Behind this Year's???Numbers

There is a lot for us to be proud of as we reflect on our accomplishments in 2016.

Our research provides the foundation for marine resource management decisions. Through sustainably managed fish stocks, we can have strong and profitable fisheries, ample jobs and a stable food supply for local communities and the Nation. Alaska fisheries are among the most well managed fisheries in the world. We have the largest U.S. commercial fishery, worth an estimated $1.8 billion annually.

Alaska waters are also home to diverse populations of marine mammals, providing food and sustaining a way of life for Alaska Native communities that has endure for centuries.

We had another successful field season, conducting fisheries and mammal research surveys and fisheries-dependent data collection through the largest observer program in the Nation. We also produced critical biological, ecological and socio-economic process and modelling studies. With the completion of the Southeastern Bering Sea Regional Action Plan for climate science and the vulnerability analysis, we took another big step to further Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management. Resource managers and Alaska Native hunters and fishermen rely on our data to set sustainable annual harvest limits.

We also designed and tested exciting new technologies and forged international partnerships that are allowing us to more efficiently survey broader areas of the North Pacific and Arctic to refine fish and marine mammal stock assessments and further improve the quality of the information we are providing to stakeholders.

Through our fieldwork, laboratory experiments and modelling projects, we gained new insights about the Arctic and how fisheries and marine species may respond to a changing marine environment. Based on our projections of species abundance and fishing industry response, resource managers will be able to make appropriate management decisions to both sustain marine resources and maximize economic opportunities in the future.

We keep our stakeholders, the public and Congress informed about the work we???re doing and why we???re doing it through effective communications, education and outreach. The Center???s commitment to education means we engage and share the latest science with U.S. students to inspire and give them an edge in future careers in engineering and science. Our efforts targeting K-12 and college students also creates a valuable pipeline to build our future workforce.

A day does not go by that I am not inspired by the incredible talent and commitment of Alaska Fisheries Science Center staff. Your individual contributions make the Alaska Fisheries Science Center a premiere research institution and a great place to work!

Thank you again for all you do! I look forward to another great year!

Douglas DeMaster