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Fall Hybrid Fishermen’s EXPO Offers Free Workshops, Training in Sitka

1Nov

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Fall Hybrid Fishermen’s EXPO Offers Free Workshops, Training in Sitka

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...

SeaBank Report Quantifies Economic Importance of Fisheries to Southeast Alaska

A new economic report issued in early May by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) in Sitka underscores the importance of coastal ecosystems, fisheries, forests, waterways and wildlife to the economy of Southeast Alaska. The report focuses on recent research related to climate change impacts on Southeast Alaska, including projections for much warmer temperatures under different greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, and identifies mitigation measures that would prove helpful in protecting the SeaBank’s green and blue carbon. The term “SeaBank” was coined by ASFT to describe Southeast Alaska’s diverse coastline, stretching 500 miles from Metlakatla to Yakutat, an interconnecting network of land, water, vegetation, wildlife, resources, economies and culture. ASFT launched the SeaBa...

Bristol Bay Sockeyes Delivered to Communities Where Fishing Was Banned

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...