February 24 Hybrid Fishermen’s Expo In Sitka Will Feature Subsistence, Commercial Fishing Exhibits

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust:

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust host a Hybrid Fishermen’s Expo 

The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) are hosting a Hybrid Fishermen’s Expo on Tuesday, February 24th,from 8:45 AM-5 PM. The Expo will provide educational workshops and training to new and experienced local fishermen as well as others with an interest in the fishing sector. Attendees may attend in person at the NRSAA Conference Room in Sitka (1308 Sawmill Creek Road) or virtually through Zoom. Pizza, refreshments, and raffle prizes are available to those attending sessions. 

Commercial and subsistence fishermen of all gear types are invited to attend these free, interactive sessions featuring seafood worker occupational health and safety, deckhand electronic logbook tools, an AMSEA vessel stability safety demonstration, direct seafood marketing strategies, new Coast Guard electronic chart requirements, updates on ALFA hybrid propulsion fishing vessel projects, ALFA policy and NOAA sablefish fishery updates, Southeast Community Quota Entity updates, and more. Presenters include Marysia Szymkowiak of the Prince William Sound Science Center, Jeff Farvour representing the Southeast Alaska Regional Seafood Marketing Association, Gabriel Dunham of Alaska Sea Grant, Dr. Dave Love of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Leann Fay of the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, Linda Behnken of Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, Sydney Bichsel of Real Time Data, Jeremy Serka of Sitka Custom Marine, Ben Matthys of Kempy Energetics, Brittany Foster of Catch Together and the Southeast Village Fisheries Collective, Pat Malecha, Daniel Goethel, and Curry Cunningham from from NOAA, Stephen Rhoads of the Seafood Producers Cooperative, and others.

Please reach out to Natalie Sattler at program.director@alfafish.org or 907-738-1286 with any questions. 

Visit https://www.alfafish.org/fishermens-expo for the full event schedule and to register. All presentations will provide time for questions and discussion. 

This series is part of an effort by ALFA and ASFT to provide resources and educational opportunities for fishermen, especially those who are just starting out in the industry. “Thanks to the support of our sponsors and ALFA’s membership, we are able to offer these workshops free and open to the public,” says ALFA executive director Linda Behnken.

ALFA and ASFT have received support for Fishermen’s EXPO from numerous groups, including the Edgerton Foundation, the City and Borough of Sitka, and NOAA’s Alaska Marine Education and Training Program. 

Thank you to our generous 2026 Fishermen’s Expo sponsors, including: the Alaska Commercial Company (Lakeside), Sitka Sound Seafoods, Petro Marine, Tongass Federal Credit Union, LFS Marine Supply, and the Hames Corporation. 

ALFA is an alliance of small-boat, commercial fishermen that support sustainable fisheries and thriving coastal communities by involving fishermen in research, advocacy, and conservation initiatives. ASFT is a non-profit dedicated to strengthening fishing communities and marine resources through research, education, and economic opportunity.