OUR STORY
Doing good for the greater good is at the heart of Alaskans Own and who we are.
Founded in 2010 by a group of commercial fishermen in Sitka, the Alaskans Own Community Supported Fishery (CSF) was created to help make Alaska seafood more accessible to Alaskans while also helping Alaska fishermen make a fair wage. In addition, Alaskans Own’s founders wanted their seafood sales to generate funding for the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association’s fishery conservation projects. In other words, they wanted Alaskans Own to benefit the wild fish and marine ecosystems that make Alaska’s fisheries possible.
Over the years, Alaskans Own has been a leader in the sustainable seafood movement, promoting small-boat fishing families and educating seafood buyers about the benefits of buying frozen fish. We’ve also helped address food security issues throughout Alaska and the Northwest, delivering more than 600,000 donated Alaska seafood meals in 2020. Alaskans Own’s founder and director, Linda Behnken, has been recognized with multiple awards for her leadership and contributions to fishery conservation, including:
- White House Sustainable Seafood Champion of Change Award (2016)
- Lowell Thomas Jr. Award for Outstanding Achievement (2019)
- Heinz Award for the Environment (2020)
Today, Alaskans Own remains a program of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association - a non-profit organization - and 100% of Alaskans Own’s seafood sales goes towards projects that support conservation of Alaska’s fisheries, create equitable fishery access, and provide healthy seafood to communities in need. More than 10 years later, Alaskans Own remains committed to providing Alaska’s wild, sustainable seafood to families like yours and being a steward of Alaska’s wild fisheries for future generations.Â