Feds and American Seafoods are talking

Last week brought news of some big enforcement actions against American Seafoods, the top operator of pollock factory trawlers in the Bering Sea.

The company is facing more than $2.7 million in fines for allegedly shorting catch weights, or "essentially stealing fish," in the words of federal authorities.

New cases have been brought involving two of the company's boats, the Ocean Rover and the Northern Eagle. A third case involving the trawler American Dynasty has been pending since early 2012.

Now, just because American Seafoods has been accused doesn't mean it has to simply roll over and pay the weighty fines.

It can try to negotiate them down.

Apparently that's the tack the company is taking.

A NOAA spokeswoman tells Deckboss the matter is now before an administrative law judge.

A hearing was scheduled for March 26 in the American Dynasty case, but the judge vacated the hearing date.

The proceeding was put off "at the request of both parties to give them an opportunity to discuss the potential for a global settlement of all three cases," the spokeswoman said via email.

The judge has ordered NOAA to file periodic status reports, and the parties are trying to reach a settlement by the end of June, the email said.

Four fishy items in the new state budget

Gov. Sean Parnell today signed off on a new state budget, and it contains several capital items of interest to the commercial fishing community.

Here are four that Deckboss found especially interesting. Click on each to read a project snapshot.

Yakutat Regional Aquaculture Association, $100,000

ASMI canned salmon, herring and protein powder project, $300,000

Kaltag Traditional Council fish processing plant, $447,308

CDQ fleet homeport project, $10 million

Adak processing gear to go on sale block

We told you back in April how Icicle Seafoods Inc. was closing its processing operation on far-flung Adak Island.

Now a liquidator is planning to auction processing equipment from the plant.

Here's a notice of the sale, and here are the auction details.

Deckboss first heard about this from seafoodnews.com.

Arctic Storm update

Smoke rises from an engine room fire aboard the 334-foot factory trawler Arctic Storm. USCG photo

Here's an update from the U.S. Coast Guard:

May 21, 2013

Coast Guard continues response to vessel fire off Washington

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard continues to respond to an extinguished vessel fire approximately 30 miles west of Grays Harbor, Wash.

Crewmembers on the fishing vessel Arctic Storm successfully put out the fire using the halon chemical firefighting system aboard the ship.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria and two 47-foot motor lifeboat crews from Station Grays Harbor monitored as good Samaritan vessels evacuated 78 of the 120 personnel aboard the fishing vessel.

Forty-two crewmembers will remain aboard the Arctic Storm to man the vessel.

The 78 evacuated crewmembers were moved to the commercial fishing vessels Northern Voyager, Golden Alaska, Sea Dawn and Excellence.

Evacuated crewmembers are scheduled to be transported to Westport, Wash.

A tug is en route to tow the Arctic Storm to Aberdeen, Wash.

The Arctic Storm is reported to contain approximately 188,000 gallons of diesel fuel. No pollution or injuries have been reported.

The Washington Department of Ecology was notified and is standing by to assist, if needed.

The Coast Guard will conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Winding down at Togiak

The Togiak sac roe herring fishery is nearly done.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has shut down the seine fleet for the season. Meantime, gillnetters can keep fishing until further notice.

The harvest is a really big one, totaling more than 25,000 tons as of this morning. The preseason quota was 30,056 tons.

The lion's share of the fish is allocated to purse seiners.

The department said the seine fleet had taken 96.3 percent of its share of the quota, and that it "would not be possible to prosecute an orderly fishery" for the remaining small amount.

All safe after fire on the Arctic Storm

The U.S. Coast Guard today responded to a report of an uncontrolled engine room fire aboard the factory trawler Arctic Storm.

The 334-foot vessel was about 32 miles west of Grays Harbor, Wash., with 120 people aboard, the Coast Guard said.

The Arctic Storm is a well-known stalwart in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. It also works the Pacific whiting fishery off the Northwest coast.

The operator, Seattle-based Arctic Storm Management Group, has posted a statement on its website saying everyone is safe, but the vessel is disabled.

The Seattle Times also has been posting updates.

Can somebody please clean this up?

A fine 'rock vomit' specimen. NOAA photo

The state is looking to hire a contractor to eradicate Didemnum vexillum, also known as "rock vomit," in Whiting Harbor at Sitka.

D. vexillum is an invasive sea squirt, native to Japan, that was first detected in Alaska waters in 2010 on commercial oyster farming gear in Whiting Harbor. It's a notorious fouling organism that can cover everything.

Whiting Harbor was created as part of World War II efforts to defend the Alaska coast. It has been a site for aquaculture activity as far back as 1988.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game aims to award a contract by mid-June to rid Whiting Harbor of rock vomit. The contract is worth $400,000.

Whoever gets the job, let's wish them good luck.