US COVID-19 guidance for Alaskan fisheries
As Alaska prepares for increased fishing activity, Dr. Ann Jarris has been responsible for developing US-based guidelines for fishing in the midst of the COVID-19 risk. This information can be useful to BC fishermen working to develop their own protocols for fishing safely in the coming months.
On April 22, Dr. Jarris presented her guidelines via webinar and the following is now available:
The 1-hour webinar recording is here https://divcom-events.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/divcom-events/recording/eb4e2fe03ca04fe882cd0206390810d9
Her slides are here https://nfwp-static.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/04/Developing-Vessel-Procedures-and-Performing-Symptomatic-Crew-Assessment-in-the-Midst-of-COVID-19.pdf
The link to Dr. Jarris’s guidelines are here https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5589d8a7e4b0a831f83c5c45/t/5e9625d0e89b9e3758496962/1586898386498/Alaska+COVID19+Catcher+and+Tender+Vessel+Procedures.pdf
The message is sobering – just as the weather typically calls the shots for fishermen when they want to fish, the COVID-19 virus is now also calling the shots. The risk to small, remote communities – as well as to fishermen – is just too great to be ignored.
A strict 14-day quarantine before travelling up to Alaska is the single most important instruction communicated by Dr. Jarris and helps highlight the fact that this year it will not be business as usual for fishermen in Alaska.