The opinions, by both NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also conclude the fisheries do not result in adverse modification of the birds' habitat.

The accidental take of sea birds by fishing boats is of global concern, and it is a big issue for Alaska where it's estimated that 10,000-27,000 are hooked by longline vessels each year. The birds dive for the baited hooks and are dragged down with the gear.

For trawlers, sea birds sometimes get caught in the so called "third wire," which is an electronic conduit built into the net that provides a signal between a sonar device and the vessel wheel house. "It's a way of monitoring how the catch is entering the net and how the net is performing under water," explained Bill Wilson, a protected resources spokesman for the USFWS. Birds can be injured by the invisible third wire, or be overtaken by it and dragged under water.

Up to four short-tailed albatross can be taken every two years in the hook-and-line groundfish fisheries off Alaska. These limits are in addition to the incidental takes established in 1998 for the halibut fishery, which is two short-tailed albatrosses in a two-year period.

According to NOAA Fisheries Seabird Coordinator Kim Rivera, if the levels are exceeded in any of these fisheries, fishery managers must immediately meet with the USFWS to review the need for possible modifications, which could range from changing the seabird avoidance requirements to fishery closures. "The exact modifications cannot be predicted at this time," Rivera said.

Several methods to reduce sea bird bycatch have been developed in recent years and appear to be quite successful. For example, paired streamer lines (tori lines) have reduced bird bycatch in Alaska waters by 94-100 percent , and are now a required gear for all longline vessels over 55 feet. The USFWS and NOAA Fisheries provide them free at local gear shops in Alaska fishing communities.

Other successful methods include setting out hooks at night, using "stealth gear" like chutes that deploy hooks underwater, and blue-dyed bait. Many believe that the use of so called IW (integrated weighting) lines is a method that will soon become an industry standard. They're lines with lead cores built in that make them sink faster. "There will undoubtedly be a few major gear manufacturers who will soon produce these lines. It will be one of the biggest steps and everyone will be using it," said longtime fisherman Mark Lundsten of Seattle.

Snow crab harvest cut

The harvest guideline of 20.831 million pounds for the 2004 snow crab fishery is down 12 percent from the 2003 harvest, and is the lowest guideline in nearly 20 years. Of that, 1.562 million is earmarked for the Community Development Quota fisheries, leaving 19.269 million pounds for all others.

Widespread speculation by industry hopefuls had pegged the 2004 catch at 50 million-70 million pounds. But researchers said surveys this summer indicated the total mature snow crab population had decreased 2 percent from one year ago to 306.2 million pounds, the fourth-lowest on record. Last year's total snow crab harvest guideline was 25.6 million pounds. The deadline to register for the 2004 fishery is Dec. 24; the season starts on Jan. 15.

Crab correction

Fish Factor recently stated that the crab fleet last year harvested 9.5 million pounds of Bristol Bay red king crab, exceeding the general quota by one million pounds. In fact, the guideline harvest was topped by about 280,000 pounds.

Fish fight crime

Seen in The London Guardian: "Studies have long confirmed that fish tops the menu as the most nutritional dish around. But this week's astonishing news that giving your children lots of fish could even prevent them from becoming anti-social layabouts keen on a punch-up is further food for thought. According to research from Mauritius, children given lots of fish from the age of three were 64 percent less likely, at the age of 23, to have criminal records than a control group, and 35 percent less likely to have been involved in some criminal activity but not gotten caught.

"The study is controversial in suggesting a link between what you eat and your tendency to commit a crime; but what is universally acknowledged is that fish is as an excellent source of what are called omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are known to improve your cardiovascular system and so reduce heart disease, boost your brain power and maybe even stave off dementia, and protect your joints from the ravages of arthritis.

"Official advice from the government, however, is that to optimize these beneficial effects, you need to eat two portions of fish a week, with at least one being oily fish such as mackerel and salmon. So far, so good: the message is clear that, if you want to look after your health, don't miss the fish counter on your weekly supermarket trawl."

Kodiak-based free-lance writer Laine Welch can be reached via e-mail at msfish@ptialaska.net.