Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association
Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, BSFA – was designed to unify a variety of people, issues and goals. It began with 150 fishermen from over 30 villages in western Alaska ranging from Bristol Bay to Kotzebue Sound. These fishermen united to become more involved in new fisheries that were developing in their backyard, and to build an organization that was concerned with helping local fishermen gain full economic benefits from existing local commercial fisheries.
The major goals of the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association are to help Western Alaskan fishermen get started in the herring fishery. They also seeked to help take the opinions and ideas of western Alaskan fishermen to the State Legislature and to Congress, work with state and federal fisheries agencies to help local Bering Sea fishermen, and help locate and develop sources of financial aid for Bering Sea fishermen. They also inform fishermen of new political, economic and technological developments which affect their livelihoods.
Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association focuses on the activities of Alaska’s fisheries. They support and provide funding for research projects to non-governmental organizations in western Alaska in order to support advanced learning about their fisheries resources. They further strengthen the region through coalition building and leadership skill building. Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association has been hosting exchanges between regional residents, researchers, and policymakers since 1992. They provide significant expertise in issues relevant to their marine and freshwater fisheries and their environments.
