Alaska Sea Grant–supported researchers won a national award at Sea Grant Week in Portland, Oregon, in September 2018 for a study on how to boost access to Alaska commercial fisheries by young and rural residents.
The Sea Grant Association, comprised of Sea Grant program directors from 33 coastal universities, presented its “Research to Application” award to Alaska Sea Grant director Heather Brandon who accepted it on behalf of the investigators for the project, Graying of the Fleet in Alaska’s Fisheries: Defining the Problem and Assessing Alternatives.
The award honors an individual research project or a body of research, funded or implemented by a state Sea Grant program, that has elevated public understanding and responsible use of the nation’s ocean, coastal or Great Lakes resources.
Based on detailed ethnographic research in Bristol Bay and Kodiak, Alaska, and a global review of changes in fishery systems, the research identified barriers to entry by young fishermen and makes suggestions on how to improve access to entry. The project included videos, public service announcements, a public report and academic journal articles. The project team was led by Courtney Carothers, associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences; Rachel Donkersloot, Alaska Marine Conservation Council; and Paula Cullenberg, retired Alaska Sea Grant director. They were supported by graduate research assistants Danielle Ringer and Jesse Coleman and undergraduate student Alexandra Bateman, all of UAF.
More information about this research is available at fishermen.alaska.edu.
