A program for donation of seafood that was launched at Sitka during the outbreak is continuing to grow. The program is now referred to as”the Seafood Distribution Network, the program supplies sockeye to families living along the Yukon and Chignik rivers, where traditionally run salmon has slowed down.
The shift in the market for fish and seafood in the COVID pandemic brought about a dilemma for the industry. Unlike other industries the supply of the fish present. What was the best way to connect these fish to people after traditional markets disappeared?
The case for Linda Behnken, director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, it was all about making connections.
“So we developed a partnership with local processors to find out the fish that was caught by closing of markets, restaurants being shut, or by interruptions in the supply chain,” Behnken said. “We collected money, purchased the fish from fishermen who had stuck, and started to distribute it to people living in town who claimed to be in need. It was more like “If you let us know that you require seafood, we’ll help you.'”
And that’s how the association’s Seafood Donation Program got started in 2020. Basically, a processor-to-doorstep delivery service for people who were having trouble getting by. It wasn’t long before word of the program to be spread.
“And the next thing we heard was from people who were not in Sitka there was a need, and people really wanted seafood.” Behnken continued. “So we organized a distribution in conjunction with Sealaska for instance, which reached all communities within Southeast Alaska. Also, we distributed in Alaska’s Lower 48 to Tribes along the Columbia River, to Anchorage military families, as well as communities located in Western Alaska. When we saw that there was a need for assistance, we sought out partners to for the fulfillment of that need.”
Behnken praises the Sitka-based processing companies Seafood Producers’ Coop, Sitka Sound Seafoods, and Northline Seafoods, along with tribal and tribal organizations from across the state to create connections that kept the program in operation.
It seems like a difficult taskit involves serving 645,000 meals of seafood throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, however Behnken states that it adhered to the most basic Alaskan values.
“Alaska is a large state, but we’re a tiny state, and communities are very concerned about the other communities,” she said. “And there are a lot of relatives living in different areas of the state. We believe there’s a clear need for us to share among the areas with plenty and those that have areas that are in need however the infrastructure isn’t in place. The thing we’re trying to develop is infrastructure in Alaska to allow Alaskans to profit from the fish that Alaska has,
The grant of the Alaska Community Foundation got the Seafood Donation Program rolling; Regional food systems grants by the U.S. Department of Agriculture aid in boosting it. The energy of ordinary Alaskans are fueling the process right now. In a pilot program in Dillingham in June The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association organized an initiative to gather subsistence sockeye for communities impacted by the collapse in chum and chinook stocks.
Natalie Sattler is the program director for the association.
“We collaborated with a number of community members and residents within Dillingham as well as in the Bristol Bay area to help us collect seafood. It was all for subsistence needs,” Sattler said. “And within a short time we were able to gather 5,000 pounds of sockeye. People were able to rally support. They went to their setnets including families, kids or anyone else who was just selecting fish, making donations and getting it ready to be shipped out.”
This year, sockeye will go to communities along the Yukon and Chignik rivers. In addition to offering meals, Behnken says the fish are intended to help keep tradition of food in the community.
“What has been reported by those from these communities who cannot catch fish on their own right now because of the scarcity is that they want round fish since the ability to process that fish together as a family as a whole is crucial to the cultural value,” Behnken said.
The pandemic as well as the salmon crash have constituted a double punch for communities across Western Alaska. In a news release Rep. Mary Peltola said programs such as Seafood Distribution Network Seafood Distribution Network were a vital element in the recovery. “Low the abundance of salmon is a problem that has taken care of at all levels including the federal government all the way to local communities efforts such as these are a crucial part of the bigger picture,” Peltola said.
