RON LONG: QUTEKCAK SHELLFISH HATCHERY.

• Author: JACKINSKY, MCKIBBEN
• Position: Brief Article

As director of Qutekcak Shellfish Hatchery, Ron Long pools his Georgia farm-boy and marine-surveyor background.

Construction of the 7,500-square-foot waterfront facility began in 1996 through a one-time appropriation of $3.2 million from the Alaska State Legislature. The facility is owned by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and leased to the city of Seward. The city assigned operations and maintenance of it to the Qutekcak Native Tribe, who opened it for operation in 1998.

Long was originally hired as the hatchery's project manager by the Qutekcak Native Tribe in June 2000.

ABM: How are farming and marine-surveying skills similar to those used in running a shellfish hatchery?

Long: There are a lot of similarities. Agriculture doesn't recognize holidays or days off. Animals require constant care. And the same skill is needed in the hatchery that makes for a good farmer-a basic instinct that tells you if an animal is healthy or not.

The marine-survey business establishes conditions and value of vessels for lenders, insurers, buyers and sellers; determines the nature, extent and cause of damage; and monitors the cost of appropriate repairs. There are very few people as persnickety about how their funds are spent as insurance companies. I started at the hatchery administering a grant from the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation. It required a parallel skill set. Grantors are very specific about how their money can be spent.

ABM: What prompted development of a shellfish hatchery on the shores of Resurrection Bay?

Long: In 1995, the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District studied expansion of Alaska's oyster farming industry and the obstacles it faced. The study received national recognition for its quality and the way it was presented.

The prime thing they found was that Alaska oyster farmers lacked a consistent and quality supply of seed. Farmers were getting their seed from state of Washington hatcheries, which are also farms. Washington hatcheries operate primarily for their own use. What were available were the leftovers. Sometimes there was some left over and sometimes there wasn't. Farmers can't build on that sort of foundation. A known consistent supply of seed is needed every year.

The second thing was lack of diversity. All the Alaska farmers' eggs were in one basket and they were competing with farmers from other states.

The state earmarked an appropriation from the Exxon-Valdez oil settlement to build a hatchery...