KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
Kodiak’s commercial fisheries trade show ComFish is this week.
It has a multilayered appeal. One room is full of booths with products for sale and another is booked with a lineup of speakers from legislators to economists.
The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce organizes the annual event. Executive director Trevor Brown says it’s been going on for 39 years.
It’s a personal touch for fishermen who would otherwise find products online or in other cities.
“They’re able to go in, meet these sales people face to face, buy product or just talk to ‘em and get ideas about what kind of power they need for their boat or if they’re upgrading or replacing engines.”
The 2018 vendors include Fusion Marine Technology, North Star Ice Equipment and Bulletproof Nets, which deal with electrical appliances, refrigeration, and nets respectively.
And Brown says ComFish gives vendors the chance to meet their customer base.
“There’s few places where they can go and go see the amount of boats, actual fishing vessels that we have here, and the amount of fishermen that we have.”
The trade show portion continues Thursday through Saturday at the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center.
And on Thursday and Friday, ComFish will hold a series of talks at the Best Western Kodiak Inn Harbor Room.
Those will cover a number of different topics, including the effect of warming waters on the ecosystem, and new technologies, like a device that counts and measures halibut bycatch on trawlers.
