Luring sustainability

Fishing is finally back in full swing in Alaska. Perhaps none are as excited for the season's return as Jamie O'Connor, UAA journalism and public communications alumna and Working Waterfronts Program manager and policy analyst for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC) in Homer.

O'Connor is a proud fifth-generation fisherman from Dillingham, calling it "possibly the best place to be a kid in the whole world because there's so much freedom." Part of the freedom included spending her childhood summers climbing the bluffs on the beach with her brother and learning how to fish from her great-grandmother.

"When I stand and watch the lines to make sure everything is going out the way that it should, I still hear her voice telling people where to stand and where not to stand," she shares.

O'Connor takes her passion for fishing a step further through her work at AMCC. Founded in 1994, AMCC is a nonprofit dedicated to Alaska's pristine marine ecosystems and the coastal communities that depend on them.

As Working Waterfronts Program manager and policy analyst, O'Connor spends a lot of her time participating in various state and federal councils to advocate for working waterfronts and fisheries policy. Her efforts are tied to the Alaska Fishermen's Network and Young Fishing Fellows Program. Both are AMCC initiatives focused on Alaska's future generations of fishermen by providing them with career development and networking resources. And as someone who's benefited from both initiatives, O'Connor is a testament to their importance.

"This may sound trite, but it all boils down to sustainability," she explains. "Both the sustainability of the ecosystems that support the work we do and our livelihoods, but also the sustainability of hundreds of small businesses across the state and the nation. You look at a fishing boat and see a captain and crew, but you don't realize that you're seeing a small family business. It all comes down to being able to sustain a business and sustain everybody's access to this superfood, and sustaining that magical connection to nature. It all comes down to being able to both take our place in this work and make sure that future generations can, too."

According to O'Connor, a surprisingly large part of her job relies on storytelling to help get her message across. As it turns out, weaving a compelling narrative happens to be another area of interest for her.

"Creative writing was my first love, but I also grew up fishing, so that's a natural storytelling pairing there," says O'Connor. "I dove into the JPC program and gravitated toward public communications. Figuring out a way to craft your message in a way that people can understand and really resonate with has always fascinated me. So all the pieces of my previous experience came together in this job. I do quite a bit of writing, quite a bit of storytelling, also the policy, and just the magic of being on the coast and being physically involved in pulling food out of the ocean, all of those came together into this job. I feel very fortunate."

O'Connor's latest efforts have taken the former Senate staffer back to Washington, D.C. to advocate for the Young Fishermen's Development Act. The bill proposes establishing a federal program that can fund workforce development programs for young fishermen across the country, similar to the ones run by AMCC.

"It's a relatively small proposal, but I think it's important to not only make those funds available to young fishermen for education and training, but what's cool about it is we're hoping to fund it through the asset forfeiture fund. So people who make mistakes when they're out fishing will then, through their fines and penalties, be funding the education of the next generation on how to do it right," explains O'Connor.

While the proposed bill still has a long road ahead, O'Connor remains hopeful. Backed by Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young, this will be the third time the bill is introduced to Congress for legislation. Sayings about the third time being the charm aside, O'Connor can also rely on the support of her fellow fishermen, both the ones back home, and the ones she's able to reconnect with every time she goes back to Washington.

"If you take fisheries down to the basics, then we're feeding people, and that's universal," says O'Connor. "It's really interesting to see that culture even though we're separated. We're as far away from one another as we can get. Alaska and Maine or Alaska and Florida - how much do we have in common? Then we sit down and have a beer with other fishermen and we're trading stories about what yours costs and how you sell it and how you connect your story to the people who are buying the food that you're bringing out of the ocean. It's really cool and fulfilling."

Written by Matt Jardin, UAA Office of University Advancement