Saving Seafood

In a down market, Alaska fishermen avert disaster by feeding families in need

October 2, 2020 — It’s been a hard season for small fishermen in many parts of Alaska because of economic losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But a seafood donation program started by a Sitka organization is helping bring some stability to fishermen and consumers during an uncertain time.

“I very quickly heard about people who were struggling here in town and that catalyzed us to start talking to local fishermen, local processors, about how we as commercial fishermen could help meet that local need,” Behnken said.

Normally, ALFA is a membership organization that advocates for sustainable fisheries and small fishermen. They also run Alaskans Own, a community supported fishery that sells seafood boxes to people around the country.

But Behnken and her partners decided to branch out to meet the local need brought on by the pandemic. They used grant funds from Catch Together to supplement the price of lingcod, so Sitka fishermen like Foss and her husband could start their season with some security. Then, they created a market for the seafood by delivering it to families who were struggling to make ends meet because of the pandemic.

“The pandemic really created a lot of need around Alaska and around the country from loss of jobs,” she said. “It’s just a particularly difficult time for people and then to be able to have really good quality food coming from Alaska’s healthy oceans. It’s just a really special to be able to provide that and make those connections.”

Soon, Behnken started getting calls from other communities asking her to expand. With the help of outside funders and organizations, they delivered seafood to military families in Alaska and to Tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest. Justin Zuelner is the head of The Wave, the foundation that helped distribute the seafood in the Pacific Northwest.

Read the full story at Raven Radio

Alaskans Own, Northline Seafoods donate 45,000 pounds of sockeye

August 17, 2020 — This week, two community supported fisheries announced a plan to give back to Alaska communities in need. Alaskans Own and Northline Seafoods are teaming up to deliver 45,000 pounds of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon to Alaska Native villages experiencing record-low salmon returns this year. The announcement follows on the heels of SeaShare’s announcement that its donation requests to food banks and other hunger-relief efforts have skyrocketed this year.

Both Alaskans Own and Northline Seafoods are based in Sitka and evolved from a devotion to sustaining fishing communities, which makes these donation initiatives a perfect match.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Southeast Alaska fishermen’s group works to feed families affected by COVID-19

April 16, 2020 — With thousands of Alaskans out of work because of coronavirus mandates and other economic effects, fishermen and processors in Southeast Alaska are working to ensure families in need have access to food.

One of those groups, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, is partnering with processors in Sitka to distribute five-pound packages of fish to families in Sitka. The families in need have been identified through the town’s mutual aid program.

“Within a week or two of the shelter-in-place and a lot of the businesses closing down, hearing that the grocery store here was not accepting checks anymore because too many of them were bouncing, to me was a pretty clear sign that people are feeling that stress,” said Linda Behnken, Executive Director of ALFA. “Since we are probably closer to the whole economic impacts of this pandemic than the end, we started thinking about what we could do and talking to the processors here in Sitka, and right away heard from fishermen that where they can they’re willing to donate fish to help to get to families in need.”

Behnken said the processors then also jumped on boarding, saying they’d help get the fish to families as long as someone could distribute it. Anyone else who want to support the effort can help cover the costs by purchasing donation boxes through ALFA’s community-supported fishery program, Alaskans Own.

Read the full story at KTUU