Cordova District Fishermen United >> Protecting the commercial fishery in Prince William Sound since 1935





		Thursday, January 15, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDFU SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN The CDFU Scholarship application period is now officially open. Graduates of Cordova High School and/or dependents of CDFU members are eligible to apply, probviding they are enrolled in post-secondary studies. More information is available here. Wednesday, January 14, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- REQUEST FOR BIDS FOR CDFU BUOY CONTRACT CDFU is soliciting bids from contractors who can place stakes to mark the channel between Point Whitshed and Egg Island, and place buoys between the Steamboat and Pete Dahl channel (Racetrack) prior to the first commercial fishing periods of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Copper River drift gillnet fishing seasons. Stakes and buoys must remain in place for the duration of the commercial fishing season, from approximately May 15 to September 30. More information is available here. Monday, December 8, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESULTS OF 2008 PWS BOARD OF FISHERIES MEETING Detailed information on proposals, and the final results of the meeting are posted here. Friday, July 25, 2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOARD ELECTION By now you should have received your ballots to vote in the CDFU election. This year we have a few newbies running for the board. Make sure that you get your ballots in to the CDFU office by the deadline of September 5 (next Friday). WE inadvertantly forgot to put the envelopes in the ballot packages this year. We have spare envelopes in the CDFU office, or you can simply pop your completed ballots in a new envelope and either drop them into the CDFU office or mail them to us at PO Box 939, Cordova AK 99574. CARL BURTON II FUNDRAISER DINNER Don't forget to attend the fundraiser dinner and silent auction to raise money for Carl, this Friday night at the Elementary School. Trident Seafoods will be cooking up a storm, and $12.00 a plate will buy you dinner and dessert. Loads of auction items have been donated from citizens in the community, so come along and bid high for a good cause. FISH PROM Speaking of good causes, the Fish Prom Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner & Silent Auction is scheduled for Saturday, September 6 at the Powderhouse. Tickets are on sale at the CDFU office. To date, we have received hundreds of incredible donations from individuals and businesses across the community. Be there to bid on an array of awesome items including 2 round trip tickets to Seattle with Alaska Airlines, 100 gallons of gas, 100 gallons of diesel, a giant cooler full of booze, jewelry and more. If you missed it last year, the Fish Wheel of Fortune was a big hit. This year, you can spin for prizes including rafting trips, gift certificates to local businesses, clothing and loads of other cool stuff. Only 100 tickets will be sold, and they're going quickly so be sure to get yours today! MEMBERSHIP Currently, the total number of members who have joined this year is 173, compared with 290 this time last year. Our primary source of revenue comes from membership, and we need you to show your support of our organization by joining today. The Board of Fisheries meeting is coming up in December, and we need to have the support of our fleet behind us as we work towards solving issues that have the potential to restrict fishing access for PWS commercial fishermen. If you are on the fence about joining, I encourage you to track down one of the existing CDFU Board members (see list below), or drop into the office to have a chat with me. We are more than happy to discuss some of the great things CDFU does for our commercial fishing community. HOW TO JOIN To join online and pay using your credit card, visit www.cdfu.org To join and pay using cash or check, either swing by the office or print and mail in the attached form. Call Deb at 3447 if you want to check your membership status. I appreciate your support, and hope to see our membership numbers climb in the next few weeks! VOTE FISH! Don't forget to vote today in the State Primary. There are several important issues on the ballot, so make your vote count! Regards, Rochelle Friday, July 25, 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOARD OF FISHERIES PROPOSALS The Board of Fisheries proposals for 2008 are now available for review. If you are interested in providing input on any of the following, I encourage you to download and review the proposal book: * determining methods and means for all Copper River and PWS fisheries * setting seasons * determining bag limits * the management of PWS fishery resources Written comments can be submitted until November 17 on any proposals. During the week of the meeting (December 1-7), members of the public, organizations, advisory committees, and staff are invited to participate by testifying on proposals. These testimonies, plus any written comments submitted by the deadline, will be taken into consideration before a determination is issued by the Board of Fisheries. CDFU Division chairmen will be looking at proposals submitted and working to develop positions. COMPLETE 2008/2009 Proposal Book Board of Fisheries Proposal Book Introduction Thursday, July 24, 2008 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDFU DUES I know that this season has been difficult, particularly compared with past seasons, however CDFU needs your financial support. Currently, we have a meagre 140 members compared with over 290 this time last year. Our primary source of revenue comes from membership, and we need you to show your support of our organization by joining today. The Board of Fisheries meeting is coming up in December, and we need to have the support of our fleet behind us as we work towards solving issues that have the potential to restrict fishing access for PWS commercial fishermen. If you are on the fence about joining, I encourage you to track down a board member, or drop into the office to have a chat with me. We are more than happy to discuss some of the great things CDFU does for our commercial fishing community. HOW TO JOIN To join online and pay using your credit card click the link above - JOIN NOW! To join and pay using cash or check, swing by the CDFU office. I appreciate your support, and hope to see our membership numbers climb in the next few weeks! Wednesday, July 16, 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ALASKA BOATING FUEL EFFICIENCY RESOURCES The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program has compiled a great website with tips and resources to help boaters increase fuel efficiency and reduce fuel dependency. Check it out! Tuesday, July 8, 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDFU BOARD NOMINATIONS There are several CDFU Board seats due to expire in August, and we are looking for nominations to fill those seats. If you would like to nominate someone, or yourself, for a position on the CDFU Board of Directors, please let me know by August 1, 2008 or complete and return a Nomination Form. If you would like to know more about what being a CDFU Board member involves, give me a call at the office on 424-3447. Monday, April 29, 2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CORDOVA MARINE SAFETY DAY WHEN: THIS SATURDAY! (May 3) TIME: 10 AM – 2 PM WHERE: City Hall WHAT: * Sign up for a free dockside exam! * Bring your survival suits for a free inspection!** * Participate in the survival suit donning contest at 12 pm and win a grab bag of survival gear! * Stop by Fleming Point at 2 pm for a flare demonstration! (Don’t forget to bring expired flares!) * Stop by the Coast Guard tent to learn about safety requirements, view our ship stability model, and learn damage control skills. Questions? Contact Ensign Leigh Dorsey at the SYCAMORE, 424-3434. If you can’t make it to the tent on Saturday to sign up for your dockside exam, contact Chief Hawkins at 907-225-8724 to schedule your exam. Sponsored by Coast Guard Cutter SYCAMORE and Coast Guard Sector Anchorage Monday, April 14, 2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEGISLATIVE UPDATES SCR21 - PASSED THE SENATE. PASSED THE HOUSE. SCR 21 did pass the House. This task Force is just a shot across the bow. The Kenai River Sport Fishing Association pulled out all the stops, to get this bill passed. The task force will have to come back with something to recommend or have Legislation for next year - they have to or the task force was for nothing. CDFU needs to work on getting our Alaska members organized in the different voting Districts, to respond as a block to things like this. I'm going to meet with the all processor lobbyists to be ready for next year. UFA is going to write an action plan for future, the Sitka Herring fishery, Charter Halibut issue and Salmon issues are all heating up, which puts a lot of attention on these issues to Lawmakers. There was a lot of misleading things said on the house floor last night, but some law maker's choose to just take the users side, not science or the habitat. The Mat-su is the fasting growing area in the state. That is a problem in itself; I just read a report on Conserving Salmon in the Mat-Su and there are Habitat problems. We live next door to this growing problem, we need to make sure we have a strong membership in Area E, so that we are ready for anything at the fall board meeting in Cordova. We need to do more PR on senior salmon day, and sport raised hatchery that we all pay for etc. CDFU should belong to the State Chamber. Before I leave Juneau there are going to be a series of meeting with UFA staff, fishermen, Legislative fish staff and myself to see what actions we need to take this fall at the UFA meeting in Anchorage, this is a Election year. See you this Spring,I hope we have a great fishing year in Area E. HB 289 - SPILL CLEAN-UP UNEMPLOYMENT INS EXEMPTION PASSES Commercial fishing skippers and crew members won the short-term exemption they were seeking from unemployment insurance filing and taxes with Senate passage of HB 289, April 12. The bill, awaiting the governor's signature, allows the exemption for periods of less than seven days while participating in oil spill clean-up drills or responding to small spills. Vessels contracted for extended spill response periods would not be exempt from the UI program. ------------------------------------------------ Thanks to everyone who wrote in letters, faxes and POMS. They were effective, but apparently there was some underground threats made to several legislators. The word on the grapevine is that some of the Senators were threatened that if they voted 'No' on SCR21 their photo would appear in the ADN. In other words, they would be blacklisted from getting the vote of sportfishing constituents in the future. Friday, April 11, 2008 11:50am ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SENATE PASSED SCR21 - HOUSE VOTE TODAY SCR 21 was passed in the Senate on Tuesday, and again during a reconsideration vote on Wednesday. Today it will be heard in the House of Representatives. We need to generate as many letters as possible from individuals and organizations and if you don't have time to write and fax a letter - please use the online POM message system online form at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/poms/ . POM form should be selected to ALL REPRESENTATIVES. If you have a good working relationship with your representative, call them now. To find your representatives see http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/index.php . Monday, April 7, 2008 4:50pm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LETTERS AND POMS STILL NEEDED FOR SCR21 SCR 21 was waivered out of committee for a Senate vote this morning. HCR 29 was introduced and directly to the House rules committee. We need to generate as many letters as possible from individuals and organizations and if you don't have time to write and fax a letter - please use the online POM message system online form at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/poms/ . POM form should be selected to ALL REPRESENTATIVES. If you have a good working relationship with your representative, call them now. To find your representatives see http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/index.php . Friday, April 4, 2008 4:50pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED ACTION ALERT The hearing scheduled for 8am tomorrow (Saturday) has been postponed. Not sure why, but this is good. The longer they wait, the better off we are. That said, we should not give up - it's important our voices are heard on this issue. Write an email to Senator Huggins or fax to: 907-465-3265. Make sure that you copy Representative Thomas and Senator Kookesh in your letters. It would be great if you could also copy UFA and CDFU on your letters. SUBJECT: SCR 21 email: Senator Charlie Huggins - Senator_Charlie_Huggins@legis.state.ak.us email: Senator Albert Kookesh - Albert.Kookesh@legis.state.ak.us> email: Representative Bill Thomas - Representative_Bill_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us Copy to: cdfu@ak.net Copy to: ufa@ufa-fish.org Friday, April 4, 2008 2pm-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Members of the fleet - your action is required! A special announcement was just made on the floor that a committee hearing for the SCR21 Cook Inlet Joint Legislative Task Force will be held tomorrow (Saturday). Senator Huggins just tried to wave it through committee with a floor action but Wagoner objected and Senator Gary Stevens was sitting for Senate President Green and the motion was withdrawn after off the record discussion. Senator Huggins then announced a meeting for 8:00 am, tomorrow morning. He tried to sneak this one past us. ACTION NEEDED We need as many commercial fishermen in PWS as possible to testify against the task force formation. IMPLICATIONS Jerry says: “THIS IS A SERIOUS ATTACK ON OUR INDUSTRY, ADF&G, and the BOF, and WE NEED TO SHOW UP IN NUMBERS." “THIS IS THE START OF THE LEGISLATURE GETTING INTO THE ALLOCATION BUSINESS – YOUR AREA COULD BE NEXT” Decisions that are currently made through public process on fishery regulations during Board of Fisheries meetings, will be handed over to legislature. This is bad news for the commercial fishery. The legislative task force plans to "examine conservation and allocation issues". According to Mark Vinsell at UFA, contacts in ADFG fear that one passage in the resolution puts them in legal jeopardy: “WHEREAS the Board of Fisheries, in accordance with the sustainable salmon management policy, declared Susitna drainage sockeye salmon a yield stock of concern, but failed to take action to reduce the commercial harvest of those stocks; …” This is a Cook Inlet issue - why is this important to us in Prince William Sound? Although this is a Cook Inlet issue, SCR21 should be important to Area E fishermen as this is the kind of fall-out we can expect to see following the Board of Fisheries meeting scheduled for December 2008 in PWS. We are in a Board of Fisheries cycle year, and the Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meeting and subsequent fallout gives us a good picture of the types of issues we can expect to see early next year. We need to prepare ourselves now, and prevent this kind of thing from happening. If this passes in Cook Inlet, we are doomed. How do I testify? The Cordova LIO office will be closed tomorrow. To testify, come to CDFU at 7:30am so that I can register you to speak. Please RSVP to me to let me know you will be coming. This issue is too important to sleep in and miss. Letters are also needed – address to: Senator Charlie Huggins, Chair, Senate Resources Committee and FAX To 907-465-3265. SCR21 Bill Tracking: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=SCR%2021&session=25 Thursday, April 3, 2008--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marine Refrigeration Safety, Maintenance & Troubleshooting Workshop When: Monday April 21, 2008 Where: Ocean Beauty Cookhouse, Cordova Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Instructor: Doug Short, Integrated Marine Services Cost: $25 per person; space is limited Registration Deadline: April 15 Contact: Torie Baker, Marine Advisory Program office, Cordova 907.424.7542 for more information.			January 15, 2009 CDFU Scholarship Application January 14, 2009 Request for bids for buoy contract January 14, 2009 Results of 2008 BOF Meeting August 26 , 2008 CDFU Update July 25 , 2008 Board of Fisheries Proposals July 24 , 2008 CDFU Dues July 16 , 2008 Alaska Boating Fuel Efficiency Resources July 8 , 2008 CDFU Board Nominations April 29, 2008 Cordova Marine Safety Day April 14, 2008 Legislative Updates April 11, 2008 Senate passed SCR21 - House vote today April 7, 2008 Letters needed for SCR21 April 4, 2008 UPDATED Action Alert April 4, 2008 Action Alert April 3, 2008 Marine Refrigeration Safety, Maintenance & Troubleshooting Workshop