News, Reports, and Media

KDLG by Jack Darrell July 26, 2023

"The Skipper Science program partnered with Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association and the University of Washington on the Nushagak King Mapping Project this year which asks local users to self-report where they are seeing king salmon in the Nushagak district in the hopes that data can inform conservation practices.

That is just one aspect of the network that works at the intersection of indigenous, local, and traditional knowledge and western scientific methods. Garcia said it isn’t an intersection, though, as much as a way of painting a fuller picture...."

Anchorage Daily News By Nathan Herz, Northern Journal, July 20,2023 ​

"Last year’s average Bristol Bay sockeye price was $1.39 per pound. Prices have fallen below $1 only twice since 2009, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game...Fishermen have been fuming at processors since this week's announcements, and dozens of boats staged a floating protest Thursday on a Bristol Bay river, according to local public radio station KDLG.."

Cordova Times July 7th, 2023

"A new project of the Skipper Science Partnership and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), which launched on July 1, is asking fishermen to record on a smart phone app any interaction between gillnet vessels and seabirds."

Alaska Sporting Journal, by chrisco2 June 29, 2023

“Alaska fishermen have been informally observing and documenting fisheries and ecosystem data for decades and are local experts in their own right. The Skipper Science Partnership recognizes this and we work to connect this lived experience to researchers and managers by using cutting edge technology to help facilitate dialouge and communicate observations directly from the fishing grounds.” said Hannah-Marie Garcia ISN and Skipper Science Program Coordinator at Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government.

KDLG, By Jack Darrell June 30, 2023

The Skipper Science Program is in its third year in Bristol Bay and fishing crews are taking notice. User numbers are up on the app in the fishery and this season, the citizen science initiative could be more consequential than ever. The goal is to find out where exactly King salmon are running, with the Nushagak King mapping project.

Curry Cunningham, Assistant Professor of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at University of Alaska Fairbanks, shares more about the Nushagak King Mapping Project collaboration between Skipper Science Partnership and BBRSDA...

The Skipper Science Partnership and Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) are partnering on a new project that seeks to understand gillnet and seabird interactions within Alaska salmon fisheries...

The Alaska Beacon, by Yereth Rosin, June 5, 2023

In the Bristol Bay region, sockeye salmon runs have been booming while Chinook runs have dwindled. Now scientists are seeking to enlist fishing crews in the effort to find out why, as well as what can be done about the Chinook troubles.“There’s a lot at stake here in terms of the sockeye resource and what impact kings might have on it,” said Andy Wink, executive director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association....

Alaska's News Source, by Joe Kinneen, June 1, 2023

With king salmon numbers still low in the Bristol Bay area, the Skipper Science Partnership is bringing a new focus to tracking where king salmon are — and aren’t — in the Nushagak area...

The Cordova Times, by Kinsey Brown, May 26, 2023

The partnership currently has financial incentives for fishermen to participate with the opportunity to win $500 for their in-season observations. But Smith says the value of logging in the app was more than financial. “I think it’s important that people are open-minded about sharing their own personal observations to the science community,” he said. “It’s important that we advocate for a better fishery.”...

KDLL Radio by Sabine Poux, April 2023

Federal fisheries managers are meeting in Anchorage this week to talk about Cook Inlet commercial fishing and salmon bycatch, among other big-ticket agenda items. Alaskans behind the Skipper Science app say....

Interview, March 2023

Tracy Sinclare talks with Hannah Marie-Garcia, Indigenous Sentinels Network Coordinator, about a citizen's science program looking to fill in data gaps in Alaska's waters.

Interview, March 2023

Full podcast interview where Tracy Sinclare talks with Hannah Marie-Garcia, Indigenous Sentinels Network Coordinator, about a citizen's science program looking to fill in data gaps in Alaska's waters.

KINY, February 16, 2023

"....continue to grow Alaska’s Skipper Science program with 180 commercial fishermen participating to collect ecological observations, including changes in fisheries and ocean conditions."...

Posted by KCAW News | Jul 7, 2022

The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government, SalmonState’s Salmon Habitat Information Program (SHIP), and Aleutian Bering Sea Initiative, along with commercial fishing industry partners, 2022 are continuing their groundbreaking citizen science program, Skipper Science.
 

 Cordova Times, June 3, 2022

“We were so grateful to be welcomed by the community in Cordova and have such wonderful weather while we were there,” said Heather Bauscher, from Sitka Conservation Society and collaborator with SalmonState. “And this is a really exciting time to get involved...

June 23, 2022

Alaska Sporting Journal, June 23, 2022

Skipper Science Bigger, Bolder and Better in 2022 

This summer, boat captains and crews work together with scientists to document ecosystem data and changes in real time...

Anchorage Daily News, December 15, 2021

Fishermen enhance science - Over 100 Alaska fishermen signed on for a Skipper Science program that lets them share what they know and see out on the water. The pilot program started in June and uses a free phone app for logging real time observations....

The Cordova Times, December 6, 2021

Commercial harvesters are pitching in to provide their observations on ecological changes in fisheries and ocean conditions, to help pave the way for climate ready fisheries of the future through Skipper Science...

Alaska Fish News, Laine Welch, December 7, 2021

The pilot program started in June and uses a simple free phone app for logging real time observations.

“Basically it worked and fishermen are very well equipped...

Environmental Defence Fund (EDF), September 29, 2021, by Julia Rose and Christopher Cusack

The generation of goods and services on or for the oceans has been growing exponentially in recent years. Industries such as shipping, marine tourism, aquaculture, and renewable energy contribute to a “Blue Economy” that...

KDLG 670AM by Stephanie Maltarich, July 20, 2021 

Catie Bursch is a commercial fisherman who set nets each summer on the Ugashik River. Several years ago, she noticed water temperatures in the Ugashik were warming....

The Arctic Sounder, by Laine Welch July 8, 2921

Real life, real-time observations added to scientific data. Fishermen are the ears and eyes of the marine ecosystem as a changing climate throws our oceans off kilter...

Fish Factor, Alaska Journal of Commerce by Laine Welch July 7, 2021

“How do we take what has historically been called anecdotal and create some structure around it that is rigorous and has scientific repeatability?” Divine said to KCAW in Sitka.“There is a vast body of deep knowledge that fishermen hold from...

KCAW News | Jul 7, 2021

Cordova Times June 26, 2021

“The Skipper Science project recognizes this and is working to connect this lived experience with cutting edge technology,” said Bloom. “Our hope is that the program can serve as "...

Alaska Public Radio

... a new smartphone app will capture fishermen’s observations in real time and track conditions that may be related to climate change...