Monthly Report to the Dean - March 2008
April 8, 2008
To: Brian Allee, Alaska Sea Grant Director and Denis Wiesenburg, Dean, SFOS
From: Paula Cullenberg, Marine Advisory Program Leader
Re: Marine Advisory Program highlights, March 2008
Announcements and Upcoming
- Dr. Don Kramer will be retiring on July 18. Don was just awarded the rank of Professor of Fisheries Emeritus and will be attending the UAF commencement to receive this award. Don also recently received the Elizabeth Stier Humanitarian achievement award from the Institute of Food Technologists for his outreach work and was named an IFT Fellow, the highest distinction that IFT members can achieve based on leadership and service in their field and to IFT. Congratulations, Don!
- IPY Speaker series in Nome and local villages continues this month. To date, http://www.alaska.edu/ipy/events/marine.xml
- Marine Refrigeration, April 21 in Cordova, April 23 in Petersburg. http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/workshops/2008/refrigeration/index.html
- National Sea Grant’s Review Panel will review the Fisheries Extension Enhancement initiative, Silver Spring, MD, April 22-23. Arne Fuglvog will testify on behalf of the Alaska program which supports our Petersburg and Cordova offices.
MAP Highlights for March
Ecosystems and Habitats
Kate Wynne is in Ghana for three weeks working with a team of US scientists training the first group of Ghanian marine resource observers. The training mission is NOAA-driven, part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act commitment to enhance international cooperation in fishery management by improving the monitoring and compliance with international fishing regulation and has support from the US Navy and ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna). Observers being trained to go on industrial tuna seiners, pole, and trawl boats. While there, Kate is also trying to build partnerships with the University of Ghana marine mammal and oceanography researchers. Kate describes this picture as “pool safety day.” http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080402_africanteam.html
Terry Reeve has been working with Tom Weingartner from the Institute of Marine Science to send 32 drift buoys in Kuskokwim Bay and the Bering Sea to track salmon smolts during a two year project funded by AYKSSI. Terry is assisting Tom in contracting local vessels and interfacing between the project and local and Anchorage schools. Project begins mid-May - weather permitting.
Gary Freitag is working with Dr. Chela Zabin, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to develop an expansion of her invasive tunicate project farther to the south in Alaska. Gary conducted the March 08 recovery and re -deployment of the ongoing invasive tunicate research plates. These plates had been in the water since December of 07. They had very little growth on them and only one possible invasive tunicate in an early development stage. Gary has also continued to work with Linda Shaw, NOAA Protected Resources in developing Ketchikan’s invasive European green crab monitoring program which should start this summer as well. This work has involved running computer based GIS computer programs to pinpoint likely areas of first introduction of the species to Alaska.
Gary Freitag has been appointed to the North Pacific Research Board Advisory Panel and will be attending a meeting in Anchorage at the end of April.
Rick Steiner was a guest on KSKA public radio’s “Community Forum” talk show in Anchorage talking about climate change and offshore oil development in Alaska.
Coastal Communities and Economies
Torie Baker presented a lecture entitled, “Hong Kong and China Live Seafood Markets: Does Alaska Have a Seat at This Table?” discussing seafood preferences, product forms and business culture in SE Asia. She also hosted Clay Koplin Cordova Electric Cooperative manager for a presentation entitled, “Cordova’s Energy Sources: Hydro Power, Fossil Fuel and Conservation.” Both talks are part of a weekly talk series co-sponsored by the Cordova MAP office and the PWS Science Center community education program. Over 25 persons attended each lecture.
Gary Freitag attends and runs, as chair, the board of directors meetings weekly for OceansAlaska which is a developing marine science center in Ketchikan with a role of education, exhibits and research of the SE Alaska marine environment. The board has been reviewing bids for the site development and are about to issue a contract for the construction.
Terry Johnson is completing a manual for beginning Ecotourism operators in partnership with the UAA Center for Economic Development.
Reid Brewer facilitated a discussion with local stakeholders about possible compensation for
damaged resources as a result of the 2004 oil spill.
Fisheries
Glenn Haight offered “The Business of Fishing” 3-hour class in Cordova, Ketchikan and Petersburg this month. The class is designed for new permit holders as an introduction to the fishing business. A new course entitled “QuickBooks for Fishing Operations” was also offered in Cordova and a Financial Management class was offered in Petersburg and Ketchikan.
Torie Baker coordinated a meeting for Board of Fisheries proposal development for the Copper River/Prince William Sound Fish and Game Advisory Committee. The AC is submitting 5 proposals with at least two proposals co-sponsored with the Native Village of Eyak.
Torie Baker in advance of the salmon season, produced a handout in partnership with two USCG fishing vessel safety examiners, listing mandatory safety equipment required for gillnet, tender and seine boats. Flyer is being distributed at local outlets including gear shops, harbormaster office, and fishing association offices and handed out during vessel inspections.
Torie Baker provided audio and webcast services for four residents to hear former ADFG researcher and consultant Hal Geiger’s discussion of Alaska hatchery and wild stock salmon interaction research given at the SFOS Friday seminar series in Juneau.
Gary Freitag facilitated a meeting between the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association (SARDFA) and other stake holders. Representatives from Canada, Washington State, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and individual divers attended. Subjects addressed included marketing and market share competition between all the areas of the Pacific Northwest, handling geoduck, regulations , and PSP. A follow up meeting will be developed.
Seafood Science and Technology
The Alaska Seafood Processing Leadership Institute (ASPLI) 2008 held Session 2, a two week intensive class based out of the FITC in Kodiak. Chuck Crapo was the primary instructor for the two weeks with instructional assistance from Don Kramer, and coordination assistance from Angela Camos. Paula Cullenberg led a teleconference with the mentors for the ASPLI participants, many of whom were plant managers around the state. FITC faculty, including Murat Balaban, Alex Oliviera, Brian Himelbloom and Quentin Fong (on Skype from Hong Kong) participated in the classes which covered seafood technology and chemistry, HACCP, refrigeration, and manufacturing efficiencies. Kristy Long, CES faculty member worked with the group on seafood product development. The ASPLI participants were highlighted in the Alaska Fisheries Report by Casey Kelley, KMXT Kodiak http://www.kmxt.org/?q=node/4012
Reid Brewer worked with UniSea to identify skate species showing up in their bycatch during the pollock fisheries. UniSea is looking into the feasibility of processing skates in their plant. Reid contacted Chuck Crapo for information about processing elasmobranchs and used the new Alaska Sea Grant publication “Field Guide to Sharks, Skates and Ratfish of Alaska.”
Chuck Crapo taught the HACCP Basic Course in Kodiak. Don Kramer taught HACCP at a class held at Indian Valley Meats for seafood processors from the Bristol Bay region, sponsored by BBEDC.
Marine Literacy
Reid Brewer sponsored four FOAMI (Forum of Alaska Marine Issues) presentations in Unalaska this month. They included “Restoring wildlife habitat on Rat Island” by Poppy Benson (Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge), 15 people in attendance; “Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy: Research in the Northern Bering Sea” Lee Cooper (Univ. of Maryland), Rolf Gradinger (SFOS, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks), Jackie Grebmeier (Univ. of Tennessee), 55 people in attendance; Coastal landscapes from Monterey to the Aleutians, Dave Forcucci (Science coordinator, US Coast Guard) ,70 in attendance; Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy: “Research in the Central Bering Sea”, Carin Ashjian (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), Mike Lomas (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science), Rolf Gradinger (SFOS, University of Alaska Fairbanks) 75 people in attendance. Reid notes that over 40 researchers transitted through Unalaska this year.
Heidi Herter is sponsoring an IPY speaker series in Nome. Each presentation is videoconferenced to communities around the region via the Bering Strait School District. Then an evening presentation is made in Nome. You can see the podcasts of the presentations on http://blog.bssd.org/2008/01/30/international-polar-year-speaker-series/ The presentation by David Atkinson, in particular, has a nice interchange between a scientist and a local resident from Shishmaref. To date 614 people from Nome and 8 villages have attended at least one presentation!
Gary Freitag made two presentations at the Craig Middle School, part of a two day school event celebrating spring. His presentations concentrated on the role spring plays in developing plankton blooms and the importance of plankton on the marine ecosystem.
Terry Reeve participated in Career Day in Bethel. 275 + students and local folks came through the Show.
Rapid Response
MAP agents answered questions about: impacts and lessons learned from the Alaska Ranger sinking, bird strandings, history of Unalaska fishing, rat eradication efforts, seafood processing regulations, herring roe-on-kelp quality standards, fishing business planning, legal issues regarding restricting navigable waters for biological purposes, and sperm whale/longline gear interactions, among others.
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