Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association

Last updated
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc.
AbbreviationSSRAA
Pronunciation
  • "Sarah"
Formation1976;48 years ago (1976)
Type Nonprofit
92-0057726
Legal status 501(c)(3)
Headquarters Ketchikan, Alaska
Board President
Tom Fisher
Website https://ssraa.org/

The Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association or SSRAA for short, is a non-profit company located out of Alaska. Their mission is "to enhance and rehabilitate salmon production in southern Southeast Alaska to the optimum social and economic benefit of salmon users". They have a total of four salmon hatcheries that grow salmon to age and then release then into the wild.

Contents

History

In the early 1970s Alaska's commercial salmon industry was at a point of collapse because of a decline in abundance of salmon. The fishing industry worked in part with the state of Alaska to draft legislation that would allow the formation of Regional Aquaculture Associations. The associations would support their infrastructure by receiving payments from fisherman that caught and harvested fish in the association's fishing districts. The Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association was one of five associations incorporated in 1976. The SSRAA first began operations in 1978.

Hatcheries

The SSRAA operates seven hatcheries and multiple remote release sites in southern Southeast Alaska. They currently operate hatcheries at Whitman Lake, Deer Mountain, Neets Bay, Burnett Inlet, Klawock River, Port Saint Nicholas, and Crystal Lake. Each location has a salmon enhancement program, which are designed to supplement the wild salmon population. The goal of the SSRAA is not to replace the fish, but to increase the amount of wild fish. The SSRAA currently include all species of pacific salmon apart from the pink & sockeye salmon. Their primary producer is the Chum salmon, of which they release about 200 million into the wild annually.

Whitman Lake

Whitman Lake was the first facility of the SSRAA, and has been operational since 1978. The hatchery is located in the George Inlet, which is approximately fifteen kilometers to the south of the city of Ketchikan, Alaska. Whitman Lake produces chinook, coho, and chum salmon. Whitman Lake is a critical site for the SSRAA because they are a big supplier of salmon eggs for other hatcheries, with over 40 million chum salmon eggs passing through Whitman Lake annually.

Neets Bay

Neets Bay started as a place to serve as a release point for Whitman Lake. In the early 1980s a hatchery was built in Neets Bay. The two hatcheries at Whitman and Neets work together to utilize all the available space and water. Neets Hatchery is located at the head of Neets Bay which is approximately 40 miles away from Ketchikan, Alaska. The hatchery is not accessible by road, and must be reached either by air or by sea. From around late July to early September, a flight charter company flies around 300 to 400 tourists to Neets Bay each day. The tourists visit to observe the black bears that lounge around a small creek behind the hatchery.

Burnett Inlet

The facility at Burnett Inlet was first constructed by Alaska Aquaculture Company. The original goal of the facility was to exclusively produce chum salmon. Alaska aquaculture eventually went into bankruptcy in the mid-1990s. The state of Alaska offered the facility at Burnett to the SSRAA. In 1995 the SSRAA took over operations at Burnett.

Crystal Lake

Crystal lake is operated by the SSRAA in conjunction with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The hatchery at Crystal Lake is one of the oldest operating hatcheries since it began operations in 1973 as an ADF&G facility. Crystal lake is about eighteen miles to the south of Petersburg. The hatchery got its name from Crystal Lake which is the power source for Petersburg's hydroelectric power plant.

Klawock River Hatchery

SSRAA took over operations of the Klawock River Hatchery from the Prince of Wales Hatchery Association in 2016. This is a State owned hatchery located on Klawock Heenya land is leased to the SSRAA. SSRAA produces coho from this facility releasing 4.5 million annually.

Port Saint Nicholas Hatchery

SSRAA leases a hatchery from the City of Craig Alaska to raise chinook for release within Port Saint Nicholas.

Deer Mountain Hatchery

The Deer Mountain Hatchery has a long history of operation within the coastal community of Ketchikan, Alaska. Started in the 1950s by local sportsmen, the hatchery was eventually owned by the City of Ketchikan and operated by the State of Alaska. Prior to SSRAA operating the hatchery the Ketchikan Indian Community corporation ran the facility after the State ended operations. Currently the SSRAA produces chinook some of which are released into Ketchikan Creek and the remainder released at a remote release site in Carroll Inlet.

Production

The state of Alaska has reported that the SSRAA has had a significant economic impact on fishing industry of Southeast Alaska. Between 2001 and 2007, 81.3 million pounds of SSRAA-produced salmon was harvested. The fish released by the SSRAA had also made an impact on the sportfishing industry. Without the fish that are released into the wild by the SSRAA, there would most likely be much less sportfishing operations. In 2007 alone, the SSRAA created 420 jobs and $11.5 million in labor income. The bulk of these jobs and labor income occur in Ketchikan, but they also occur in other parts of Southeast Alaska.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salmon</span> Commercially important migratory fish

Salmon is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus of the family Salmonidae, native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (Salmo) and North Pacific (Oncorhynchus) basins. Other closely related fish in the same family include trout, char, grayling, whitefish, lenok and taimen, all coldwater fish of the subarctic and cooler temperate regions with some sporadic endorheic populations in Central Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klawock, Alaska</span> City in Alaska, United States

Klawock is a city in Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area, in the U.S. state of Alaska, on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, on Klawock Inlet, across from Klawock Island. The population was 755 at the 2010 census, down from 854 in 2000. It is located 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Ketchikan, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Craig, and 39 kilometres (24 mi) from Hollis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince of Wales Island (Alaska)</span> Island in the United States of America

Prince of Wales Island is one of the islands of the Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle. It is the fourth-largest island in the United States and the 97th-largest island in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinook salmon</span> Species of fish

The Chinook salmon is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, Quinnat salmon, Tsumen, spring salmon, chrome hog, Blackmouth, and Tyee salmon. The scientific species name is based on the Russian common name chavycha (чавыча).

<i>Oncorhynchus</i> Genus of fishes

Oncorhynchus is a genus of ray-finned fish in the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae, native to coldwater tributaries of the North Pacific basin. The genus contains twelve extant species, namely six species of Pacific salmon and six species of Pacific trout, all of which are migratory mid-level predatory fish that display natal homing and semelparity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilkoot Lake</span> Lake in Alaska, United States

The Chilkoot Lake, in the Tlingit Indians region of Alaska, is also spelt Chilcoot Lake. Its other local names are the Akha Lake and Tschilkut S(ee), meaning "Chilkoot Lake". It is in Haines Borough, Alaska. Chilkoot also means "big fish". The lake has a ‘Recreation Site’ at its southern end near the outlet to the Chilkoot River, which is set amidst the Sitka spruce trees. Chilkoot River flows from the lake for a short length and debouches into the Lutak Channel at the head of the Chilkoot inlet near Haines. Chilkoot village, a settlement of Chilkoot Indians existed at the outlet of the lake, which was called Tschilkut or Tananel or Chilcoot; the lake is named after this village. This village is now a camping area developed by the State Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The lake is a popular location for Kayaking.

Green Lake is a lake/reservoir south of Sitka, Alaska. It is fed by the Vodopad River and outflows into Silver Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auke Bay, Juneau</span> Neighborhood in City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, United States

Auke Bay is a neighborhood located in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, that contains Auke Bay Harbor, Auke Lake, the University of Alaska Southeast, an elementary school, a church, a post office, a bar, a coffee shop, a waffle house, a thrift shop, a Thai restaurant, and one convenience store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer Spit</span>

The Homer Spit is a geographical landmark located in Homer, Alaska on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The spit is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay. The spit is also home to the Homer Boat Harbor. The harbor contains both deep and shallow water docks and serves up to 1500 commercial and pleasure boats at its summer peak. Additional features and attractions include The Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon, which is an artificial "fishing hole", campgrounds, hotels, and restaurants and the Salty Dawg Saloon, which is constructed out of several historic buildings from Homer. Hundreds of eagles formerly gathered there in winter to be fed by Jean Keene, the "Eagle Lady".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska salmon fishery</span>

The Alaska salmon fishery is a managed fishery that supports the annual harvest of five species of wild Pacific Salmon for commercial fishing, sport fishing, subsistence by Alaska Native communities, and personal use by local residents. The salmon harvest in Alaska is the largest in North America and represents about 80% of the total wild-caught catch, with harvests from Canada and the Pacific Northwest representing the remainder In 2017 over 200 million salmon were caught in Alaskan waters by commercial fishers, representing $750 million in exvessel value. Salmon fishing is a nearly ubiquitous activity across Alaska, however the most valuable salmon fisheries are in the Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound and Southeast regions.

This page is a list of fishing topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trail Lakes</span> Lake in Alaska, United States

The Trail Lakes are two lakes on the lower Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. The lakes are near the town of Moose Pass and adjacent to the Seward Highway. They are the home of a large salmon hatchery owned by the state of Alaska and operated by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association. The fish hatched at this facility are released into streams and lakes at various points on the peninsula, and are also the source of the salmon runs at the "fishing hole" on the Homer Spit. The hatchery was at the center of a prolonged legal battle between the Wilderness Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The society claimed that the hatchery was conducting commercial activity in a wilderness area, and such activity is illegal under the Wilderness Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association</span>

The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA) is a non-profit organization based in Kenai, Alaska, that works to create sustainable salmon stocks in the Cook Inlet area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture in New Zealand</span>

Aquaculture started to take off in New Zealand in the 1980s. It is dominated by mussels, oysters and salmon. In 2007, aquaculture generated about NZ$360 million in sales on an area of 7,700 hectares. $240 million was earned in exports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture in Australia</span>

Aquaculture in Australia is the country's fastest-growing primary industry, accounting for 34% of the total gross value of production of seafood. 10 species of fish are farmed in Australia, and production is dominated by southern bluefin tuna, Atlantic salmon and barramundi. Mud crabs have also been cultivated in Australia for many years, sometimes leading to over-exploitation. Traditionally, this aquaculture was limited to table oysters and pearls, but since the early 1970s, there has been significant research and commercial development of other forms of aquaculture, including finfish, crustaceans, and molluscs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture of salmonids</span> Fish farming and harvesting under controlled conditions

The aquaculture of salmonids is the farming and harvesting of salmonid fish under controlled conditions for both commercial and recreational purposes. Salmonids, along with carp and tilapia, are the three most important fish groups in aquaculture. The most commonly commercially farmed salmonid is the Atlantic salmon.

Aquaculture in Alaska is dominated by the production of shellfish and aquatic plants. These include Pacific oysters, blue mussels, littleneck clams, scallops, and bull kelp. Finfish farming has been prohibited in Alaska by the 16.40.210 Alaskan statute, however non-profit mariculture continues to provide a steady supply of aquaculture in the state. Many organizations that helped the ban, now encourage the growing of shellfish and other oysters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues with salmon</span>

Salmon population levels are of concern in the Atlantic and in some parts of the Pacific. Salmon are typically anadromous - they rear and grow in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to reach sexual maturity, and then return to freshwater to spawn. Determining how environmental stressors and climate change will affect these fisheries is challenging due to their lives split between fresh and saltwater. Environmental variables like warming temperatures and habitat loss are detrimental to salmon abundance and survival. Other human influenced effects on salmon like overfishing and gillnets, sea lice from farm raised salmon, and competition from hatchery released salmon have negative effects as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheep Creek (Juneau, Alaska)</span> River in Alaska, United States

Sheep Creek is located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Juneau, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The Juneau community of Thane was originally called Sheep Creek. Draining an area of about 5 square miles (13 km2), it empties into Gastineau Channel. The valley formed by the river has a flat, gravel, trekking trail of 3.5 miles (5.6 km), south of Mount Roberts. The Snettisham hydroelectric dam substation is situated on a trail spur. Sheep Creek Hatchery is located at the outflow.

Patricia Ann Roppel was a historian, writer and educator who specialized in the history of Southeast Alaska. She had thirteen books and more than 100 articles published during her career. Much of her work focused on the people and locations of that particular region, as well as the state's major industries, including mining, salmon fishing and hatcheries, and canning. She was named "Alaska Historian of the Year" by the Alaska Historical Society in 1978 and 2006 in recognition of books released during those years.

References