Alaska Sea Grant announces new publications and videos for fishermen – Fishupdate.com

Alaska Sea Grant announces new publications and videos for fishermen Published:  08 February, 2007

ALASKA Sea Grant, a non-profit agency supporting marine research and a longtime publisher of popular marine education books, posters, games, tide charts, marine mammal and fish identification guides, scientific proceedings, and how-to manuals and videos for commercial fishermen, will offer more than a dozen new titles in 2007.

“This year’s catalogue offers 13 new books and videos,” said Kathy Kurtenbach, marketing coordinator for Alaska Sea Grant. “These are exciting new titles for fishermen, educators, students, scientists, tourists, and others interested in Alaska’s oceans.”

Alaska Sea Grant is a nonprofit agency based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. It supports marine research and conducts education and outreach programmes aimed at improving understanding of ocean issues. Alaska Sea Grant conducts extension through its Marine Advisory Program offices in nine coastal communities across the state. Alaska Sea Grant is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Alaska.

Key to its education mission is the production of books and videos highlighting Alaska’s marine resources. Sales proceeds are used to support Alaska Sea Grant’s publications production.

Among the new titles is the ‘Field Guide to Sharks, Skates, and Ratfish of Alaska’. The book is the latest installment in a suite of Alaska field guides on flatfishes, marine mammals, rockfishes, and coastal bird nests and eggs. Kurtenbach predicts the shark and skate guide, which will feature cover art by noted marine artist Ray Troll, will be a big hit among commercial and charter fishermen, scientists, tourists, and naturalists. The guide will be available this spring.

“This is a great book, with colour photos of 10 shark species and 15 skates common in Alaska, as well as one ratfish,” said Kurtenbach. “Each species has a distribution map, morphology description, even drawings of the unique shark teeth. It is the most comprehensive overview of Alaska’s cartilaginous fishes ever produced.”

Many of the catalogue’s offerings will appeal to the needs of commercial fishermen and marine scientists. For commercial fishermen, Alaska Sea Grant offers publications aimed at launching a seafood direct marketing effort, transferring fishing permits, and improving seafood quality. One new video is devoted entirely to helping salmon fishermen who use skiffs improve seafood quality. Another video seeks to improve safety standards by helping commercial fishermen consider issues that affect their vessel’s stability. Some 35 percent of fishing vessel sinkings are linked to instability.

The catalogue also announces a CD of common business spreadsheets and electronic recordkeeping tools for fishermen. The CD will be available in June.

For marine scientists and resource managers, Alaska Sea Grant offers proceedings on recent conferences on sea lion research, king crab hatcheries, and combating the effects of coastal erosion.

Alaska Sea Grant titles are sold in bookstores across Alaska, directly through its online bookstore, and through Marine Advisory Program offices.

For more information go to: http://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore

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