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October 21, 2008
Press Release

Federal Fisheries Management Analysis Reveals Flaw in Unbalanced Quota Plan

Portland, Ore. – Oct. 21, 2008 – The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), which will meet in San Diego November 3-7 to vote on a preferred alternative for an Individual Quota system, released a report detailing potential impacts of an unbalanced plan. The report analyzes the scenario of 100 percent quota share granted to harvesters and the negative effects it would likely have on coastal communities and jobs. Coastal ports and processing jobs throughout the West Coast would be at risk under this scenario, making the case for a compromised preferred alternative plan to be adopted by the Council.

According to the PFMC's analysis document, in a system allocating 100 percent quota to harvesters, it is likely that processors would be the "least well off under this scenario when compared to the other non-status quo scenarios." The report also identifies processing centers at the highest risk under this scenario, which include those located in: Astoria, Ore., and Bodega Bay, Eureka, Fort Bragg, Half Moon Bay, Hawaiian Gardens, Morro Bay, San Francisco, San Jose, Sand City, Santa Rosa, Scotts Valley and Watsonville, Calif.

The PFMC's analysis also states that in an unbalanced plan, "…the fact that the harvesting sector has control over the quota share means that the fishery is likely to be prosecuted in a manner that benefits harvesters." A 100 percent allocation to permit owners offers no incentive for harvesters to cooperate with processors who want to buy and market the fish. However, a shared quota system provides incentive for harvesters to work with processors who can enhance their available catch. Consequently, a shared market would provide some certainty and a better possible outcome for the industry as a whole, not just one sector.

Individual quotas grant each federal permit owner a dedicated share of the amount of available fish based on a formula emphasizing historical participation in the fishery. In June, the Council voted in favor of allocating 20 percent of quota shares to processors and 80 percent to harvesters. This preliminary vote reflects a compromise position that emerged over four years of debate, analysis, meetings, public comment and review. The Council’s final decision in November will have a far-reaching impact on preserving the economic viability of coastal communities and jobs.

A shared market quota system would recognize that both processors and fishermen have invested heavily in coastal jobs and capital equipment, and it could protect current jobs in coastal communities, guarantee fair access to resources, stabilize prices for consumers, and encourage environmental stewardship. The seafood processing sector alone supports more than 11,000 jobs on the West Coast and contributes more than $36.5 million in annual payroll, as well as more than $20 million in annual utilities, plant supplies, and equipment purchase and repair to its local economies.

Industry leaders have been joined by restaurant owners, local businesses and citizens in keeping a balanced allocation at the forefront of discussions for the benefit of coastal jobs and communities, seafood customers, sustainability and the industry as a whole.

**To view a full copy of the PFMC's analysis report, "Decision Document for the Pacific Fishery Management Council's Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Plan", visit http://www.pcouncil.org/groundfish/gffmp/gfa20/gfa20decdoc.html. The scenario highlighted above is located in chapter four of the report, pages 423-426.

 

October 14, 2008
Press Release

Regulatory Decision on West Coast Fishery Management System to be Finalized November 2008

Portland, Ore. – Oct. 14, 2008 – The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) will meet in San Diego November 3-7 to complete work on a preferred alternative for an individual quota system for trawl-caught groundfish. Individual quotas (IQ) grant each federal permit owner a dedicated share of the amount of available fish based on a formula emphasizing historical participation in the fishery.

In June, the Council voted in favor of allocating 20 percent of quota shares to processors and 80 percent to harvesters. This preliminary vote reflects a compromise position that emerged over four years of debate, analysis, meetings, public comment and review. The Council's final decision in November will have a far-reaching impact on preserving the economic viability of coastal communities and jobs.

“An individual quota system is an important step toward helping to manage our natural resources and alleviate the pressure to race for fish,” said Heather Munro Mann, deputy director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “The Council’s decision in favor of a shared allocation of fishing quota between both processors and harvesters is critical to ensuring industry stability, protecting jobs in coastal communities and encouraging the best and most innovative use of the natural resource. We are in this together, and finding a way to share our resources is the only way we can all sustain.”

The amount of harvest quota initially allocated to processors is among the most contentious issues in the development of the new fisheries management plan. A shared market quota system would recognize that both processors and fishermen have invested heavily in coastal jobs and capital equipment and could: protect current jobs in coastal communities, guarantee fair access to resources, stabilize prices for consumers and encourage environmental stewardship.

The seafood processing sector alone supports more than 11,000 jobs on the West Coast. In total, processors in Oregon, Washington and California contribute more than $36.5 million in annual payroll and more than $20 million in annual utilities, plant supplies, and equipment purchase and repair to their local economies.

Industry leaders have been joined by restaurant owners, local businesses and citizens in keeping a balanced allocation at the forefront of discussions for the benefit of coastal jobs and communities, seafood customers, sustainability and the industry as a whole. A sampling of the list of stakeholders can be viewed at www.coastaljobs.org/member-list/.

June 16, 2008
Press Release

Pacific Fishery Management Council Includes Processors In Allocations

Foster City, Calif. - June 16, 2008 - June 12, 2008, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted for their preferred alternative for an Individual Quota Management system. Among many other important details, the Council provided allocation of shore-side whiting and shore-side non-whiting (groundfish) 20 percent to processors and 80 percent to harvesters. Final action on the program will occur at the Council’s November meeting. Despite the fact that a few key issues remain unresolved, West Coast seafood processors will continue working with the Council with the expectation that they can support the final action.

A coalition of West Coast processors and seafood industry representatives called Coastal Jobs Coalition has been active in providing information concerning the shared market quota system. More than 90 percent of West Coast seafood processor owners and representatives attended the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, with all providing testimony.

According to Jay Bornstein, president of Bornstein Seafood, Inc., an Astoria processor with 42 years of experience, “This issue has united the processing industry in an historic manner. Without a shared and balanced market quota allocation, this wouldn’t have been an industry rationalization program; it would have been a reorganization of the processing sector with winners and losers. The Council heard and understood this. They made a significant industry and community decision.”

The Coastal Jobs Coalition had originally requested 25 percent groundfish allocation and 50 percent whiting allocation for the processors. “This is not everything that we needed, but it is a big step toward protecting jobs in the coastal communities that depend on processing. We are grateful that the entire fishery industry is included in this major change. It will contribute to greater unity throughout the entire industry,” stated Heather Mann, deputy director of the West Coast Seafood Processing Association.

Background concerning the Pacific Fishery Management Council quota-based system can be found at www.coastaljobs.org.

MAY 28, 2008
TERRY DILLMAN OF NEWPORT NEWS-TIMES

Seafood industry reps oppose ‘monopoly'

As salmon fishery folks batten down the hatches over the loss of their season, those in the groundfish and Pacific whiting (hake) industries are rallying to oppose a proposed change in regulation of those fisheries.

During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider approving an individual quota system for groundfish and whiting that seafood industry leaders say would “essentially create a monopoly of the seas.” They have gathered more than 300 supporters - among them the National Restaurant Association, Oregon Restaurant Association, West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA), Northwest Seafood Market, and other restaurant owners, local businesses, organizations, and individuals - to oppose a quota system they say would exclude one of the industry's largest stakeholders, and “leave behind coastal jobs and communities, seafood consumers, and sustainability.”

At issue is a choice between an individual or shared market quota to allocate the take of those species. The federal government regulates whiting as a derby-style fishery, establishing a quota for the overall fishery that allows permitted vessels to fish until they reach that quota. Vessels have no individual limits, so the owners and fishermen end up rushing to catch as much of the regulated supply as early as possible to maximize profits - hence the “fishing derby” appellation. The trawl groundfish fishery, which includes flatfish, sablefish, and rockfish, is regulated as a limited entry fishery managed through bi-monthly trip limits. In earlier efforts to maintain fish stocks and economic security for fishermen, federal officials reduced the groundfish trawl fleet by a third through a government buyback of permits and vessels. Those reductions hurt some coastal communities, as limited product forced some processors to cut back or close.

West Coast seafood industry leaders oppose the proposed individual quota set-up - what they deem a monopoly for the 176 commercial limited entry permit owners - which they say would “put coastal jobs and communities, seafood consumers, and sustainable fisheries at risk.”

The individual system would allocate 100 percent of the initial quota to vessel owners and fishermen; the shared system would provide both fishermen and processors with an initial quota allocation. Both groups invest heavily in jobs and capital equipment, and seafood industry officials say the shared market approach would provide economic safety for both of them. They say the shared market method would guarantee fair access to resources, protect current jobs in coastal communities, stabilize prices for consumers, and encourage environmental stewardship.

Pacific whiting and groundfish fisheries provide more than 3,600 jobs - 492 groundfish fishermen, 175 whiting fishermen, and more than 2,990 with processors - bringing in $89 million in annual revenues.

“An individual quota system has the potential to be a great solution for the region's seafood industry, as it can help to manage our natural resources and alleviate the pressure to race for fish,' said Heather Munro Mann, WCSPA's deputy director. “The proposed new rules, however, allow a select group to reap the benefits. The rest of the coastal community's stakeholders - from workers in processing plants to restaurants, retailers, and consumers - face considerable insecurity.”

Processors in Oregon, Washington, and California contribute more than $36.5 million in annual payrolls, and put more than $20 million annually into local economies for utilities, supplies, and equipment purchases and repairs.

Without “fair and reliable access to resources,” processors said they might face drastic measures to stay in business, from eliminating innovative ways to use the seafood catch to raising consumer prices or cutting jobs, which would negatively affect local economies. A shared market quota system, they noted, would recognize the investment fishermen and processors have made in coastal jobs and capital resources - including family wage jobs - by providing an economic safety net.

Mann said shared market would “protect current jobs in coastal communities, guarantee fair access to resources, stabilize prices for consumers, and encourage environmental stewardship.”

“Given the recent restrictions on salmon fishing and the threat of expanded marine reserves, our industry is already facing a tough year,” Craig Urness, general counsel for Pacific Seafood Group, said in a May 19 WCSPA news release. “We are in this together, and finding a way to share our resources is the only way we can all sustain. Considering how much we've invested in coastal jobs and communities, the proposed regulation has the potential to be a huge blow to processors large and small.”

Such losses would filter into coastal communities and ultimately to consumers following the general “ocean to table” food chain from fishermen and vessel owners to processors, distributors, transporters, restaurant/grocery outlets, and consumers.

For now, it's another wait-and-see situation similar to the one leading to PFMC's April 10 decision to close down almost the entire salmon season.

PFMC is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to manage fisheries from 3 to 200 miles off the United States coastlines. The Pacific council recommends management measures for fisheries off the Oregon, Washington, and California coasts. The council and its advisory committees will meet June 6-13 in Foster City, Calif., to discuss and decide issues related to groundfish, salmon, coastal pelagic species, highly migratory species, marine protected areas, and essential fish habitat.

Terry Dillman is assistant editor of the News-Times. He can be reached at (541) 265-8571 ext. 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.

MAY 21, 2008
SEAFOODSOURCE.COM

Shared-Market System Deserves Consideration

One aspect of today's omnipresent sustainable-seafood movement that often gets short shrift is the sustainability of the industry itself - by that, I mean the fishermen and the processors that make seafood available to us all. Indeed, science should guide fishery-management decisions; but if key stakeholders are eliminated from the process, then we're missing the boat.

During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will vote to adopt either a shared-market system, similar to what's currently in place, or individual fishing quotas (IFQs) that would allow only owners of government-issued permits to participate in the Pacific whiting and groundfish fisheries. More than 300 stakeholders in the West Coast seafood industry representing more than 3,600 jobs say IFQs, which Alaska has turned to for several of its fisheries with varying degrees of success, would essentially create a monopoly.

The Portland, Ore.-based Coastal Jobs Coalition, comprising industry leaders, restaurant owners and other local businesses, argues that a shared market would protect jobs in coastal communities, guarantee fair access to resources, stabilize prices for consumers and encourage environmental stewardship.

"An individual quota system has the potential to be a great solution for the region's seafood industry, as it can help to manage our natural resources and alleviate the pressure to race for fish. The proposed new rules, however, allow a select group to reap the benefits," says Heather Munro Mann, deputy director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. "The rest of the coastal community's stakeholders - from workers in processing plants to restaurants, retailers and consumers - face considerable insecurity."

While researching the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act when it was reauthorized in early 2007, I spoke to Clem Tillion, a hard-nosed Alaskan who was a charter member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Tillion supported IFQs, which were not at all popular when first introduced. One thing he said stuck with me: "The purpose of fisheries is not to provide jobs," he said. "You serve the fishermen best if you keep the resource healthy."

But I also spoke to David Benton, director of the Marine Conservation Alliance in Juneau, Alaska, who told me that a cookie-cutter approach to fishery management isn't the way to go. "One size does not fit all," he said. "Each [plan] needs to be designed and tailored for each individual fishery."

Nothing should prevent the conservation of wild fisheries and jobs within the seafood industry; a healthy balance is essential. If some of the largest West Coast seafood companies and organizations can agree to share access to the resource, then it's a solution that bears a closer look. Come June 9, let's hope the council has done just that.

Thank you,
James Wright
Assistant Editor, SeaFood Business

MAY 20, 2008
THE COLUMBIAN

Allocation key in fishing

The future of the West Coast seafood industry is at risk. Already anticipating economic devastation from a canceled salmon season, communities may soon receive another blow to jobs and economic security.

During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will vote on a quota-based system for Pacific whiting and groundfish to manage resources. The Council is considering allocating 100 percent of quota to vessel owners, putting shoreside seafood processors and coastal communities at the mercy of a virtual monopoly. Without decent and reliable access to resources, hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in investments are at peril.

As president of a seafood processor that has created family-wage jobs in Washington, Oregon and California for more than 75 years, I believe that the only solution is a shared allocation of quota. Fair allocation of resources can preserve the livelihood of fishermen, processors and coastal communities alike.

Jay Bornstein
Astoria, OR.

May 19, 2008
Press Release

COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROWS FOR SHARED MARKET IN WEST COAST SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

Portland, Ore. – May 19, 2008 – More than 300 stakeholders and supporters in the West Coast seafood industry have voiced opposition to a proposed change in regulation of the groundfish and Pacific whiting fisheries, including:

  • National Restaurant Association
  • John Brenneman, former State Senator, Lincoln & Tillamook counties and Newport Mayor
  • Oregon Restaurant Association
  • Schwartz Brothers Restaurant
  • Bornstein Seafood
  • West Coast Seafood Processors Association
  • Northwest Seafood Market

Industry leaders have been joined by restaurant owners, local businesses and citizens to express concern about a proposed quota system that would exclude one of the industry’s largest stakeholders and thereby leave behind coastal jobs and communities, seafood customers, and sustainability. A sampling of the list of stakeholders can be viewed at www.coastaljobs.org.

During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider implementing an individual quota system in which only the owners of government issued permits may participate. West Coast seafood industry leaders argue that this one-sided allocation favoring 176 permit holders/vessel owners, most of which are corporations, will essentially create a monopoly of the seas.

“An individual quota system has the potential to be a great solution for the region’s seafood industry, as it can help to manage our natural resources and alleviate the pressure to race for fish,” said Heather Munro Mann, deputy director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “The proposed new rules, however, allow a select group to reap the benefits. The rest of the coastal community’s stakeholders—from workers in processing plants to restaurants, retailers and consumers—face considerable insecurity.”

There is a Viable Alternative: A Shared Market
Seafood industry leaders representing more than 3,000 jobs in Washington, Oregon and California support a shared market system that recognizes the investments of permit holders and seafood processors alike. A shared market system would allow processors to participate—alongside permit holders—in the initial allocation of quota, providing guaranteed access to resources and an equitable level of economic security. Without such safeguards, coastal communities will be at risk for deterioration in the quality and quantity of jobs available, and consumers may be forced to accept higher prices for domestic seafood or turn to cheaper imported goods.

“Given the recent restrictions on salmon fishing and the threat of expanded marine reserves, our industry is already facing a tough year. We are in this together, and finding a way to share our resources is the only way we can all sustain,” said Craig Urness, general counsel for Pacific Seafood Group. “Considering how much we’ve invested in coastal jobs and communities, the proposed regulation has the potential to be a huge blow to processors large and small.” In total, processors in Oregon, Washington and California contribute more than $36.5 million in annual payroll and more than $20 million in annual utilities, plant supplies, and equipment purchase and repair to their local economies.

A shared market quota system would recognize that both processors and fishermen have invested heavily in coastal jobs and capital equipment, rewarding both with economic safeguards. A shared market could:

  • Protect current jobs in coastal communities
  • Guarantee fair access to resources
  • Stabilize prices for consumers
  • Encourage environmental stewardship

More about Supporting a Shared Market
For more information about the proposed groundfish and Pacific whiting regulations and their potential impact on coastal jobs and communities, visit www.coastaljobs.org.

MAY 9, 2008
Newport News-Times

Fisheries council needs to make the right choice

Last month, Governor Kulongoski re-affirmed his intent to have no-fishing zones established in state waters. Three weeks ago, the Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended shutting down most salmon fishing in Oregon and California. And within two years, wave energy sites will be popping up on the coast and putting more water off limits to commercial and recreational fishing vessels.

Does this mean we are doomed to eating foreign farm-raised fish while our coastal communities slide into economic decline? Not necessarily, if those who manage our fisheries make the right decisions.

In June, the Pacific Council will decide how our groundfish fishery will look in the future and whether that fishery can sustain commercial and sport fisheries and the coastal communities that rely on them. Central to that decision will be whether and how to divide up fishing privileges. On the one hand, the council can bestow those privileges entirely to commercial fishing vessel permit holders, who can then do with them as they please: favor one community over another by delivering all their catch in one place, or even sell those privileges and retire on the proceeds. On the other hand, the council can take a more balanced approach and distribute some of those privileges to coastal facilities, thereby maintaining jobs and community infrastructure.

At a time when our coastal communities are at risk from other fishery failures and regulatory decisions, we trust that the council will make the right choice by sustaining both our fish stocks and our communities.

Heather Munro Mann
Deputy Director, West Coast Seafood Processors Association
Siletz

May 1, 2008
Press Release

British Columbia Fishery Offers Valuable Insight on Approaching Pacific Fishery Management Council Decision

Study Shows Processors Are Struggling While Harvest Quota Owners Maintain or Enhance Their Position

Portland, Ore. – May 1, 2008 – During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will vote on new regulations for the West Coast groundfish and Pacific whiting fisheries.

The council is considering an individual transferrable quota (ITQ) system to manage the region’s natural resources. A similar system has been in practice off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for about a decade and offers valuable insight to the detrimental effects of granting initial quota solely to one half of the industry’s key players - vessel owners and fishermen - rather than a shared initial allocation.

British Columbia adopted the ITQ system in 1998, and on the surface it appears to be successful. When the system was implemented, quota was allocated to fishing vessels only; however, because half of the vessels in the fishery were owned by several seafood processors, it granted these processors a share in the quota by default. Processors who did not own any vessels did not receive quota. If the West Coast groundfish and Pacific whiting fisheries implement an ITQ system approximately 10 percent of the allocated quota shares would be owned by processors, whereas in British Columbia nearly 50 percent of the allocated quota shares were owned by processors.

Harvest quota owners have benefited from rising prices, having reliable access to resources and the ability to anticipate demand. However, many processors have struggled. The consolidation among quota owners has put many traditional processors out of the fishery, or they have been forced to become custom processors that don’t have any ownership of the fish handled.

As a result of the ITQ implementation in British Columbia, the quality and quantity of jobs available among processors and their communities has reduced. Furthermore, without ownership of the fish, these processors have little incentive to spend resources on innovation to promote better utilization of the catch for a more sustainable fishery long-term.

“We can learn valuable lessons from other regions’ fishing systems. In today’s fishery market we’re more than ever in need of stability, from an economic and environmental standpoint,” said Craig Urness, general counsel, Pacific Seafood Group. “We’re not looking to swing the pendulum one way, we just ask that members of the Pacific Fishery Management Council consider all invested groups within the West Coast groundfish and Pacific whiting fisheries.”

For information about the British Columbia ITQ system and further information about the proposed groundfish and Pacific whiting regulations and their potential impact on coastal jobs and communities, visit www.coastaljobs.org.

April 21, 2008
John Sackton of SEAFOOD.COM NEWS

West Coast Processors urging public support for a mixed IFQ allocation scheme at June meeting

West Coast processors and their allies in some local communities are waging a campaign to convince the Pacific Fisheries Management council to allocate some portion of the whiting and groundfish quota to processors, in a one-pie system that would include both harvesters and processors.

They have established a website (www.coastaljobs.org) and have been soliciting support from the public.

The argument they are making is that about 3000 local processing jobs depend on the whiting fishery, and about 2000 shoreside jobs depend on the groundfish fishery. They say that an allocation of 100% of the IFQ's to 176 harvester groundfish permit holders would lead to a 'monopoly' quota system, where all decisions as to landings would be in the hands of the harvesters.

The processors argue this would doom efforts to create more value-added seafood products, and would promote instability in the processing sector - such as gluts and shortages of fish, unstable supply chains where fish would go to the short term highest bidder with no opportunity for building long term market value, leading to a boom and bust type of fisheries economy that would force processors to retrench and lead to many closures and loss of local jobs.

Harvesters, on the other hand, if awarded 100% of the IFQ's, would be free to sell to the highest bidder, and would also be free to sell their quotas to investors or others outside the fishery, regardless of the use to which the shares would be put.

The decision before the Pacific council is a further development in the fight over IFQ rights that ignited after the halibut fishery was changed to a 100% harvester IFQ fishery, leading to an immediate devaluation in shoreside plants that had previously processed frozen halibut.

That experience led the crab industry to try a two-pie system of processor and harvester shares, which is now under fire from some quarters.

On the West Coast, the two alternatives are a traditional harvester IFQ system, or a mixed system, in which quota allocations are awarded based not just on catch history, but investment in processing as well. This would lead to a system where harvesters would hold some quota outright - with the ability to sell to the highest bidder, and processors would hold some quota for lease to harvesters, which would give them leverage to negotiate delivery issues, landings and other factors with specific harvesters.

Management schemes like the American fisheries Act which allowed offshore factory trawlers to divide up their sector quota did not face the same issues, since the harvesting and processing value is combined in a factory ship, and the crew and the vessel owner take shares of the finished product value. Thus there was a strong joint incentive to maximize finished product value.

For the shore plants, this system is not an option as there is one set of vessel owners, and a second set of plant owners, and they have to come to terms with how they will value landings once quotas have been allocated among individual participants.

On June 9, the Pacific Council is scheduled to vote on an IFQ system for groundfish and inshore whiting.

April 4, 2008
Terry Dillman of the Newport News-Times

Efforts aim at mitigation of fishing restrictions

As recreational anglers try their luck off the south jetty, the F/V Tempest makes its way past the jetty into Yaquina Bay Wednesday afternoon. Commercial and recreational salmon anglers face a possible economic tempest as they await a decision on the ocean salmon season from the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The council meets April 7-12 in Seattle to determine salmon options for 2008, one of which could lead to the biggest Pacific salmon fishing shutdown in the industry's history.

Agency decisions pending on salmon, groundfish, whiting.

Those involved in the salmon fishery, which figures prominently in Oregon's coastal culture and economy, anxiously await final word from the Pacific Fishery Management Council concerning how much, if any, of the salmon fishery will open this season. Meanwhile, potential new regulations for West Coast groundfish and Pacific whiting have seafood industry leaders worried about what they call a possible “monopoly of the seas.”
PFMC is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to manage fisheries from 3 to 200 miles off the United States coastlines. The Pacific council recommends management measures for fisheries off the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and California.

The council, which makes recommendations to federal agencies, convenes April 7-12 in Seattle to make final determinations, but industry observers say the outlook isn't good.

A sudden, unexpected collapse in the numbers of Sacramento River fall Chinook - usually the healthiest salmon population and one the fisheries have relied on to prop them up during the limitations imposed by Klamath River salmon woes - could lead to a full closure from Cape Falcon southward to the border of Mexico. Council Executive Director Donald McIsaac said in March that the council would “take a final vote on whether any fishing on Sacramento fish should be allowed in the ocean this year.”

They will make that decision April 10, and officials from the National Marine Fisheries Service said they expect to decide whether to incorporate the council's decision into federal regulations before May 1.

While commercial and recreational fishing interests along the Oregon coast prepare for a worst-case scenario and some fall back into a wait-and-see stance, others are taking preemptive measures.

A delegation of seven commercial salmon fishermen from Oregon, Washington, and California, among them Bob Kemp of Newport, traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to ask for respite for the West Coast salmon industry. They went to request Congressional hearings into the root causes of the salmon crisis, which they and their legal representatives from Oakland, Calif.-based Earthjustice claim “results in large part from government mismanagement of the Sacramento, Klamath, Columbia, and Snake rivers."

The Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon), in cooperation with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association and the Southern Oregon Visitors Association, convened at the Port of Newport Thursday to discuss how those in the tourism industry could “collaboratively, strategically, and proactively” counteract misperceptions “in the media and among our consumer base” stemming from the salmon fishery's woes.

Rebecah Morris, executive director of the Central Oregon Coast Association (COCA), said a number of businesses and organizations are already doing media and consumer outreach “to provide the facts as they know them on the impacts on the proposed limitations” on salmon fishing, and correct public misperceptions about those limits.

“What people hear when they hear that salmon fishing is closed is that the coast is closed,” Morris noted. “We want to determine what we can do from a local, state, and regional level to redirect people to everything else we have here.” While salmon fishing might flounder, she and others point out emphatically that the coast is still open for business, and other recreational fishing opportunities exist, along with everything else to do and see on the Oregon coast.

Groundfish and whiting

During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will turn its attention to potential new regulations for groundfish and whiting (also known as hake). At issue is a choice between an individual or shared market quota to allocate the take of those species.

Pacific whiting is the largest fishery by volume on the West Coast, providing more than 3,000 jobs and $89 million in revenues.

The federal government regulates whiting as a derby-style fishery, establishing a quota for the overall fishery that allows permitted vessels to fish until they reach that quota. Vessels have no individual limits, so the owners and fishermen end up rushing to catch as much of the regulated supply as early as possible to maximize profits - hence the “fishing derby” appellation. The trawl groundfish fishery, which includes flatfish, sablefish, and rockfish, is regulated as a limited entry fishery managed through bi-monthly trip limits. In earlier efforts to maintain fish stocks and economic security for fishermen, federal officials reduced the groundfish trawl fleet by a third through a government buyback of permits and vessels. Those reductions hurt some coastal communities, as limited product forced some processors to cut back or close.

West Coast seafood industry leaders oppose a proposed individual quota set-up - what they deem “a monopoly of the seas” by the 176 commercial limited entry permit owners - which they say would “put coastal jobs and communities, seafood consumers, and sustainable fisheries at risk.”

The individual system would allocate 100 percent of the initial quota to vessel owners and fishermen; the shared system would provide both fishermen and processors with an initial quota allocation. Both groups invest heavily in jobs and capital equipment, and seafood industry officials say the shared market approach would provide economic safety for both of them. They say the shared market method would guarantee fair access to resources, protect current jobs in coastal communities, stabilize prices fro consumers, and encourage environmental stewardship.

Without “fair and reliable access to resources,” processors say they might face drastic measures to stay in business, from eliminating innovative ways to use the seafood catch to raising consumer prices or cutting jobs, which would negatively affect local economies.

“We are simply asking for a fair deal,” said Heather Munro Mann, deputy director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “Processing jobs are already at stake with restrictions on salmon and groundfish, and the threat of marine reserves. The seafood industry needs the stability that a balanced approach would provide, not the upheaval that would result from a one-sided allocation.”

Terry Dillman is assistant editor of the News-Times. He can be reached at (541) 265-8571 ext. 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.

March 25, 2008
Press Release

Seafood Industry Leaders Oppose Proposed Monopoly

Portland, Ore. - During the week of June 9, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will vote on new regulations for the West Coast groundfish and Pacific whiting fisheries that will have a far-reaching impact. Under consideration is an individual quota system in which only the owners of government issued permits participate, in essence granting what West Coast seafood industry leaders argue is a monopoly of the seas to 176 permit owners. These seafood industry leaders—representing more than 3,000 jobs in Washington, Oregon and California—oppose a monopoly quota system that will put coastal jobs and communities, seafood consumers, and sustainable fisheries at risk.

"Giving these fishing vessel corporations monopoly-access to the oceans is unfair and will hurt seafood consumers and coastal jobs,” said Jay Bornstein, president of Bornstein’s Seafood. "We support a fair system that balances the economic investments of the fishermen and the processors, as well as the needs of consumers and the environment.”

A 100 percent initial allocation of quota to owners of government issued permits would provide permit owners with economic safeguards that are unavailable to other industry stakeholders, leaving processors, workers, communities and conservation efforts behind. Without fair and reliable access to resources, those impacted may be forced to take drastic measures to remain afloat, from eliminating innovative efforts to better and more responsibly utilize the seafood catch to raising prices and cutting jobs.

According to a recent study, conducted to better understand the economic contributions by West Coast groundfish and whiting processors, there are 4.3 shore-side processing jobs for each fisherman in the groundfish fishery and 12.5 jobs to one in the whiting fishery. In total, shore-side processors in California, Washington and Oregon contribute over $36.5 million in annual payroll and over $20 million in annual utilities, plant supplies and equipment purchase and repair to the local economies.

"We are simply asking for a fair deal,” said Heather Munro Mann, deputy director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. "Processing jobs are already at stake with restrictions on salmon and groundfish and the threat of marine reserves. The seafood industry needs the stability that a balanced approach would provide, not the upheaval that would result from a one-sided allocation."

Seafood Industry Leaders Support a Shared Market

Leaders within the West Coast seafood industry support a shared market quota system that would provide both processors and fishermen with an initial allocation of quota. Both groups have invested heavily in coastal jobs and capital equipment, and a shared market approach would provide both with economic safeguards. A shared market could:

  • Protect current jobs in coastal communities
  • Guarantee fair access to resources
  • Stabilize prices for consumers
  • Encourage environmental stewardship

The following seafood industry leaders and associated businesses support a shared market quota system to ensure economic opportunity continues for both processors and fishermen:

  • Washington Crab Producers, Inc.
  • National Restaurant Association
  • West Coast Seafood Processors Association
  • Georgia Pacific
  • Bio Oregon
  • Bornstein Seafoods, Inc.
  • Mike Kris, F/V Cassandra Anne
  • Express Materials LLC
  • Universal Fish & Handling
  • O&M Industries
  • Pacific Seafood Group
  • Robert Mann Packaging
  • Trident Seafoods
  • West Coast Fuels
  • Ryco Equipment
  • Oregon Restaurant Association
  • Kneaper Electric
  • American Fish and Seafood Company
  • Olde Port Inn
  • Pacific Coast Seafoods Company
  • Charlie Galvez Trucking
  • Darren Reefe, F/V Pacific Hooker
  • Redwood Electric Repair
  • Olde Port Fisheries
  • Columbia Colstor, Inc.
  • Eureka Boiler Works
  • Point Adams Packing Company
  • Sea Catch
  • Pacific Group Transport, Inc.
  • Bandon Pacific, Inc.
  • PermaCold Engineering
  • Seacliff Seafoods, Inc.
  • Holly Seafood Co. Inc.
  • Behrman Transport, Inc.
  • Humboldt Lock & Safe
  • Resource Staffing Group
  • Pacific Seafood of Washington
  • J.K. Aronson Construction
  • Northwest Food Processors Assn.
  • Hallmark Fisheries
  • Sea Level Seafoods
  • MalloryCo
  • National Fisheries Institute
  • Benjamine Downs, F/V Pacific Conquest
  • Whalers Inn Restaurant
  • Northwest Staffing Resources, Inc.
  • Holland America
  • Nelson Crab Inc.
  • Simply Seafood
  • Red Lion Port Angeles
  • Valmark King Market
  • Hagadore Hospitality
  • Fugazzi Inc.
  • Tidyman's LLC
  • North Coast Fiberglass
  • Arrowac Fisheries
  • Northwest Handling Systems
  • Island Seafoods

More about Supporting a Shared Market

For more information about the proposed groundfish and Pacific whiting regulations and their potential impact on coastal jobs and communities, visit www.coastaljobs.org.

November 24, 2004
Press Release

To interested parties in the Pacific groundfish fishery:

Today, the Coastal Jobs Coalition is releasing a paper in support of a balanced harvest sharing approach to individual transerrable quotas (ITQs) for Pacific groundfish, an approach that will provide sustainable economic benefits to both the harvesting and primary processing sectors, their supporting industries and the communities in which they operate.

We appreciate your interest in the issues we bring forward here.

Sincerely,

Kent Craford

July 12, 2004
Press Release

West Coast Business Launch Coastal Jobs Coalition

The group will advocate for equal participation of seafood processors and fishermen in writing new federal rules managing West Coast groundfish, and equal allocation of fishery resources to protect communities and jobs.

Portland – A group of West Coast businesses have come together to form a coalition in support of the jobs and communities that depend on a healthy seafood industry, and to advocate for reform of the federal rules governing West Coast groundfish fisheries.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service are currently considering changes to federal groundfish regulations on the West Coast through Individual Transferable Quotas, or ITQs. Next year, Congress will consider reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Marine Conservation Act which regulates American fisheries.

“Our goal is equal participation of fishermen and processors in developing new groundfish management policies and the equal allocation of fishery resources to protect the communities and thousands of jobs that depend on a healthy seafood industry,” said coalition spokesman Kent Craford.

“Fishing vessels are just the start of the seafood industry; processing supports more than 11,000 jobs in Washington,Oregon and California, and other sectors such as transportation, packaging, marine services and restaurants all rely upon a healthy seafood industry,” said Craford.

The Coastal Jobs Coalition will announce its formation with a full-page newspaper ad on Tuesday, July 13 in the Daily Astorian in conjunction with the first of four “informational meetings” on federal fisheries policies being organized by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Pacific Marine Conservation Council and Marine Fish Conservation Network. In addition, the Coalition will launch a website:
www.coastalsjobs.org.

Founding members of the Coastal Jobs Coalition include: Washington Crab Producers, Inc., National Restaurant Association, West Coast Seafood Processors Association, Georgia Pacific, Bio Oregon, Bornstein Seafoods, Inc., Mike Kris-F/V Cassandra Anne, Express Materials LLC, Universal Fish & Handling, Pacific Seafood Group, Robert Mann Packaging, Trident Seafoods, West Coast Fuels, Ryco Equipment, Oregon Restaurant Association, American Fish and Seafood Company, Olde Port Inn, Pacific Coast Seafoods Company, Charlie Galvez Trucking, Darren Reefe-F/V Pacific Hooker, Olde Port Fisheries, Columbia Colstor, Inc., Point Adams Packing Company, Sea Catch, Pacific Group Transport, Inc., Island Seafoods, Bandon Pacific, Inc., PermaCold Engineering, Seacliff Seafoods, Inc., Holly Seafood Co. Inc., Benjamine Downs-F/V Pacific Conquest, Behrman Transport, Inc., Pacific Seafood of Washington, Northwest Food Processors Association, Hallmark Fisheries, Sea Level Seafoods, MalloryCo, National Fisheries Institute

July 13, 2004
Press Release

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