In Alaska, fishing isn’t just a vital economic driver, it’s a way of life. Since 1978, the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association–ALFA–has built a sustainable fishing legacy, championing local industry and preserving the natural resources of Alaskan waters. We journey to Sitka to learn how ALFA is blending modern technology and time-honored wisdom to protect a fishing future for Alaska.

With a coastline longer than every other state’s combined, Alaska has always relied on its fishing industry. After oil and gas, it’s the state’s biggest economic product, accounting for over $5 billion a year. But with climate change and foreign industrial fishing depleting fish stocks and damaging habitats, this Alaskan lifeline faces many challenges.

Fortunately, Alaska’s small fisheries have a tireless advocate on their side in ALFA. In the 70s, ALFA worked to end overfishing by foreign vessels, and in 1998, they scored a major victory for Alaska with their successful campaign to ban trawling, preserving the sustainability of fish stocks and, ultimately, the communities that rely on them. “It means that we're able to hand to the next generation of fishermen, to our kids, the same opportunities in the same healthy ocean that I found when I came up here 40 years ago,” says Linda Behnken, ALFA’s Executive Director.

In 2009, ALFA established the Fishery Conservation Network, a collaborative effort between fishermen, researchers and scientists to share data and innovate new approaches to sustainable fishing. Their bathymetric mapping project crowdsources data from ALFA members to build detailed seafloor maps that reduce bycatch of unwanted species, reducing impact on marine ecosystems and making each fishing run more efficient and profitable.

ALFA is also the first private organization to qualify for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, a DOE program that connects them with energy experts around the country to improve the efficiency of their fishing fleet. There are even long-term plans to work on hybrid-electric fishing vessels, an important step in keeping fishing economically viable as fuel costs continue to rise.

Alaskan fishing’s future also depends on bringing up the next generation of fishermen and women, which ALFA is devoted to through their Crew Training Program. By teaching the next generation their ethic of conservation and sustainable fishing, ALFA ensures that this Alaskan industry endures to carry on its deep tradition of stewardship for the environment and the resources that sustain us.

Alaska's Sustainable Fishing Legacy | Farms Across America

Directed by Eric Feigenbaum

Created by Conor Gaughan and Kate Tucker

Written and hosted by Kate Tucker

Produced by Consensus Digital Media in partnership with Remedial Media

Executive Producer - Kate Tucker

Executive Producer - Jessie English

Executive Producer - Eric Feigenbaum

Executive Producer - Conor Gaughan

Featuring:

Linda Behnken - Executive Director, ALFA / Co-Owner / Operator of F/V Woodstock

Stephen Rhoads - VP of Sales, Seafood Producers Cooperative / Owner / Operator of F/V Magia

Eric Jordan - Captain, F/V I Gotta / Co-Founder, ALFA Crew Training Program

Filmed in Sitka, Alaska at the Alaskan Longline Fishermen’s Association, Seafood Producers Cooperative, and aboard F/V I Gotta, F/V Magia, and F/V Woodstock.

Additional footage/photos courtesy of: Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association & Linda Behnken

Supervising Producer - Geoff Rock

Editor - Jack Mankiewicz

Assistant Editor - Angaelica LaPasta

Director of Photography - Isaac Rosenthal

Camera Operator - Eddie Bernard

Gaffer / Drone Operator - Fletcher Anstis

Sound Engineer - Tom Eichler

Production Coordinator - John Ryan Gage

Hair & Makeup - Jessie English

Wardrobe - Hollie Van Osenbruggen

Audio Mixer / Sound Design - Dillon Terry

Color Grading - Ind3x

Motion Graphics - Yuriy Netrebyuk

Music courtesy of Artlist & Soundstripe