Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Bristol Bay now open for business

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today opened much of Bristol Bay to commercial salmon fishing. Here's the announcement.

Of course, the action on the world's most prolific sockeye grounds won't really heat up until close to the Fourth of July weekend.

The forecast is for a explosive harvest of 30.5 million fish.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

30 Million harvest? hah! everyone already knows we will be talking about foregone harvest at the end of the year again. does anyone find it odd that the processors are given the adfg forecast BEFORE they estimate what they can actually process for the year???

Anonymous said...

Agreed. Pretty numbers and forecasts and such, but Fourth of July weekend will inevitably some Independence Day processor limits.

When you catch your 4,000 pound limit and race to the dock before the tide goes out for groceries and a shower, the cannery will be silent after about 9pm. But don't worry...they're "at capacity". They just need a little sleep.

Stuart M said...

Be careful what you complain about. Too much fish is a problem that we can fix. Remember 1996 & 7? I will take limits over no fish anyday. This is the third year with numbers around the 30 mill. mark. I am thankfull the fishery is strong. As long as the resources is there we will be able to make a living. Don't get me wrong we need to keep the processors accountable for maximizing the oppurtunity. Bottomline on the foregone harvest issue is we need more processors in the bay to resolve the problem. Floating processors?

People that leave comments anonymously are whimps. Stand up dude.

Kodiak Man said...

The processors are finally changing their focus from volume to quality. Bristol Bay gillnet fish have a terrible reputation for quality in overseas markets. Less volume and increased quality will raise prices for everybody. If all you're worried about is processing capacity I suggest you start your own processing facility and see what market there is for your crappy product.

lange said...

I'd be careful with the volume vs. quality talk. This is the world's most prolific sockeye salmon fishery. It is untainted. No hatchery fish. No fish farms in the vicinity. It's pure wild product. The quality is unmistakable.

Now of course the fish at the bottom of the brailer are going to go into the can, while the higher-graded stuff will hit the frozen market.

But what about a fisherman who is anywhere between $20,000 and $450,000 in the hole for anything between new RSW systems to boats because the canneries told him to deliver a higher quality product? And then to be placed on 4,000 pound limit immediately when the volume of fish that make Bristol Bay famous actually hit. Do you really want to start talking about quality vs. volume? Give me a break.

I'm sticking to my old boat. Lighter brailer weights, sure. Why not? But the guys with new RSW systems and tools to make the product "higher quality" for the quality vs. volume argument when the cannery won't allow them to make enough money to pay for them? I don't think so!

On these 4,000-8,000lb. openers in one tide-you can't even refrigerate in that amount of time! The fish are on the tender in six hours!

I'm responsible for the second comment, also. I guess I just didn't have the cojones at that point to say my name.

Kodiak Man said...

Yes, the quality is unmistakably bad. Watch and listen to this presentation from 2009 concerning what Japan and the EU think of the quality of BB salmon... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMDVvfAiTDU

If fishermen leverage themselves into a position where they can't make enough money to pay for their upgraded systems, well then that's too bad for them, they're in the wrong business. This is a economic textbook example of a supply and demand market. If fishermen want higher prices they need to lessen the supply to force prices up. Once again, if a fisherman can't afford to hold out I say too bad for him. Survival of the fittest or in this case survival of the most fiscally responsible.

Processors have no obligation to fishermen to increase processing volume if they can't process in a reasonable amount of time. "Reasonable amount of time" is often set by buyers who won't buy products if they've been dead longer than X amount of hours before being frozen or packaged. If processors can't do it in that time frame what is the point of increasing the amount brought into the plant?

Back to the last sentence of my first post... if you want more volume, open more processing plants.

Anonymous said...

And the economic science?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1927662/el_nio_will_be_returning_for_2009_2010.html?cat=58

It really dosen't take much review, of the former missing age classes!

How much does it cost, to catch a 1-2, or 2-2, that dosen't come home?

Of course bury you head at deadman sands, and you too can get an engine, a 32 footer, and a Quality study too!

God forbid we should ever be without a run failure, these Fishers cannot, and will not always be well informed The error which has held firm for generations will be disconnedcted in porportion to the importance of the facts which they misconcieve. I like a little of Natures rebellion now and then.
It's just like another storm in the atmosphere.

Ignorance of mother nature is a plea in no fishery, unless you in the one containing 32 braincells!

Anonymous said...

Totally off topic-Great pic from the back of the Raven Wes! Can see us way in the background.

Anonymous said...

who wants to by the stuff when its been kicked a rounded and bruised on your deck.. Oh forgot about them quality sockeye being 50+ degrees.. As long as you guys take forever to take care of your quality... SE rules..

Anonymous said...

There must be something that bay fisherman can do for better quality.
Have they ever heard of slush ice, and seen the dramtic increase in quality from ice . Remember markets have no problem paying more for a better product and getting twice as much for your fish is the same as catching twice as much fish.There are fishers in this state who have small runs and get over4 times as much as we get , just because they know how to take care of the product.In fact there permits are worth more too.

Anonymous said...

No, that will never happen due to the fishery's leadership, down at your local Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting? Coming Soon, June 8th.

The fishery with the great tax, to pay for another study, that anyone with more than 32 braincells to rub togather, figured out decades ago.

http://www.bbrsda.com/documents_bbrsda/BB-RSDA%20Literature%20Search%20FINAL.pdf

Notice the sailboat on the front cover of this report?

Then you have the great AIFMA President testifing about his RSW system, on order, but that if the Board tossed the limit, Dave Harsela would also cancil his RSW system, at the 2009 meeting?

Just think, (IMPOSSIBLE!) your AIFMA dues pays this man to go cut your throat at a December BOF Meeting?

They need to really change the name to the
Bristol Bay Derelect Fishermen's Association,
of course "IS" has always confused this group!

Then of course, Forgone Harvest, where even your local abortion clinic figured this one out years ago!

But lets have another study!

http://www.bbrsda.com/documents_bbrsda/BBEDC%20Lost%20Opportunity%20Final%2012-311.pdf

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