Teaching Alaska's Miners about Alaska's Fisheries

This is a summary of a 2-day short course presented at the Alaska Miners Association’s annual convention in November 2010, in Anchorage.  Speakers included --  representatives of the Alaska Departments of Fish & Game, Environmental Conservation, and Natural Resources; fisheries researchers from University of Alaska Fairbanks; private-sector consultants; and mining companies.  The course addressed all aspects of fisheries which should be considered by miners – the importance of recreational, commercial, and subsistence fishing; relevant biological information; natural variability in water quality and fisheries biology; how to scope and conduct baseline and monitoring studies; permitting; recolonization and restoration; fisheries stakeholders; how the mining industy can enhance fisheries and benefit the fish industry; and Alaskan case studies.