President George W. Bush has created a cabinet-level committee to address some of the findings of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy which released its sweeping report in April 2004. Concentrating on pollution, over-fishing, and other issues in U.S. waters, the 16-member committee will seek to implement local IFQ programs, convert some U.S. Navy warships to research uses and place thousands of additional high-tech buoys in the ocean to add to the capacity to monitor ocean conditions, according to Committee Chair James Connaughton. He is also chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

In an online interview posted on the White House Web site, Connaughton noted, "The last time there was a commission like this was 35 years ago. If we do our work right at the federal and state level, we can sustain our efforts and will not need another commission to tell us the issues that need attention."

The Ocean Policy Commission issued broad-based recommendations, such as expanding research on marine mammals, more protection for cold-water and tropical corals, instituting ecosystem-based management for fisheries and expanding the regulatory authority of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bush is making some of his own recommendations, such as reducing air pollution from marine vessels, both nationally and internationally. At least 23 percent of the nation's coastal waters are closed to swimming and fishing or cannot support marine species.

On the state level, Gov. Frank Murkowski responded by creating a new position to protect Alaska's interests, an ocean policy coordinator. The position will be part of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Murkowski is looking to have it filled by February. The coordinator will be commanded by the governor and his Ocean Policy Cabinet, which is made up of five state commissioners and the Alaska director of state and federal relations in Washington, D.C. According to Murkowski, one of the primary tasks of the ocean policy coordinator will be to track the planned reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the nation's most significant fishing law.

The Alaska Board of Fisheries meets Jan. 7-10 at the Anchorage Fourth Avenue Theater to make its way through a bulky book of 389 proposals for Kodiak sport and commercial finfish issues. A number of proposals address issues important to cod boats using jig gear, including instituting a 58-foot vessel length limit for jiggers, changing the Kodiak jig fishery to super exclusive registration so that boats fishing jig gear cannot fish any other area or gear type for cod, and opening the jig fishery between March 15 and April 1, regardless of when the federal fishery closes, to take advantage of spawning cod populations and better weather. There are also concerns about boats illegally using longline gear while participating in the jig fishery, and the pot cod fleet repeatedly exceeding their Guideline Harvest Level, which is then deducted from the jig quota. A full agenda, schedule, and proposal book can be found on the Boards Support Web site at http://www.boards. adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/index.php.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is trying to clear up confusion about the closure of Makushin and Skan bays to bairdi tanner crab fishing. Fish and Game closed the bays to all fishing after tests showed oil from the destroyed freighter Selendang Ayu had sunk to the sea floor. The an-nouncement led some to believe that the opilio tanner crab season was closed, which is not correct. Although vessels bound for the opilio fishing grounds near the Pribilof Islands transit within several miles of the spill area, a recent testing of both the transit area and Unalaska Bay, where some boats will be returning to deliver their crab, showed no trace of oil. Vessels delivering their crab to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor will be pumping seawater from the bay into their fish holds to keep the crab alive until delivery, making it critical for the area to be clear of oil. The bairdi tanner crab fishery in Unalaska Bay is also unaffected. The opilio season is set to open Jan. 15, with a total quota of 19.36 million pounds. Preseason tank checks begin Friday.

The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association has released its winter/spring 2005 training schedule, which includes opportunities for an intensive six-day marine safety instructor course, an 18-hour survival equipment, procedures and drills course, and a 10-hour onboard drill instructor course. Classes are available beginning Saturday and can be found in many Alaska coastal communities such as Kodiak, Seward, Sitka and Cordova. Course information and registration is online at http://amsea.org/ or by calling 747-3287. Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978 and has also designed and built gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and sablefish, and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist.