Fisheries Enhancement
Dear Editor: Last week, the city Assembly awarded the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association $10,000 from the Sitka Fisheries Enhancement Fund. ALFA applied to the fund after carefully reading the defining legislation and determining that our work, which directly enhances Sitka’s fisheries, was a good fit. While some Assembly members maintain that “enhancement” should be narrowly defined as hatchery production only, others recognize that the Assembly has latitude to interpret enhancement to include ALFA’s innovative programs. On behalf of our 120 members and their families, we thank the Assembly for their support and would like to take this opportunity to briefly update the community on ALFA’s past and current work.
ALFA was founded in 1978 to develop and promote Alaska’s fisheries. ALFA’s first focus was on ending foreign overfishing and promoting rebuilding of rockfish and blackcod stocks. Following that successful initiative, ALFA launched a campaign to close the waters off Southeast Alaska to trawling. That successful campaign, which took six years, has “enhanced” Sitka’s fisheries far more than any other fisheries policy or non-policy action before or since. ALFA also played a lead role in developing and securing the Sitka Local Area Management Plan, which prioritizes resident access to halibut in the near-town area.
ALFA’s current policy focus is on successful reauthorization of the Sustainable Fisheries provisions in the Magnuson Stevens Act. These provisions require rebuilding of overfished stocks, bycatch reduction, and fisheries habitat protection. We are also working to improve MSA provisions for community-based fishermen and the working waterfront.
Closer to home, in 2009, ALFA formed a Fishery Conservation Network to address resource issues and improve the best fishing practices of our own fleet. Our members have worked together to map seafloor habitat, identify rockfish bycatch “hot spots” (to avoid overharvesting these long-lived species), and developed an at-sea, electronic monitoring program for small, community based vessels that cannot accommodate the human observers required by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Members work with biologists from Scripps, the University of Alaska and the Sitka Sound Science Center to minimize marine mammal depredation, and with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation to develop techniques to improve fuel efficiency. Each year, ALFA also hosts public meetings open to all of Sitka’s diverse fishing community to meet with scientist and managers from ADF&G, NOAA, and the IPHC to learn about the status of our fishery resources, and discuss how to best promote sustainable fisheries and thriving fishing communities.
ALFA’s most recent initiative focuses on assisting young fishermen with accessing Alaska’s fisheries. We offer training programs for young and emerging fishermen, a deckhand apprentice program, and, with our partners at the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, an innovative financing program to lower the risks and costs of getting started in Alaska’s fisheries. As one city Assembly member said: “you can’t have fisheries without fishermen.” Engaging young Sitka residents in local fisheries is an important investment in Sitka’s future, and we are working hard in myriad ways to realize that investment.
ALFA is a Sitka-based organization with a state and national impact. In 2016, I was recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change for Sustainable Seafood. This national recognition belongs to ALFA’s membership and staff – they are an inspiring, innovative, and committed group of people. Their commitment, and the mission of our organization, is to promote sustainable fisheries and thriving fishing communities—in short, to enhance Alaska’s fishing future in general and Sitka’s in particular. We share that goal with Sitka City Assembly and greatly appreciate the Assembly’s support of ALFA’s innovative young fishermen programs.
Linda Behnken, Sitka
Duck Race Winners
Dear Editor: The 2017 Great Sitka Duck Race. A total of 2,942 of our 3,000 tickets were sold in our first year of fielding 3,000 Sitka ducks. Thanks to our Sitka Rotarians for all of their herculean efforts, along with many friends, Deputy Duck Agents and others to make this duck race a success.
Since we added ducks, we also doubled the number of prizes to be fair to our Sitka Duck adopters. The results are posted below. Since we fell $580 short of hitting our goal and we have many worthy projects, programs and collaborations to fund, we will be unveiling something new to the Sitka Duck Race at the end of this month to hopefully make up for the shortfall. Watch for more news to follow.
Thank all of YOU who sold tickets, bought tickets and facilitated the involvement of others. YOU make this all worthwhile.
The 2017 Great Sitka Duck Race results:
First place, number 1,623, Grace Brooks, pair of Alaska Airlines tickets;
second, 1,128, Rebecca Osborn, $500; third, 259, Kendra Pountney, $250; random, 2,405, Tyler Eddy, $100; 952 Sandy Kincheloe, $100; 142, Kari Lundgren, $100; 2,436, John Rouse, $100; 1,763, Ce Higley, $100; 326, Rick Philbrick, $100; 2,322, Chip Lewin, $100; 327, Shannon Reid, $100; 2,488, Ray and Elle Pollock, $100; 2,335, Owen Kindig, $100; 792, Ed Mertz, $100; 1,409, Colleen Dahlquist, $100; 1,291, Beth Smith, $100; 211, Eric Smith, $100; 268, Craig Shoemaker, $100; 1,509, Karen Zdonzyk, $100; and last place, 816, Woody Widmark $100.
Sitka Rotary Club
