A German engineering company called Next Generation Cargo is planning to farm Atlantic salmon aboard the world’s largest sailboats by the year 2023.
State operations are not directly affected by the shutdown, but fisheries in Alaska waters intertwine and are closely timed with the federal ones.
Mariculture shows the biggest new industry potential. As for the biggest fish story of 2018: How Alaska fish are changing their behavior in search of colder waters.
Fisheries management activities — including quota monitoring, observer activities and regulatory actions — are considered “essential activities” that will remain during the shutdown.
American fishermen landed just shy of 10 billion pounds of fish and shellfish last year valued at $5.4 billion.
Also: Seeking nominees for commissioner of Alaska Fish and Game, plans are underway for the Bristol Bay Fish Expo, and Salmon Sisters unveils a salmon oil Skin Serum.
The results of this year’s surveys showed that the Pacific stock from California to the Bering Sea continues to decline and will likely result in lower catches.
Lots of fish stories stem from a life at sea. A new book titled “Chronicles of a Bering Sea Captain” captures five decades of fishing in the Bering Sea.
The used fishing nets, crab lines and other gear will end up at a recycling company in Denmark called Plastix, where the materials are made into new products.
The value of the catch was also down from 2017.
After a steep drop in 2016, seafood harvesting jobs grew 8.3 percent last year, the most in percent terms among all Alaska industries.
Values for Alaska salmon permits have remained stagnant all year, except for two regions, and costs for halibut quota shares have plummeted.
Also, Nov. 1 is the deadline for pot cod and longline vessels fishing in federal waters to sign up for electronic monitoring of their catches for 2019.
The goal of the Ocean Technology Innovation Sprint is to create an “economic ecosystem” of innovators, educators, mentors and businesses to help grow new products from the bottom up.
Crab catches dominate Alaska’s fish news in early October as boats gear up for midmonth openers in the Bering Sea.
Offshore fish farms are being touted as a way to boost seafood production, provide jobs and reduce the nation’s $16 billion trade deficit.
Most of the shortfall comes from poor pink salmon returns, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said.
Researchers aim to find out if it is a blip, or a sign that the stock is recovering after warming waters caused the stocks to crash.
The amount of fuel that spilled is still not known, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said.
There is a "significant chance of gear and fish being exposed to fuel," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said.
