On a recent Alaskan adventure with my family I discovered that there is complex data science involved in the Alaskan salmon fishery. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game use technology, such as sonar monitoring systems and advanced statistical models, to monitor commercial and sport catch as they track salmon migration into the various river systems to complete their natural journey. The most interesting part is how this statistical research is utilized to communicate fish location to the fishing public through multi-channel communication methods; email alerts, websites, printed materials, broadcasts on TV and radio, now even automated text messages on the streams! I would consider this a great example of real-time event based marketing. As with any ecosystem, opportunistic bears also go where the fish are, without the need for technology; they just wait patiently for the fishermen to show up. We have unintentionally created data-enabled bears!
Alaska is everything I expected and more. The grandeur of the mountains, rivers and sea, the vastness of the wilderness and the opportunity to respectfully interact with wildlife in this unbelievable setting is only enhanced by the data based science that protects this priceless renewable resource.
