Jeff Turner’s Mirage prepares to launch from the Sitka Marine, marking history as the state’s first commercial fishing boat hybrid.
The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) has been working to hybridize Alaska’s fishing fleets since receiving a grant from the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office (VTO) in 2021. From 2021-2023, ALFA partnered with the National Research Energy Laboratory to “identify that the viable next step is a hybrid diesel/electric boat.”
On October 3, 2023, ALFA announced that they had received a $700,000 grant from the Department of Energy for furthering their commercial fleet conversion project. The project became known as the “ALFA Boat Energy Transition Accelerator (BETA)” project.
According to the press release, the ALFA BETA project “aligns with ALFA’s mission to address climate change and decarbonize the seafood industry.” Although ALFA focuses on addressing environmental concerns, ALFA also highlights that hybridization “offer[s] economic benefits to fishermen and mariculturists. The adoption of advanced propulsion technologies will reduce operational costs and increase fleet performance.”
Regardless of opinion on environmental impact, Alaskan fishermen face pressing financial concerns that motivate some to implement modernized technology. According to Ben Matthys, who has been working on installing the hybrid engine in Mirage: “The margins for fishing are getting tighter. The price per pound of what people can market the fish for, or what’s purchased at the plant, is lower, and fuel and all operating costs are higher… So as we move forward to the next options to save and become more profitable, this is it.”
The original plan in 2023 was to install a Transfluid clutch, electric motor, and batteries on Eric Jordan’s troller, the I Gotta. However, Jordan withdrew his vessel for personal reasons. ALFA sought a new vessel for its project and decided on Jeff Turner’s Mirage.
According to Chandler Kemp, the project’s Energy Efficiency Consultant: “The percent fuel savings will be lower for an operating profile like the Mirage than for the I Gotta.” However, he estimates approximately 20 percent fuel savings for the Mirage plus reduced wear and tear on the main engine.
The boat’s owner, Jeff Turner, explains his thought-processing for volunteering his vessel for the project: “Hybridization, for me, started with, ‘Oh my god, I’m spending so much on fuel. There’s got to be a better way. This grant money came up and there was interest…I raised my hand and said, ‘I’ll try this.”
After the Mirage hits the water, a gillnetter from Juneau will receive an electric propulsion system and a Kodiak mariculture vessel will be converted to fully electric.