Alaska Fisheries Board

Archive for January, 2012

With a coal burning plant that was previously on the shores of Lake Erie closing, experts and environmentalists expect Lake Erie’s fish population to jump. The plant is being shut down due to new air pollution rules, and even before these rules were put into place, we knew it was a problem. For years, this plant has ^{sucked billions of gallons of water in each year, killing the large majority of the fish population.} Literally millions of fish have been lost in the past to this one plant.

Environmental groups have been long lobbying to get this plant shut down, saying that the coal production contributed to the decline of species such as the yellow perch and walleye, two important fish that anglers seek specifically in the Midwest. Previously, environmental groups lobbied to force the plant to install new technologies that would protect fishy populations, but plant owners, the Akron based FirstEnergy Corp, did not make the costly changes.

Last week, it was officially announced that FirstEnergy will be shutting down 6 different coal fired plans near the Maumee River by Toledo, which many say will also protect the walleye, another fish species that has been waning because of the methods used.

How Much Damage Does This Really Do?

Experts estimate that the methods previously used by FirstEnergy killed 46 million adult fish and millions more eggs that would have spawned even more fish. According to Sandy Bihn, leader of the Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association, Now these numbers will go way down.

Some activists hope that other similar plants will be closing down in the near future, or preferably changing their ways and investing in safer technology that specifically protects the countless fish who have been sacrificed in the past. However, this is not without cost.

The Cost of Closing the Plants

Because of the FirstEnergy closing, company officials say that 80 people will lose their jobs when all of the coal burning generators at the plant near Toledo are shut down. One non-coal burning generator will remain open. Of course, activists and others would rather see the plant make the necessary modifications for environmental friendliness, nobody wants these 80 people to lose their jobs.

However, FirstEnergy and others have stated that if they were to make these changes, it would cost $100 million and electricity rates would significantly spike. However, for the fishing community, this could be an almost immediate improvement. With the rate at which fish are able to spawn, Charter Captain Dave Spangler thinks that A lot of those fish are primarily bait fish, and there will be many more walleye that can get by during spawning.

It’s not that this kind of incident is that common. Actually, shark attacks are rare occurrences, and most of the time, the shark simply mistakes you for something else like a sea turtle. However, we scare every time we hear about a shark coming into contact with a human.

In this case, two commercial fisherman based in Hawaii thought that they had caught a 300 pound Marlin, which would have been a very profitable catch. However, they weren’t as lucky as they thought. The struggling Marlin left its own scent in the water, attracting a great white shark, who had a much easier time taking in a trapped Marlin.

The great white shark, or at least what was believed to be a great white, circled their boat for an hour off the coast of Hawaii, before they were able to return to shore. Addison Toki and Dominick Gaballo did experience some excitement to be fair, stating Talk about jaws, this is the real deal right here!

Great white sharks, especially around something like a boat, is a rare sight around Hawaii period, especially this time of year. Seeing them is rare, and one actually circling the boat is even more rare. This particular shark took a bite of the propeller, and many veteran fisherman consider this a once in a lifetime experience, if you ever experience it at all.

Obviously, this is a scary concept, especially if the shark decides to take more than a test bite. However, generally speaking, this is not as dangerous as you might think.

Cordova, Alaska, a small fishing town, is now the victim of one of the biggest snowstorms in years. In fact, the National Guard has been employed to help dig people out of their homes buried by avalanches. Cordova, like any other area of Alaska, is used to snow, but not like this.

According to reports from the Guard, more than 18 feet of snow has fallen in the past few weeks, though they do not have an exact measurement at this time. According to officials, “This is more quantity than can be handled.”

At least 3 buildings have collapsed or partially collapsed because of the snow, and six homes are severely stressed by the heavy, wet snow. It has been 3 weeks now of unrelenting snow, leaving some residents staying in shelters and others staying with family members. Some have also been staying with other residents. Cordova spokesman Allen Marquette has also stated that officials are ready to set up a pet shelter.

Mayor Jim Kallander has stated, “We have no alternative but to declare an emergency. It became a life-safety issue.”

There are no roads open to the town, in part because of the heavy snowfall and rain that has made road conditions extremely treacherous. Workers can only get there by boat or plane. No injuries have been reported so far luckily, but bad weather has prevented Guard from even flying in in certain cases.

Over 70 guard were able to get in by Ferry Sunday, and about 50 will clear roofs, boats, roads, and other areas. Officials say that guard will be there for 2 weeks to lend help where they can. This will continue to be an ongoing operation for as long as necessary though.

Today’s classes started later than usual to account for the weather. However, officials have stated that parents need only send students if they are comfortable venturing out into the weather. Most residents seem to be taking other approaches to transportation, walking, skiing, or snowshoeing to get from place to place.