Homer Alaska - Seawatch

For the 2010 season, the sockeye harvest statewide is expected to be up slightly — up to 45 million fish. Last year's harvest was 43 million fish. Bristol Bay is expecting another large run, 30.6 million sockeye, about the same as the 2009 harvest of 30.8 million sockeye.

The expected shortfall for 2010 is due to anticipated weak pink salmon returns, with a projected harvest of 69 million fish, down 28 percent from the 2009 harvest, which fell well short of expectations, coming in at 96.7 million fish, while the pre-season forecast was for 113 million fish. The Prince William Sound run saw the bulk of the shortfall, partly due to hatchery problems and partly due to ocean survival rates. The area had expected a harvest of 38 million pinks, but had an actual harvest of 16 million fish. The Prince William Sound chum run also was lower than expected.

In general, pink runs usually are stronger on odd-numbered years than even-numbered ones in most areas of Alaska. Over the past decade, odd years have seen an average harvest of 130.8 million pinks, while even years have had an average harvest of 83.6 million pinks.

From a historical perspective, the 2010 projected harvest, while not considered particularly strong, would have been unheard of in the mid-1970s, when huge foreign ocean trawlers were allowed to work Alaska's continental shelf, before the advent of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the 200-mile limit. For example, in 1974, two years before the MSA was enacted, the total statewide harvest for all species was 21.7 million fish, including 9.8 million pink salmon and 4.8 million sockeye.

By contrast, the largest statewide salmon harvest on record was 2005, with a total of 221 million fish caught. The state was awash in pink salmon, with a harvest of 161 million fish, and a relatively strong sockeye run of 43 million fish.

The mid-1990s saw record sockeye harvests, with 63 million fish caught in both 1995 and 1997.

Halibut and sablefish fishermen and IFQ holders are being asked to take a short online survey to help determine the longer term impacts of the quota share program on coastal communities.

The survey is funded by the Alaska Sea Grant Rapid Response Program, and led by Glenn Haight, fisheries development specialist with Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program. The survey was designed and will be analyzed by Alexander Kotlarov, a PhD student with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

It's the first followup study on the system since it was implemented in 1995. Kotlarov says that knowing its impacts on communities might help fisheries managers when designing similar systems in the future.

The survey consists of 22 questions, and all responses will be treated confidentially. All confidential data will be destroyed upon completion of the survey.

Participants can be entered in a prize drawing that includes $100 in new gear as well as other prizes.

For more information and to take the survey, visit the Marine Advisory Program Web site at http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/fishbiz/ifqsurvey/index.html.

Researchers from Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries have found that waves on the West Coast have been getting larger at a surprising rate.

Using data collected from buoys that have been in place off the coast of Oregon since the 1970's, the scientists found that coastal waves have been increasing by about an inch per year, and storm waves by about four inches per year. That translates into a change of nearly 10 feet over the past 30 years for storm waves.

Published in the journal Coastal Engineering, the researchers said that during a "100-year wave event," much like a 100-year flood, wave heights could reach up to 46 feet tall, a 40 percent increase from the 1970's estimates of 33 feet.

Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist. She can be reached at realist468@gmail.com.