Upcoming events

Here's a rundown of some significant meetings planned in Alaska in the coming days:

• The 2nd International Congress on Seafood Technology runs Monday through Thursday at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. Sponsors are the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the University of Alaska. Click here to see the agenda and find registration details. I see some pretty interesting talks on tap such as "developments in automation of processing equipment,"
"alternatives to antibiotics in aquaculture," and "surimi, state of the technology." Local university economist Gunnar Knapp will talk on "economics of value addition for fish and fishery products," and Fairbanks food technologist Peter Bechtel will talk on "utilization of Alaska fish processing byproducts."

• The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Crab Plan Team meets Monday through Friday at the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood. Here's the agenda. Fishery biologists and managers on the plan team review all the science related to the Bering Sea's lucrative stocks of king and Tanner crab. One tasty item I see on the agenda concerns a "discussion paper on crab bycatch in the groundfish fisheries."

• The National Marine Fisheries Service has been holding a series of "listening sessions" around the country to gather feedback on plans to develop a new ocean aquaculture policy. Anchorage is the last stop, with a listening session planned for 1 p.m. May 21 at the Hotel Captain Cook. Deckboss expects Alaskans will continue to shout a collective "no" to any aquaculture.