Friday September 16, 2022
Public Radio for the Central Kenai Peninsula —
A new five-year plan from the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office lays out institutional values and goals for Alaska fisheries and for working with their many stakeholders.
The plan was published in early September. In an opening letter, Regional Administrator Jon Kurland reminds readers that Alaska fisheries produce more than half of the seafood caught in U.S. waters and contribute more than $7 billion to the national economy. The plan is meant to guide sustainable management of those critical fisheries.
“I’ve been working for NOAA fisheries for almost 15 years, and you see a lot of strategic plans. And the thing that struck me that was different about this process was that, first and foremost, it was built around our shared values,” Alicia Bishop, aquaculture coordinator for the Alaska Regional Office, said.
Bishop is one of two staff members who worked on developing the strategic plan and running review meetings. She said one major difference between this plan and traditional strategic plans is the way it centers values rather than functions.