Fish On! Invitational 2010

The catch of the day from F/V Legend

For more than a decade, Congressman Don Young has graciously acted as host of the Alaska SeaLife Center Invitational – a weekend of fishing and fundraising for the Center’s programs. After a one year break in 2009, the Invitation returned again this year. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor -- Anchorage had just set a new record – 31 straight rain days and that same grey sky extended over Seward for much the same period.

However, as the photo above attests, the fishing was sensational! More than 60 participants joined the fishing both days of the event and most fishers caught their limit. As I said at the Friday night dinner fundraising event, “that catch is both a wonderful indicator of the health of the ecosystems and the quality of fisheries management systems in Alaska. The vision for the Alaska SeaLife Center is for future generations to continue to enjoy the bounty of Alaska’s oceans -- we clearly need to keep our relentless focus on improving the science that underpins good fisheries management and on providing the education that helps Alaskans and visitors to contribute sustainable fisheries management”.

We are indebted to Congressman Young for helping us realize that vision. His support for the Center over many years has enabled us to build and strengthen the research and education programs that underpin our work and which have a huge benefit to Alaska’s tourism, fishing and other marine-resource dependent industries. He has very generously acted as our host for the Invitational which attracts a strong level of participation by many Alaskans as well as other business leaders from the Lower 48.

We encourage you all to mark your calendars for mid August 2011 when we plan to run our next summer invitational fish celebration and fundraiser.

Remembering Ted Stevens: A Great Alaskan and Champion for our Oceans

Senator Stevens with Nereus the rescued walrus that was rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center and transferred to the Indianapolis Zoo in 2003.

(photo by Aaron Saunders)

The Alaska SeaLife Center staff are joining all Alaskans today in sharing their grief over the tragic loss of Senator Ted Stevens. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family for their loss and to the families of the other passengers killed and injured in the plane crash on Monday.

Senator Stephens played an integral role in establishing and promoting the Alaska SeaLife Center. With his deep interest in a healthy fisheries industry and sound governance of the larger Alaska marine ecosystem, he saw the value of opening a public aquarium and promoting marine research in his home state. Senator Stevens legacy will in part be defined by the value he placed on protecting our marine resources and his leadership in supporting scientific research to understand and sustain those resources.
His work to restructure commercial fishing to protect the sustainability of that industry has revolutionized fisheries management in the North Pacific and beyond. His ability to balance economic and environmental needs of the state was remarkable and admirable. As an institution we are indebted to Senator Stevens for his years of service to our state, his contributions both political and private to the wellbeing of the Alaska SeaLife Center and for serving as an advocate of environmental stewardship that we can all learn from.

We share in the nation’s sorrow as we have lost a champion of our cause and a wonderful friend to all who care about the future of our oceans.

On behalf of the Board, staff and volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center, the citizens who helped create and maintain the Center, the science community which has benefited by the research conducted here and the two million visitors who have learned about the wonders of Alaska’s seas as a result of its creation, we pledge to continue to honor Senator Stevens legacy and further the important marine research and education work that he long ago recognized as profoundly important to the future of Alaska.

Tazo - the latest Alaskan Ambassador for a National Marine Wildlife Strandings Response Network

Tazo, the northern sea otter rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center and now transferred to the New York Aquarium

I really didn't intend to put this awesome picture on the blog this morning.  I figured that with all the media coverage Tazo's transfer had attracted in the past 24 hours (see, for example, http://community.adn.com/adn/node/152649) that everyone would have seen enough of him.
But then I went for coffee and meetings uptown and just happened to overhear numerous passionate conversations about "how cute sea otters" are and even good natured debates about whether he should have "been allowed to leave" Alaska.  Clearly Alaskans have a great affection for sea otters!
Those debates reminded me again of how important the strandings science and stewardship work that we do in partnership with agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service is.  The Alaska SeaLife Center plays a unique role in marine mammal and seabird strandings in America's largest marine State - we have the only purpose designed facility for that work in Alaska.  Our talented husbandry and veterinary team has an exceptional record rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing or transferring injured animals and in undertaking studies of dead animals.  Both live and dead animal responses provide us with data that is incredibly valuable in understanding that species and the wider marine ecosystem.  In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, we have been actively campaigning for greater support for a national network of institutions like ours to be able to respond to injured marine wildlife such as Tazo - that work has no dedicated funding source currently!
Whether you visit Tazo at the New York Aquarium or encounter sea otters in their natural habitat in Resurrection bay, spare a thought for the safety net that national marine wildlife strandings response institutions provide.... can you imagine how much poorer our seas and lives would be if we were to lose these ambassadors?

Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest - a Great Field Guide!

The cover of the new 2nd edition (ISBN 9781550174717, paper, 354pp)

As a relative newcomer to Alaska's shores (a mere four years), I am all too often reminded of how little I know about most of the marine life that I see on beach walks, tide pool excursions, fishing trips or, on those few occasions when I actually look, underwater.  Much of my recent Alaskan marine education has been very kindly provided by our outstanding husbandry staff at the Alaska SeaLife Center.  Our incredibly knowledgeable team of aquarists, particularly Richard Hocking and Jared Guthridge have patiently walked me through the nuances of fish life in the Gulf of Alaska. 
There is still work to be done though and so I am most grateful to have recently acquired the newly released second edition of Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest by Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell.  Coastal Fishes has just been republished in Canada and is fully updated and expanded. Every fish is illustrated by a labelled drawing and superb underwater photos - featuring contributions by Nate Chambers from our Exhibits team. I especially appreciated the many photos that show juvenile and adult life stages - they will really help me improve my identification of sculpins and other species that I currently find particularly confusing.
Another feature that many users will find helpful is a series of icons that target information for the different "fish stakeholders" - scuba divers, anglers, seafood fanciers, etc.  This really is a book with wide appeal.
So Richard - next time I misidentify one of the rockfish in our aquaria, you'll finally be able to refer me for some taxonomically correct, and throughly enjoyable, "remedial reading"!