CommFish: All About Alaska’s Commercial Fisheries Collections 34 th 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 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…

YearName of Regional Office on Annual Report 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

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. 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!