NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
July 30, 2010
Julie Speegle, 907-586-7032
NOAA Fisheries to hold public meetings to shape community profiles
Seattle, WA – Social scientists from NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) are hosting six regional public meetings this August through September to gather profile information on specific communities from local residents. The one-day meetings will be held in Anchorage, Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Bethel, Nome, Petersburg and Kodiak.
Data gathered from community members at the meetings will be combined with information from the 2010 U.S. Census and used to update Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries - Alaska publication, originally published in 2005.
"The original publication was based solely on secondary information already available,” said Dr. Amber Himes, who is organizing the meetings. "These public meetings are a unique opportunity for us to gather meaningful first-hand information from residents about their communities, as we believe communities are best equipped to describe their relationship to fisheries."
These community profiles are a valuable resource for a wide range of uses, including North Pacific Fishery Management Plans, city planning, reports by students and academics, and as background material for Fishery Management Council committees, and other natural resource agencies.
Social scientists from the AFSC Economic and Social Sciences Research Program will lead the meetings, which are co-sponsored by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, Gulf of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition, Southeast Conference, and Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference.
This meeting is open to the public. Participants must register in advance, and will receive an agenda and further information upon registration. Limited travel funding to cover a portion of participants’ expenses may be available for those who would not otherwise be able to participate. For those not able to attend in person, an audio-conference will be held September 30, or input may be emailed to AFSC.Community.Profiles@noaa.gov.
Additional information, including meeting dates, is available at: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/REFM/Socioeconomics/Projects/2011CommunityProfilesUpdates.php.
For more information or to register, contact Dr. Amber Himes, NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, at 206-526-4221 or by email at: AFSC.Community.Profiles@noaa.gov.
Updates to the community profiles are expected to be complete in 2011.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at http://www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/noaa.lubchenco. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, visit http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or www.afsc.noaa.gov.
