"It was by working together that we got wild and farmed seafood differentiated in the Country of Origin Labeling bill," he said. "That's made a big difference in the marketplace for our wild salmon. Without them, it wouldn't have happened. That binds us together and we're here to help them out."

Vinsel and McAllister said they were disappointed because of such scant coverage by major media organizations on the devastation of the region's fishing industry.

"It reflects the bigger problem of a lack of awareness by the public who think their food comes from the supermarket," McAllister said. "They don't make the connection that people have to get out there and sweat and sometimes risk their lives for pennies on the dollar for the food they are eating. This is what binds us together."

Another Fish Aid concert is being organized for November's Fish Expo in Seattle, and other Alaska communities are challenged to put on similar events.

Crab boost

Bering Sea crabbers will enjoy bigger harvests of both Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab. Earlier speculation that numbers for red kings might be down proved to be unfounded, and the catch will be higher than expected, at 18.3 million pounds, an increase of 25 percent over last year.

For snow crab, the harvest is set at just more than 37 million pounds, a 61 percent increase over the 23 million pounds taken last season. And for the first time since 1997, Bering Sea crabbers can drop pots for bairdi Tanner crab. Those stocks have rebounded enough to allow a small harvest of just more than a million pounds in waters west of 166 degrees.

All three crab fisheries will open Oct. 15, a big difference for snow crab, which traditionally has kicked off in mid-January. And under the new management plan that gives shares of the catch to participants, crabbers can drop pots at their leisure, as the seasons can remain open through May. Compare that to the red king crab fishery last year in which a fleet of nearly 250 boats took the 15 million-pound quota in 80 hours. There will be far fewer boats out on the water this go around.

"I expect there will be about 100 boats actively participating," said Kale Garcia, president of the Crab Group, which represents independent harvesters.

The Bering Sea crab fisheries last year were valued at $122 million at the docks.

Crabbers in Southeast Alaska will also be back out on the water for red kings after a controversial closure last year. They will compete for a catch of 200,000 pounds when the fishery opens Nov. 1, worth an estimated $1 million to the region.

Seaweed fights fat, adds fiber

You could enjoy junk food without getting fat - thanks to seaweed. Seafood.com reports that British researchers at Newcastle University have discovered that fast foods high in fats and calories could be made much healthier by adding an extract from seaweed called alginate.

Alginate is already in wide use by the food industry as a gelling agent and to thicken the frothy head of premium beers. The scientists claim the all natural product could be added to popular fast foods or snack foods of all kinds and people wouldn't know the difference.

The British researchers tested two brown-colored seaweeds - lessonia and laminaria - found in the Far East, South America and in parts of Norway and Scotland. In their labs, researchers processed seaweed into alginate, a tasteless, odorless off-white-colored powder that is high in fiber.

It's well-known that fiber helps reduce the risks of many life-threatening illnesses, but most people don't get enough of it in their daily diets.

The scientists say that since it is so difficult to change people's eating habits, an easier course would be to improve the foods they eat. Some of the fats could be removed from burgers, for example, and replaced with the seaweed extract. It could also be added to any number of products, such as pies, cakes, creams and yogurts. They claim that alginate could quadruple the amount of fiber in one of the most widely eaten foods - white bread. The findings of the alginate study are published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.