After five years of helping small businesses get off the ground, the Alaska Ocean Cluster is moving from the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association to the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association are among 19 recipients that will share a portion of $95 million in federal funding.
Chum salmon stocks crashed to record lows last year, and the letter writers fear that another low return this summer could push the chum past the point of recovery.
Legislators in the Alaska House of Representatives have recognized the blue economy efforts of the Alaska Ocean Cluster in House Concurrent Resolution 2 and sent the document to the Alaska Senate for consideration.