They know that instead of cramming so much salmon into cans, the lowest valued product form, the answer lies in a much worthier product -- boneless/skinless salmon fillets. It's what today's customers want, and it's how the farmed competition is displayed on retail shelves all around the world.

Figures show that the number of fishing vessels licensed to operate as catcher/sellers grew from 528 last year to 706 today, a 34 percent increase. A good example of this "empowering" trend is occurring in Valdez, where fishermen will soon be able to custom process their catches on their own time. They will also be trained as processors and direct marketers, for free.

The opportunity comes from a $430,000 grant garnered by the Valdez Fisheries Development Association, a salmon hatchery and from the Economic Development Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The association has 18 months to get the project up and running.

The money will be used to equip a vacant warehouse with fillet machines, ice, a smoker, blast freezers, vacuum sealers and other processing gear. Up to 100,000 pounds of cold storage capacity will be made available locally and in Anchorage to hold product.

"Fishermen can add value to their catch on their own schedule," said the association's business manager, Dave Cobb.

Cobb said the impetus for the program came from halibut and black cod fishermen, who had no local buyer when those fisheries open in mid-March. They would be forced to truck the fish to Anchorage or Fairbanks, or find someone else to sell it. Catch figures show only 109,000 pounds of halibut was delivered to Valdez during the eight-month fishery, and only 87,000 pounds of black cod.

Cobb said fishermen may bring in salmon or any other any species they want to custom process and market. Because "quality is job one," Cobb said a training component has been built into the project. In association with Valdez Community College, "The first hundred people who sign up will be trained and certified as processors, which is something that's not really out there yet," Cobb said.

A second training program will include marketing and business plan development. "It gives the fishermen a chance to take control of what he's doing," Cobb said. "He owns the fish when they come out of the water until he sells them. By putting their own sweat equity into the process, they directly benefit."

Cobb calls the pilot project a "golden opportunity" that could be developed in any coastal community. "Fishermen have an opportunity to receive a higher price, and it gives a quality product to the public. Here in Valdez you can't even buy a good piece of smoked salmon, and tourists are always asking for it. We believe we have an obligation to help enhance the fisheries and fishermen in our region. We're excited about it."

Big boost for black cod

Alaska longliners lucky enough to hold shares of pricey black cod, or sablefish, will enjoy a big boost in catches next year. The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council approved a 21 percent increase in the 2003 catch to nearly 46 million pounds. "In the past, the stocks have been classified as low and stable. Now they are moderate and in much better condition," federal biologist Mike Sigler told KFSK/Petersburg. He said the black cod abundance stems from strong year classes in 1995 and 1997 that are now entering the commercial fishery.

Bering Sea longliners get a 50 percent catch increase, the Gulf gets 16 percent more overall, and Southeast harvests were boosted by 11 percent, reversing a ten-year decline.

Nearly all of Alaska's black cod goes to Japan where demand has remained strong all year. Dock prices edged up to nearly $4 per pound at the end of the eight-month fishery in mid-November. Black cod is usually worth more than $80 million to Alaska fishermen each year.

Halibut fees due

Fishermen who hold shares of Alaska halibut are assessed an annual fee to pay for the management and enforcement of their fishery. The 2002 Cost Recovery percentage was set at 2 percent of the ex-vessel, or dockside, value of the harvests. Bills were mailed to individual fishing quota permit holders on Nov. 25 and payments are due by Jan. 31.

Back on buyback track

The feds have filed a proposed rule for a fishing capacity buyback program for Bering Sea/Aleutian Island king and Tanner crab. If the buyback flies, the National Marine Fisheries Service would finance the $100 million tab with a 30-year loan to be repaid by those remaining in the crab fisheries. Comments on the proposed buyback plan are due to the agency by Jan. 27.

Roe herring watch

Numbers are starting to trickle in for next year's roe herring fisheries. The season opened with the start of the San Francisco fishery this month, which continues into January. Only gill net operations are allowed this year. The fleet has a 3,652 ton quota, down about 19 percent from the 2002 season. The San Francisco quota is distributed on an Individual Vessel Quota basis, and each vessel will receive an allocation of 7.7 tons this year.

British Columbia has a slightly higher 2003 catch quota of 27,800 tons. The only Alaska catch guideline announced so far is at Sitka Sound, with a quota of 8,058 tons, a 27 percent drop. Virtually all of North America's roe herring goes to Japan, where buyers generally expect the overall supply to be about the same as this year.

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