Technical assistance workshops target salmon fishermen

Submitted by Doug Schneider
Phone: (907) 474-7449
06/08/04

January 16, 2004

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA--Alaska’s commercial salmon fishermen hit hard by the surge in farmed salmon and low salmon prices may be eligible for financial compensation, job training and educational benefits under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Program.

Fishermen applying for benefits under the TAA program are required to take part in a free one-hour technical assistance workshop conducted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Marine Advisory Program with cooperation from the Cooperative Extension Service. Technical assistance workshops will be held beginning this month in communities across the state and via audio-conference. If you are a salmon harvester eligible for the TAA program, you are required to attend a workshop as part of your application process.

To learn about workshops planned for your area, visit the TAA Technical Assistance Workshop Web site at http://www.taaworkshops.org, or call toll free 1-888-788-6333. If you are in Anchorage please call 786-6328.

Salmon harvesters have until January 20, 2004 to sign-up for benefits under the TAA program. However, they do not need to attend a technical assistance workshop before the deadline in order to submit their TAA application to the Alaska Farm Service Agency. Workshops will be available for all applicants beginning after the sign-up deadline.

For fishermen and crew members living or traveling outside Alaska, TAA technical assistance workshops are being coordinated by Washington State University Extension. They can be contacted at their Web site at http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/taa or by calling 1-800-477-4012.

Contact: Torie Baker at torie@sfos.uaf.eduor Bill Hall at bhall@sfos.uaf.edu, TAA Technical Assistance Workshop Coordinators, Marine Advisory Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, (907) 786-6328 or toll free 1-800-788-6333.