Profiles In Fishing

What does the word "sustainable" mean to you?

Sustainable means ongoing healthy resources and habitat for generation after generation. A commitment to sustainability will guarantee to the best of our abilities the opportunity for all coastal communities to continue a legacy of a life in balance with our oceans. Protecting our environment, preventing overexploitation of fishery resources, and rebuilding depleted stocks as necessary are actions paramount to ensuring the future of fish stocks and habitat. I am proud of the fact that the Alaska pollock fishery has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as a sustainably and responsibly managed fishery. This certification should reassure consumers that large-scale, industrial fisheries such as Alaska pollock provide an affordable and healthy product that meets the highest standards of product quality and is responsibly managed.

What is your role in the sustainable management of U.S. Fisheries?

As the Captain of a 336-foot factory trawler operating off the West coast and in the Bering Sea, my crew and I depend on the continued sustainable renewable resources in the waters we operate in. As such I assume the ultimate responsibility as a steward for healthy fishery resources. One aspect of my role as a fisherman and vessel skipper that I consider critical is to promote a conservation ethic among my peers in the industry that I work with. Good communication and cooperation among fishermen on the fishing grounds is one of the key components for minimizing the harvest of non-target species, for adherence to regulations, and for minimizing the impact of fishing on habitat. Because of the efforts of skippers in fisheries such as Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting, catch of non-target species, or bycatch, averages less than one percent of total catch, among the lowest rates of bycatch of any fishery in the world.

I'm proud to say that the Northern Jaeger is involved in two of the most successful harvesting cooperatives of their kind in the world today. These cooperatives were formed to minimize excess fishing capacity (which contributes to the wasteful race for fish), to allow cooperation among fishermen to minimize bycatch, and to promote cooperative partnerships with fisheries scientists to improve knowledge of the marine environment through research. These cooperatives have proved to be highly effective in promoting responsible harvest in the largest fisheries in the U.S. I remain committed to being a steward of these valuable public resources that we all depend on for our livelihoods.

Why is your role so important?

Because I and other skippers involved in the groundfish fisheries of the U.S. North Pacific are intimately involved with our marine environment for six months or more each year, we can provide observations and knowledge of marine organisms, oceanographic, and climatic conditions that researchers could never hope to compile in the limited time that research surveys are conducted. This "local and traditional knowledge" is an integral component of the overall puzzle of understanding the marine environment. The Northern Jaeger, in particular, has been at the forefront of a number of cooperative projects on the cutting edge of innovative fishery research, and we will continue to so. I feel it is our duty to participate in such research to ensure healthy resources in the future.

Finally, there is increasing concern and interest from seafood consumers that the products they eat come from responsible and sustainable fisheries. I can provide the perspective of a fisherman as to how we conduct our fishing operations and the importance of well-managed fisheries to those who work in the fishing industry.