Transcript CommFish

CommFish: All About Alaska’s
Commercial Fisheries
Collections
34th IAMSLIC Conference, Suva, Fiji
15 September 2008
Daria O. Carle
UAA / APU Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA
Celia M. Rozen and Edward Kazzimir
Alaska 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 Fisheries
Economic Importance
 $1.3 billion gross earnings in 2005
 World-scale industry
 Major source of employment in the state
 Core economy for much of coastal Alaska
 Export revenues significant to state economy
‘Commercial Fisheries’ in Alaska
 Salmon Fisheries
 five Pacific salmon species (Oncorhynchus sp.)
 Herring Fisheries
 Pacific 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 Fisheries
 several species of crab, shrimp and clams, scallops, sea
urchins, sea cucumbers, octopus, and squid
AK Dept of Fish & Game
Commercial Fisheries Administrative Units
What is the CommFish Collection?
 Unique data from the Commercial Fisheries Division
of Alaska Dept of Fish & Game
 Contains current and pre-statehood (1959) data
 Variety of reports, some for general audience; others
more technical in nature
 Useful source of information on methodology,
statistics, and biometrics
 Primarily 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 world
 Innovative partnership of state, federal, and
university founders
 Over 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 & Game
 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council
 UAA Environment & Natural Resources Institute
 U.S. Bureau of Land Management
 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
 U.S. Geological Survey
 U.S. Minerals Management Service
 U.S. National Park Service
CommFish includes four series:
 Annual Management Reports
 Cumulative data for catch, escapement, economic
factors, and fishery management policies
 Regional Information Reports
 In-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
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publishers
Frequent changes in authorship and series titles
Publication sometimes dependent on staff turnover
and workload
Drafts of reports occasionally appear before being
finalized, resulting in multiple versions
Other inconsistencies and oddities that defy
cataloging rules
Cataloging complications
1. 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…
Year
Name of Regional Office on Annual Report
1931-1938
1939-1950
Central Alaska, Seward-Katalla District
Central District, Prince William Sound, Copper &
Bering Rivers, Resurrection Bay
Central District, Prince William Sound, Copper River,
Bering River
Central District, Prince William Sound, Copper River,
Bering-Yakataga Area
Cordova Area
Prince William Sound Area
Central Region
1951-1955
1956-1959
1960-1970
1971-1991
1992-2002
Cataloging complications
2. Geographic names
Alaska has:
 50 Fish Creeks
 39 Slate Creeks
 24 Crooked Creeks
 28 Clear Creeks
 15 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!