Canned Alaskan pink salmon, with its high protein content and beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids, is a key component of a number of international food aid programs sponsored by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). The initiative began in 2005, and has grown considerably, as demand continues to outstretch supply. The long shelf life and nutritional content make the fish an ideal food for supporting needy food banks in a number of countries and communities where hunger is a problem, including within the United States.
A variety of projects, including disaster relief and child care programs in places as diverse as Cambodia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Swaziland, have benefited from canned Alaskan salmon. School lunch programs in the U.S. have also used the resource to positive effect.
Canned salmon is an especially good choice for children, as the protein and beneficial fats in the fish are easily metabolized by people of all ages.
Scientists investigating the potential effects of weightlessness on atronauts in zero-gravity environments recently made an interesting - and perhaps surprising? - discovery: fish can get “seasick.” Not a comfortable prospect for water-borne creatures, certainly, but researches are hoping that the results of their studies will help them understand the way the brain works in environments in which the body struggles to locate itself in three dimensional space.
Around four dozen fish were taken (in their aquarium) up in a plane, and then the plane went into a sharp dive to simulate a gravity-free environment. Several of the fish apparently became disoriented and started swimming around in circles. One researcher even commented that it looked like they were “about to vomit,” although that might be a little tough to verify.
Fish generally locate themselves in three-dimensional space using a variety of methods (similar to humans and their own complex vestibular systems), although fish have something called an “otolith,” or “ear stone,” which works in much the way liquid sloshing in our inner ears helps us balance. The researchers speculated that the seasickness the fish experienced was largely due to water disturbances, vibrations, and loss of visual information; they did not comment on the free-fall effect on the otoliths.
While the health benefits of salmon for humans are widely known, the Idaho Fish & Game administration has recently put out a warning to sport fishermen and hobbyist anglers: don’t take your dogs to the river with you.
The reason? Apparently, raw salmon can encourage the development of a particular parasite within the dogs’ digestive tracts, causing symptoms that begin with weakness, nausea, and vomiting, and can result in death within two weeks of contracting the illness.
The disease poses no threat to humans or other animals, it seems; in fact, raw salmon is a staple of many other creatures’ diets, including bears and some birds. The condition is also extremely responsive to treatment: if your pet has eaten raw salmon and exhibits any of the symptoms above, a quick trip to the veterinarian and a short course of antibiotics should do the trick.
Since March 22, 2009, Alaskan volcano Mt. Redoubt has erupted multiple times, sending ash and steam as high as 45,000 feet into the air. Ashfall has been reported as far away as Anchorage, about 100 miles to the northeast, and has resulted in a great deal of frustration for Alaskan communities, as air travel has been restricted and most flights have been canceled. While initially there were hopes that the volcanic activity would be minor, all signs indicate now that this round of eruptions may follow a similar schedule as the 1989 event, which ended up lasting for around 4 months.
It is too early to tell what this might mean in the long run for local fishing industries, but scientists are speculating that there may be similar issues as arose in the eruption twenty years ago.
Fishing runs in the Cook Inlet area are expected to sustain the greatest impact, simply due to their proximity to the volcano. The Drift River is the primary drainage for the volcano, and suffered the brunt of the damage in 1989. The health and disruption of the river may or may not have any direct effect on the Cook Inlet salmon, however. Biologists have a number of factors to watch out for. Debris flows may disturb riverbeds and spawning grounds, thus cutting down on salmon populations in the area. Ashfall and other disruptions in the environment may reduce insect populations, as well, which could also lead to a drop in runs. Lava and mud flow carving out new land formations could further upset the spawning cycle and result in drops in salmon counts for the region. More directly, salmon may be killed by drastic changes in water temperature due to boiling volcanic runoff.
Depending on the direction of the winds and the final extent of the eruptions and ashfall, the Kenai peninsula may also be affected by Mt. Redoubt. Fishing fleets, suppliers, and consumers are advised to keep an eye on the ongoing volcanic activity, and to stay updated on the availability of wild seafood from the region.
Have you ever seen a jellyfish while you were fishing or swimming? OK. Have you ever seen a jellyfish over six and a half feet across, and weighing up to 450 pounds? How about several thousand of them at once, drifting like a massive, toxic flotilla into your fishing net?
This is what Japanese fishing operations have been dealing with in recent months: legions of Nomura’s jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai) have been floating out of their usual terrain in Korean and Chinese waters, possibly being pushed from the Yangtze delta by currents produced by unusually heavy rains in the region, and in to the nets of fishermen. Another hypothesis is that global climate change and heating ocean temperatures are creating optimal breeding conditions, thus leading to the jellyfish reproducing in unprecedented numbers. The jellyfish are very poisonous - in some rare cases even causing human fatalities - but more commonly are responsible for poisoning hauls of fish with their toxins while clogging nets.
There does seem to be a plus side, however: some fishing fleets have transformed the nuisance into cash by using the giant jellies as bait or fertilizer; some have even tried drying, shredding, and salting them into a novelty snack.
Even more optimistic are the findings of the Riken Discovery Research Institute, which has discovered that the Nomura’s jellyfish contain a large quantity of a compound called mucin, a glycoprotein that could have a number of medical applications for humans.
Tuesday marked the twentieth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, an ecological and economic disaster of historic proportions, resulting in untold damage to wildlife, regional ecosystems, local industries, and generations of people who subsisted on natural resources in the area.
Around 10.9 million gallons of crude oil were spilled into the Sound, making it the largest such accident in U.S. history. An estimated 250,000 seabirds were killed, along with at least 3,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and untold numbers of fish populations, both at the spill site and throughout the Northwestern Pacific region, as toxins spread through the food chain. Over 1100 miles of coastline were affected. Millions of dollars were also lost by the local economy, which depended in part on tourism, and recreational as well as commercial fishing.
While some captains and crews managed to recoup some of their losses during fishing season that year and years following by leasing their boats or time to clean-up operations, the majority of the Alaskan fishing fleet experienced a major set-back in economic stability and a blow to their future resources, as well. It wasn’t until August of 2008 that Exxon agreed to pay 75% of the $507.5 million dollars in damages they were ordered to pay. Many fishing families never recovered, and most took a major hit to their plans for retirement.
Representatives from environmental and conservation groups, local Oregon government officials, Northwest tribal government representatives, and federal agencies representing fisheries interests and departments of energy have been struggling to find an answer to questions surrounding the use of hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River basin. The river basin was once home to between 10 and 30 million wild salmon, but modern development - including the introduction of the dams, pollution, overfishing, and destruction of natural habitats - has resulted in dramatic decreases in those numbers. Dozens of populations are already extinct, and a great number are listed as endangered or threatened, a fact which is forcing regional policymakers to look more carefully at the programs currently in place for protecting the animals, both as a species and a natural resource.
A previous plan supported by the Bush administration has come under intense scrutiny, as a U.S. District Court Judge has stated that the plan is inadequate for protection of the salmon. The judge has not ruled out the possibility of requiring the removal of some of the dams - an option that has those agencies in charge of administering electricity to the region up in arms. All parties continue to look for a solution that will satisfy both environmental concerns with the region’s energy dependence upon hydropower.
Seattle’s Fisherman’s Terminal has long been both an active center of seafood trade and a symbol of the industry for many in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, members of the local fleet were asked to lend a hand in keeping the historic site in better condition.
Family, friends, and fellow fishermen gathered on Sunday for the 81st annual “Blessing of the Fleet,” a tradition established by the late Rev. O. L. Haavik of the Ballard First Lutheran Church. Nearly 100 people congregated at the Fisherman’s Terminal in Seattle, including a number of elected public officials, sharing stories and hopes for the safety of their numbers and loved ones. As popularized by the Discovery Channel television hit, “The Deadliest Catch,” commercial fishing continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in the world, with some industries suffering nearly 100% injury rates to crewmembers, and higher mortality rates than nearly any other profession.
Many of those gathered at the Terminal know this all too well: the Seattle-based Alaska Ranger went down last year, taking five of its crew with it. There are few professional fishermen or women who haven’t lost close friends, family, or crewmates to the elements. These statistics are made doubly grim by the economic hit the industry is taking from the recession. So-called “luxury” seafoods, like halibut and some kinds of crab, are in less demand, and so may bring lower prices for those who risk their lives to catch them.
Still, many continue to be optimistic, and enjoy the sense of camaraderie that participation in the industry brings. And many are optimistic for them, like Reverend Tom Tocher, who led the ceremony on Sunday. “Say to the waves, ‘Peace. Be still,” he prayed for those in attendance. “You hold the hearts of people in the hollow of your hand.”
The benediction was bestowed upon Seattle fisherman Kurt Hansen’s vessel, the F/V Middleton, on behalf of the entire Pacific fleet.
The Alaskan pollock fishery has been a symbol of sustainable fishing practices since its original certification through the Marine Stewardship Council in 2005. The fishery includes operations within the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands, which account for the entirety of the Alaskan pollock industry.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international, nonprofit, third-party organization that evaluates fisheries based upon best practices, environmental impact, and sustainability. Their mission is to provide consumers with an unbiased assessment index to give them the opportunity to make informed and responsible choices about seafood purchases. It also creates a standard for fisheries to aim for in their organization and practices.
Certification with the MSC lasts for five years. The Alaska pollock fishery is officially certified for one more year, and so is currently engaged in a recertification process. Assessors are looking not only at harvest levels versus biological catch, but also issues such as bycatch (unintended or unwanted fish destroyed in the harvesting process) and impact on the marine ecosystem where fishing takes place.
The Alaskan pollock fishery is, to date, one of the most progressively managed in the world. Pollock is commonly used in processed fish foods, resulting in everything from fish sticks to fake crab.
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