                                                                                          01
• Gulf of Alaska cod crash
                                                            63126

• A very old Chinook
Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
IN THIS ISSUE                                                                                                                                                       Editor's note
                                                                                                                                                                                Wesley Loy
                                                                                   ®

                                                                                                                           Please
                                                                                                                           stay safe
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN

                                                                                            As we all understand in this business, commercial fishing is a fine way to be
                                                                                         seriously hurt or killed.
                                                                                            That’s why, to begin a new year, we like to focus attention on safety. It really
                                                                                         should be the first consideration as you enter your next season of fishing.
                                                                                            As editor of your magazine, I have a selfish interest in your safety – I’d rather
                                                                                         not write up any more accounts of death and injury.
                                                                                            The experts say many accidents are preventable, and I believe that. It seems
                                                                                         to me this industry has made good progress in recent years to improve its safety
                                                                                         record. The main key is to avoid complacency.
                                                                                            In this issue, we have two important feature articles you should read right
                                                                                         now. The first is a National Transportation Safety Board account of the 2018
            Rockfish playing cards • Page 7                                              capsizing of a Bristol Bay salmon tender. It’s a government report, yes, but it’s
                                                                                         far from boring. Most importantly, it offers valuable lessons.
                                                                                            You don’t necessarily need to be on the water to encounter danger in our
                                                                                         industry. Our second feature article, taken from a new Alaska Sea Grant publi-
                                                                                         cation, will guide you on working safely in boatyards.
                                                                                            Good luck fishing this year. Please stay safe. 

         Gulf of Alaska cod crash • Page 18

                                                                                                                  Safety focus: A Bristol Bay capsizing,
  Loan relief for West Coast trawlers • Page 19                                                                   and working in boatyards • Page 10

VOLUME XLI, NO. 1 • JANUARY 2020
Pacific Fishing (ISSN 0195-6515) is published 12 times a year (monthly) by Pacific Fishing Magazine. Editorial, Circulation,
and Advertising offices at 14240 Interurban Ave S, Ste. 190, Tukwila, WA 98168, U.S.A. Telephone (206) 324-5644. 
                                                                                                                               ON THE COVER: A scene from Fishermen’s
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 The publisher of Pacific Fishing makes no warranty, express or implied, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility    Wesley Loy photo
for the information contained in Pacific Fishing.  Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington. Postmaster: Send
address changes to Pacific Fishing, 14240 Interurban Ave S, Ste. 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Copyright © 2020 by Pacific
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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
KEEPING UP

PREFERRED PUBLICATION OF:

       BRISTOL BAY
 FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION
                                            Fish Wrap                                                                It’s FREE!*
                                                                                                     It’s the best commercial fishing news digest
                                                                                                     available in the North Pacific. Here’s some of
                                                                                                     what you missed by not reading Fish Wrap.
     CORDOVA DISTRICT
     FISHERMEN UNITED                        Cooke's pivot: Opponents say the                        Another Dungeness delay: The Northern
    OREGON DUNGENESS                         aquaculture firm faces an uphill battle to gain         California commercial Dungeness crab season
     CRAB COMMISSION                         public trust as it seeks to farm steelhead trout        is put on hold due to poor crab meat quality
     UNITED FISHERMEN                        instead of Atlantic salmon. – seattletimes.com          test results. – cdfgnews.wordpress.com
        OF ALASKA                            California crab delay: Due to whale                     Bristol Bay outlook: Biologists are
 WASHINGTON DUNGENESS                        entanglement worries, the start of the                  forecasting another strong sockeye salmon
 CRAB FISHERMEN’S ASSOC.                     Dungeness crab season is expected to be                 run, but some worry about when the bubble
                                             delayed from Nov. 15 to Nov. 23 in the area             will burst. – kdlg.org
   WASHINGTON REEF NET
     OWNERS ASSOC.                           south of Mendocino-Sonoma county line.                  Bristol Bay red king crab update: The
                                             – cdfgnews.wordpress.com                                fleet reports big crab but slow fishing as the
     WESTERN FISHBOAT
      OWNERS ASSOC.                          Alaska's big salmon season: Alaska's harvest            harvest nears completion. – kucb.org
                                             of 206.9 million salmon generated an ex-vessel Canada's new fish boss: Prime Minister
                                             value of $657.6 million, a 10 percent increase  Justin Trudeau has named Nova Scotia
                                             from last year. – deckboss.blogspot.com         MP Bernadette Jordan as fisheries minister,
           To subscribe:
     www.pacificfishing.com                  Bristol Bay fish tax: Voters in the Bristol Bay replacing Jonathan Wilkinson.
       Ph: (206) 324-5644                    Borough have passed a 1.5 percent tax on all    – thechronicleherald.ca
 circulation@pacificfishing.com              processed fish. – kdlg.org                      Grim cod outlook: The federal cod fishery
              Main Office
                                             Rescue video: A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter     in the Gulf of Alaska most likely will be shut
14240 INTERURBAN AVE S. SUITE 190
                                             hoists an injured man from a fishing boat south down next year. – alaskapublic.org
       TUKWILA, WA 98168
        PH: (206) 324-5644
                                             of Kodiak Island. – content.govdelivery.com     Crab season on hold: California's Dungeness crab
                                             Bristol Bay forecast: The Alaska Department fishery south of the Sonoma-Mendocino county
        Chairman/CEO/Publisher               of Fish and Game is forecasting a strong        line is now delayed until Dec. 15 due to whale
           MIKE DAIGLE
                                             harvest of 34.56 million sockeye salmon next    entanglement risk. – cdfgnews.wordpress.com
    miked@nwpublishingcenter.com
                                             season at Bristol Bay. – deckboss.blogspot.com          Ray's Boathouse: Seafood, views, and
           Associate Publisher
         CHRISTIE DAIGLE                     Otter problem: Efforts to ease conflicts                romance abound at this waterside Ballard
   christied@nwpublishingcenter.com
                                             over Southeast Alaska's growing sea otter               eatery. – king5.com
                                             population are underway. – alaskapublic.org             Kelp hot sauce, anyone? Alaska Symphony
        EDITORIAL CONTENT:
                                             Good start for winter troll season:                     of Seafood winners are announced. – afdf.org
                 Editor
           WESLEY LOY                        Southeast Alaska king salmon bring $12 per              Unalaska flight schedule: RavnAir is planning
          wloy61@gmail.com
                                             pound, the highest opening price on record.             multiple flights daily during the holidays and
          Ph: (907) 351-1881
                                             – kcaw.org                                              busy winter fishing season. – kucb.org
         West Coast Field Editor
          DANIEL MINTZ                       Oregon crabbing delay: The opening of the               Poor Chinook outlook: Run forecasts for
                                             commercial Dungeness crab season will be                Stikine and Taku large Chinook salmon are
     PRODUCTION OPERATIONS:                  delayed from Dec. 1 until at least Dec. 16 along        too low to provide for an allowable catch, the
      Art Director, Design & Layout          the entire Oregon coast as testing shows crabs          Alaska Department of Fish and Game says.
        PATRICIA WOODS                       are too low in meat yield. – dfw.state.or.us            – adfg.alaska.gov
   patriciaw@nwpublishingcenter.com
                                             'Blob' retreat: A marine heatwave off the West          Bristol Bay at Expo: Alaska's salmon capital
         SALES & MARKETING:                  Coast has weakened in intensity, shrunk in size,        was at the center of the action at the recent
         JOHN NORDAHL                        and pulled away from shore, NOAA scientists             Pacific Marine Expo trade show in Seattle.
          Ph: (206) 775-6286                 say. – seattletimes.com                                 – kdlg.org
       johnn@pacificfishing.com

                                               * You can subscribe to Fish Wrap by sending an email to circulation@nwpublishingcenter.com. Write your first
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         CANDICE EGAN
          Ph: (206) 324-5644
                                              name, your last name, and the words “Fish Wrap.” Do it now, before you go another month without Fish Wrap!
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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
COMMENTARY                                                                                                                       by BRYCE HATCH

Crooks beware: Illegal fishing in Bristol Bay must stop
I  ’d like to share some observations and my views about illegal
   fishing in Bristol Bay.
   I’ve been gillnetting in the bay since 1981 and have seen what
                                                                           later, the chopper comes back and busts another round of boats.
                                                                              That tactic works very well to write tickets, but has proven not to
                                                                           be an effective deterrent to boats fishing illegally.
once was a primarily orderly, well-enforced fishery turn into a               The only method of enforcement proven effective is a skiff or
highly illegal free-for-all the minute there is not an enforcement         enforcement vessel on the line patrolling. If there is a budget short-
vessel on the line.                                                        age, I would like to know how many hours a skiff with a man in it
   I am talking about the Johnson Hill and Egegik north and south          could be paid for with money spent on the chopper.
lines being the main trouble spots.                                           There are millions of dollars of fish caught illegally each
   When I first came to the bay, the positioning instrument was            season over the line before they swim inside the district, denying
Loran-C. Loran worked by coordinating separate radio signals               those wanting to fish legally a chance at their fair share of harvest.
transmitted from a fixed station to the Loran receiver on a boat.             It has always been a mystery to me why so many fishermen are
Loran signals were variable according to weather and atmospheric           so complacent about a few thieves stealing so much of their liveli-
conditions, most notably fog. They were not a precise positioning          hood. I believe the people who would prefer to have an orderly,
device. In fact, the state lost some cases where tickets were given        legal fishery where hard work, good crews, and good equipment
for three clicks out. This was approximately 400 feet, give or take.       are the deciding factors of an operation’s productivity far outnum-
The reason for this was the Loran signal measured for a period of          ber those who make a business out of stealing.
time showed a variance of that distance according to Loran signal
reception. To combat this, enforcement officers started jumping on
boats to take readings off the fishermen’s Lorans. It would be hard
                                                                           Once enforcement leaves, the opportunity to be
to explain to the judge that maybe you felt the signal was not accu-       productive legally is greatly limited. It only takes
rate at the particular time you decided to fish over the line. Now,        a handful of boats to run over the line to start a
we have GPS that is usually accurate within 10 feet.
   In the old days, there was almost always one or two skiffs patrol-      leapfrogging of boats far out into closed waters.
ling the line. In addition, the larger enforcement vessels Vigilant
and Trooper would anchor with their sterns right on the line. That            There are two types of people who fish over the line. The first are
way, whether troopers were taking a break, having lunch, or chang-         the ones who seem to live for the time enforcement leaves the line
ing shifts, there was always a presence on the line. I did not ever        so they can see how far over the line they have to go to discourage
see anybody cork the Vigilant or the Trooper.                              others from competing. The second are those who go over the line
   In those days, it was possible to fish legally and be a top pro-        because if they don’t, they will not be at all competitive with those
ducer. That has changed.                                                   who do.
   I’m told the lesser enforcement presence has to do with                    I have been guilty of being in the second group. It’s easy enough
budget and personnel. More of either would be a welcome change.            to go over when you’re setting gear and someone pulls their
   I also believe the situation could be much improved by allocating       hook out in front of you. Your choice is to either stop setting or
existing assets in a manner that focuses more on ensuring compli-          go around and then pull your hook in. Or, if the tide is moving
ance in the worst trouble spots. I would also like to see enforcement      fast and there are no legal sets to be had, setting a little over or not
extend their stay until closer to the end of July, even if it’s only a     setting at all are your choices. Setting 300 feet, 400 feet, a tenth of
32-footer and skiff to patrol the problem areas.                           a mile, or half a mile is not a little over. It’s a lot over. The problem
   Every year, there is usually a week to 10 days of good fishing.         has been getting completely out of hand as evidenced by what I
Once enforcement leaves, the opportunity to be productive legally          saw going on at Egegik last season.
is greatly limited. It only takes a handful of boats to run over the          I believe that the second group far outnumbers the first and
line to start a leapfrogging of boats far out into closed waters.          aligns much more with the folks who want to fish legally.
   Last summer, there were boats fishing six-tenths of a mile                 If you want to see a change, it’s time to speak up. I’ve talked to
outside the district at Egegik. I’ve heard there were boats farther        a senior officer of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, and he would like
than that at night. At night, the boats fishing illegally didn’t have to   to hear from you if you are interested in solutions to this problem.
worry about a plane or the chopper coming.                                    At Pacific Marine Expo this fall, I circulated a letter to the
   Speaking of the plane and chopper, neither has proven to be an          troopers asking for enforcement to stay later in July. I handed out
effective deterrent to fishing over the line. They are great tools for     the letter to various fishermen and collected signatures. If you
writing tickets and enforcing the line when they are actually on the       would like a copy, email me at brycehatch51@gmail.com.
line, but are not effective at all when they are not.                         The discussions with enforcement are open. If you have ideas
   A good example of this: I was fishing the ebb on the north line of      that you would like to be heard, I would welcome input. I will
Egegik this summer and there was a skiff on the line. About half-          be working with enforcement in any way I can to stop blatant
way through the ebb, the skiff went back to the Stimson anchored           illegal fishing. I’m not talking about guys 50 or 100 feet over. I’m
about a mile northwest of the line. Immediately, a good number             talking about the guys who regularly abuse the system fishing
of boats jumped out 300 to 500 feet over the line. I went down and         illegally. There may be an enforcement officer on my boat again.
set my gear inside the district and was sitting on a nonproductive         Crooks beware. 
set. Along came the chopper and busted a bunch of boats. I quickly
                                                                           Bryce Hatch is a Bristol Bay salmon drift gillnet permit holder residing
picked up my set and went back to the line. Away the chopper
                                                                           in Idaho.
goes, and away the boats go over the line again. Twenty minutes

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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
NEWS NET                                                                                                                    by RILEY WOODFORD

Go Fish, anyone? Alaska deals rockfish playing cards
   Editor’s note: This article is adapted from the Alaska Department of    recfin.org. Alaska artists Kellii Wood, of Petersburg, and Ray Troll,
Fish and Game’s online magazine, Alaska Fish & Wildlife News.              of Ketchikan, contributed their artwork as well.
                                                                              The deck includes dozens of rockfish species found in Alaska,
   A new guide to Alaska rockfish takes an unusual format: a deck
                                                                           plus cards on release devices, rockfish habitat, anatomy, rockfish
of standard, poker-size playing cards.
                                                                           barotrauma, and otoliths used to age fish.
   The 10 of spades features the rougheye rockfish – which can
live to be more than 200 years old. The two of hearts offers a short          Olson chose the more colorful demersel shelf rockfish species for
lesson on barotrauma. One of the jokers is a rockfish playing a            the red suits, and the pelagic species, which tend to be darker, for
Gibson Flying V electric guitar, with the emphasis on rock.                the clubs and spades.
   Andrew Olson, a fishery biologist, worked closely on the design            Olson found he had more than enough information on each
of the cards and the information provided. The Sport Fish and              species for its designated card. He considered what would fit, and
Commercial Fisheries divisions collaborated on the project with the        what messages are most important to teach. Identification was the
goal to increase rockfish knowledge.                                       priority, then three facts: maximum size documented, maximum
   “Everyone likes cards and card games,” Olson said. “If you go           age documented, and estimated age at maturity.
on a boat, there’s probably a deck of cards.”                                 “Some fish can live hundreds of years,” Olson said. “Shortraker,
   The outreach is part of a departmentwide effort to address              the 10 of diamonds, can live 157 years. Yelloweye live 118 years
changes in rockfish harvest and population trends.                         and are sexually mature at approximately 22 years. Black rockfish
   “Charter trips used to mainly target salmon and halibut. Now            mature at six or seven years and can live to be 50 years.”
they target multiple species including sablefish, lingcod, and                The cards were manufactured by The United States Playing Card
rockfish,” Olson said.                                                     Co., which produces the popular Bicycle playing card decks. Olson
   Harvest of rockfish has increased dramatically in recent                said 30,000 decks were ordered at a cost of about a dollar apiece.
decades, and bag limits and regulations have changed to ensure                The cards are available at Fish and Game offices across the
that harvest is sustainable. The use of deepwater release devices          state including Douglas, Juneau, Sitka, Kodiak, Wrangell, Peters-
(also known as descender devices) allow anglers to return rockfish         burg, Ketchikan, Anchorage, and Homer. They also will be distrib-
to the water, reducing barotrauma mortality. It has been mandatory         uted at events and meetings.
for charter vessels to employ these and becomes mandatory for all             Ideally, they will get into the hands of people who want to learn
anglers fishing from a vessel in saltwater beginning Jan. 1.               to identify rockfish, not simply everyone who wants a free deck
   These changes are occurring along the entire Pacific coast, and state   of cards.
and federal agencies are collaborating on rockfish education efforts.         “We want people to come in and talk with us,” Olson said. “Ask us
   Rockfish images were available from NOAA Fisheries and                  questions about rockfish and what research we are conducting.” 

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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
NEWS NET

Rare 7-year-old Chinook caught in California waters
   In July of 2019, a commercial salmon troller caught a 7-year-           Each year, approximately 32 million fall-run Chinook salmon
old Central Valley fall-run Chinook salmon near Bodega Bay that         are produced at five hatcheries in the Central Valley. Since 1980, a
measured 36 inches long.                                                portion of all hatchery fish are tagged with a CWT that is etched
   The occurrence of a 7-year-old Chinook salmon is an extremely        with a unique numeric code. Each salmon containing a CWT is
unusual event in California waters. In examining over 240,000 tags      also externally marked with a clipped adipose fin to allow for easy
over the last 38 years, California Department of Fish and Wildlife      visual identification.
scientists have only confirmed two other 7-year-old Central Valley         State and federal hatcheries have been tagging Central Valley
Chinook captured in California fisheries. Last year’s finding           Chinook since 1972, releasing relatively small groups of tagged
was made by CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Project (OSP) as part of                fish (less than 1 million fish) early on, and transitioning to a more
its annual ocean fishery monitoring and coded-wire tag (CWT)            robust marking and tagging program in 2007. Today’s Constant
recovery efforts.                                                       Fractional Marking Program ensures that at least 25 percent of all
   This fish was produced at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery         hatchery Chinook, or roughly 10 million fish, are tagged each year.
on the upper Sacramento River, and is the offspring of adults that         During the ocean salmon season, OSP and California Recreational
spawned in 2012. The normal lifespan of California Central Valley       Fisheries Survey field crews sample salmon from all major ports in
Chinook is between two and five years, with the majority of fish        California north of Point Conception. Salmon heads are taken back
returning to spawn as 3-year-olds. Less than 10 percent of these fish   to the CWT lab in Santa Rosa, where the CWTs are removed and
return as 5-year-olds.                                                  processed. The CWT lab processes up to 30,000 heads a year.
                                                                           OSP scientists use sampling data and CWT information to esti-
                                                                        mate California commercial and recreational ocean salmon land-

    On the horizon
                                                                        ings and fishing effort, and support sustainable ocean and inland
                                                                        salmon fisheries. The information is also used to determine the
                                                                        contribution rates of wild and hatchery salmon stocks to ocean
                                                                        salmon fisheries in California. In addition to supporting the man-
       Pacific Fishing magazine’s monthly digest of upcoming            agement of California salmon stocks, CWT information some-
         management meetings and other notable events.                  times helps to document unusual life histories, like that of this rare
                                                                        7-year-old salmon. 
  • Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, Jan. 11-14, Kodiak. The board                              – California Department of Fish and Wildlife
    will consider Kodiak finfish proposals.

                                                                        Atlantic salmon escape
  • Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit, Jan. 21-23, Juneau.
    More information at tinyurl.com/yaubhxh6.
  • Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Jan. 27-31, Anchorage.
    More information at alaskamarinescience.org.                        from fire-damaged farm
  • North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, Jan. 27 to
    Feb. 3, Seattle.                                                    in British Columbia
  • International Pacific Halibut Commission annual meeting,              A mass escape of farmed Atlantic salmon was reported in
    Feb. 3-7, Anchorage. The commission is expected to set catch        December in British Columbia.
    limits for 2020.                                                      Mowi Canada West said about 20,000 salmon escaped from a
  • Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, Feb. 7-19, Anchorage.            damaged pen on its Robertson Island farm off Port Hardy.
    The board will consider Upper Cook Inlet finfish proposals.           The damage was likely caused by an electrical fire, Mowi said.
                                                                          “The fire damaged the floats supporting the pen as well as the
  • Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, March 3-9,
                                                                        surrounding netting, causing the pen to partially submerge and
    Rohnert Park, Calif.
                                                                        creating a gap allowing most salmon to escape,” the company said.
  • Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, March 8-11, Anchorage.             Farm workers discovered the damage on Dec. 20.
    The board will consider statewide king and Tanner crab proposals      “While many of the escaped fish have likely been eaten by seals
    and supplemental issues.                                            and sea lions congregating in the area, we will be working to recover
  • Seafood Expo North America, March 15-17, Boston.                    as many of the remaining salmon as possible,” Mowi said in a
    More information at seafoodexpo.com/north-america.                  Dec. 24 update.
                                                                          Mowi apologized for the incident, and said it would be “inspect-
  • ComFish Alaska, March 26-28, Kodiak. More information on this       ing the electrical systems on all our farms.”
    commercial fisheries trade show at comfishak.com.                     The damaged pen was to be towed to a secure site on land for
  • North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, March 30 to       further investigation and dismantling, Mowi said.
    April 7, Anchorage.                                                   Mowi, a Norwegian company formerly known as Marine
                                                                        Harvest, is the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon. 
  • Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, April 3-10,
    Vancouver, Wash.                                                                                                             – Wesley Loy

8 £ PACIFICFISHING £ JANUARY 2020 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM
Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
Streamer lines deployed behind fishing vessels effectively deter seabirds. Ed Melvin/Washington Sea Grant photo

Streamer line requirements
expanded to smaller
                                                                               Maritime Fab Big Bay Roller
                                                                               Stern Roller Strength Like You’ve Never Seen Before!
Pacific Coast vessels
   Since 2015, vessels 55 feet and longer have been subject to
streamer line requirements in an effort to reduce deadly interac-                                                                          Heavy-duty
tions between seabirds, such as the endangered short-tailed alba-                                                                          3/8” formed
tross, and longline gear in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery.                                                                          aluminum
                                                                                                                                           side frames
   Now, a smaller class of fishing vessels also will need to use
streamer lines, the National Marine Fisheries Service said in a final
rule published Dec. 11.                                                    16” dia. Core
                                                                           for increased
   The rule requires commercial groundfish bottom longline                                                                            Integral
                                                                           net traction &
vessels 26 feet and longer to use streamer lines when fishing in                                                                      ball valve
                                                                           reduced fish
                                                                                                                                      for hubless
federal waters north of 36 degrees north latitude – a line just below      knock-outs
                                                                                                                                      freewheeling
Monterey, California.
   Streamer lines – brightly colored ribbons deployed from longliners –
                                                                                                                                 Low profile base
are effective in creating a visual barrier to deter seabirds from baited
                                                                                                                                 hinges with easily
hooks that can catch and drown them. A recent study showed that                                                                  accessible locks
streamer line bird deterrents reduced seabird bycatch in Alaska’s long-
line fisheries by 77 to 90 percent, saving thousands of birds per year.
   The new rule exempts vessels from streamer line requirements
when night setting, and when a small-craft wind advisory is declared.
   As many as 387 vessels greater than or equal to 26 feet and
less than 55 feet could be subject to the new requirement to use
streamer lines, NMFS said.
   The final rule takes effect Jan. 10.                                                     La Conner, WA: (360) 466-3629
                                                          – Wesley Loy                      www.laconnermaritime.com
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Safety The - Deal 'em! Alaska's rockfish playing cards
SAFETY            Accident investigation

The Pacific Knight in Nushagak Bay, about a month before the accident. Witness photo

       Bristol Bay disaster
              The fish tender Pacific Knight capsizes, and
                a crewman drowns. How did it happen?
                                                                    welded steel single-propeller, single-rudder seiner and longliner,
  Editor’s note: The following is adapted from a National Transportation
Safety Board marine accident brief issued Aug. 2, 2019.             was owned and operated by Lone Fisherman LLC in Petersburg,

O
                                                                    Alaska. It was under contract with Icicle Seafoods Inc. as a fish
        n July 25, 2018, about 0630 local time, the commercial fish
        tender Pacific Knight capsized while at anchor about 11 tender for salmon in the Bristol Bay area. The fully loaded draft
        miles south of Dillingham, Alaska. Two of the three crew- of the Pacific Knight was 9 feet. The Pacific Knight had two
members on board were able to escape the vessel and were rescued centerline dry/flooded holds located under the main deck aft of
by a nearby good Samaritan fishing vessel. The third was unable to the deckhouse.
escape and drowned.                                                   The deckhouse contained a galley and common area, two berth-
  About 1,439 gallons of fuel and 300 gallons of hydraulic oil were ing areas, a toilet and shower, and the wheelhouse one deck above.
found on board, with an undeterminable quantity released in the Access from the main deck to the deckhouse was through a two-dog
water. The Pacific Knight, valued at $1.55 million, was declared a weather door, located to port of the centerline. A two-person berth
constructive total loss.                                            was located on the port side and a six-person berth was located
  Built in 1989 by Peacock Boat Co., the Pacific Knight, a 58-foot in the forward portion of the deckhouse. Stairs to the wheelhouse
10 £ PACIFICFISHING £ JANUARY 2020 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM
were located just inside the main deck weather door with an access forth from the wheelhouse to the open deck directly behind it and
ladder going down to the engine room to the right of the stairs. The appeared to be concerned and focused on looking at the stern.
galley and common area were located to the starboard.                   By the time the loading was complete, the freeing ports at the
THE ACCIDENT                                                         main   deck at the mid-section of the vessel were under water as
                                                                     well. The captain of the Amanda C stated they loaded about four
   The Pacific Knight had a crew of three: the 31-year-old captain,
                                                                     sacks of ice to the deck of the Pacific Knight. He estimated the
who was also the vessel owner and president of Lone Fisherman
                                                                     weight of each sack to be about 500 pounds.
LLC; and two deckhands, one of whom was the captain’s 59-year-
                                                                        While at anchor, in the early morning of July 25, the captain was
old father and the other a 16-year-old male.
                                                                     in the wheelhouse of the Pacific Knight while both deckhands were
   On July 24, the vessel was at anchor in an area known as Queens
                                                                     sleeping below. The senior deckhand was sleeping in the portside
Slough in Nushagak Bay, about 1 mile north-northeast of Clarks
Point awaiting delivery of fish, which they would in turn deliver berth and the 16-year-old deckhand was sleeping in the bow berth.
to the local cannery.                                                The captain told Coast Guard investigators that about 0530, he did
                                                                     a walkthrough of the boat, including the engine room, and all was
                                                                     satisfactory at that time. Afterwards, he went back to the wheel-
 Sometime between 0630 and 0700, the house where he lay down on the day bunk to listen to some music
 captain was awakened when he rolled off the andSometime                  fell asleep.
                                                                                    between 0630 and 0700, the captain was awakened
 day bunk and landed in water on the port side when he rolled off the day bunk and landed in water on the port
 of the wheelhouse.                                                  side of the wheelhouse. He explained the vessel was lying on its
                                                                     port side and was flooding quickly, so the captain climbed up the
                                                                     starboard side of the wheelhouse and kicked the door open, which
   Queens Slough was commonly used by fish tenders because exited to an open deck aft of the wheelhouse. Once outside, he
it was well-protected from the elements and had good holding found himself in the water and was swept under the anchor line as
ground in the anchorage. It did, however, have a large tidal range he cleared the rigging.
that brought with it strong currents and a changing bottom.             On board the anchored fish tender the Amanda C, an estimated
   Twenty to 30 other vessels were at anchor in the area, including “couple hundred yards” astern of the Pacific Knight, a deckhand
the fish tender Amanda C, which was anchored astern of the Pacific on watch in the wheelhouse noticed in the corner of his eye the
Knight. The strong current caused some vessels to sheer back and Pacific Knight capsizing to port and sinking. The deckhand woke
forth on their anchors. According to one witness, the Pacific Knight the captain, who immediately jumped up, ran to the engine room
sheered back and forth “a lot” with the current.                     and started the main engine, and then ran up to the wheelhouse.
   That evening around 1930, a witness on another vessel about 100 The captain of the Amanda C estimated it was about 0630 when
yards away saw the Amanda C deliver sacks of ice to the Pacific the deckhand woke him up. After he arrived in the wheelhouse, he
Knight. The ice was being transferred using the knuckle crane saw nothing but debris and the starboard stern corner of the Pacific
on the Pacific Knight’s starboard side. With each hoist the Pacific Knight above the water. He ordered his two deckhands to prepare
Knight would noticeably list to starboard.                           to haul the anchor.
   Within the hour, the witness noticed the stern of the Pacific
Knight sink so deeply into the water that the vessel’s name on the TWO RESCUED, ONE LOST
stern could no longer be seen. At that time, the two deckhands were     The captain of the Amanda C then noticed a person in the water
handling the crane and the sacks coming on board. The witness drifting toward them. He used the engine and rudder to maneuver
said he could see the captain of the Pacific Knight moving back and the vessel, and he had the deckhands pick him up from the

Starboard quarter of the Pacific Knight. Mike Jones photo
                                                                                   WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM £ JANUARY 2020   £ PACIFICFISHING £ 11
SAFETY            Accident investigation

starboard side main deck. Once aboard, the person who identified         search patterns in the area where the Pacific Knight sank. After a
himself as the captain of the Pacific Knight told the Amanda C           refueling stop, the search continued until about 1556 when the heli-
captain that two crewmembers were missing.                               copter departed the area and returned to base. The missing deck-
   The Amanda C deckhands hauled in the anchor and headed                hand was not found at that time.
toward the Pacific Knight. Shortly after, the 16-year-old was spot-         The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported large oil
ted and the deckhands were able to get a life ring to him and pull       sheens where the vessel sank. As a result, the entire district was
him on board. The Amanda C captain stated that the “kid” was             closed to commercial fishing until July 31 because of the risk of
very weak when they got him on board, noting they had to put             contamination of the fish product stream.
him in the shower and gently bring his body temperature back up.            The wreckage of the Pacific Knight was recovered by Resolve
   With support from other boats in the area, the search then            Magone Marine Services about a month later, on Aug. 29. The body
continued for the senior deckhand, but he was not found.                 of the missing deckhand (John Phillips, of Juneau) was found in the
   According to the surviving deckhand, he was in his bunk when          galley area under a table. He was not wearing an immersion suit
he woke up to a crushing sound and water flooding his berth. He          or lifejacket. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death
stated he took a big breath before the room filled up, kicked the        was drowning.
stateroom door open, and swam into the galley where he was able
to “pop up and get more air” from an air pocket.
                                                                         INVESTIGATION, VESSEL MODIFICATIONS
   The surviving deckhand last saw the senior deckhand inside the           The captain of the Pacific Knight was tested for drugs and
                                              accommodation space        alcohol; all test results were negative.
                                              attempting to climb           In an initial statement to the Coast Guard, he indicated that the
                                              the stairs to the wheel-   Pacific Knight (the company’s only vessel) was purchased in 2013
                                              house. He then came up     and that he had been trying to sell it since 2015. He also stated he
                                              in the galley where he     had been in the fishing industry for 17 years. He held no Coast
                                              broke open a window.       Guard-issued merchant mariner credential.
                                              He tried to swim out          The Pacific Knight had begun working in the Bristol Bay area
                                              but ran into a ladder      on June 19, 2018, which was the first time the captain worked in
                                              on the other side of the   the area.
                                              glass. He then tried to       After his initial statement, the captain refused to be interviewed
                                              return to where the air    for the investigation.
                                              pocket was, but found it      According to the Coast Pilot, the area where the Pacific Knight
                                              had already filled with    was anchored was known to have strong currents and could be
                                              water. He went back to     extreme due to the combination of both river and tidal constituents.
                                              the window he broke,          Two captains from nearby fish tenders estimated that the current
                                              pulled himself through,    at the time of the sinking was 3-4 knots with an ebb tide, which
                                              and came to the surface    was consistent with the NOAA tidal current predictions of about
                                              of the water outside of    3.7 knots with a mean ebb direction of 217 degrees true.
                                              the vessel. He saw the        About 0630, the predicted tidal height at Clarks Point, about
                                              Amanda C and swam          1 mile away from the accident site, was 12.18 feet above mean
The Pacific Knight dockside on June 10,       toward it, where he was    lower low water with low water predicted at 0848 (7.17 feet
2018, with the two added cranes. Lone         then pulled on board.      above MLLW).
Fisherman LLC courtesy photo                     According to the           In his initial statement to the Coast Guard, the Pacific Knight
captain of the fish tender Fayette, which was at anchor less than        captain stated he believed the vessel touched bottom while
100 yards forward of the Pacific Knight on the port side, he was         at anchor.
sitting in his helm chair having a cup of coffee when he noticed the        At the last recorded automatic identification system position at
Pacific Knight list to port and capsize. He stated the vessel rolled     0529 on July 25, the Pacific Knight was anchored in an area with
over so quickly that he could not believe that anyone would have         charted depths at MLLW ranging from 12 to 18 feet. Thus, with the
made it out of the vessel.                                               tidal height at 0630, the depths where the vessel was estimated to
   At 0747, a fish cannery representative notified an Alaska state       be anchored ranged from 24 to 30 feet but may have been less with
trooper and a wildlife trooper of the Pacific Knight capsizing, and      a changing bottom.
the troopers dispatched a patrol boat to the accident scene where           After being dewatered, the Pacific Knight floated on its own. On
they boarded the Amanda C. Both troopers tended to the care              Sept. 14, 2018, a Coast Guard investigator and an insurance sur-
of the two survivors and took initial statements from them. The          veyor (Alaska Marine Surveyors Inc.) boarded the vessel, docked
troopers departed with the captain and deckhand about 1034 and           in Dutch Harbor. They found no hull leakages, nor did the salvage
transported them to Dillingham where a representative of Icicle          company note any at the time the vessel was refloated on scene.
Seafoods picked them up. Both declined medical care.                        According to an insurance survey report conducted in April
   At 0751, the captain of the nearby fish tender Bella Catherine        2015, the Pacific Knight had a stability booklet that was dated
relayed the information about the capsize and the missing crew-          April 23, 1996. This booklet was not found in the wreckage, and the
member to Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, which in turn launched           captain was not able to find a copy.
fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak to              The captain declined to disclose the history of the vessel for the
search for the missing deckhand. Good Samaritan vessels and a            time he had owned and operated it (since 2013). Few records were
helicopter from Icicle Seafoods also aided in the search. The Coast      found related to the maintenance history or to any conversions
Guard helicopter arrived on scene about 1033 and commenced               and modifications.

12 £ PACIFICFISHING £ JANUARY 2020 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM
Based on past photographs and the April 2015 insurance sur-              the Pacific Knight had a very small freeboard and a stern trim that
vey report, two modifications were made to the vessel that could            submerged the vessel’s name on the transom.
have affected the load line and stability. First, the aft deck enclosure       Even for vessels whose overall center of gravity remains con-
and equipment, which also included longlining equipment, was                stant, a vessel operated at a deeper draft (lower freeboard) typically
removed at an undetermined time. Then in June 2018, before the              has less stability than when operated at a lesser draft (higher free-
start of the vessel’s tender contract, two pedestal cranes were added       board) due to a reduction in righting energy. It also tends to lower
to the main deck. On the starboard side was a knuckle-type boom             the range of a vessel’s stability as seawater can enter any openings
crane and on the port side, a larger and heavier telescopic crane.          and downflood into compartments at lower angles of heel. Further,
Investigators found no weights or installation specifications for the       excessive stern trim also reduces righting energy and makes down-
cranes, nor was a stability assessment made after their installation.       flooding through aft openings occur earlier.
                                                                               As such, with slack water in the main fish hold, an induced heel-
According to witness accounts, while at                                     ing moment on the vessel from an external force such as wind,
                                                                            waves (even small ones), wake from another vessel, vessel move-
anchor prior to the accident, the Pacific                                   ment from the current while at anchor, or contact with the bottom
Knight had a very small freeboard and a stern                               would have likely induced a list. The list would have caused water
                                                                            in the fish hold to flow to the low (port) side of the vessel, and this
trim that submerged the vessel’s name on                                    free-surface effect would have been detrimental to stability. The
the transom.                                                                cumulative effect of these factors likely resulted in a condition of
                                                                            neutral stability, with little reserve buoyancy or righting energy to
                                                                            resist capsize.
   According to a report filed by the state and wildlife troopers, a
crewmember on the Amanda C informed them that the two large
cranes on the deck of the Pacific Knight required frequent position-
ing to maintain proper balance of the boat. When the Pacific Knight
was refloated, the starboard crane was found in the extended posi-
tion above the deckhouse and the port crane was found with its
boom extended to the top of the deckhouse and knuckled down to
the port corner of the main deck.
   The Pacific Knight had six fuel tanks with a total capacity of
6,350 gallons of diesel fuel. Each tank was located outboard on
each side of the aft fish hold, the main fish hold, and the engine
room. The captain told the Coast Guard that at the time of the
accident, only two tanks were holding fuel: the port and starboard
tanks (1,307-gallon capacity each) outboard of the main fish hold.
He said the vessel was last fueled the day before the accident from
another fish tender, the Bella Catherine. He did not indicate the
precise quantities in each tank. In a report from the Alaska Depart-
ment of Environmental Conservation, dated Aug. 22, 2018, the
salvage company removed 1,439 gallons of diesel fuel from the
Pacific Knight.
   According to an initial statement given to the Coast Guard by            The Pacific Knight during salvage, with the crane positions visible.
the captain of the Pacific Knight, they had about 1 ton of ice in the       Resolve Magone photo
aft fish hold and the main fish hold was about three quarters full
of seawater. Additionally, the captain of the Amanda C confirmed              The last stability assessment of the Pacific Knight was conducted
they delivered about four sacks of ice to the main deck of the              in 1996, about 22 years before the accident, and would not have
Pacific Knight. Fish tenders stock ice, which is received from the          included any modification done to the vessel since then.
cannery, to provide to the fishing vessels that offload their catch to        The weight and placement of the two cranes that the captain
the tenders. It is unknown why the main fish hold was slack and             added to contract for tendering a month before the sinking likely
not pressed up.                                                             increased the vessel’s vertical center of gravity (based on the
   Given the lack of accurate data for liquid and weight distribution       position in which the cranes were found when salvaged).
on the Pacific Knight at the time of the capsizing, no post-casualty          Though not required for uninspected fishing vessels like the
stability assessment was carried out for the vessel.                        Pacific Knight, once the vessel was substantially modified by
                                                                            removing and adding equipment, a revised stability assessment
ANALYSIS
                                                                            should have been conducted to reflect the changes. Had it been, the
   Witnesses to the sinking of the Pacific Knight recalled the vessel       captain would have had the necessary information to safely load
capsized to port and sank rapidly, leaving only the starboard quar-         the vessel for specific operations.
ter out of the water. The vessel had no reported problems, and the
hull showed no post-salvage signs of leaks or damage. Thus, there           PROBABLE CAUSE
is no evidence that any hull damage, machinery defects, or struc-              The NTSB determines that the probable cause of the capsizing of
tural failures led to the capsizing and sinking of the Pacific Knight.      fish tender Pacific Knight was the captain’s inadequate assessment
   At the time of the accident, the Pacific Knight was likely overloaded.   of the vessel’s stability and the risks related to vessel modifications,
   According to witness accounts, while at anchor prior to the accident,    slack water in the tanks, and overloading of the vessel. 

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SAFETY            Best practices                                                                                            by TERRY JOHNSON

Welding, cutting, sanding – the work is hazardous in boatyards. For safety, your equipment and attitude have to be right. Jeff Pond photo

                    Boatyard safety
              Here are tips that might save your life when
                working in a place fraught with danger
  Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a new publication titled BEFORE AND DURING ANY JOB
“Boatyard Hazards: Tips for protecting worker safety and health.” The full     Adopt a “safety is no accident” attitude toward the job.
publication is available for free from Alaska Sea Grant at seagrant.uaf.edu/   Before starting to work, study the site to find and identify all
bookstore/pubs/MAB-73.html.                                                  safety and health hazards.

B
       oatyard work is hazardous. Industrywide, the injury and                 Employ signage that instructs, reminds of safe procedures, or
       illness incidence rate on ships and in boatyards is more than warns of hazards.
       double those of construction and general industry, according            Locate safety equipment. Make sure an adequate number of the
to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health correct type and size of fire extinguishers are located in appropriate
Administration (OSHA).                                                       and easy-to reach places, and likewise for first aid kits, eye wash
  This publication uses the term “boatyard” to include any kits or stations, and similar items.
facility that conducts boatbuilding, boat and related equipment                Read the safety data sheet on each potentially hazardous chemi-
maintenance and repair, and marinas, boat harbors, and storage cal agent before opening the container.
yards where these activities are conducted.                                    Grinders and cutting tools that produce fine dust should have
  The publication is for you if you work as any of the following: high-efficiency vacuum attachments that prevent dust from escap-
boatyard employee, contract worker or technician, or boat owner ing into the air.
or crewmember.                                                                 Ensure adequate ventilation. Where volatile chemicals, fumes or
  Here are some protective measures for boatyard workers.                    dust are released, make sure there is adequate cross ventilation or
14 £ PACIFICFISHING £ JANUARY 2020 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM
December 2019
                                                                         Facebook Photo
                                                                         Contest Winner:
                                                                              TONY PIRAK

A lockout/tagout set for an electrical system. Photo by Terry Johnson,
courtesy Vigor Alaska
powered ventilation for fume removal.
   Wear personal protective equipment including hard hats, protec-
tive clothing, Tyvek suits, aprons, safety boots, or other items that
provide protection from injury hazards identified at the site.
   Use eye protection. Properly fitting safety glasses protect eyes
from dust, fragments, and splinters. Include goggles or face shields
with appropriate filters for protection from radiant energy during
welding or cutting. Consult state or federal guidelines on correct
shade numbers for various activities, and for safe exposure limits.
Welding hoods should protect the neck and side of face.
   Do not weld near trash bins.
   Wear hearing protection. The level of noise reaching the ear
should be no more than 85 decibels (conversational voice is 65 dB).
Ear muffs and good quality ear plugs usually suffice.
   Use proper lifting techniques. Keep back straight, lift with legs,
use correct equipment for lifting, and get help moving or lifting
awkward or heavy loads.
AROUND GASSES, DUST, OTHER
AIRBORNE SUBSTANCES
   Always wear dust mask or respirator. When sanding, grinding,
or cutting, wear a properly fitted dust mask. When working with
paints, solvents, polyester or epoxy resins, and other chemicals,
wear a respirator with an organic vapor cartridge appropriate to
the types of fumes present. Change filters regularly. Facial hair
prevents a good seal, and stubble or a “leaky goatee” is no better.
   Wear a respirator when welding. Welding hoods protect eyes
and heads, but not lungs from welding fumes.
   Use the welding fume extractor if your facility has one. If weld-
ing stainless steel, this helps to prevent hexavalent chromium (hex        F/V Devotion, Prince William Sound
chrome) poisoning.
   Follow OSHA guidelines when sand blasting. Wet abrasive
blasting produces less dust than dry. Enclose blasting in cabinets       To enter the photo contest:
or rooms, or substitute other stripping methods such as water            • Post the photo on our FB page:
stripping or dry ice pellets. Always wear full personal protective         facebook.com/PacificFishing
equipment. Dispose of residuals from blasting correctly.
   Follow confined spaces protocols when entering holds, laza-           • Email it to us at pfnews@pacificfishing.com
rettes, refrigerated spaces and other areas where there could be         • Tag us with the hashtag #pacfishphotos2019
toxic gasses, reduced oxygen, or the possibility of being trapped.
Use the buddy system and appropriate respirators.                        Winners are announced monthly
AROUND ELECTRICAL HAZARDS                                                and published in the magazine.
  Use “lockout/tagout.” To ensure that electrical circuits are
deactivated and vessel machinery is prevented from starting, use

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SAFETY            Best practices

                                                                               Be sure no loose clothing or other items attached to a person can
                                                                             come into contact with pulleys, belts, shafts, or other moving parts.
                                                                               Employ lockout/tagout if you do maintenance or repair
                                                                             on machinery.
                                                                             HEIGHTS
                                                                               Use harness and safety line (tether) when working 5 feet or more
                                                                             above the next lower deck or ground. Use a secondary belay if
                                                                             working up a mast.
                                                                               Use stairways with handrails. To work on elevated areas, use
                                                                             a stairway rather than a ladder. A good one can be built in a few
                                                                             hours with inexpensive materials.
                                                                             AFTER WORK
                                                                                Designate a place for equipment in need of repair. Don’t use power
                                                                             tools with faulty circuitry, frayed power cords, or broken parts.
                                                                                Practice good housekeeping at the work site. Clean up contami-
                                                                             nates and slippery substances, remove tripping hazards, repair
                                                                             damaged doors, steps, railings, etc. Store oily rags and materials
Stay out of the water in boat harbors, due to the risk of stray electrical   soaked with flammable liquids in covered metal waste cans and
currents. Wesley Loy photo                                                   dispose of them properly and frequently.
                                                                                Mark or label substances legibly. Make sure everyone knows
a procedure in which warnings are place at control points and
                                                                             what substances are in each can or container.
systems can’t be started without removing locking mechanisms.
                                                                                Store flammables in designated lockers including paints
  Clip a ground wire to a vessel on the hard. If it is connected to
                                                                             and solvents.
shore power, there is potential that faulty or damaged wiring could
                                                                                Don’t contaminate family members at home by wearing work
                                                                             clothing in family living and eating areas. 
result in current that could electrocute a worker who touches the
boat or items that are connected to it.
  Remove metallic jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets before Terry Johnson is a professor emeritus with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine
working around exposed electrical contacts. Rubber gloves can Advisory Program. For more than 30 years, he has owned, operated,
protect hands and fingers and can cover rings. Remove tools and repaired, and maintained small commercial fishing and passenger vessels.
other metal items from belts and pockets prior to
entering tight spaces to do electrical work.
  A metal hard hat poses serious risk of
electrocution if worn while working on exposed
electrical circuitry.
  Stay out of the water. Do not enter the water
in any industrial facility, including marinas
and boat harbors, because there is a chance that
improperly installed or maintained circuitry
could allow electrical currents to stray. Avoid
puddles and standing water around work sites,
and if necessary to enter wet areas, wear high top
rubber boots and thick rubber gloves and avoid
contacting any metal or wiring with any part of
the body. Divers doing underwater construction
or maintenance are at particular risk and must
take measures to ensure there are no stray cur-
rents and that vessel engines are shut off and
prop shafts locked.
AROUND RUNNING MACHINERY
  Shut off running machinery unless operation is
necessary to achieve the aim of the work.
  Assure a means of stopping machinery within
seconds. Station a worker at the controls to stop
the machinery on signal or if anything goes wrong.
  Ensure that exhaust is properly routed. If it is
necessary to run engines, be sure that exhaust
gasses, crankcase vent fumes, and other aerosols
are properly vented outside the work area. Car-
bon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness in
just minutes, and death shortly after.                    Confined spaces are particularly hazardous for workers. Jeff Pond photo

16 £ PACIFICFISHING £ JANUARY 2020 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM
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ALASKA NOTEBOOK                                                                                                                 by WESLEY LOY

Gulf cod closed, with allowances for bycatch, state waters
   Cod crash: The situation with Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska      prescribed harvest limits in regulation. This
has gone from bad to worse.                                             GHL reduction will provide the oppor-
   The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, at its December        tunity for limited fisheries in state waters
meeting, voted to close the federal cod fishery in the Gulf for the     while recognizing the need for conservative
2020 season.                                                            fishery management at current Pacific cod
   The action, coming after cod quotas were greatly reduced the         stock levels.”
past two years, lands as a heavy blow to fishing communities and           Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy himself addressed the situation,
the hundreds of boats dependent on cod.                                 saying: “I recognize the balance between conservation and oppor-
   The cod crash led Trident Seafoods Corp. to close its plant in       tunity to fish. I trust ADF&G to closely monitor and manage each
Sand Point for the winter, Kodiak radio station KMXT reported.          state-waters fishery conservatively to avoid overharvest yet pro-
   The council’s December newsletter said the Gulf of Alaska            vide our fishermen the opportunity to fish and our coastal com-
Pacific cod stock “continues to be at a low biomass level.”             munities needed tax revenues.”
   The newsletter added: “According to the 2019 update of the              All Steller sea lion restrictions applicable to state-waters fisheries
Pacific cod stock assessment, the spawning biomass is projected to      will be in effect, the department said.
reach an all-time low in 2020.”                                            Overfishing does not appear to be responsible for the cod crash.
   As the stock was below a certain threshold, federal regulations      Rather, it’s believed to be rooted in “the Blob,” a marine heatwave
required the directed fishery for Pacific cod to be closed due to       seen from 2014 through 2016.
Steller sea lion conservation measures, the newsletter said.               According to the 2019 Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Status Report
   But the council’s action does not mean a complete shutdown           from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Gulf is again expe-
of cod harvesting this year in the Gulf of Alaska. The council          riencing unusually warm conditions.
allowed for cod bycatch in other fisheries, and for some cod catch in      “In September 2018, sea surface temperatures in the western Gulf
state waters.                                                           of Alaska shelf area crossed a temperature threshold to become a
   Whether the state would open state-waters cod fisheries was the      marine heatwave and have largely remained in heatwave status
source of considerable worry.                                           since then,” the report says.
   But on Dec. 17, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game sig-                                            
naled state-waters cod fisheries would go ahead around the Gulf            Sitka herring outlook: The Department of Fish and Game
of Alaska. The department said its announced guideline harvest          announced a huge quota of 25,824 tons for this year’s Sitka Sound
levels were “based on a 35 percent reduction from the maximum           sac roe herring fishery.
                                                                           Now let’s see if anyone catches it.
                                                                           Last year, you might recall, the fishery never got started as the
                                                                        herring weren’t large enough on average to interest processors.
                                                                           The fishery had experienced a zero harvest only once before,
                                                                        way back in 1977.
                                                                                                          
                                                                           Togiak herring outlook: A great deal of herring also is expect-
                                                                        ed to be available for Alaska’s other major sac roe herring fishery
                                                                        at Togiak.
                                                                           The Department of Fish and Game has set an enormous quota
                                                                        of 38,749 tons.
                                                                           Here again, it’s questionable how much of the herring will
                                                                        be taken.
                                                                           The Japanese market for herring roe is poor, and one major pro-
                                                                        cessor, Trident Seafoods, won’t be buying fish this year at Togiak,
                                                                        Dillingham radio station KDLG reported.
                                                                                                          
                                                                           Tax bite: Voters in the Bristol Bay Borough on Nov. 5 voted over-
                                                                        whelmingly in favor of a new 1.5 percent tax on the value of fish
                                                                        handled by shoreside and floating processors.
                                                                           The borough is home to a big piece of the lucrative Bristol Bay
                                                                        sockeye salmon industry.
                                                                           The unofficial vote tally was 195 in favor and 79 against the tax.
                                                                           The borough said the tax revenue is needed to improve its waste-
                                                                        water system to better support the processing industry.
                                                                           Most likely, processors won’t bear this new tax burden alone.
                                                                        Rather, it will be passed along to fishermen who will feel the tax
                                                                        bite on fish prices.
                                                                        Wesley Loy is editor of Pacific Fishing magazine and producer of Deck-
                                                                        boss, a blog on Alaska commercial fisheries.

18 £ PACIFICFISHING £ JANUARY 2020 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM
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