(SitNews) King Salmon, Alaska - Most Alaska fishermen know that top-quality seafood - and top prices for their catch - begins with properly chilling their harvest aboard their vessels while at sea.

As the number of commercial fishermen who refrigerate their catch at sea continues to increase, so too has the need for fishermen to troubleshoot and maintain their onboard refrigeration systems, especially when fishermen are far from port.

Since 2005, the Alaska Sea Grant Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program has partnered with integrated Marine Systems to provide marine refrigeration training workshops aimed at helping fishermen understand, troubleshoot and maintain their onboard refrigeration systems.

Said one Petersburg fisherman, "I've been fishing for over 35 years, and this workshop has given me the answers I need to run and troubleshoot one of the most important and mysterious pieces of equipment on my boat."

In December, this training workshop comes to the Bristol Bay region. Bay area fishermen are invited to participate in the one-day onboard refrigeration workshop that will be held in King Salmon on December 3, 2012. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Southwest Alaska Vocational and Education Center on Air Force Road. Training topics include refrigeration theory, system winterization, controller programming, and system sizing. Participants will use a stand-alone marine refrigeration unit for hands-on training.

The cost of the workshop is $160, and includes a refrigeration manual. Preregistration is required by November 23, and space is limited. To register, please visit www.marineadvisory.org/workshops . For questions, contact Izetta Chambers, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program in Dillingham, 907-842-8323 izetta.chambers@alaska.edu, or toll-free at 888-788-6333.

Refrigeration workshops have helped more than 300 Alaska fishermen better understand, troubleshoot and maintain their onboard refrigeration systems - knowledge that has decreased downtime and increased fishermen's abilities to troubleshoot minor problems and communicate with technicians onshore.

Source of News: 

Alaska Sea Grant
seagrant.uaf.edu

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