“As an industry we are one of the most competitive around,” explained Mark Vinsel, UFA’s executive director, in a press statement. “However, there’s an unspoken code among all fishermen that whenever one of us is in need it’s everyone’s responsibility to do what’s needed to help. It’s a brutal business that is often at the mercy of Mother Nature, and this week’s Gulf hurricane could be next week’s Alaskan tidal wave.”

Currently, the UFA is working with SSA and other organizations such as Wild American Shrimp, Inc. to tally a list of pressing items of need. At the top is gear, including netting, apparel and replacement parts and machinery. In addition, UFA is working with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski to initiate a coordinated effort with other sectors of the Alaska seafood industry.

“Shrimping in the United States has always been more than just a business, it has been a way of life,” commented Joey Rodriguez, SSA president. “Shrimping has defined entire communities throughout the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard. Today, our tradition, our way of life is threatened. We welcome the support of our Alaskan brothers and thank them for their efforts as we rebuild our industry and communities.”

“Obviously this disaster is without precedent. But the domestic shrimp industry and the American shrimper has a history of facing and overcoming obstacles, including natural disaster,” explained Eddie Gordon, past SSA president and executive director of Wild American Shrimp, Inc. “This is a region, a people and an industry that weathers storms and rebuilds communities. And in that respect, Katrina will not be different thanks to the generous support of UFA and others.”

An umbrella organization of 31 Alaska commercial fishing groups, UFA is dedicated to keeping Alaska’s commercial fishing industry viable and healthy while fostering positive relationships among all sectors of the industry from harvester to consumer. In addition, UFA also supports efforts to increase consumption of Alaska’s seafood while educating the general public and politicians as to the economic, cultural and social importance of the Alaska seafood industry.

Fishermen wishing to donate can contact UFA director Mark Vinsel at (907) 586-2820.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is preparing to take up the issue of Gulf of Alaska groundfish rationalization at its upcoming meetings in Anchorage and Seattle, and is also looking at alternatives to rationalization. The council meets Oct. 3 and Dec. 5 in Anchorage, and Feb. 5 in Seattle. According to a story in the Kodiak Daily Mirror, the council has a list of about 30 alternatives that it will begin sorting through for further analysis.

Tom Pearson, with the Kodiak National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office, told the Mirror that he thought it would be years before the council makes a decision on Gulf of Alaska groundfish. Sorting through the alternatives is part of what will make the process so lengthy. The list, he said, will probably include options for a program of Individual Fishing Quotas or a co-op program like the one currently in place in the Bering Sea. Pearson will attend the meetings, to work out numbers for fishing quotas for 2006 and 2007.

Julie Bonney with the Alaska Groundfish Databank told the Mirror that she attends all council meetings, whether rationalization is on the agenda or not. She said the meetings usually see a large contingent from Kodiak. A handful of community members sit on the council’s Advisory Panel. Others make the trip to defend their own interests or testify before the council.

She said part of her job at the databank is to listen to harvesters and processors and come to a consensus opinion on issues affecting the fishing industry in Kodiak. In general, though, she would like to see a vibrant industry after changes are made. “Our overall goal is to do what’s best with the community first, and when you look at the community you have to have a healthy harvesting sector as well as a healthy processing sector,” Bonney said.

Anybody wishing to send written testimony to the meetings can mail their comments to the council at 605 W. Fourth, Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252, or fax to (907) 271-2809. Testimony must be received before Sept. 28 to be included in the packets distributed to members of the council, advisory panel and scientific and statistical committee for the October meeting. A meeting agenda and information on rationalization and other items included in the meeting can be found online at www.fakr.noaa.gov /npfmc/.