Photo courtesy of Alaska Seafood
Dear friend,

Have you ever ordered wild Alaska rockfish, salmon, or crab at a restaurant and wondered… What did it take for this to be on my dinner plate? Who caught it? Did they earn a fair wage? Was it harvested in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way? Did Alaska Marine Conservation Council play a role?
 
It’s a safe bet you have asked these questions. This is why you support AMCC—you care about the answers, and you know we have had a role. We are grateful to have you in our corner.
 
The policies that govern how Alaska’s fisheries are managed are incredibly complex, and can be detrimental to Alaska’s small-boat fishing families and coastal communities.
 
Yet, it is these fishermen who are the front-line stewards of Alaska’s healthy fisheries and habitat—the heart and soul of our coastal towns and sustainable fisheries. These folks not only value their way of life but are passionate about conserving the fish they harvest, the habitat that supports them, and the other wildlife that can be impacted in the process.
 
This is why AMCC strives to support and empower these hard-working Alaskans through our two key initiatives aimed at Conserving Alaska’s Fisheries and Marine Life and Sustaining Working Waterfronts in Coastal Alaska . We couldn’t do this work without your continued support.

Will you consider a generous year-end gift today to make sure we can keep up the momentum?
In the past year alone, we have made meaningful progress to advance AMCC’s priorities through our projects, advocacy, and research. These include our ongoing efforts to:
 
  • Increase profitability for stewardship-minded small boat fishermen while providing Alaskans with high-quality, responsibly-harvested wild seafood. AMCC continues to build our Catch 49 and Kodiak Jig Seafoods brands, the latter a partnership with Alaska Jig Association. We’re proud to report we hired a dynamic new staff member, Katy Rexford, to expand Catch 49 and that fish from Catch 49, including rockfish from Kodiak Jig Seafoods, graced the tables at over 750 homes across the state! This is having a profound impact on the fishermen with whom we work, like the Velsko family who provide fish for Catch 49 (see below).

  • Advance Alaska’s sustainable fisheries by providing leadership on developing a fishery ecosystem plan for the Bering Sea. If passed, this important plan would serve as a framework for continued incorporation of ecosystem goals and actions in regional management. Longtime staff member Theresa Peterson continues to serve on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and is supportive of an ecosystem-based fishery management approach identified in the Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan.

  • Sustain the social, cultural, and economic vitality of Alaska’s fishing communities. The loss of local fisheries access for the next generation of fishermen is increasingly identified as a crisis for the future of Alaska’s fishing communities. AMCC staff member Dr. Rachel Donkersloot, continues to work with partners around the state to identify problems and solutions to these access challenges through efforts like the award-winning "Graying of the Fleet" research project. Rachel is now leading a project looking at indicators of well-being in our fisheries that aims to improve management through greater incorporation of this data in decision-making.

Thank you again for helping us make these successes possible. We are humbled by your continued confidence in our efforts to advocate for Alaska’s healthy fisheries and thriving coastal communities.
 
The next time you sit down to enjoy a plate of fresh Alaska seafood, take a moment to recognize the role you have played in supporting the hard-working Alaskan fishermen that make it possible.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions at (907) 277-5360 or jason@ akmarine.org .

Sincerely, 

Jason Dinneen
Executive Director 
Catch 49 Fishing Family
Photo courtesy of Lacey Velsko
Catch 49 provides an opportunity unlike anything else in Alaska. Typically our seafood is shipped out of state, and often overseas. Keeping it close to home provides the best quality product to Alaskans as well as supports our local businesses.
 
We are proud to work with AMCC. As a small-boat fishing family with small children, we feel strongly about the sustainability of our ocean’s resources. We stand by AMCC’s conservation efforts, and through Catch 49 we can express the value of Alaskan seafood across the state.
Lacey Velsko
Homer, Alaska
Alaska Marine Conservation Council is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your contribution may qualify for a tax deduction based on your individual circumstance. AMCC’s tax identification number is 92-0155875.
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