Why Seafood from Alaska or British Columbia

Why Seafood from Alaska or British Columbia
By
Terrance H Booth, Sr. Tsimshian Tribe

Background Information
Last year all of Alaska’s production for salmon hit its 11th highest production in its history of salmon production harvesting over 175 million salmon. Area we are selecting to work with for this project of formation of Native Nations Fisheries Alliance is in Southeast Alaska that produces over half of Alaska’s salmon production. For British Columbia we chose Tsimshian and Haida Nation for they are in highly productive areas. Just south of the Haida Nation is Port Alberni is known as the “Salmon Capitol of the World.” With investment dollars we can expand the Native Fisheries Operations and get well over half of Alaska’s salmon production. And get high percentage of BC’s seafood with the Tribes of BC.

There is great pride in harvesting, processing and marketing Alaska Seafood across the entire State of Alaska. There are several family-owned and operated companies and each emphasizes the freshness, the high quality, health benefits, environmental safe for they all work with State of Alaska Environmental Health Division to ensure a safe product going to the market places of the globe. Most family-owned Alaskan companies are ready to ship anywhere to all fifty states and to the global market places. There is special attention to shipping, handling, wrapping for they all want customer satisfaction. Every one of them will readily let you know that they are not doing farmed salmon for wild salmon is healthier. Notice the emphasis on wild salmon and the State of Alaska ensures safety of all of its seafood products.

Environmental Contaminants
Mercury is a contaminant found usually in small amounts in all fish and shellfish. Too much mercury can be risky for pregnant women and young children. They should avoid eating species with high mercury levels—shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. Eating a variety of species reduces the chance of getting too much mercury. Fortunately, recent analysis showed that Alaska salmon, cod, and Pollock have among the lowest mercury levels of all seafood’s. Mackerel, herring, and sardines are also low in mercury.
Everyone can eat these fish without worrying about safety. Organic contaminants such as PCBs, dioxins, and pesticide residues are generally found only in very low amounts in most fish sold commercially. Current consumption of these contaminants from commercially available fish and shellfish has not been linked to any health risks. Experts agree: the health benefits from eating fish far outweigh any risks. http://ohurl.com/d9J

Since Alaska exports 62% of all of the USA seafood products food safety is a major concern not only for seafood processors, fishermen and those selling seafood of Alaska.

Food Safety & Sanitation Program, Consumer Seafood Safety
State of Alaska Division of Environmental Health

People love seafood. Not only does it taste great, but it is healthy and nutritious, too. "Seafood safety" is a big concern among the growing population of seafood lovers. They want to be absolutely sure that it is safe.
http://ohurl.com/d9K

News and information about why Alaska Seafood is good for you
Pure Waters, Pure Fish
Alaska is thousands of miles away from large sources of pollution that can contaminate the human food supply in other parts of the world. These distances, combined with the earth’s patterns of circulation of water and air, help to ensure that Alaska's own waters are among the cleanest in the world. http://ohurl.com/d9L

Good News: Contaminants Very Low in Alaska Fish
By Joyce A. Nettleton, DSc, RD.
Juneau, AK (August, 2004). With every report on contaminants in seafood, people wonder if it is safe to eat seafood. From 2001 to 2002, the state of Alaska, in cooperation with other government agencies and fishing organizations, collected over 600 samples of Alaska finfish species for detailed chemical analysis. These samples, analyzed with the most up-to-date methods, provide the most reliable estimates of environmental contaminants in Alaska seafood.

The analyses confirm that popular Alaska fish-salmon, cod, and pollock-present negligible health risks from mercury and organic contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins. These fish can safely be consumed any time by people of all ages. The well-recognized health benefits of consuming fish regularly for heart health, infant development during pregnancy and nursing, immune function, and other conditions far outweigh potential risks from trace levels of contaminants. http://ohurl.com/d9L

Why Alaska Seafood?
WildWild-caught Alaska salmon, whitefish varieties and shellfish mature at a natural pace, and swim freely in the pristine waters off Alaska's rugged 34,000-mile coastline.Superior FlavorThe superior flavor and texture of Alaska Seafood is prized around the world. The flavor and color characteristics come from the seafood species feeding on their natural diet of marine organisms, and the texture comes from annual migrations in the cold North Pacific.VersatileIt's easy to prepare Alaska Seafood using your favorite cooking method. Whether you like to grill, poach, bake, or sauté, you can have a delicious meal on the table in minutes. HealthyIf you are looking for a meal that is nutritious, low in saturated fat, and high in the "good fats" -- heart-healthy omega-3s, you can start with Alaska Seafood.Environmentally Responsible Careful management based on conservation assures abundant stocks of salmon, halibut, sole, pollock, and shellfish, so Alaska seafood is an environmentally responsible choice. Alaska Families And CommunitiesThe harvesting and processing of Alaska Seafood plays an important role in Alaska. The seafood industry is the state's largest private sector employer. Each small salmon fishing vessel, for example, is a floating family business, contributing to state and local economies. Alaska's commercial catch accounts for over half the nation's commercial seafood harvest.
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/information/why/index.html

Three Alaska Native Tribes; including Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian are in prime locations for all fisheries. In Southeast Alaska are the Tlingit Tribe of Hoonah, Angoon, Kake, Sitka, Wrangell, Yakutat, Ketchikan, Craig, Klawock and Hydaburg. The Tsimshian of Alaska on Annette Islands has been in fisheries since 1924. They are looking for more control over fisheries and have better pricing for their seafood harvest. Plus, they seeking expansion of seafood harvesting year around instead of seasonal. Craig, Klawock, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Kake, Metlakatla and Yakutat have their own seafood processing plants.

Metlakatla, Alaska has its own tribal fisheries jurisdiction, tribal fishing areas, and tribal hatchery with its own tribal regulations and tribal ordinances. They have 60 years of trading with Japan for the salmon roe. This village use to can salmon until Russia and South America flooded the market with their salmon. They shifted to fresh and frozen salmon products.

Logistics of transportation Southeast Alaska seafood to markets. Southeast is 3-4 hours air miles to Seattle, Washington via Alaska Airlines. 3-4 days barge and tug service to Seattle, Washington with regular scheduled trips from each of the villages.

Other alternatives to consider for transporting seafood is contract with Cargo Container Freight Company in Prince Rupert, British Columbia which ships to the globe and targets Asian Pacific Countries including Dalian, China which is China’s third largest Sea Port and Harbor. Or partner up with Metlakatla Indian Community, Metlakatla, Alaska to implement an International Harbor designation; activate their dormant airport making it an air cargo distribution center for all of southeast Alaska. The Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea is designated International Harbor and because of that over $300 million dollars of seafood transactions take place there for the Aleuts.

The Tribes group is planning to select for Alaska and British Columbia Native Nations Seafood Alliance have a combined total of 471 years of being in the seafood industry and that is lot of expertise and they are looking to expand into year around fisheries. Purpose of formation of Native Nations Seafood Alliance is to create volumes of seafood to send to global markets. For the Alaska Native Villages they have Community Quota for fisheries and some of them have not met their quotas. For Tribes of British Columbia Coast they recently won a landmark lawsuit that gives them the ability to commercialize all edible seafood of the BC coast. More importantly the Tribes want to have more control over fisheries industry and as it is now they are working for others instead of working for themselves.

Why Buy Seafood from British Columbia?

British Columbia’s seafood industry is one of the largest primary industries and remains a vital element in both the economic success of the province and the social fabric of many communities.
BC seafood products are derived from over 80 different species of finfish, shellfish and plants from both the freshwater and marine environments. The industry employs over 15,000 people in full and part-time positions with the wholesale value of production averaging about $1 billion annually. And, seafood is the province’s number one food export with shipments to more than 50 countries. http://www.bcseafoodonline.com/
For the tribes of both Alaska and British Columbia they have a cultural tie to their seafood. It is reflected in their dances, songs and stories and their specialty seafood items with wooden gift boxes have tribal designs of each one of the Tribes of Alaska and BC.
Purpose of seeking funds for the Tribes for their seafood operations is to expand existing seafood processing plants including upgrading, modernization and put into place state-of-the-art equipment to be more competitive in the seafood industry with more value-added seafood items. Also put budget into place for purchasing of seafood and contracting with existing Native Processing Plants to process seafood harvest, purchase new boats that have the capability of doing year around fisheries.

References
v Alaska Seafood
v State of Alaska, Environmental Health Division
v Great Alaska Seafood
v Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
v BC Seafood