Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association Seeks Applications for Crew Training Program
A fishing crew training program in Sitka, Alaska is accepting applications through March 31 to teach the next generation of young people interested in a career in commercial fisheries.
Since 2015, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and its partner, the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), have trained more than 100 apprentices and placed them on fishing vessels in Southeast Alaska.
The program is an effort to attract younger entrants into an industry where the average fishermen’s age in Alaska is now over 50.
The program was formalized as part of ALFA’s Young Fishermen Initiative in 2015. In 2017, ALFA was granted funds to get more boots on deck statewide.
Over several years, one of the skipper participants, ALFA Member Eric Jordan of the f/v I Gotta, ...