JrOtft tA'\\'Hlilil.14 0 tlSli Summer 2014

N e \A./s Trom -the Oregon TrC/ \A.// Commission

ON THE OHARTS

Warrenton student . gets scholarship Daniel Adams of Warrenton was awarded one ofthe two Joe Easley Memorial Scholarships issued this spring. Daniel will attend Pacific University in Forest Grove. He is the son of Dale Adams, captain of the FN Granada operating out of Warrenton. A second OTC scholarship was awarded, but that individual elected to remain anonymous.

Wanted: Fishing Images ·&Yideo

MSC certification of West Coast Groundfish Fishery announced All of the hard work that the industry and others have put into rebuilding the West Coast groundfish fishery after it received a disaster declaration has paid off. This summer the fishery earning the coveted Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification as a well managed and sustainable fishery. The certification was announced during a press event June 3 at the Ringside Fish House in Portland.

The west coast trawl fishery is the largest to date to be certified under the MSC program in terms of number of species (13). Species included in the certification include: Arrowtooth Flounder, Dover Sole, English Sole, Petrale Sole, Ling Cod, Sablefish, Longnose Skate, Chillipepper Rockfish, Splitnose Rockfish, Yellowtail Rockfish, Widow Rockfish, Longspine Thornyheads and Shortspine Thornyheads. The certification culminated an almost four-year project by the OTC and was funded largely by grants from the Bandon Submarine Cable Council, the Point Arena Cable Committee and the Central California Joint CablelFisheries Liaison Committee.

With this certification in place, 99 percent of Oregon's trawl landings are now MSC certified. To learn more, visit the Oregon Trawl Commission on Facebook page.

Breakthrough on Eulachon Bycatch Bob Hannah and Steve Jones of the ODFW Shrimp Program aren't magicians, but their work is making the fleet's Bycatch problem disappear.

No strangers to bycatch reduction, their work was instrumental in developing the rigid grate configuration, which is now mandatory along the west coast. The 'Oregon' grate has allowed the pink shrimp fishery to flourish when it was once in very real jeopardy of being closed due to canary rockfish impacts.

But their latest discovery last month aboard the shrimper Miss Yvonne literally flabbergasted everyone aboard the vessel. After placing green LED lights along the fishing line of the net, they saw a 90 percent reduction in the bycatch ofEulachon Smelt, a 78 percent reduction in juvenile rockfish and a 68 percent reduction in flatfish - all without losing shrimp production. Since Eulachon Smelt are listed as a threatened species, this is big news for the fleet. Next time you're in Newport, stop by and tell Bob and Steve that you appreciate their efforts.

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Fisheries updates

Shrimp Production on the grounds has been excellent for the fifth year in a row. Through July, landings are running almost a million pounds above last year. That's pretty remarkable, since Pacific Coast's plant in Astoria is still out of commission.

What was unexpected is the amount of350-500 count being caught, as many thought that there would be a better holdover of larger shrimp from last season. The cold water shrimp market is also the strongest it has been in years, as the shortage of product in the EU has driven vessel prices up almost 10 percent over the season' s starting price.

Whiting With one of the biggest quotas in years, whiting vessels are experiencing good catches of decent sized fish in the first two months \If the season, with over 40 percent of the 240 million pound quota landed to date. While there was some market uncertainty early on due to the Ukraine situation, markets firmed up with processors offering $.12 a pound. However the Russia boycott on American seafood imports will test the resilience of whiting demand this fall.

Groundfish Oregon's landings are running about the same as last year, with sizeable increases in Yellowtail Rockfish and Petra1e Sole, offset by decreases in Arrowtooth Flounder and Slope Rockfish. That's a good tradeoff, but the fleet needs to put a dent in the available harvest to pay for the overhead in the fishery.

Hopefully, the fleet will see some regulatory relief through the Council process and get tools in place (i.e. gear and spatial relief) for a chance to access the remaining 70 percent of the unfished quota.

Needed: Your contact information To better inform you about aTC meetings and issues im­portant to the trawl industry, we need to have your up to date contact information. Information will be kept confi­dential. All you have to do is e-mail the commission at info@ortrawl.org and put "Contact Info" in the sub­ject line.

NOAA Fish Fry

Summer 2014 Page 2

For the 4th consecutive year, the OTC hosted a booth at the NOAA Fish Fry. OTC Director Brad Pettinger was assisted once again by Commissioner Rex Leach and his wife Christine, as well as a special guest: Travis Joseph, senior policy advisor for the House Resource Committee, who had a great time grilling yellowtail rockfish for the crowd.

The Fish Fry is held each June during the Capitol Hill Ocean's Week in the courtyard ofthe Commerce Building. This year's event featured about 20 different booths representing fisheries from around the nation. The all-volunteer event has become popular in DC and is an excellent way for the OTC to discuss the issues important to the fleet with NOAA staff, elected officials and their aides.

Buyback loan relief may be in sight

All of the pieces are in place to finally get some relief in the buyback loan saga. The refinancing of the loan has been approved in both the House and Senate, although in separate pieces of legislation. All that remains is waiting to see if Congress can get it together and get it done.

So far, there's been great cooperation from Oregon's elected officials reaching across the aisle and making this a truly bipartisan effort, a rarity in DC lately. Keep your fingers crossed and maybe we' ll see in the near future the relief the fleet so badly needs.

From the Wheelhouse is published by the Oregon Trawl Commission

16289 Highway 101 S. Suite C Brookings, OR 97415

e-mail: info@ortrawl.org Phone: (541) 469-7830

Brad Pettinger, Director Kathy Hall, Administrative Assistant

Trawl Commissioners Ted Gibson, Chairman - Newport Rex Leach, Vice Chair - Coos Bay Scott Adams, Secretary- Coos Bay

Paul Kujala, - Astoria Doug Heater - Astoria

Mark Cooper - Newport Todd Whaley - Brookings Tad Thornberry - Portland