ComFish jammed with insightful forums

Forums will all be held at the Harbor Room at the Kodiak Inn and start at 9:45 on all three mornings, beginning with today’s Ports and Harbors Update, presented by Kodiak Harbormaster Dave Johnson. Johnson has plenty to report about, including the St. Paul Harbor boat ramp, which will be completely remade, and will be “deeper and steeper” than its predecessor. Right next to the boat ramp, the long-neglected central deck at Oscar’s Dock will finally be made usable again. The plan is to build a covered and strengthened deck that will be a multi-use facility, equally useful for tourists and food trucks as for fishermen and gear trucks. And Johnson will no doubt give an update on the replacement of St. Herman Harbor, where permitting is proceeding properly, but financing the project remains a question mark.

At 10:45 a.m. Senator Sullivan will be Zooming into the Harbor Room at the K.I. for a federal update. Senator Sullivan has been focused on unfair trade practices by our foreign seafood competitors like China. He broadly supports President Trump’s policies, including Trump’s executive order aimed at “unleashing” Alaska’s economic potential. Sullivan intends to leave time for questions at the end.

After a lunch catered by Nuniaq, Senator Murkowski is scheduled to give in-person remarks starting at 12:15 p.m. Senator Murkowski has been vocal about defending the role of Congress to oversee spending and the imposition of tariffs. She continues to promote her Working Waterfronts Act, which she introduced a year ago, as a way to promote infrastructure, workforce development, and climate change mitigation efforts for US fisheries.

At 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday Greg Smith of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute will be joined by Sam Friedman — former KDM reporter — of the McKinley Research Group for a globally focused look at market trends. This is a number crunchy affair, but don’t write it off as a yawner. Mr. Smith is frank about both the international opportunities and the serious challenges that have caused Alaska seafood to lose a billion dollars in value. Mr. Friedman uses a palette of stats to paint a picture of a possible future. 

At 2:15 p.m. Andy Schroeder, Co-Founder of the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project, will give an update on their progress, including the establishment of a physical home base in Kodiak called the Innovation Center, where they are able to process the debris they collect.

Denise Damewood, Founder of Project Gabe, will report on their efforts to address the exploding opioid problem in commercial fishing. Their work attempts to reach out to industry with easy to implement strategies. Training on how to administer opioid reversal nasal spray will be provided, as well as an opportunity to sign up for free NARCAN.

Fishermen, don’t miss the ASMI Fisherman’s Town Hall Meeting at Double Shovel Cidery, where a more free-wheeling discussion of present day market conditions will be enabled by tasty cider. 

On Wednesday morning at 9:45 the encyclopedic Dr. Bob Foy will be addressing the broad subject of NOAA’s 2025 Fisheries Priorities. Dr. Foy has a Masters in Fisheries Science and a Ph.D. in Oceanography. He is literally Dr. Ocean. In a normal year this presentation would be fairly ho-hum, but in light of recent deep cuts to NOAA funding and staff, priorities are especially important.

At 12:15 p.m., after a delicious Nuniaq lunch, Congressman Nick Begich will give an update on his work so far as Alaska’s lone House member. Congressman Begich recently co-sponsored legislation that would establish a US Secretary of the Coast Guard. He says “Creating a dedicated Secretary will provide the Coast Guard the standing it deserves and strengthen its ability to protect Alaskans and the Arctic.” 

Then at 1:15 p.m. Dr. Foy will once again man the lectern, this time for a report on ideas to modernize stock assessment surveys. New tools and strategies could make surveys cheaper and more effective. 

At 2:15 p.m. Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang will give an update on all things Fish and Game. Commissioner Lang is not shy about addressing tough subjects, and has warned that major changes are needed to ride out current challenging conditions. Have your questions ready, because the Commissioner doesn’t mind a little back and forth at the end.

At 3:15 p.m. Kelly Drummond and Heather Bauscher will give an update on the Skipper Science Partnership, which connects on-the-grounds fishermen with scientists so that local knowledge can inform marine science. Their latest project is a collaboration with the National Weather Service on freezing spray guidance. 

Finally, don’t miss the Wednesday Evening Reception at Kodiak Marketplace, sponsored by Marine Electrical of Kodiak & Radar Alaska and featuring both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ciders from Double Shovel.

At 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, the Mariculture Panel will give an update on that emerging industry. New and exciting developments regarding potential markets, innovative ways to stabilize the products, and next steps for the Mariculture Cluster, including funding opportunities, are hot subjects for this fledgling industry.

At 10:45 a.m. Dr. Mike Litzow will give the NOAA Fisheries Update from the perspective of its Kodiak office. Have your questions ready.

And to top it all off Alaska Sea Grant and Kodiak fishermen will present a Fisherman’s Showcase and Reception. It will begin at 1:30 p.m. and be centered around Fisherman’s Hall in the Harbormaster Building, where food and drink will be available. A Fishermen’s Competition will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., in which able hands will test their skills in things like coiling and knot tying, followed by kid friendly demonstrations and skill stations.