Mark your calendars for ComFish

But before scarfing tacos on Wednesday night, fishermen interested in making money should attend Alaska Sea Grant’s first-ever Business of Fishing workshop, which will take place on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fisherman’s Hall.

This workshop grew out of the extremely successful business session of Sea Grant Alaska’s Young Fishermen’s Summit. It is completely free, and a tasty lunch is included! Relevant and useful, this one-day crash course will focus on three areas: Fisheries Business and Financial Planning, Tax Considerations and Risk Management. It’s absolutely free, but registration is required for this event, so time is running out. Call Julie Matweyou at (907) 250-9512, or go to www.alaskaseagrant.org/events to register. 

ComFish Alaska will be held at the Kodiak High School this year, and the full slate of events kicks off Thursday at 10 a.m. with the opening of the Expo floor featuring more than 50 booths. Also at 10 a.m., Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Mary Peltola will be giving federal legislative updates in the high school choral pod.

Amy Butts and Shana Rockenbach will give a timely primer on opioid overdose identification and reversal, along with a CPR refresher, in the High School’s Health Room, at 11 a.m., then again at 2 p.m. Join Alaska Bycatch Review Task Force Member Linda Kozak in the Choral Pod at 11:15 a.m. for a review of recommendations made by the Task Force regarding bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska. At 1:15 p.m. a quick 30-minute overview of the Coast Guard’s Commercial Vessel Safety Program will be given in the Choral Pod. 

Marine Ecosystem Partnerships will be the focus of a presentation beginning at 2 p.m. in the Choral Pod. Hannah Marie Garcia, Heather Bauscher and Bridget Ferriss will highlight ways scientists and fishermen can collaborate through things like the Skipper Science Program and NOAA’s Ecosystem Status Reports. This forum will include an opportunity for a discussion on paths forward. 

A Marine Debris Action Plan for Alaska is the subject of a forum that will be held at 3 p.m. in the Choral Pod. Join Peter Murphy  and Harmony Wayner in an interactive conversation about strategies to address marine debris. Finally, relax with a tasty beverage at Double Shovel Cider Co. at a reception hosted by Silver Bay Seafoods from 5 to 8 p.m.

Friday’s events begin with an update from Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang in the Choral Pod at 10 a.m. The primer on opioid overdose identification and reversal, along with a CPR refresher, will again be held in the High School’s Health Room, at 11 a.m., then at 2 p.m. Also at 11 a.m., but in the Choral Pod, you join Svetlana Spivak to explore the deadly serious subject of Why You Should Have Insurance. Stay put afterward, because beginning at 11:45 a.m. in the Choral Pod Elisabeth Rise will give a presentation on Common Sense Risk Management for fishing vessels. 

Beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the Choral Pod, Bruce Schactler will tell us how to understand and use a tool often neglected by fishermen: the Alaska Salmon Price Report, generated by the State of Alaska’s Department of Revenue. Then, at 1:30 p.m. in the Choral Pod, the State of Alaska Legislative Update will be offered by Sen. President Gary Stevens and Rep. Louise Stutes, both of whom are from Kodiak.

It is never too early, or late, for a fisherman to plan for retirement. Join Tyler Wallace at 2:15 p.m. in the Choral Pod to learn investment strategies to help design the retirement you want. Finally, on Friday at 3 p.m. learn how to navigate the waters of the Board of Fish and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, with Council staffer Sara Cleaver and NPFMC Advisory Panel Member Julie Kavenaugh, also in the Choral Pod. The presentation will also include an overview of how groundfish stock assessments feed into the Council process, and questions will be encouraged afterward.

And don’t miss Friday evening’s reception at the Chart Room downtown from 4:30-6:30 p.m., featuring beer, wine and BBQ! It will be sponsored by Cascade Engine, Cummins and Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center.

On Saturday morning Sen. Dan Sullivan will give a federal legislative update at 10 a.m. in the High School Choral Pod. Then, starting in the Choral Pod at 10:45, Toby Sullivan, Executive Director of the Kodiak Maritime Museum, will discuss Alaska’s Limited Entry Program within the historical context of “Tragedy of the Commons,” in which a finite public resource is exploited by too many users. 

At 11 a.m. the opioid overdose primer will be held for the final time in the Health Room. 

The hot topic of the future of mariculture in Alaska will be addressed by Melissa Good, Nick Mangini and Lexa Meyers at 11:30 a.m. in the Choral Pod. Workforce development and focused research will be featured topics. Kids may be more interested in the ever-popular shark dissection, taking place outside the high school, also at 11:30 a.m.  

Finally, don’t miss the Fishermen Showcase, also held outside, at 12:30 p.m. Equally fun for spectators and participants, there will be prizes for first, second, and third places and all Showcase participants will be recognized with an award. Let the call go out far and wide! Represent your boat and win a prize! This skills competition for mariners will be followed by the surprisingly exciting Liferaft Demonstration.

ComFish Alaska is the largest and longest running commercial fisheries trade show in Alaska. It was first held as part of the Kodiak Crab Festival in 1980 in a borrowed wall tent. The event was moved to March in 1982, and has since been held in a number of different venues, including the National Guard Armory and Hangar III at the Coast Guard base. It topped out with 167 booths in 1992. It has been estimated that visitors and exhibitors spend an average of $300 per person in Kodiak during ComFish.

Terry Haines was a commercial fisherman in Kodiak for more than 30 years. He now produces the Alaska Fisheries Report for KMXT and is a member of the Kodiak City Council. He can be reached at thaines@city.kodiak.ak.us