Youth Feature Photo: Northern Saw-whet Owl
This owl was photographed by 12-year old Alex Wick in his front yard along Shoreline Drive.  "He is out everyday taking tons of bird pictures," writes his mother, Andrea Wick.
Front Page Photo by ALEX WICK

Alaska - National: NOAA Tells Committee, U.S. “Turning a Corner” in Ending Overfishing- Serving Alaskans for the first time as Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) today hosted a hearing in Washington, D.C. on the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

“It’s tough to overstate the importance of fisheries in Alaska and I am proud to be the new chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard,” said Sen. Mark Begich. “If today’s hearing is any indication of what’s to come, we can expect continuing and productive discussions on these critical elements of our economy and the future of our oceans.”

The subcommittee heard testimony from witnesses about changes to the MSA and the impacts they are having on our fisheries and the individuals, businesses and communities who depend on them.

“I regularly boast that Alaska has the best managed fisheries in the world and today’s hearing is a reminder to us all that we must balance responsible stewardship of our fisheries for future generations with the needs of individuals businesses and communities who rely on them,” Begich added after the hearing.

At Begich’s invitation the committee heard testimony from Stephanie Madsen, a former chair of the North Pacific Council and current director of the At-sea Processors Association based in Juneau.

Madsen focused her testimony on three key issue areas addressed in the 2007 MSA reauthorization: 1) the requirement for fishery management plans to include Annual Catch Limits (ALCs) for fisheries,; 2) the requirement fo Accountability Measures in fishery management plans to ensure that ACLs are not exceeded; and 3) NOAA Fisheries' catch share policy and Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs) as a subset within catch share options. (Read Madsen's full testimony addressing each of these key areas.)

Also at the hearing today the committee heard testimony from Assistant NOAA Administrator for Fisheries Eric Schwaab that the U.S. is making good progress toward meeting the mandate to end domestic overfishing. Dr. Douglas DeMaster the Acting Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was present.

“We know that nearly $31 billion in sales and as many as 500,000 jobs are lost because our fisheries are not performing as well as they would if all stocks were rebuilt,” Schwaab said. “While we are turning a corner toward a brighter future for fishermen and fishing communities, many fishermen are struggling in part as a result of years of decline in fishing opportunity.”

Schwaab said that NOAA is committed to working with fishermen and communities during this period of transition.

Schwaab said our nation’s fisheries have been vital to the economics and identities of our coastal communities for hundreds of years. According to the most recent estimates, U.S. commercial and saltwater recreational fisheries support almost two million jobs and generate more than $160 billion in sales.- More...
Tuesday - March 08, 2011

Alaska: New Study Illustrates Shifting Biomes in Alaska - A new study recently released in the EarlyView of Ecology Letters addresses forest productivity trends in Alaska, highlighting a shift in biomes caused by a warming climate. The findings, conducted by scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center and three other institutions based in Alaska and France, linked satellite observations with an extensive and unique tree-ring data set. Patterns observed support current hypotheses regarding increased growth of evergreen forest at the margins of present tundra and declining productivity at the margins of temperate forest to the south. This study provides a regional picture of forest productivity which did not previously exist.

According to lead author Pieter Beck, a post-doctoral fellow at WHRC, “The results provide evidence for the initiation of a biome shift in response to climate change, and indicate that some ecosystem models may be missing fundamental changes taking place in the circumpolar region.” He adds that “while the findings contrast with some recent model predictions of increased high latitude vegetation productivity, they are consistent with longer-term projections of global vegetation models.”

Scott Goetz, a senior scientist at WHRC, proposed the study and co-authored the manuscript. He says, “Most people don’t think of high latitudes forests as being drought stressed - and they are not in the traditional sense of having soils dry up and blow away - but their growth is negatively impacted by hot dry air masses and those have increased in recent years. This paper shows those drought impacts are captured in both the satellite and the tree ring record. Of course the tree rings go back in time much further than the satellite observations, which only extend about 30 years, but the changes that we observe from satellites are clearly supported not only by the tree rings but also by carbon isotope analysis of the wood.” - More...
Tuesday - March 08, 2011

Yesterday's Front Page

Southeast Alaska: Roadless Rule Reinstated; Murkowski Concerned With Economic Impacts on Southeast Economy; Plaintiffs say great news for emerging economy based on wildland restoration, fishing, and tourism By MARY KAUFFMAN, SitNews - An Anchorage federal judge on Friday sided with the Organized Village of Kake and reinstated the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest.

In reinstating the roadless rule in the Tongass, U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick found the exemption was arbitrary and capricious; however, Sedwick didn't vacate three timber sales authorized under the exemption. He says that decision is left to the Agriculture secretary who at this time is Tom Vilsack.

Sedwick's decision in Organized Village of Kake v. U.S. Department of Agriculture strikes down the 2003, Bush-era decision to "temporarily" exempt the Tongass from the national Roadless Rule, which protects nearly 60 million acres of undeveloped backcountry throughout the national forest system. The court’s decision finds that the Tongass Exemption was illegally adopted and reinstates the Roadless Rule in the Tongass. - More...
Monday - March 07, 2011

Fish Factor: Projected salmon catches up By LAINE WELCH - Last year’s Alaska salmon harvest ranked #11 in the record books, but state fish managers are predicting an even better haul this year. The statewide forecast calls for  a total  catch of 203.4  million salmon, compared to 171million fish in 2010.  If the catch comes in on target, it will be the fifth largest Alaska salmon harvest on record. 

The boost stems from a projected pink catch topping 133 million fish, about 25% higher than last year. All major pink salmon regions – Prince William Sound, Kodiak and Southeast - are expected to produce abundant humpy harvests. 

Projected catches are up for the other salmon species as well. For sockeye, the big money fish, the harvest is pegged at nearly 45 million reds; the coho catch is set at 4.6 million; and for chums, a harvest of nearly 20 million would be the fifth best since 1960.  - More...
Monday - March 07, 2011

Alaska: Gas prices in Alaska continue to rise - Average retail gasoline prices in Alaska have risen 14.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.82 per gallon yesterday. This compares with the national average that has increased 12.6 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.47/g, according to gasoline price website AlaskaGasPrices.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Alaska during the past week, prices yesterday were 47.6 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 26.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 36.0 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 73.6 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago. - More...
Thursday - March 03, 2011

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