The Economy of Alaska Salmon Fishing

In Alaska, salmon come first. Alaska has a long and successful track record of handling and preserving its abounding salmon resources. Record salmon runs with a recent average yearly catch of 165 million salmon is the explanation of this successful approach.

Nearly 95% of all commercially caught salmon in the US are cropped in Alaska. Alaska is the top producer of wild, high-value salmon, producing nearly 80 percent of the planet supply of king, sockeye, and coho. Alaska’s commercial salmon fishery is vital to the Alaskan economy and the Alaskan way of life.

Each year, the salmon industry provides thousands of jobs and hundreds of bucks to the state’s economy. Commercial fishing is urgent to communities and fishing
families throughout the state.

Alaska’s fishing industry leads the state in providing 47% of non-public sector jobs, and is 2nd only to the oil industry in providing income to the state. In 2002, the exvessel price for mixed fisheries totaled $955 million with $162 million from salmon.

Salmon fishing allows are given to individuals, not corporations, through the “limited entry permit system”. The total number of available allows for each fishery is precisely limited. Fishermen may not own more than one salmon permit for a similar gear type and area. This creates a fishery made from many people and families.

Three main gear types catch Alaska salmon : trolling, gillnetting, and purse seining. All commercial salmon fishing boats are relatively tiny vessels ; averaging thirty to fifty feet.

Trollers use long trolling poles to tug or troll 2 to four deep weighted lines through the water, each with 8 - 12 leaders attached. At the end of each leader there’s a lure or baited hook. Boat size varies from little skiffs to vessels of 50 feet or more with most ranging between twenty-five to forty feet.

Trollers basically target king, coho, and pink salmon as they enter Alaskan waters on their way to the spawning grounds. Trollers catch a comparatively low volume of fine quality fish. The fish they catch are bright and powerful from fresh sea waters. They are regularly
sold dressed, or filleted in the fresh or fresh frozen market.

Gillnetters set curtain-like nets in the water postponed from a float line at the surface and a weighted lead line along the submerged bottom edge. Nets vary in length from nine hundred to 1800 feet long. The net’s mesh openings are just huge sufficient to permit an adult fish head to get thru and become trapped at the gills.

There are 2 kinds of gillnets; driftnets that are free floating from boats, and setnets that have one end attached to the shoreline. Boat size is restricted to 32 feet or less in Bristol Bay; otherwise, the average range is 30 to 40 feet. Gillnetters basically crop sockeye, mate and coho.

Purse Seiners use a huge floating net, pulled and set in circle by a power skiff, to enclose schooling salmon. The weighted “purse line” at bottom of the net is drawn closed to contain the fish. The net full of fish is then gathered to the boat through a highpowered hydraulic block.

Purse seiners are not allowed north of the Alaska Peninsula ; ship size is restricted to 58 feet. Purse Seiners crop principally pink salmon near the coast and close to fresh water spawning grounds where runs are highly concentrated.

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