A new project of the Skipper Science Partnership and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), which launched on July 1, is asking fishermen to record on a smart phone app any interaction
between gillnet vessels and seabirds.
The goal of the Skipper Science Program coordinators at the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island’s tribal government is to shed more light on any seabird interactions with the fishery.
Skipper Science is a citizen science project that allows observations and data to be recorded by fishermen using a mobile smartphone app, providing non-scientists in remote locations a way to systematically record and share environmental and biological data as well as information on fishing practices from their vessels in real-time while fishing.
The program centers on community voices in fisheries research and management by providing a method to bridge and communicate data among various organizations and communities.
“Alaska fishermen have been informally observing and documenting fisheries and ecosystem data for decades and are local experts in their own right,” said Hannah-Marie Garcia, Skipper Science Program Coordinator at Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government. “The Skipper Science Partnership recognizes this and we work to connect this lived experience to researchers and managers by using cutting edge technology to help facilitate dialogue and communicate observations directly from the fishing grounds.”
Fishermen can sign up to participate at http://skipperscience.org
