Fishermen’s Expo
Dear Editor: Building on the success of past Fishermen’s Expo, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust hosted our third virtual Fishermen’s Expo on Nov. 8 and 9 to provide educational workshops to local fishermen. Due to the COVID pandemic no in person trainings or workshops were available this year, but many participants and presenters from outside of Sitka were able to participate as a result. Thanks to our sponsors, all events were free and open to the public.
ALFA has been providing trainings in the form of our Fishermen’s Expo since 2016. At the Fishermen’s Expos, participants have the opportunity to attend educational forums on a variety of topics. This past exposition event provided workshops and presentations on fuel efficiency and ALFA’s involvement with the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, body ergonomics of fishing, hydraulic requirements for fishing with longline pots, and council issues updates including halibut bycatch and halibut catch sharing plan. Attendees also had the opportunity to attend free and interactive classes on Nobeltec Timezero Pro training, U.S. Coast Guard Top 3 Dockside Deficiencies, climate change and ocean acidification effects on fish stocks, overview of Alaska Sea Grant and ALFA programs available for beginning fishermen, carbon dividends, and forecasts for the sablefish and halibut 2022 markets.
Providing resources and educational opportunities for local fishermen, especially young fishermen, is part of ALFA’s mission. In the future, we hope to build on this successful model with support from the Young Fishermen’s Development Act which was passed by Congress and signed by the President last winter. This act will support similar workshops, trainings, and programs for young fishermen across the country.
On behalf of ALFA and ASFT’s staff and membership, we would like to thank our Fall Virtual Expo sponsors and partners for their generous support: First National Bank Alaska, ALPS Federal Credit Union, Orion Sporting Goods, Hames Corporation, LFS Marine Supplies, Delta Western, Precision Boatworks, AC Lakeside, Guy Cotton, Wildfish Cannery, Daily Sitka Sentinel, and many more!
We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future, and invite anyone who is interested in ALFA’s work to visit our website at alfafish.org. Best,
Natalie Sattler, Program Director, ALFA and ASFT
Linda Behnken, Executive Director, ALFA
Willow Moore, Executive Director, ASFT
COVID Alerts
Dear Editor: I note with interest that our community is popping in and out of “HIGH” alert status like the target in a Whack-A-Mole game. This intrigues me, as I have noted over the last many months folks driving around Sitka in their cars alone fully masked, as have I noted pedestrians hither and yon masked to the bejesus, all in dutiful lockstep to the operant Municipal ordinance 21-032.
Using the “reasonable man” standard, one might wonder in an arithmetic way of there exists an inversely proportional relationship between masking and infection transmission? Just kidding. But consider also that 67.99% of the populace is fully vaccinated, with others, of course, having obtained their immunity through infection and recovery. Still, that pesky alert level keeps kicking up to full rock-n-roll. Perhaps an outside-the-box solution ought be sought?
Perhaps to loose the surly bonds of traditional medicine, and investigate, say, Santeria? We’ve got enough chickens in this town to soak everybody in avian blood thrice-over, and, hey, how hard could those incantations be to learn? And get a couple or three Alcopops down you, and the dance moves’ll be a snap. Somebody call Fauci and Zink TODAY!
Charles Dean, Sitka
Celebrate December
Dear Editor: Let’s celebrate December by greeting each other outside Lakeside or Sea Mart with a smile, wave or song.
Churches may carol, hymn sing and greet shoppers near the Salvation Army Kettle. Choral groups, bands, quartets may serenade shoppers near the kettle with cheer and welcome.
Sign up for an afternoon in December to sing or play an instrument at the Salvation Army Kettle, 747-3358.
I will be singing and chatting on Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m., at Lakeside.
Christy Williams, Sitka
