CommFish: All About Alaska’s

Commercial FisheriesCollections

34th IAMSLIC Conference, Suva, Fiji15 September 2008

Daria O. CarleUAA / APU Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA

Celia M. Rozen and Edward KazzimirAlaska Resources Library & Information Services, Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Who manages Alaska’s fisheries?

Commercial fisheries of Alaska fall under a mix of state and federal management jurisdictions.

In general, the state of Alaska (Dept of Fish & Game) has management authority for all salmon, herring, and shellfish fisheries.

The federal government (National Marine Fisheries Service) has management authority for the majority of groundfish fisheries, except for those within three nautical miles of shore.

Alaska’s Commercial FisheriesEconomic Importance

$1.3 billion gross earnings in 2005World-scale industryMajor source of employment in the state Core economy for much of coastal AlaskaExport revenues significant to state economy

‘Commercial Fisheries’ in AlaskaSalmon Fisheries

five Pacific salmon species (Oncorhynchus sp.)

Herring FisheriesPacific herring (Clupea pallasi)

Groundfish Fisheries*includes pollock, Pacific cod, sablefish, Atka mackerel,

lingcod, and numerous rockfish and flatfish species (*Halibut are not considered a groundfish and are managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.)

Shellfish Fisheriesseveral species of crab, shrimp and clams, scallops, sea

urchins, sea cucumbers, octopus, and squid

What is the CommFish Collection?

Unique data from the Commercial Fisheries Division of Alaska Dept of Fish & Game

Contains current and pre-statehood (1959) dataVariety of reports, some for general audience; others

more technical in natureUseful source of information on methodology,

statistics, and biometricsPrimarily print, but also includes some film Previously housed in an on-site office library and at

another library location in southeast Alaska

ARLIS – Alaska Resources Library & Information Services

‘…the mother lode of Alaska resources information...’

Most complete collection of its kind in the worldInnovative partnership of state, federal, and

university foundersOver 230,000 customers served since it was

established in 1997 Winner of the 2001 National Award for Library

Service

ARLIS’ State, Federal, & University Founding Partners:

Alaska Department of Fish & GameExxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee CouncilUAA Environment & Natural Resources InstituteU.S. Bureau of Land ManagementU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceU.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Minerals Management ServiceU.S. National Park Service

CommFish includes four series:

Annual Management ReportsCumulative data for catch, escapement, economic

factors, and fishery management policies

Regional Information ReportsIn-depth focus on a topic of regional interest

Staff Reports to Alaska’s Board of Fish‘White papers’ affecting policy decisions

Data Reports*Data produced by the four regions encompassing the

most prolific fisheries

CommFish Cataloging complications

Written by agency personnel, who are scientists, not publishers

Frequent changes in authorship and series titles Publication sometimes dependent on staff turnover

and workloadDrafts of reports occasionally appear before being

finalized, resulting in multiple versionsOther inconsistencies and oddities that defy

cataloging rules

Cataloging complications1. Changes in the geographic coverage of a reporting office

One annual report can have various titles over a period of years

See the following example…

Cataloging complications2. Geographic names

Alaska has:50 Fish Creeks39 Slate Creeks24 Crooked Creeks 28 Clear Creeks15 Eureka Creeks (8 in the Nome Census Area)11 Iron Creek(s) (1 is a village, 10 are streams) 8 Twelve-mile Creeks 8 Clearwater Creeks (2 in the same river watershed)

CommFish Collection Current status

Most Data Reports have been cataloged and are now included in ARLIS’ online catalog.http://www.arlis.org

Regional Info Reports and Annual Mgmt Reports scanned by Alaska Dept of Fish & Game have been copied to ARLIS’ server and also made available electronically through the online catalog.

No official circulation numbers yet, but usage is expected to grow with increased availability of the data.

Any questions?

Thank you very much!