By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Seafood market analyst John Sackton, president of Seafood.com, will be the featured speaker at the 2007 Southwest Alaska Economic Summit Jan. 25-26 in Anchorage.

He will discuss the global seafood industry and its implications for Alaska.

Sackton is recognized as one of the nation's top seafood market analysts. His daily seafood commentary is read by thousands in the industry.

For the past two years, Sackton has served harvesters and processors alike as the market analyst for the Alaska king crab, opilio and bairdi fisheries.

The annual conference brings together community and business leaders from throughout Southwest Alaska to discuss issues ranging from fisheries and energy to funding community infrastructure projects.

“Our agenda focuses on some of the forces that are changing and reshaping our communities and our fisheries-dependent economy,” said Glen Gardner, president of the SWAMC board of directors.

Other fisheries topics to be featured at the summit include a presentation by Lacey Berns on her research on the cultural and social impacts of low salmon prices on the social ties and networks in the Kodiak salmon fishery. Berns is doing a master's thesis on the topic at Humboldt State University.

Becky Price-Hall with the Arcata Development Corp. will illustrate how Arcata, Calif., responded to decreasing opportunities and employment in fisheries through the Arcata Prosperity Project.

The agenda also includes a discussion of the Pribilof Islands Collaborative.

The summit is also an opportunity to showcase key SWAMC projects, such as the Seafood Harvesting Labor Data Project. Marcus Hartley, of Northern Economics, and Gunnar Knapp, with the Institute of Social and Economic Research, will present the results of work they have conducted on this issue at SWAMC's behest.

In conjunction with federal, state and private funding agencies, the summit will also feature a funders forum, facilitated by Dennis McMillian of The Foraker Group. The forum will give conference participants an opportunity to hear from public and private organizations that provide funding for community infrastructure and facilities projects.

The summit will also offer panels on energy and solid waste management and recycling.

For more information, contact the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference at (907) 562-7380 or visit www.swamc.org for a detailed agenda.

Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com.