The Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association says the $514,000 federal grant it received for a feasibility study could lead to lower costs for the fishing fleet and a path to decarbonization of the industry.
“This will inform our efforts to decarbonize the fleet and implement hybrid boats while we work with the rest of the maritime industry to identify and develop next-generation carbon-free fuels,” executive director Linda Behnken said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the funding for the project was part of the appropriation bills President Biden signed into law on March 9.
The funding will go toward the longliners association Boat Energy Transition Accelerator (BETA) feasibility study, which will involve researching and identifying clean-energy transition options for vessel owners and shoreside businesses.
“Sen. Murkowski’s support (for the project) is a huge step toward lowering energy costs in Alaska’s seafood industry and reducing our fleet’s carbon footprint,” Behnken said.
Behnken said the association received a $700,000 U.S. Department of Energy award in 2023 to try out two hybrid-powered commercial fishing boats and one fully electric mariculture work boat.
The decarbonization project in the federal spending bill calls for developing a plan for Southeast that also can be a model for other Alaska regions.
The fisheries nonprofit said it will work closely with two to five Southeast communities on the pilot project, which will include energy audits to assist vessel owners and shoreside businesses with identifying energy efficiencies and clean-energy transitions.
“Fishing vessel fuel use is dictated by distance to fishing grounds and cannot easily be reduced by simply ‘using less,’” the association said. “At the same time climate change is causing several culturally and economically important fisheries to collapse.”
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