$125,000 DONATION TO AID FISHERY RESEARCH AND TEACHING PROGRAMS IN ALASKA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 1998

Fairbanks, Alaska - Phoenix Processors Limited Partnership, operators of a fleet of pollock boats and a large pollock processing "mothership" in the Bering Sea, has donated $100,000 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to develop seafood harvesting and processing courses for Alaska teachers and industry professionals.

Phoenix Processors has also donated an additional $25,000 to UAF to fund field research this summer aimed at investigating the cause of Steller sea lion declines in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.

UAF's Fishery Industrial Technology Center in Kodiak will take the lead on developing three new educational programs to meet state and industry goals of enhancing in-state technical training opportunities for Alaska seafood workers. UAF's School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences on the Fairbanks campus oversees and coordinates marine education, research, technology and extension programs statewide.

According to Phoenix Processors President David Galloway, the seafood industry is Alaska's most valuable renewable resource.

"Alaska's seafood industry is the state's largest private sector employer and second largest source of state revenue behind oil," said Galloway. "We're proud to assist the important work being done by the university and others to ensure that >Alaska's commercial fishing and processing industry remains healthy and continues to provide meaningful career opportunities for future generations of Alaskans."

FITC Director Scott Smiley said the partnership with Phoenix Processors will have a positive impact on numerous Alaskan coastal communities.

"The goal of the program is to help educators become more familiar with opportunities in seafood processing so they can inform and prepare young Alaskans for the jobs and many careers the industry offers," Smiley said. "That should pay dividends well into the future.

Smiley said $20,000 of the Phoenix donation will create teacher education programs for K-12 educators to be used in 4th, 7th and 10th grade courses; $50,000 will develop a team of professionals to provide training in business and management to mid-level seafood processing personnel; and $30,000 will produce training videos to promote hygiene and food safety issues among employees in the seafood industry.

CONTACT: UAF Fishery Industrial Technology Center Director Scott Smiley (907) 486-1500 or by e-mail ffsts@uaf.edu

DPD/4-27-98/98-056