Simon Kinneen   Raised on the edge of the Bering Sea in Nome, Alaska, Simon Kinneen witnessed the dramatic decline of salmon stocks along the west coast of Alaska as he grew up. Simon enjoyed the outdoors, running the 1994 Iditarod and three Junior Iditarods as well as hunting and sport fishing. Upon graduating from high school in 1994, he moved to Fairbanks to study wildlife biology, but quickly changed his major to fisheries biology after working as a fish and wildlife technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) during the summer months. Simon applied for and received some of the first scholarships issued by the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) and continued to receive them annually for the duration of his education.

Simon Kinneen received a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1999 and was anxious to return home to Nome. After receiving four years of financial aid, Simon walked into the NSEDC office to thank them for their support and discovered that they were seeking employees in his field. He was soon hired as a joint CDQ harvest assistant manager and salmon restoration and enhancement manager. In the former position, Simon monitors local halibut and king crab fisheries, works with other CDQ groups and state and federal governments for allocation transfers, and attends fisheries meetings with the International Pacific Halibut Commission, North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, and ADFG.

As a salmon restoration and enhancement manager, Simon is able to work close to home around Nome during the summers to restore native salmon stocks in the Norton Sound region. In cooperation with other fisheries agencies, NSEDC takes part in lake fertilization, incubation, and enumeration programs and develops additional independent projects. Research regarding local salmon stocks and the reasons for their decline are also underway. Before starting fisheries management work for NSEDC, Simon trained as a National Marine Fisheries Service groundfish observer and spent four months on commercial fishing vessels around Dutch Harbor and Kodiak to gain experience in the industry.

As a Nome local, Simon takes the decline in fish runs personally and admits that finding the reasons for it are daunting at best. In addition to his work with NSEDC, Simon is involved in several fisheries organizations, including the Norton Sound Research and Restoration Steering Committee which received a $5 million federal grant to aid in reestablishing and researching local salmon populations.

Since he first received financial aid from NSEDC in 1994, Simon has watched awareness of the region's CDQ group grow in the Nome population. Local involvement in the Bering Sea fisheries has also increased with the founding of a seafood plant and a growth in the Nome fishing fleet.

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James Joshua   James Joshua was born and raised in the village of Eek near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River. Despite their proximity to the fishing grounds of the Bering Sea, his family was never involved in commercial fishing until the local CDQ group, Coastal Villages Region Fund, (CVRF) offered James an appreticeship. After graduating from high school, James sought training at the Alaska Vocational Technology Center in Seward for two years, finishing his time by studying auto mechanics. When he returned to Eek, James noticed that CVRF was advertising for apprenticeships in their newsletter. Because of his interest and training in mechanics, he applied for an apprenticeship as a mechanic at Icicle Seafoods's Petersburg cannery. CVRF paid for his transportation to Petersburg where he worked for three months.

James's second apprenticeship was with Westward Seafoods, a CVRF pollock partner at the time, aboard the Pacific Knight where he spent three years as assistant engineer before returning to port. While providing valuable experience, James was reluctant to continue working in the dangerous and isolated conditions of the Bering Sea. As soon as he returned, CVRF recruited him to work in the Quinhagak Salmon Plant where he started work on refrigeration maintenance in 2001. He makes ice, freezes salmon fillets, and works on mechanical repairs.

After his first season learning the systems, James is confident and eager to continue working at the Quinhagak or other fish processing plants. His next goal is to train in electrical maintenance to continue his education and contribute to his work at the plant. He hopes that the younger generation will take an active interest in the fishing industry and take advantage of local seafood opportunities; he hopes and believes that such prospects will expand in the future.

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Malora Hunt   Born in Bethel, Alaska, Malora Hunt was raised in the village of Emmonak at the edge of the Bering Sea. Though her family had often participated in commercial and subsistence fishing in the past, Malora and her husband focused their lives around a retail grocery store which they purchased in 1990. Though she had some experience in bookkeeping, Malora did not have the skills to manage the financial aspect of the business on her own.

In 1998, Malora Hunt learned of Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association, (YDFDA) the regional CDQ group, which offered several programs to assist local individuals. Her sister was a recruiting officer for YDFDA, encouraging locals to fish for the group and informing them of other programs; she told Malora that the group had funds available for training. Malora seized the opportunity to further her education and soon entered the Alaska Vocational Technology Center in Seward with sponsorship from YDFDA and other organizations.

Malora studied business office technology for nine months, learning computer applications, accounting, and general office skills. When she returned to her home in Emmonak, Malora was able to manage the finances of her business without outside help. She is grateful to YDFDA for making funds available to assist in the training of villagers from her region and supporting her business independence.

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Jeffery Kauffman  Born in Anchorage Alaska, Jeffery Kauffman moved to his mother's hometown of St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands when he was eight. Jeffery entered the commercial fishing industry when he was fourteen years old, crewing on halibut boats for the next twelve years. When the CDQ program was founded, Jeffery took advantage of educational scholarships and loans provided by his island's group, Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association (CBSFA). In 1997, he graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. He and his wife Jessica then moved permanently to St. Paul.

The year before he graduated, Jeffery took part in another CBSFA program, purchasing the gillnet vessel Tolstoy with the vessel loan program. With the money earned fishing that season, he and Jessica were married. In 2001, Jeffery replaced the Tolstoy with a larger, safer Bristol Bay boat named the Bay Rose, again with the assistance of the vessel loan program. During the 2002 season, he employed three crew and five baiters for his operation. Jeffery also used the CBSFA IFQ loan program to purchase 18,000 pounds of IFQ. During the season, Jeffery tries to fish every day, making about 36 deliveries.

Like many other resident fishermen, Jeffery first fishes CDQ allocation and then uses the rest of the summer to fish his own IFQ. In the winter, Jeffery teaches kindergarten in the local school, a job that fits in well with the fishing season. Since the formation of the CDQ program, Jeffery has watched St. Paul participation in the fishing industry grow dramatically, benefiting many local households.

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Kyle attended Dillingham City Schools and graduated in 1994. Seeking new challenges and adventures, Kyle moved to the Sonoran Desert and attended the University of Arizona in Tucson. Kyle was a BBEDC Harvey Samuelsen Scholarship recipient while attending college. Each summer found Kyle back in Bristol Bay working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Bristol Bay Science and Research Institute. (A BBEDC fisheries research organization). After four years of study, Kyle graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in microbiology.

Kyle chose to bring his degree back to Alaska and teach like his parents before him. He completed the Rural Educator Preparation Partnership with Kindergarten through 12th grade certification. Southwest Region Schools offered Kyle a job as a traveling biology teacher and later as an elementary teacher.

More than a job awaited Kyle back home in Bristol Bay. He met his wife Johanna, also a teacher, shortly after signing on with Southwest Region Schools they married in 2001, built a house, and started their family in Johanna’s home village of Koliganek. The Belleque family now includes daughter Alethia, and son Jacob.

Kyle and his family moved to Dillingham in May 2005. He worked as the Bristol Bay Native Association Subsistence Fisheries Biologist until April 2006, when he came to work as BBEDC’s Education Project Director.

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Laura Gilman  Growing up in the town of Unalaska, Laura Gilman lived in close proximity to one of the largest fishing ports in the nation, Dutch Harbor. Her parents’ propane company supplied propane to fishing vessels and individuals all across the Aleutian Islands. Before Laura graduated from high school in 1996, she learned of the region’s CDQ group, Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, (APICDA), and the scholarships they offered to college students. She applied for and received annual scholarships of $3000 while she studied psychology at the University of Nevada Reno. After receiving her undergraduate degree, Laura applied for and received two $5000 scholarships to attend a two-year masters program at Cleveland State University. In May of 2002, she graduated with a masters degree in Consumer Industrial Psychology.

After living most of six years away from Alaska, Laura was anxious to return. Soon after graduation, she was hired as Human Resources Assistant for APICDA, giving her an opportunity to leave Ohio and return north. Living in Juneau, Laura assists with incentive programs, the organizational development of her office and employment issues for both APICDA and APICDA's partners. Her favorite job is working with students back in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. She helps them with financial concerns, walking them through scholarship and loan programs and sharing her own experiences. Many APICDA residents have limited financial means to attend college and Laura often has the honor of calling them to inform them of their scholarships. Many, she says, are ecstatic about the opportunity to go to school and Laura is excited to be a part of the same program that helped her through college. Laura became acting Human Resources Director for APICDA in November, 2002. She is also grateful to APICDA for allowing her to return home to Alaska.

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