ECONOMY
INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
GROWING STATE AND NATIONAL ECONOMIES
26,200
employed Alaska
residents
$4.7 billion
in first wholesale value from Alaska seafood
1 million
metric tons of seafood
exported annually from
Alaska
A LONGSTANDING
INDUSTRY
The seafood industry is one of the largest employment drivers in Alaska, directly employing 58,700 people and creating an additional 10,900 secondary jobs.
The seafood industry directly employs more workers than any other private sector industry in Alaska, with rural areas the most economically dependent.
Harvesting 5 to 6 billion pounds of seafood each year produces significant economic benefits for Alaska coastal communities, hundreds of support businesses, and thousands of Alaskans.
BRINGING JOBS TO ALASKA
Produced by McDowell Group 2020
The Alaska processing sector employs 26,000 workers, including 7,300 Alaska residents (2018).
Seafood processing is the largest manufacturing sector in Alaska, accounting for 70% of Alaska’s manufacturing employment and $2.1 billion in labor income in Alaska.
Nationally, the Alaska seafood industry creates an estimated 101,800 FTE jobs, $5.6 billion in annual labor income, and $13.9 billion in economic output.
IMPACTS
AND INVESTMENT
Investment by fishermen, processors, and the state is necessary to sustain the industry, increase the value of Alaska’s fisheries, remain competitive globally, and preserve the thousands of jobs, hundreds of local businesses, and millions in tax revenue that are tied to the seafood industry.
Some forces affecting the value of Alaska’s seafood resource are outside of state and industry control. On-going investment in infrastructure, marketing, and management are essential in growing the value of Alaska and Pacific Northwest seafood.
GENERATING
LONG-TERM VALUE
Alaska’s commercial fisheries have produced over 181 69 billion pounds since statehood. The industry produces enough seafood each year to feed everybody in the world at least one serving of Alaska seafood (12.9 billion servings annually).
This is worth an estimated $170 billion in today’s dollars, and is a testament to Alaska’s sustainable approach to fisheries management.
Managing sustainable fisheries in-season to optimize harvest requires a commitment to data collection and analysis. Stock assessments, surveys, and at-sea and shoreside monitoring provide valuable data for fisheries managers, which enable more precision in setting sustainable harvest levels and optimizing economic value of the fisheries.