Aleutian Wave. Atka. Nikolski. Surfing the Aleutians in IN THIS ISSUE: Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association (APICDA) Winter 2013

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1 Aleutian Wave Winter 2013 Atka Surfing the Aleutians in Nikolski Photo by Ken Smith IN THIS ISSUE: 2. Chief Executive Officer Message 3. Expansion Continues at Bering Pacific Seafoods 5. Congratulations Photo Contest Winners 6. The Surfing is Great in Nikolski 9. Niigugim Tanasxaa Culture Camp 12. Big Blue Arrives in St. George Haginaa Kidul - Helping to Grow

2 APICDA Board of Directors Gilda Shellikoff False Pass Chair Andrew AJ Lestenkof Jr. Nikolski Vice-Chair Justine Gundersen Nelson Lagoon Secretary/Treasurer Pete Crandall Ex-Officio Financial Industry Rick Lauber Fishing Industry Director Harvey McGlashan Akutan Director Patrick Pletnikoff St. George Director Bill Shaishnikoff Unalaska Ex-Officio Mark Snigaroff Atka Director Message from the CEO Larry Cotter Chief Executive Officer All of our companies must focus on profitability in their operations to be able to better build value for our communities. Dear APICDA Communities and Stakeholders, As 2013 comes to a close, APICDA is charging ahead through a period of intense growth. As we move past our twentieth anniversary, we are continually motivated by our purpose to develop stable local economies in each of our member communities. We know that stable economies require investment and infrastructure. We have invested millions in infrastructure throughout our region, but nowhere with as much recent emphasis as in False Pass. That community has access to seafood resources that can sustain a year-round processing operation. When our construction project at Bering Pacific Seafoods (BPS) is complete this spring, we will begin year-round operations. A completed BPS will bring more employment opportunities, increased tax revenue, economic growth and opportunity. We are betting our investments at BPS will re-establish False Pass as a community that can be counted on to keep people in the region. We will apply the same level of commitment in developing stability in each of our member communities. Another investment, the addition of Cannon Fish Company in August of last year, shows our direction on into the future. Cannon Fish enables APICDA to function as a vertically integrated seafood company. We now have the ability to responsibly harvest, process and market wild Alaskan crab, pollock, Pacific cod, black cod, halibut and salmon from the North Pacific in a sustainable manner. Our focus on growth and financial investments come out of the fact that we cannot achieve our purpose by relying strictly on royalties from the CDQ allocations. All of our companies must focus on profitability in their operations to be able to better build sustainability and opportunities in our communities. As much as we are looking forward, the challenge of making a living and surviving in our villages today is something of which we are acutely aware. Our communities are faced with many needs and challenges. A growing threat is substance abuse this is a spreading cancer that must be eradicated. The APICDA board and all of our employees are excited about our growth and the positive changes that come with it. Best wishes for a happy New Year! Larry Cotter, APICDA Chief Executive Officer Photo courtesy of WACDA False Pass Expansion continues at Bering Pacific Seafoods Overall growth at Bering Pacific Seafoods (BPS) continues to focus on development of infrastructure in False Pass. The growth plan will continue until BPS is able to operate year-round and provide predictable local and regional hire and job creation. Internal expansion will include Ryco equipment installed to connect to large holding tanks. This equipment will help to streamline processing and feed fish to the new lines. The two new machines in the lines will greatly improve processing capacity at the plant. Progress continues on the duplex being built by APICDA in False Pass. The building will provide housing for yearround employees at the plant. Ideally the employees will be a young family with children so that the kids can attend and support the local school. False Pass Fuel Farm The False Pass fuel farm construction is nearly complete. There will be 180,000 gallons available for use within the community for local residents and municipal buildings. A new fuel farm was required after Peter Pan stopped selling fuel. The False Pass fuel farm will be separate from the fuel requirements to operate Bering Pacific Seafoods. The seafood plant will maintain a 60,000 gallon fuel farm to support operations and fishermen. 2 16Winter

3 New Quality Assurance Department Laura Delgado Director Quality Assurance LAURA DELGADO, Director Quality Assurance, has moved to this position after nearly 11 years as Director Human Resources. She will work to develop a new department. She has proven to have that ability in her formation of the human resources department. The QA department will function similarly to the safety department in that it will be based in Anchorage and report to John Sevier, APICDA Chief Operating Officer. With the expansion of business operations at both Atka Pride Seafoods and Bering Pacific Seafoods, the need for a full-time quality assurance position became a necessity. The tasks had been distributed throughout APICDA as the companies expanded, but the recent focus on growth prompted the development of a new department. Laura will work closely with the QA staff throughout various APICDA subsidiaries. She will mainly focus on Cannon Fish Company, the sales and marketing company purchased by APICDA in the summer of Laura is already getting specialized training for her new role. Laura Delgado, Ken Smith and Shirley Jones attended the fourth Alaska Seafood Processing Leadership Institute (ASPLI) in late October in Kodiak. The training was organized by the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, training mid-career seafood processor employees who are identified by their companies as having a good chance of being leaders in the industry. All three employees were greatly enhanced in their knowledge during the training. Laura is excited for the change. She is a longtime employee and knows so much about the company and the history. Most importantly Laura is committed to APICDA and believes in its purpose. Akutan Everette Anderson Elected to Serve in Leadership Positions EVERETTE ANDERSON, Director Business Development, will serve as the Northwest Fisheries Association (NWFA) board president. Everette took over the new position on Dec. 14, 2013 when the sitting president Jeremy Lee handed over the gavel. APICDA has been a member of the NWFA since The NWFA Everette Anderson Director Business Development currently represents approximately 190 member companies, including primary and secondary seafood processors, seafood brokers, distributors and direct-support industry members. These businesses, primarily from Washington, Alaska and Canada, produce a wide variety of fish and shellfish products and distribute them worldwide. Everette will also serve as director on the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) board. The BBNC board is involved in various business lines around the globe. Everette is looking forward to the challenge. I m excited to be a part of a team that continually seeks out ways to do more for its shareholders, as well as strengthen and grow the corporation s bottom line, says Everette. He set a goal to serve, I realized early on in my professional career that I wanted to give back. Everette was elected at the annual meeting of BBNC shareholders on Oct. 5, Everette is originally from Dillingham, which is one of BBNC s villages, and spent much of his childhood there. He credits his work at APICDA serving on the various fishery regulatory bodies, working with the communities on infrastructure projects and a multitude of fishery industry related business in preparing him for the new leadership roles he is about to take on. APICDA Vision Statement: The will develop commercial and sport fishing industry related opportunities to enhance the long-term social and economic viability of the coastal communities and their residents in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. APICDA will optimize benefits to its member communities and their residents through the development of infrastructure and fishery support services in the communities, the acquisition of seafood related businesses, including fishing vessels and/or processing facilities and support service industries at economically beneficial prices, and the acquisition of harvest and processing rights. By enabling the communities to participate in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island fisheries, APICDA will: Promote and participate in business opportunities with capital investment funds; Relieve chronic social problems through the creation of jobs, and encourage individual growth through educational and vocational opportunities; Promote community control over their individual economic and social destinies; and, Continue to assist each community as they make the transition from reliance upon a CDQ allocation to economic and social self-sufficiency Winter

4 Happy Holidays Congratulations! 2013 Photo Contest Participants From the APICDA family Christmas Bounty photo by Claire Laukitis, 2013 Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association APICDA Photo by Claire Laukitis Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association The 2013 Photo Contest closed on Oct. 5 with a large number of entries. The photos submitted by residents of our communities and staff members at APICDA highlighted the beauty and wildness of our region. Many featured people who live in the villages, incredible scenery, colorful seasons and people working in the seafood industry. Ten winners were selected. The photos submitted were carefully reviewed and the winners were included in our 2014 APICDA calendar and Christmas card. Each selected photo received $100; three people submitted had two photos selected for use. The following were winners: Nelson Lagoon 2014 Photo by Jessica Borenin Jessica Borenin (2), Savannah Yatchmeneff, Kenneth Reeves (2), Josephine Shangin, Charlene Gould (2), Angel Drobnica, Sam Cunard, Claire Laukitis (2) and Peri Jordan. Photo by Sam Cunard Fisherman and wounded warrior Patrick Schue proudly presents his catch with guide Merle Brandell. Duck hunter Shane Smith with his pacific eider. APICDA Joint Ventures / Tourism The tourism division wrapped up the 2013 season with a bang. Merle Brandell, our guide in Nelson Lagoon, entertained four sea duck hunters who all went home with limits of pacific eiders. Merle is busy getting equipment put up for the winter and ready for next season. We are looking forward to having more duck hunters out next year. On a side note Merle has been working for APICDA Joint Ventures (AJV) tourism as a guide for the last five years and has done an excellent job. Merle starts as a full-time employee for AJV out in Nelson Lagoon in January. His new duties will still include guiding for our tourism operations along with oversight of other AJV ventures in Nelson Lagoon. Way to go Merle. January May February June March July April August Photo by April Pelkey September October November December 6 16 Winter

5 The Surfing is Great in Nikolski by David Heimes A group of surfers just finished up their stay at a tourist camp out of Nikolski for Aleutian Adventures, the tourism division for APICDA Joint Ventures. They were on assignment with Surfer Magazine exploring the possibilities of the area as a surfing destination. The surfers who participated stated that it was some of the best surf they have ever ridden in their lives, says George Weaver, General Manager Tourism Division. The photos and video taken for the surfing magazine during the trip will be put together and disseminated through both print and online media. The connection being developed with this group and others will likely foster further eco and adventure tourism opportunities in the area. We are hoping the surfers will return next season and bring their surfing friends, says George. The surfers, including possible wind surfers, could provide a new revenue stream for the tourism division at the end of the season. The group had nothing but great things to say about the accommodations, the surf and the area. To find out more about the surfing group, go to: Surfing images from Umnak Island. Nikolski / Ugludax LLC Activities 2013 proved to be another great year for the hunters visiting Nikolski. There were 22 hunters who enjoyed the hunting opportunities the Nikolski area provides. There is already a number of pre-bookings for next year. The tourism division is looking forward to another great season in We would like to thank the following regional employees for all their hard work and effort put into this year s operation: Merle Brandell Scott Kerr Arlene Nelson Agrafina Kerr Dailey Schaack Anfesia Duskin Jenny Johnson Danny Snigaroff Elijah Johnson Vinny Lestenkof Leona Nelson Samantha Mierzejek Seward Brandell Jr Josh Stamm Photos by Chris Burkhard 8 16 Winter

6 Atka The theme and motto for Niigugim Tanasxaa was Keeping Alive the Niigugix Way of Life, and this first year of camp was dedicated to the late Nick Golodoff, author of the autobiographical book, Attu Boy. Roughly 40 camp participants attended each day, though in all about 70 people participated in some way. Sally Swetzof Wins the 2013 AFN Culture Bearer Award Congratulations to Sally Swetzof in receiving the 2013 Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Culture Bearer Award! Sally was nominated by The Aleut Corporation for the AFN award. The award recognizes an Alaska Native who demonstrates strong involvement in the arts. Sally was born in Atka and is a teacher in the community. She grew up speaking only Unangam Tunuu, the local Native language, until she started school and had to learn English. For the past 13 years, she has taught sewing, Unangax dance, making of regalia and beaded headdresses, and traditional food preparation. This past summer she participated in the Atka Culture Camp, which was coordinated by her daughter Crystal Dushkin who works as a community liaison officer for APICDA. A portion of the culture camp was funded by APICDA. Sally is one of the founding members of the Atxam Taligisniikangis dance group. She has provided the Unangam Tunuu translations for songs since its inception in Sally is mother to Marii Swetzof, assistant to the APICDA Chief Operating Officer. Marii is also a member of the dance group. Niigugim Tanasxaa Culture Camp by Crystal Dushkin This summer, the Native Village of Atka IRA Tribe hosted Atka s first ever Culture Camp, Niigugim Tanasxaa. The camp was held Aug , 2013 and concluded with a day-long Community Culture Gathering and Potluck on Sunday, Aug. 18. Keeping Alive the Niigugix Way of Life The camp was set near Korovin Bay beach and participants ranged in age from toddlers to Elders. Learning opportunities at the camp included: traditional foods; plants as foods and medicine; iqyax (kayak) construction; grass weaving; uliigix (skin boot) sewing; traditional songs and dance; and craft activities for the young children. All meals prepared at camp were also traditional foods that had been donated by community members, and were prepared either by camp cooks Molly Kudrin and Ruth Zaochney or the traditional foods mentors. A very special guest, Elder Gennadiy Yakovlev, traveled from the village of Nikolskoye, Bering Island, Russia, to attend and teach at the camp as well. The people of Nikolskoye are descendants of Unangax people taken by Russians from Atka and Attu to the Commander Islands in the 1800s. They have maintained their Unangax identity as well as the language in both the Atka and Attu dialects. The local people were able to communicate in the Atka Niigugix dialect with Gennaidy, who does not speak English. His trip was made possible by the Condolences for Nick Nevzoroff and Laura Zaochney Everyone at APICDA sends their sincere condolences to the families and friends of Nick Nevzoroff and Laura Zaochney, as well as the community of Atka for their loss. Nick Nevzoroff worked for Atka Pride Seafood as plant engineer from 1994 through The plant s continued success is largely attributed to Nick s mentoring of staff and Nick Nevzoroff Niigugim Tanasxaa Culture Camp group. APICDA School Grant, which had been granted to Atka Netsvetov School. On behalf of the Camp participants, the Native Village of Atka IRA Council, and the entire community, huge thanks and appreciation go to all the sponsors who made this first year of camp possible! APICDA graciously and generously matched the Tribe s own contribution to the camp, along with support from their partner Trident Seafoods. The City of Atka was also incredibly supportive and generous, donating close to $10,000. Niigugim Tanasxaa would not have been possible were it not for these generous donors and countless contributions of individuals, organizations and businesses. his community leadership. He was well respected for his fisheries knowledge and experience. He was born on March 19, 1941 and passed away on Oct. 26, Laura Zaocheny was the daughter of Taty and Siridon (Spike) Zaocheny. Taty is the namesake for the F/V Taty Z, an APICDA owned vessel. Laura has three sons Alex, Andy (Jerry) and Jonathan as well as seven grandchildren. Laura also passed away on Oct. 26, Winter

7 to one of our member communities, says Larry Cotter, APICDA Chief Executive Officer. Trident has been a strong partner for many years and their help in this project shows their support to communities in southwest Alaska. The Sitka Fire Department sold the truck to the City of St. George for one dollar. The Alaska State Troopers provided a donation to Sampson Tug & Barge to transport the truck to Unalaska. APICDA is working with the people of St. George on a number of projects, including harbor improvements at Zapadni Bay. APICDA is working with the state and federal government to secure additional financing to complete the harbor. Design work for the new harbor is underway and expected to be complete in late fall, Renee Kochuten and son Cash Greetings APICDA! I wanted to extend a special thank you to your organization for supporting me in my journey to become a registered nurse. I am excited to share that I have graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Nursing Program on Dec.13, Although I plan to continue on with my education within the nursing field, this has been a milestone of achievement and thank you for being a part of it! Without your financial support, I could not have made it this far. I was able to focus on my studies without stressing over excessive school expenses. Thank you very much and Merry Christmas to you and your families! Sincerely, Renee Kochuten St. George Fire Truck BIG BLUE Delivered to St. George St. George Island received a fire truck, formerly owned by the city of Sitka, which offloaded on Monday, Nov. 11, The truck is known as Big Blue because of its distinctive blue paint job. APICDA (the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association) and Trident Seafoods provided funding and other resources for the transport to St. George. I am grateful to APICDA and Trident for the help in getting Big Blue to St. George where it is sorely needed, says St. George Mayor Pat Pletnikoff. The fire truck fills a huge need in our community. I appreciate both APICDA and Trident helping with the vessel for transport of the fire truck. The harbor at St. George is not complete and is missing infrastructure to receive a vehicle as large as Big Blue without a vessel with a shallow enough draft. Trident organized the transport of the truck to St. George. It was shipped north from Unalaska on the Farwest Leader, a vessel owned 50/50 by Trident and APICDA Joint Ventures (AJV). It is great of Trident to have committed so much time and resources in coordinating the delivery of the fire truck Winter

8 How to Eat Clams and Protect Yourself from PSP Too by Bruce Wright, Senior Scientist, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association The beach boundaries for harvest will be marked, and on the day of harvest, harvesters will be supervised by a selected community representative to assure they are harvesting the correct species and remain within the boundary of the harvest. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA) to establish a testing and monitoring program for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in Aleut communities (Project Title: Response to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning in Aleut Communities) with the intent of building capacity in the region so that residents will understand the risks associated with eating subsistence shellfish and what steps to take to avoid poisoning. Some people continue to eat bivalves, so this document describes the options you have to protect yourself from PSP poisoning. 1. Don t Eat Them The easiest and best way you can protect yourself from PSP poisoning is to not eat bivalves (clams, mussels, scallops, cockles) from Alaska beaches. [Shellfish sold at wholesale and retail markets require PSP testing and are considered safe for human consumption.] 2. Know the Species But if you do eat bivalves from Alaska s beaches you can reduce your risk by avoiding the most dangerous species; butter clams and blue mussels. Littleneck clams usually do not reach as high of toxicity levels as butter clams and littleneck clam toxicity levels usually drop off quicker than butter clams. The official policy of the state of Alaska is that all shellfish that are untested are unsafe to eat. This includes littleneck clams since there have been recorded toxin levels. Littleneck clams are safer than other shellfish, but there is no guarantee they are safe when there is a PSP problem in the area with other species. If you harvest/consume clams from Alaska beaches you should become familiar with all the clam species. Extreme caution should be taken when consuming any clams, scallops and mussels from Alaska s beaches. Crabs feeding on toxic shellfish can accumulate PSP toxin in their digestive system, so I recommend that before cooking, remove the back shell of the crab and clean out all the dark soft tissues that compose the digestive system and crab butter. 3. Practice safe harvest strategy Catch - Hold - Test Photo by Bradley Stevens Follow these steps and you will decrease the likelihood of becoming ill from PSP: IDENTIFY a beach in the community where a harvest will be scheduled. NOTIFY community members of the harvest location and date. MONITOR the beach for toxin levels at least once prior to the harvest date and during the same tide cycle as the harvest by collecting sample(s) of the target species and testing for toxin at the ADEC laboratory. Since this is not a regularly scheduled event and timely notice of results is essential, DEC should be notified in advance of any collection and shipment to be sure the DEC lab has the testing supplies on hand and can provide timely notice. If the samples are acceptable for harvest (less than 80 ug PSP/100 grams of tissue), the community will be notified that the harvest will proceed. Harvesters will be instructed to refrigerate and hold their harvest until an official PSP test of the harvest is completed. Sample(s) of shellfish will be taken from the harvest and tested by ADEC laboratory. This should require hours. Please contact the ADEC office for the sampling and shipping instructions. Test results will be delivered to the community and through local broadcast media. Harvesters will be instructed to return the shellfish to the beach if PSP results are unacceptable. PSP is a public health emergency and should be reported immediately to Alaska Section of Epidemiology by health care providers or citizens. To report, please call Mon-Fri. 8 am to 5 pm, or after-hours. Early symptoms include tingling of the lips and tongue, which may begin within minutes of eating toxic shellfish or may take an hour or two to develop. Symptoms may progress to tingling of fingers and toes and then loss of control of arms and legs, followed by difficulty in breathing. Some people feel nauseous or experience a sense of floating. If a person consumes enough toxin, muscles of the chest and abdomen become paralyzed, including muscles used for breathing, and the victim can suffocate. Death from PSP has occurred in less than 30 minutes. General questions about PSP and PSP testing can be directed to George Scanlan at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at (907) Contact: Matthew Forester, Bio-Analysis Section Manager, Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Health Lab., Phone: (907) , Matthew.Forester@Alaska.gov Who We Are APICDA (the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association) is a vertically integrated seafood company responsibly harvesting, processing and marketing wild Alaskan crab, pollock, cod, black cod, halibut and salmon from the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean in a sustainable manner. We maintain the highest standards of quality for our wild Alaskan seafood from the icy ocean waters to the table. The Aleutian WAVE quarterly report is produced by APICDA in Anchorage, Alaska. Inquiries or comments may be directed to: Media Department: APICDA 717 K Street, Anchorage, AK Phone: (907) / Toll- Free: (888) 9-APICDA / Fax: (907) media@apicda.com / Website: Winter

9 APICDA Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association 302 Gold Street, Suite 202 Juneau, AK NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID ANCHORAGE, AK PERMIT NO. 215 Map courtesy of WACDA Winter