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ComFish, now in its 27th year, is expected to welcome some 3,000 fishermen, economists, politicians, processors and others, including five dozen vendors with booths at the show.
Kodiak, also known as Alaska's Emerald Isle, is one of the largest commercial fishing ports in the nation, and has more different gear types than any other port in the state, said Norm Wooten, executive director of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce.
"We fish year-round and every gear type used in Alaska is represented here," he said.
While ComFish serves as a forum for a political, educational and social exchange for the fisheries industry, it also gives a sorely needed economic shot in the arm to Kodiak at a traditionally slow time of the year, Wooten said. ComFish means reservations at the city's hotels and bed and breakfast establishments, more people eating in local restaurants and a lot of souvenir shopping, he said.
It's also an opportunity for Alaskans who don't normally travel this far off the beaten path to take in the Kodiak's spectacular scenery, museums and wildlife, Wooten said.
Nearly 14,000 people live on the island, which includes the city of Kodiak, seven villages, the U.S. Coast Guard base and several remote camps and lodges. In addition to the large contingent of commercial fishing vessels, Kodiak is a well-known sport-fishing destination, and home to hundreds of bald eagles, sea lions and huge Kodiak brown bears.
"Walk the waterfront and watch the sea lions," said Wooten, as he related a wildlife fishing expedition he observed firsthand from the chamber's office on the Kodiak ferry dock.
One of the hundreds of fishing vessels that dock at Kodiak had come in with some fish still on deck and about a dozen bald eagles were feasting on them when a 2,000 pound sea lion clambered up onto the deck with the crew watching from the vessel's wheelhouse, Wooten said. The eagles, upset by the intruder, started pecking on the sea lion, who finally gave up and dove back into the harbor, he said.
How much time the ComFish participants will have to see all this is unsure, however, given the tightly packed schedule of events.
ComFish opens March 16 at Kodiak High School, with a forum offering a global perspective on enhancing crab stocks. The forum will bring together research scientists from around the world to share successes and hurdles they face in enhancing crab stocks, particularly king crab.
Also on the March 16 agenda are an update and financial education workshops for plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez oil spill case, and a University of Alaska Sea Grant College program on vessel management systems.
That evening, ComFish will offer the first gubernatorial candidates' debate for the upcoming election. The candidates, who will speak specifically on fisheries issues, include Democrats Ethan Berkowitz and Eric Croft, Republicans Sarah Palin and John Binkley, and independent Andrew Halcro.
On March 17, a panel anchored by Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner McKie Campbell will take up an update on plans for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries. Also on the panel are Denby Lloyd, the state's director of commercial fisheries; Ed Dersham, state project coordinator; and Sue Aspelund, state fisheries policy special assistant.
During the afternoon session, Gunner Knapp, an economist with the University of Alaska Anchorage, will talk about his preliminary findings on the economic impacts of the Bering Sea crab rationalization plan on Kodiak.
Also on the second day's agenda are two more workshops for plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez oil spill case and a forum on transportation issues on getting seafood to world markets.
Panelists for the transportation workshop include Robin Taylor, director of the Alaska Marine Highway System; Shannon Joseph, cargo manager for seafood and perishables for Alaska Airlines; Kevin Anderson, vice president of sales and marketing for Lynden Transport; Dan Bonney, marketing representative for Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska for Lynden Transport; and Oliver Hedgepeth, director of the Logistics department at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Kodiak fisheries reporter Laine Welch will moderate the panel.
The final day of ComFish, March 18, will include a panel on the state's regional seafood development associations, with representatives from Bristol Bay Wild, Southeast Rainforest Wild and the Copper River/Prince William Sound area.
Also on the March 18 agenda is a panel on community economic protection efforts in the face of changes in world fisheries, sponsored by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, the Alaska Jig Association, Crewmembers Association and Fish Heads.
The panelists, led by moderator Nicole Kimball of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, will share their experiences on how their communities are working together to find proactive ways to keep fish coming to their communities.
Two more workshops for plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez oil spill case round out the agenda.
Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com.
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