Mayor’s Report

Quality is Essential

As we enter a new age in local commercial salmon fishing this week, we will have to keep in mind that circumstances are entirely different than they were in years past.  The competition provided by salmon farms around the world and plentiful wild fish elsewhere mandates that our salmon will have to be in perfect condition when they go to market.

Past practices of leaving nets set for hours at a time and then retrieving and selling dead salmon are officially just that … past practices.  In order to have a marketable product, our salmon will have to be bled immediately after they are caught, handled gently, and maintained on ice until delivery to the fish plant.

In order to bleed fish properly, the lower gills have to be separated from the fish by cutting them or breaking them free with the fingers while the fish is still alive.  A fish that has not been bled properly will show bruising and discoloration and will have an unacceptably brief shelf life.  It also will not be suitable for filleting, which is the value-added processing that is necessary in order to make our fishery economically feasible this year.

Operation of a processing facility in a place as remote as Kotzebue is very challenging.  While many people and organizations have worked hard to revitalize the fishing industry here, that effort has not been without setbacks to date.  Problems with equipment delivery, facility renovation and repair, and vandalism have been considerable over the past several months.  We must not have the added problem of poor fish quality.

It is important that fishermen do not attempt to sell fish that do not meet proper quality standards.  Fish that have died before being harvested from the net should be kept separate from the commercial quality fish and used for home consumption, distribution to families in the area, or donated as feed for the many dog teams.

For the Borough’s part, we have provided match money for the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association’s grant, made small business grants and loans available for various start up costs, ordered nets, and hosted the meetings of the Kotzebue Sound Fisheries Association.  We will continue to work closely with the Association in their efforts to establish an ongoing fishing industry for our area.

 I would like to wish the fishermen and all those who are involved in the processing and marketing of the salmon the very best of luck over the next month.  With all the infrastructure in place after this season, things should go much more smoothly in the years ahead.