Last week, Nigel Stacey and Joe Stacey, partners at Stacey and Jacobsen, PLLC, were honored to serve as judges for the esteemed 31st Annual Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition. This annual competition hosted 32 law school teams from across the country to deliver arguments on issues pertaining to maritime law. The event honors Judge John R. Brown, renowned for his service as a distinguished admiralty judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Other volunteers in this competition have included federal judges, prominent members of the maritime bar, presid ..read more

Peter Pan Seafood’s future has been uncertain since January when the company disclosed plans to shutter its King Cove facility for the winter fishing seasons of cod, whitefish, and crab. Today, the company has officially announced it will “suspend operations at its processing facilities, ceasing both summer and winter production cycles indefinitely.” The cessation of operations follows shortly after Peter Pan finalized an agreement with Silver Bay Seafoods. Silver Bay has officially acquired Peter Pan’s Valdez processing plant and will oversee the operations of Peter Pan’s facilities in Port M ..read more

Stacey and Jacobsen, PLLC is pleased to announce that Senate Bill 93 sailed through the Alaska House with a resounding 39-1 majority, with only Representative David Eastman, R-Wasilla, in opposition. This legislation, championed by the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee and several other organizations, raises the caps on compensation from the Alaska Fisherman’s Fund for injuries and illness sustained by commercial fishermen. Its passage strengthens the assurance that medical expenses from fishing-related accidents are better addressed for crew members. “I think it’s crucial that we support ha ..read more

On Thursday March 28th, 2024, a fisherman lost his life in a fishing boat accident off Point Reyes, California. The incident was reported at approximately 4:30 p.m. prompting a response from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Helicopter Unit, known as Henry-1. The vessel involved was identified as the F/V WESTERLY, a Dungeness crab fishing boat that crashed onto the rocks near Chimney Rock. Reports indicated that the boat was lodged on the rocks, battered by waves that forced it onto its side. The damaged vessel began sinking. A rescue swimmer from the U.S. Coast Guard was dispatched and found ..read more

Cooke Aquaculture Pacific has decided to withdraw its appeal against the cancelation of its net pen leases at Rich Passage and Hope Island. The move was announced by Washington state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on March 15th, 2024. Hilary Franz, the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, announced the dismissal of the appeal, emphasizing that state residents should mark this day as the definitive conclusion to hazardous and harmful net pens in the region. “Cooke Aquaculture has finally realized that its fight to continue to put our waters and salmon at risk was futile. And a ..read more

A federal agency has decided not to proceed with a controversial bottom-trawling experiment that was planned this year for the Northern Bering Sea. Tribal and environmental groups, prepared to take legal action to stop the project, are welcoming the decision. The Northern Bering Sea Effects of Trawling Study (NETS) aims to investigate the consequences of commercial bottom trawling, a fishing technique utilizing nets to sweep the seafloor, in an area of the Bering Sea where it is presently prohibited. Despite the ban on bottom trawling in the Northern Bering Sea, the study anticipates that chan ..read more

On Tuesday February 14th, 2024, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make a significant purchase of Alaska salmon and pollock in support of food and nutrition initiatives. The ASMI stated that the purchase of seafood aims to support people experiencing food insecurity as well as school lunch programs. These purchases are being made possible through Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935. This program assists U.S. agricultural food markets by purchasing commodities to relieve market surpluses, which in turn st ..read more

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has completed an inquiry into the 2022 sinking of the F/V HOTSPUR near Prince of Wales Island. The report concludes that an unnoticed leak in an unoccupied area likely caused the vessel to lose stability, capsize, and sink near Nunez Rocks. Bilge alarms failed to sound or alert crew members that there was flooding below deck, which led to the capsizing of the 53-foot purse seiner. On August 2, 2022, at about 7:35 PM, the captain and senior deckhand saw that the F/V HOTSPUR was listing to the port side while crossing the Clarence Strait. The capta ..read more

On Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, a fire broke out at the Peter Pan Seafood facility in Sand Point, Alaska. According to Edith Mejia, who serves as both the office manager and dispatcher for the police department, the fire likely began sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. According to a press release issued by Peter Pan Seafood, both the warehouse and the nearby stockroom were affected by the fire. The company reported that there were no known injuries ..read more

On Wednesday, January 31st, 2024, OBI Seafoods verified that the Larsen Bay facility on Kodiak Island will remain closed for the 2024 salmon season. John Hanrahan, the CEO of OBI Seafoods, stated that operations will cease at the Larsen Bay plant due to the “poor pink salmon forecast” from Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) as well as challenging market conditions for salmon products. In November 2023, John Hanrahan was promoted to CEO from his previous position as Chief Operating Officer overseeing sales and marketing. He succeeded Mark Palmer after his retirement. OBI Seafoods ..read more