By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Alaska commercial fishing veterans Robin Samuelsen and Arne Fuglvog told young harvesters Dec. 11 they are the industry's future, and encouraged their full participation in both the fisheries and the regulatory process that governs the harvest.

“It's a bright future, and I wish you all well,” said Samuelsen, president and chief executive officer of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp., and a veteran of the Bristol Bay salmon fisheries.

“Even though I wear a suit to work every day, I'm still a fisherman and I'm very proud to be a fisherman,” said Fuglvog, who is a fisheries aide to Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Samuelsen and Fulgvog, both of whom served on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, were keynote speakers at the Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit II held in Anchorage on Dec. 11-12. The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program organized the event.

Samuelsen, whose family has fished Bristol Bay for generations, talked about the hard times of his early years. The diet mainstay at that time was Spam and powered milk, and he worked so hard that his hands got too swollen to pick fish, he said. Buyers were paying 25 cents a pound.

Now, as then, “you will have very good seasons and very bad ones,” Samuelsen said. “One year is feast; the next is famine. You can't rely on fishing as the sole source (of income). Treat your partners as you want to be treated. Your reputation is what you are worth.”

Samuelsen, who has also served on the Alaska Board of Fisheries, encouraged the group to participate in the regulatory process at the state, local and federal level.

“Fishing is a proud profession,” he said. “My children fished and it paid for their college.”

The “fishing itch,” which runs in Samuelsen's family, never goes away, he said. After his son completed college to become a mechanical engineer, he came back to fish, Samuelsen said. “The fishing itch never goes away once you have it,” he said.

“Don't dwell on the negatives; don't carry a grudge,” he said. “Just think you can do better and you will do better.

“Start small and learn from your mistakes,” he said. ”Our world is getting smaller. If you want to get a really good price for your fish, chilling is the key, and direct marketing.”

Samuelsen said the number one goal in Bristol Bay is to change the image of the quality of the fish. The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. is committed to making things better in Bristol Bay, he said.

One of the major problems facing young harvesters is financing their way into the fishery and buying permits, he said.

“Most have nothing to sell, and can't borrow money. It concerns me that more young people aren't going into the fisheries.”

The regional economic development corporation has come up with a revolving loan fund to help young fishermen make that important down payment, but “you are going to earn it,” he said. “You're going to attend financial classesÉ so you don't end up like a young Robin Samuelsen,” who struggled with financial woes early on in his career as a commercial fisherman.

“It's a bright future and I wish you all well. It's been a hell of a ride,” he said. “Do everything you can to make an opening, without compromising safety.”

Fuglvog, a fifth generation fisherman and harvester of over 30 years, also encouraged the young harvesters to fully participate not only in the fisheries but the regulatory process.

“Start networking now,” Fuglvog said. “You guys are the future. Network at this event.”

In the individual fishing quota fisheries, like halibut and black cod, “you don't compete,” he said. “You need to work together across the sectors. The processing sector, you have to work with them. Develop relationships with the processors and the government agencies.

“You need to look at the other side. You have to sit down with the other side and articulate your arguments and see if you can find common ground,” Fuglvog said.

“You do it by practicing, getting comfortable speaking (at public meetings). Every time it will get easier, but you have to get up and do it. You start on a committee with a group of your peers, then be chair,” and so forth on up, he said.

Fuglvog recounted his own learning experience, working first with his peers in salmon, crab, halibut and other fisheries, then serving on the advisory panel for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for nine years before serving on the council itself from 2003 to 2006.

“You have to know about other fisheries too,” he said. “Now I'm part of something bigger than myself. You guys can be part of something bigger than yourselves.”

Fuglvog told the group they must also become familiar with government regulations and legislation that affects fisheries such as the Endangered Species Act, and to keep learning.

“Fishing is a very noble, a very important profession,” he said, but you have to be prepared to explain what you do, and we have to manage the fisheries right, he said.

Margaret Bauman can be reached at Margie.Bauman@alaskajournal.com.