Today's Main Stories: California officials held a meeting with stakeholders to discuss the dire state of West Coast salmon fisheries, which may lead to a total closure in California. The Pacific Council will take up options next week. Meanwhile, politicians are already beginning to call for aid packages. So far it is not clear how this will impact Washington and Oregon, but obviously the further south, the greater the likelihood of restrictions. Another worry is that more effort will spill over on rockfish, which is slowly rebuilding.

In other news, Maine Lobstermen get some high class help from a major washington law firm that has agreed to sue NMFS on their behalf over the sink-rope issue.

We wrap up our reports on the pollock roe auctions in Seattle last week with the final sales -- about 5,000 tons were offered, to generally rising prices. Pollock roe buyers are now focusing on Busan, where the first Russian roe auction may take place as early as next week. The final Seattle auction will also likely be held before the end of March.

Speaking at the North Atlantic Fisheries Forum, the Icelandic Fisheries minister blasted the WWF as being intolerable, for their efforts to scare customers about cod. He gave a run down of stock status in Iceland, and said that the country had been successfully managing for the principle of sustainability for more than 20 years, and that he did not like this record being distorted in the marketplace.

In Louisiana, crawfish farmers, alarmed over a rapid price drop, have gone to the state attorney general alleging price fixing on the part of buyers. They have also agreed to halt harvests for 2 days a week to reduce oversupply. Buyers say the drop is a normal seasonal occurrence, and not the result of any collusion.

Ô'Variability'' is likely to become an increasing feature of wild fisheries as climate change accelerates. NOAA has a new study that warmer temperatures are leading to increasing ocean stratification, and that less mixing is creating more biological deserts, where almost no marine life is present. Our other stories today, about Icelandic cod and West Coast salmon, are both driven by environmental changes as well. This is something that the seafood industry will have to come to terms with as supply disruptions driven by changing environmental conditions may become more frequent.

Readers know that we pay a lot of attention to news from Alaska since it is the breadbasket for American seafood. Today, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she is seven months pregnant, and will give birth to her fifth child in May. This is the second time a female governor has given birth while in office. Her motherhood is likely to increase her already high levels of popularity.