A Southeast Alaska fisheries entity with a proven track record for providing thousands of free seafood meals to those in need and educating the next generation of commercial harvesters has a new plan to make more halibut quota available to the area's traditional coastal fishing communities.
Using grants and investments totaling $934,000 from the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT), in collaboration with Sealaska Corporation, Central Council of Tlingit, and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and Spruce Root, a non-profit community development financial institution, will purchase halibut quota on the open market this fall and winter to make the highly popular whitefish available for harvest in Craig, Kasaan, and Yakutat. The plans were announced on July 7.
The funds include a $700,000 grant and a $234,000 program-related investment (PRI) aimed at restoring rural and indigenous access to the coastal fisheries. All three communities have signed resolutions in support of the regional community quota entity (CQE).
"With this funding, which includes both Program Related Investment and grant funds, we will anchor access to the halibut fishery in rural communities and ensure residents enjoy the cultural, social, and economic benefits of participating in Alaska's commercial fisheries," said Linda Behnken, board president of ASFT, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association (ALFA), and a veteran halibut and black cod commercial harvester from Sitka.
The halibut assigned to these communities is to be fished only by residents.
"The grant will be instrumental in reducing barriers to access by purchasing fishing quota and supporting communities in setting up both training and management programs to ensure successful harvest of the fishing quota," said Alana Peterson, executive director of Spruce Root. "Our goal is to build sustainable economies across Southeast Alaska that foster local stewardship, and this grant is a meaningful step along that path."
"Some communities no longer have any commercial fishing, and we would love to find a way to bring that back," said Lauren Howard, policy coordinator for ALFA. "In the interim, we are looking to communities that have some infrastructure to make this work. Then we will also try to reestablish commercial fishing in others who have the cultural ties. At one time, every community had processors. Now, some towns only have one boat left."
Federal regulations dictate which communities qualify to participate in these CQEs. They must be less than 1,500 people, off the road system, and have historic ties to the commercial halibut and sablefish fisheries. In the state of Alaska, there are 42 such communities, 24 of them in Southeast Alaska. All community members of eligible communities are eligible to participate as long as they are American citizens, year-round residents of the CQE eligible community and are eligible for Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) transfer by holding a federal transfer eligibility certificate.
To obtain a transfer eligibility certificate (TEC), individuals must apply through the National Marine Fisheries Service and demonstrate 150 days of commercial fishing in a harvester capacity. An individual does not have to be a captain to apply. They may also be a crew member and take their quota on another boat to fish as crew.
The CQEs, which must develop their own individual management plans, will charge a lease fee to cover quota loan payments, IFQ fees, general administration of the program, and the purchase of more quota. Those receiving quota will have the option to sell their harvest anywhere they wish.
Communities will also benefit from collecting a raw fish tax. Once the CQEs know they are going to have a certain amount of harvest, there is also the potential for developing markets and for branded products, Howard said. "We are looking at a circular market going back to the community," said Howard. "That would be ideal."
"Our coastal communities have ancient relationships with the ocean that many will never understand," said Joe Nelson, president of Sealaska, an Alaska Native regional corporation with over 21,000 shareholders. "The Southeast Village Fisheries Collective is being established to help ensure that this relationship between our villages and the ocean continues for many generations to come. We are grateful to the families who continue to practice our traditional way of life and work hard to keep our rural economies moving.
"Rasmuson Foundation has been an incredible partner with our villages for 70 years. This project will help maintain local access to village fisheries," Nelson said.
To Richard Peterson, president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the effort is about more than access to quota. "It's about restoring a rightful place for our people in the fisheries that have always sustained us. We're proud to partner in this initiative to strengthen rural economies, support young fishermen, and ensure Southeast communities remain tied to the waters that define who we are," he said.
ALFA's Howard noted that there are many opportunities with these funds for the training of young fishermen, an effort ALFA has been involved in for several years in matching young fishermen with veteran skippers for hands-on training at sea.
"Quota can be awarded to someone who crews on a boat," she said. "If someone applies for and gets 500 or 1,000 pounds of quota, that may give them access to work on different boats. Communities have to form their own quota management plans. This may give youth more opportunities. These are all things still to be determined, but could be worked into the program. There is such a cultural connection to fishing. This program will help restore some of that cultural tie."
Howard also noted that the ASFT intends to tie in existing workforce development and training such as the crew apprentice program and utilize the workforce development expertise of organizations like Spruce Root, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in February of 2012 with $500,000 in seed money From Sealaska Corporation through Haa Aani Economic Development. That fund has since grown to $3 million thanks to grant, benefactor, and partner funds.
The nonprofit provides local entrepreneurs with access to business development and financial resources in the form of loan capital, business coaching, workshops, and competitions.
