Alaska’s commercial fishing industry employs more people than any other industry in the state. Yet fewer young people are entering the industry, and resources are scarce to help aspiring crew members succeed, a concern that Alaska Sea Grant has addressed with the development of a new “Crew Class” training program.
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Source: Alaska Sea Grant: New training program for aspiring fishing crew in Western Alaska
Scientific operations will resume on the research vessel Sikuliaq for one week beginning May 4, preserving an unbroken string of 22 years of ecological data collection.
Special permission has been granted for a small team of researchers from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to collect water samples in the northern Gulf of Alaska.
This will mark the first time a vessel in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet has been allowed to engage in research activities since COVID-19 grounded the fleet, which is coordinated by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.
The scientists self-quarantined for two weeks prior to boarding the vessel, and are adhering to health mandates while conducting their research.
Rose Dufour, ship operations program director at the National Science Foundation, said, “NSF recognizes the difficult decision to move forward with science operations in these uncertain times, but we feel UAF has done an excellent job in assessing and mitigating the risks.”
UAF operates the Sikuliaq on behalf of NSF, which owns the vessel.
Source: Sikuliaq to embark on limited research cruise in May – UAF Cornerstone
Strict new rules are now in place for Alaska fishermen and their vessels to protect against and prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the 2020 salmon season.
Effective April 24, Gov. Mike Dunleavy provided 11 pages of mandates that specifically apply to those who have not “agreed to operate under a fleet-wide plan submitted by a company, association or entity” representing them. Among other things, each independent skipper must sign a “Health Mandate Acknowledgement Form” prior to going fishing. They are required to maintain a written or time-stamped electronic log acknowledging they will comply with the mandates, along with a clear description of which protective plan they are enforcing on their vessel.
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Source: Strict new pandemic rules are in place for Alaska fishermen and their vessels – Anchorage Daily News
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski last month toured the University of Alaska Southeast Maritime Training Center, which has been training mariners for more than 30 years, in support of the maritime industry.
The center is located on the water in Ketchikan and includes a welding lab, navigation simulator, and diesel and electronics labs.
Murkowski expressed support for Alaska’s maritime industry when she visited, thanking faculty members for providing “valuable training opportunities for Alaskans,” the university said in a statement.
With more than 70,000 workers in the state’s maritime industry, nearly all Alaskans depend in some way on the maritime economy, the senator said.
The state is highly dependent on shipping for imports of food and other goods, as well as exports for oil, seafood and minerals.
Alaska’s economy is also dependent upon water transportation, bringing visitors on cruise ships, managing ports and harbors, traveling on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, and maintaining the equipment and machinery essential to villages, towns and cities.
Through the Maritime Training Center, students can advance from deckhand to third mate, preparing to handle responsibilities of limited-tonnage vessels and take on duties of an officer or owner.
The Qualified Member of the Engine Department credential offers students additional opportunities to advance in the maritime industry.
Eight scholarship recipients traveled to a fisheries training and networking event in Juneau, where they met with lawmakers, scientists and fisheries officials.
Source: Up-and-coming fishermen meet with legislators at summit -The Cordova Times
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