Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association

Together with GreenWave, the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Blue Evolution, OceansAlaska, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) is hosting the February 2020 Alaska Seaweed Farm Start Up Training Program to help fishermen diversify their business, as well as to support coastal communities and healthy fisheries. 

ALFA is an alliance of small boat commercial fishermen committed to sustainable fisheries and thriving coastal communities. Originally formed to secure sustainable access to halibut, sablefish, and rockfish stocks for longline fishermen, ALFA has since expanded to represent fishermen using multiple gear types and species. 

ALFA participates in collaborative, science-based research projects, provides training opportunities for beginner fishermen and on the water, paid apprenticeships for greenhorn crew members, and runs Alaska’s first Community Supported Fishery program, which distributes seafood shares caught hook-and-line by their member fishermen to subscribers in Sitka, Juneau, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Seattle. Twice a year, ALFA hosts Fishermen Expos that feature free classes open to the public spanning a range of topics including business administration, mariculture, data collection, and hands-on, on-vessel training. 

For ALFA, co-hosting the 2020 training series is an opportunity to expand their training offerings to include seaweed mariculture. In addition to providing fish habitats and improving water quality, “seaweed mariculture is important in Alaska because it is a fast growing industry world wide, so it’ll provide more job opportunities and other sources of income for fishermen, especially in the ‘off season’,” the ALFA Communications and Program Development Coordinator Tara Racine explains. “Seaweed is already part of Alaskan culture, tradition, and food so it will improve food security and local food access for Alaskans.”

“Many ALFA programs, especially the Young Fishermen’s Initiative, focus on providing opportunities, tools, and support for the new generation of fishermen,” says Tara. The Alaska Seaweed Farm Start Up Training is an important opportunity for ALFA and GreenWave, whose programs and priorities closely align, to collaborate and exchange expertise. 

GreenWave is eager to work with ALFA to activate the regenerative ocean farming industry in Alaska. “With knowledge of the water, waterfront, and access to a boat and adaptable equipment, there are a lot of opportunities for more Alaskan fishermen to become involved,” adds Tara. ALFA hopes that this training series will establish a strong foundation for thriving clusters of small-scale, regenerative ocean farms in southeastern Alaska, inspire rural coastal communities to get involved, and build resilient waterfronts.