Fuglvog doing his time — in Petersburg!

Arne Fuglvog, the former congressional aide convicted of a federal fisheries violation, is serving his five-month prison sentence at this low-security facility in Petersburg, Va.

That's quite a coincidence, as Fuglvog is from Petersburg, Alaska.

Deckboss hears he reported to prison on March 13.

Fuglvog, 48, is scheduled for release on Aug. 11, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Following up on those geoduck proposals

You might recall our recent post about the state Board of Fisheries considering two proposals to establish "equal shares" for permit holders in the Southeast geoduck clam fishery.

So what happened?

The board, meeting in Petersburg, took no action on the proposals.

Sticky proposals for geoduck fishery

Alaska geoducks — worth a lot of clams. ADF&G photo

The Alaska Board of Fisheries is meeting all this week at the Sons of Norway Hall in Petersburg, and quite a few interesting Southeast shellfish proposals are on the table.

Proposals 183 and 184 strike me as particularly intriguing.

These would revolutionize the fishery for geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck), a giant clam divers collect from the seafloor. Most all of the clams are exported live to China, and can retail for upwards of $20 a pound, says a recent study done for the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association.

The two proposals would convert the geoduck harvest from a weekly competition among divers to a program where each permit holder would be allocated an equal share of the annual Southeast geoduck quota.

The Sitka Geoduck Marketing Association is offering the two proposals, one of which has an added component to disperse divers between desirable and less desirable harvest areas.

Proponents say the proposals would maximize the value of the fishery by allowing divers to focus on product quality rather than speed. They also tout other benefits such as better controlling the flow of product to the market, and reducing pressure on divers to work in poor weather.

However, the most competitive divers might suffer because of a redistribution of harvest share.

And the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says it would have to hire more people to manage an equal shares fishery. It also cites potential for high-grading, where divers might keep only top quality geoducks and discard others, increasing harvest mortality.

Nevertheless, the department is taking a "neutral" stance on the proposals.

Well, Deckboss is sure you've heard all the arguments, pro and con, in past debates over various forms of catch shares.

Certainly, based on the recent trend, an equal share of the Southeast geoduck fishery would be quite lucrative.

The dockside value of the fishery has soared, from an estimated $465,000 for the 2000-01 harvest of 438,334 pounds of geoducks to nearly $5.6 million in 2010-11, when 845,582 pounds were taken.

The state has issued 112 Southeast geoduck permits, but only 69 divers made landings last season, earning an average of $81,000.

Should be quite a meeting in Petersburg.

Commander of Petersburg cutter relieved of duty

From the U.S. Coast Guard:

May 30, 2011

Cutter Anacapa commanding officer temporarily relieved

JUNEAU — Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander, 17th Coast Guard District, and Capt. Melissa Bert, commander, Coast Guard Sector Juneau, today temporarily relieved Lt. Matthias Wholley from his duties as commanding officer of the cutter Anacapa for loss of confidence in the ability to command.

Final determination regarding a permanent removal or resumption of command is made by the commandant of the Coast Guard in Washington, D.C.

Lt. j.g. James Toomey, executive officer of the Anacapa, has assumed temporary command of the cutter.

Wholley will been temporarily reassigned to Coast Guard Sector Juneau in Juneau.

The Anacapa is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Petersburg.

Your chance to chill in Petersburg

Here's a cool opportunity from Alaska Sea Grant:

Sea Grant offers vessel refrigeration workshop for fishermen

PETERSBURG — Top quality Alaska seafood products begins with properly chilling the catch aboard vessels at sea. To help commercial fishermen improve their operation and maintenance of onboard marine refrigeration systems, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program is partnering with Integrated Marine Systems Inc. to offer a one-day workshop Feb. 1 in Petersburg.

The workshop will focus on how to maintain, operate and troubleshoot onboard refrigeration equipment. Additional topics include refrigeration theory, system winterization, controller programming, refrigeration safety and system sizing. Participants will use a marine refrigeration training unit for hands-on activities.

The workshop will be held beginning at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 1 at Petersburg's PFI Cookhouse.

The workshop fee is $150 and includes a course manual. Space is limited and preregistration is required by Jan. 26. Register here.

For questions, contact Sunny Rice at the Petersburg office of the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program: sunny.rice@alaska.edu or (907) 772-3381 or (888) 788-6333.