Copper River Marketing Association Blog Copper River Marketing Association Blog: 2009-09-30T17:51:44Z Copyright (c) 2009, site admin ExpressionEngine tag:copperrivermarketing.org,2009:09:24 Copper River season reaches an end tag:copperrivermarketing.org,2009:index.php/members/blog/1.91 2009-09-24T23:46:43Z 2009-09-30T17:51:44Z site admin beth@copperrivermarketing.org Fall is definitely here - the days are shorter, colder and there was even a dusting of snow on the tops of mountains today. Fishing is technically still open, but the buying is all but over - bringing an end to the 2009 season. As fishermen bag their nets and put their boats away for winter, we’re taking some time to evaluate our programs from this year and look ahead to next year’s projects.

In the end, it was a busy season for us as it was for our fishermen - we welcomed the setnet fleet into the association, passed out sanitizer to the fleet, launched the Prince William Sound ice barge, hosted a media tour in July and wrapped up the season with a mass mailing to retailers and food service establishments promoting Copper River cohos - the last great salmon of the season! 

We’re in the midst of a board of directors election, with two drift gillnet seats and one set gillnet seat open. Ballots are in the mail and need to be postmarked by October 18th. Have a safe and happy winter - we’ll be looking for you next spring!

]]> Spring Update tag:copperrivermarketing.org,2009:index.php/members/blog/1.88 2009-04-29T20:45:13Z 2009-04-29T20:29:14Z site admin beth@copperrivermarketing.org The last week has been sunny in Cordova and the snow is melting fast. Many fishermen are getting their boats fired up and in the water in anticipation of a first opener on Thursday, May 14. Glenn Hollowell with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game has stated that there will be a 12 hour opener on the 14th and most likely another opener on Monday the 18th. This is always such an exciting time in Cordova with all the activity around town with old friends returning and new boats arriving.

The Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association has had a busy winter, some of the highlights include:

  • Launching new logos for Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon as well as a new branding effort for PWS sockeye at the International Boston Seafood Show. We have had a great response to the logos - take a look at http://www.copperriversalmon.org and http://www.soundsalmon.org.
  • Finalizing the plan to stage an ice delivery and net storage barge in Main Bay this season. Four of our processors have agreed to provide ice for the barge which will make it available for tenders and fishermen.
  • The addition of the setnet permit holders to the Marketing Association. The setnetters voted to join the association and assess themselves a 1% seafood development tax. We will add a designated setnet seat to the Board of Directors in the fall.
  • Continuation of our ongoing efforts to improve quality by giving a free sample to all members of PureTech’s highly regarded sanitizing agent. The bottles of sanitizer and brochure explaining the benefits and uses will be available at our annual meeting later in May and at the processor picnics before the first opener.

Good fishing!
Thea Thomas
CR/PWS Marketing Association President

Some dates to remember:
April 29-May 5 Spring SERVs Drill
May 6 Salmon Harvest Task Force meeting
May 14 First opener

 

]]> Mid-Winter Update tag:copperrivermarketing.org,2009:index.php/members/blog/1.66 2009-02-19T20:32:16Z 2009-03-13T18:21:17Z site admin beth@copperrivermarketing.org It’s February, the harbor floats are covered in snow and at first glance, it looks like Cordova’s fishing industry is in deep hibernation. Look a little closer and you’ll find that this is far from the truth. Just as you might be starting to think about spring projects that need to be completed - we’ve been working all winter to make sure that we’re ready to welcome the first Copper River king salmon in May. 

I’m going to try to update this blog every two weeks leading up to the start of the Copper River season, focusing on a specific project we’re working on each time. In the forefront of our mind at the moment is the International Boston Seafood Show - held in Boston on March 14-17. We’ll be hosting a booth for the first time this year, showcasing Copper River salmon as well as introducing Prince William Sound sockeye into the marketplace.

Thea and I will be traveling to Boston next month to staff the both and make connections with seafood industry distributers, buyers and consumers. The booth is coming together, we’ll be launching two new websites next month (www.copperriversalmon.org and www.soundsalmon.org - stay tuned for updates on that) and we’ll be handing out information about our fishery and individual Copper River salmon spice packs to booth visitors to take home and cook up some of Alaska’s finest wild salmon.

If you happen to be in Boston during these dates we hope you’ll stop by and see us!

]]> Heading into Winter… tag:copperrivermarketing.org,2008:index.php/members/blog/1.65 2008-11-11T23:32:00Z 2008-12-02T00:17:59Z site admin beth@copperrivermarketing.org Cordova is really slowing down these days. The harbor is nearly empty and the street lights hardly turn off with gray skies and shortening days. We’re busy as ever at the Marketing Association, planning big things for 2009 and farther on into the future. Some of the exciting projects that you’ll want to know about include full branding of both the Copper River and Prince William Sound fisheries. We’ll be going to the Boston Seafood Show in March to unveil the brands and be a presence for our regional fisheries.

Prince William Sound was a huge player in the 2008 season and we want to make sure that we are dedicating a portion of our budget toward supporting programs for the Sound. The branding strategy is one piece, along with further strides we are making with the Ice Barge. Finally, we’ll be conducting an election of the PWS Setnet fleet this winter. The group has expressed interest in joining the Association and assessing a seafood development tax. We’ll be facilitating the election starting in the end of January and should know the results by early April.

This is a great time to get involved and stay informed with what’s happening at the Marketing Association. If you haven’t already, you only have a few more weeks to enter your address for the drawing to win 100 gallons of fuel!

]]> We’re up and running! tag:copperrivermarketing.org,2008:index.php/members/blog/1.2 2008-06-27T20:30:01Z 2008-09-16T19:02:37Z Admin bhildreth@nwstrat.com Welcome! We are pleased to have the new site up and running and hope you haven’t missed us too much during the updating process. Please take a moment to look around the site, we think you’ll find lots of interesting and informative pages about Copper River salmon, our organization and our programs.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please send us an email and let us know what you think, along with any comments, ideas or suggestions you may have.

This blog will be a spot for CR/PWS Marketing Association board members, staff or invited guests to write about topics of particular interest.

Thanks again for visiting - our goal is to update the website on a monthly basis, so stop back often and see what’s new!

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