CSF Sign-up

CSF Newsletters

Docklines May 2011
Docklines June 2011
Docklines July 2011
Docklines August 2011

---

(The links below will take you to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute website in new browser tabs.)

Recipes

Health Benefits

---

Alaskans Own Delivers for Alaska’s Wild Future

Alaska's Wild Future

Healthy family businesses, coastal communities and ocean fisheries— In true
entrepreneurial spirit, approaches mounting threats to Alaska’s wild fisheries and fishing communities as a major opportunity to invest in the sustainable practices of local fishermen. With funding from the programs of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust do so in three distinct, but mutually beneficial, ways.

First, the Trust provides enhanced market opportunities for fishermen committed to sustainable harvesting practices through the brand. Second, the Trust partners with regional fishing groups to form fishery conservation networks to reduce bycatch, protect non-target species and preserve fragile marine habitat. Participating fishermen are leading by example and, in the process, establishing stewardship models for others to adopt.

Finally, the Trust provides affordable financing for residents of Alaska’s coastal communities, assisting entry level fishermen with buying quota shares, the high cost permits required for accessing Alaska’s fisheries. The more sustainable harvesters the Trust finances, the better off coastal communities and wild fisheries will be—for generations to come.

Establishment of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust is Essential

In Alaska, economic forces are undermining the sustainability of marine resources and the coastal fishing communities that depend on them. Limited access systems have increased the cost of entry to most fisheries; management systems favor people with access to capital; residents of remote fishing communities have limited marketing opportunities to sell their catch and face escalating transportation costs; absentee owners serving corporate “bottom lines” threaten family traditions of stewardship and sustainable harvest. Many coastal residents lack the necessary access to capital and the economic sophistication to maintain viable fishing businesses given this complex suite of challenges. As a result, coastal communities face uncertain futures with residents increasingly marginalized from local fisheries and their vital stewardship role.

The Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust will strengthen the health of Alaska fishing communities and marine resources by investing in the ability of community based fishermen employing sustainable harvesting practices to secure viable access to Alaska’s fisheries and to markets that increasingly value their commitment to the
resource.

Our Goals

• Create and support a Fishermen’s Conservation Network to facilitate and enhance the flow of information between scientists, fishermen and managers. This will provide fishermen with tools and incentives to support ecosystem health while sustainably harvesting seafood.
• Educate local and regional consumers about the sources, harvest practices, and conservation measures that local Alaskan community fleets can provide through community supported fisheries (CSF). This will inform of the benefits, such as increased local food security and a reduction of the carbon footprint, provided by obtaining high quality seafood in this manner.
• Mentor members of local fishing fleets and the fisheries sector to promote the intergenerational transfer of fishing access privileges. This will help to ensure fishing opportunities are retained for coastal fishing communities.

The Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust will stand as a model for sustaining resource health, revitalizing coastal economies, and strengthening the role of community based fishermen as stewards of the resource.

Critical to the success of the Trust is the success of . Unlike any other seafood brand, backing Alaskans Own is a compelling, credible story of sustainability told in practical terms connecting product to people, people to people, communities to consumers, and consumers to conservation. It is this ability to weave together the strands of sustainability that sets the Trust and its trademarked brand apart. Together, and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust are committed to providing the very best quality, sustainably harvested seafood for today and tomorrow.

F/V Cherokee

Fishing for a living skipped a generation but the Irish/Newfoundland fishing heritage found its way again in this family through Dick Curran in 1976. Curran grew up in New York, always wanted to go to Alaska for the adventure, finally did, and ended up commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska. He’s drawn to the independent lifestyle, being out on the ocean by yourself, enjoying the wilderness experience and making your own way in life.

The fishing port of Sitka has been his home since 1978. He finds the tight-knit community appealing and the proximity of halibut and black cod fishing grounds, and retailers who support the industry, convenient.

Being so close to where the fish are makes it simple to run short trips, which help him maintain a high-quality catch. His crew goes to great lengths to clean and ice the fish well in the insulated hold. And they fish shorter sets so there are fewer fish to handle. But if they happen to get a lot of fish, they stop hauling and catch up with the cleaning and icing. Curran doesn’t let fish pile up on deck.

“Quality” is what’s foremost in this captain’s mind; less emphasis on production and quantity, and more on taking care of the fish.

F/V Cherokee (290kb PDF file)