AMCC is excited to be returning to ComFish, Alaska’s largest fishery trade show. ComFish 2016 runs from March 31 – April 2 in Kodiak. See you on the Emerald Isle!
Fish Taco Night
What: Kodiak Jig Seafoods fish tacos
Where: Kodiak Island Brewery
When: Wednesday, March 30 from 4–7 pm
Kick off ComFish right! We’re celebrating Kodiak’s bounty with fish tacos featuring cod harvested by local small boat fishermen. We look forward to this popular event all year. See you at the brewery! $5 suggested donation.
ComFish Forum
What: “Right to Fish: Challenges and Opportunities in Alaska Fishing Access”
When: Thursday, March 31 from 10 am–12 pm
Where: Best Western Kodiak Inn Banquet Room
Join researchers, policymakers and fishermen for an engaging panel discussion about potential solutions for improving local fishing access for Alaskans. This event is free to the public. Complimentary fish chowder will be provided by Monk’s Rock.
Our panel:
Paula Cullenberg, Alaska Sea Grant
Paula is the director of the Alaska Sea Grant program, a partnership between NOAA and UAF that has focused on strong coastal communities and economies and healthy resources in Alaska for over 40 years. Her family are longtime setnetters in Bristol Bay.
Paula will present a summary of recommendations from a recent workshop called, Fisheries Access for Alaska – Charting the Future. More than 100 Alaskans from fishing communities across the state participated and discussed ways to ensure our fisheries continue to support Alaska into the future.
Courtney Carothers, Ph.D., University of Alaska Fairbanks
Courtney is an Associate Professor of Fisheries at UAF. She has been working closely with Kodiak communities for more than 10 years to study questions of access and equity in Alaska’s fisheries.
Courtney will present the initial results from “The Graying of the Fleet and Alaska’s Next Generation of Fishermen,” a research project conducted in Kodiak and Bristol Bay based on more than 130 interviews and 800 surveys with local youth.
Hannah Heimbuch, Alaska Marine Conservation Council
Hannah Heimbuch is a third-generation commercial fisherman from Homer, Alaska. She fishes salmon and halibut in the Gulf of Alaska, and works as the Community Fisheries Organizer for Alaska Marine Conservation Council.
Hannah will discuss the development of The Alaska Young Fishermen’s Network. The network aims to connect and empower young fishermen to become the next generation of fishing leaders in Alaska—in business, policy and stewardship.
Duncan Fields, North Pacific Fishery Management Council
Raised in Kodiak, Duncan and his family have fished salmon in Uyak Bay each summer since 1960. In the early 80’s Duncan attended law school and returned to Kodiak to work for fishermen: first on the Exxon Valdez litigation and then on regulatory issues. He was appointed to the Legislative Salmon task force in 2002, the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board in 2003 and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Board in 2004 and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in 2007 where he still serves.
Duncan will present a conceptual framework and application of Alternative 3 in the Council’s current Gulf of Alaska Trawl Bycatch Management motion.
Full details on ComFish 2016 here.