REPORT FROM THE CEO
A New Era of Partnership Across CVRF’s communities, offices and vessels, 2020 was a year of great effort and adjustment. The COVID-19 pandemic threatened lives and livelihoods around the world, and we survived it at CVRF by working together and looking out for one another.
Eric Deakin, CEO COASTAL VILLAGES REGION FUND
We can be satisfied with our results, especially on the human level. Fishing vessels are among the closest quarters any workers will ever experience. It is almost impossible not to share a cold or other sickness with your shipmates. Yet, our team was able to prevent any outbreak of COVID on our vessels. We did this through careful preparation and investing resources to ensure our crews were healthy before boarding. Other fishing companies took fewer precautions and suffered major COVID outbreaks on their vessels. Their boats went home with sick crews while we fished, safe and healthy. Our successful Bering Sea operations allowed us to continue delivering important benefits in our region, while adjusting our delivery methods to keep our communities safe. We made early, prominent calls for vaccine prioritization to rural villages, working with regional and state leaders to ensure access for the most vulnerable Alaskans. We scrambled to maintain supply chains to support our rural housing projects, while avoiding regional travel and activity when necessary to prevent transmission. The pandemic is not over, and we know 2021 is bringing more challenges. By working together and looking out for each other, we will again stay safe, healthy, and successful in the future. 2020 marked the start of a new era, as we sought partnerships that positioned CVRF to help our own residents and others. In late 2019, we established Honda Warranty Repair Centers in Scammon Bay, Eek, and Kipnuk. These repair centers were the result of a first-of-its-kind partnership with American Honda Motor Company (detail on page 12). While clearly beneficial to our own residents, these services are being sought by members of other communities as well, providing a much-needed resource throughout Western Alaska. At the end of 2020, we finalized a unique new deal that enabled CVRF and Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) — together with member villages from each of our regions — to buy one of the largest crab operations in the Bering Sea, the Mariner Company. For the first time, villages from CVRF and BBEDC were able to directly acquire valuable fishing rights for the long-term benefit of residents. We have since reached agreement to have CVRF operate the crab fleets of both CVRF and BBEDC for improved efficiency for all involved. We’re grateful for BBEDC’s leadership on the Mariner transaction, for its vision for village-owned quota, and for its trust in CVRF’s fleet management team. By working together, we have been able to benefit from the respective strengths of both or our companies. Looking ahead, it will be CVRF’s priority to continue working alongside other CDQ and Alaska organizations to grow Alaskan ownership and operations in the Bering Sea and to expand the reach of our benefits programs. I am grateful for the CVRF Board’s endorsement of this approach and for the results it brought us in 2020.
4 | COASTAL VILLAGES REGION FUND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Our successful Bering Sea operations allows us to continue delivering important benefits in our region, while adjusting our delivery methods to keep our communities safe. ERIC DEAKIN, CEO COASTAL VILLAGES REGION FUND
