Tag: alfa

Commercial longline fishermen in Southeast Alaska are planning a free day of educational workshops and training on April 24, aimed at boosting knowledge about harvesting seafood for new and veteran fishermen, as well as others interested in the fishing sector. The hybrid expo is presented annually by the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT). The event is part of an effort by ALFA and ASFT to provide resources and educational opportunities for seafood harvesters, especially those just starting out in the industry. Attendees have the option of attending in person in Sitka or virtually via Zoom. Commercial and subsistence fishermen of all gear types will be able to participate in interactive classes on: Southeast Alaska ...

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, ...

Workshops and training on topics ranging from updates on fuel efficiency and hybrid engine projects to Alaska marine safety are on tap for the Fall Hybrid Fishermen’s EXPO in Sitka on Nov. 15. The free event, taking place at Sitka’s Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association’s conference room, is sponsored by the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), with additional funds from the City and Borough of Sitka, the Edgerton Foundation and the OneUSDA Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy initiative. Attendees are invited to participate in various sessions, including the possible start-up of a Regional Seafood Development Association in Southeast Alaska, Nobeltec TIMEZERO updates to cartography and bathy and Natio...

A group of commercial, sport and subsistence fishing entities are taking issue with a decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) to postpone setting limits on chum salmon bycatch and reducing seafloor damage caused by midwater trawl gear. Their concerns were summarized in a statement issued Oct. 12 by the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), SalmonState, DeepStrike Sportfishing and the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association. During its October meeting in Anchorage from Oct. 2-10, the council approved analysis of additional management measures to minimize chum salmon bycatch. The council acknowledged that about  99% of the chum salmon encountered as bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery are encountered ...

A $700,000 Department of Energy (DOE) award announced on Oct. 3 is expected to allow the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) in Sitka to move forward with its long-term plan of energy transition in the small boat fishing and mariculture industries. The ALFA BETA (Boat Energy Transition Accelerator) project aligns with ALFA’s mission to address climate change and decarbonize the seafood industry. “With generous support from DOE, ALFA is poised to play a leading role in revolutionizing energy usage within the small boat commercial fishing sector,” ALFA Executive Director Linda Behnken said. “This project will allow us to pilot test hybrid and full electric propulsion in small boat fishing and mariculture operations,” she continued. “We will build on our work with the ...

Harvesters with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) are collaborating with the federal Energy Department’s Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project to test the future of energy-efficient low emissions fishing vessels powered by battery-electric motors. Plans are, this fall, for a 46-foot commercial fishing boat, the I Gotta, to cruise into the waters of Sitka, cut its diesel engine and turn on a low-and zero-emissions propulsion system, becoming one of the first low-emissions fishing vessels ever deployed in Alaska. Officials with the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo. announced Aug. 22 that when using a unique parallel hybrid battery-diesel system, the boat can travel at full speed using its diesel engine, the...

Subsistence salmon gathered by Dillingham, Alaska area residents in advance of the Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery are sharing over 5,000 pounds of their catch with families along the Yukon River and Chignik area that are unable to fish in 2023 because of low run returns. Plans are for Grant Aviation to fly the whole, cleaned and frozen fish in August to Alakanuk, Pitkas Point, Saint Mary’s, Chignik Lagoon and Chignik Bay. Some fish will also be used by the Yukon River Drainage Fishermen’s Association Educational Exchange program where several youth will travel to communities on the Yukon and share their experiences with salmon. The salmon donation project is a collaborative effort of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association’s (ALFA) Seafood Distribution Network, plus No...

Bipartisan legislation reintroduced in the U.S. Senate to establish national standards for offshore aquaculture is drawing criticism from a group of fishermen, coastal communities and others concerned about potential adverse impact on factory fish farms on wild fish. The Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act, reintroduced on June 7 by Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), would designate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the lead federal agency for marine aquaculture and direct NOAA to establish a permitting system for offshore aquaculture for farms in federal waters. AQUAA would also direct NOAA to lead a research and development grant program to spur innovation in the aquaculture industry. ...

A seafood program delivering monthly shares to buyers throughout Alaska and the Seattle area is off and running for the 14th year, with profits going directly to affiliated programs benefitting fishery conservation, community health and resilience efforts. This year, Alaskans Own is again offering customers the option of choosing their shares in a variety package, salmon or white fish, all of which feature hook-and-line caught wild Alaska seafood harvested by Southeast Alaska’s troll and longline fishermen. To date, the program, created by the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), has helped deliver more than 650,000 donated seafood meals to more than 100,000 families, according to ALFA. It also has given longline fishermen some certainty that they have a market before headin...

A collaborative effort of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) has brought thousands of pounds of sockeye salmon to communities in the Chignik and Yukon River regions of Alaska banned from fishing because of low salmon runs. “It was really important to us that we expand our salmon distributions to the Yukon where they are facing a true food security crisis due in part to climate change’s impacts on our marine ecosystem and the health of our wild salmon runs,” said Linda Behnken, a veteran commercial harvester who’s the executive director of ALFA and president of the ASFT board. “We recognize that this summer’s salmon donations are a band-aid at best and that we ultimately need to address the underlying causes of these de...