SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
A CORNERSTONE OF ALASKA'S IDENTITY
8,900+
vessels in Alaska's
commercial fleet
214
Alaska communities
with commercial fishing permit holders
100
countries import
Alaska seafood (2019)
The seafood industry includes communities, seafood processors, fishermen, distributors, transportation companies, support businesses, restaurants, chefs, and others who depend on and facilitate getting fish from ocean to plate.
Commercial fisheries play a critical role in the U.S. economy. In 2019, U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.3 billion pounds of seafood valued at $5.5 billion. Alaska and the West Coast are the center of that activity, accounting for about 71% of all U.S. seafood harvested annually. Alaska consistently leads all states in both volume and value of landings, with 5.7 billion pounds of harvest, valued at $4.7 billion in first wholesale value. The scale, diversity of species, sustainability, and reliability of Alaska’s fisheries have been at the core of its success. Alaska pollock and Alaska wild salmon continue to dominate in volume, value, and economic impact among all species in the Alaska seafood industry.
Businesses dependent upon a wild resource are inherently challenging due to natural stock fluctuations, changing environments, and a perishable product that often comes in huge volumes in relatively short periods in remote locations not connected to a road system. Combined with trade policy, shifts in demand, and global competition, the seafood industry must be adaptive and innovative. PSPA works with fishery managers, scientists, other fishery organizations, conservation groups, and local and state governments to support the seafood industry and to maintain the long-term health of marine resources and ecosystems.
Watch this video to learn more about how seafood powers Alaska's economy.
HELPING TO FEED THE WORLD
The seafood industry harvests wild, fresh fish from the pristine waters of Alaska to create a wide diversity of products, serve numerous markets, and provide high-quality protein to people around the world.
MAINTAINING A BALANCE
Seafood processing in Alaska means infrastructure, employment, and tax revenue benefitting state and local economies.
Our businesses depend on vibrant, working communities in coastal Alaska.
The cornerstone of fisheries management in Alaska and the U.S.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ALASKA
SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
McKinley Research Group report of Economic Value of Alaska’s Seafood Industry, prepared for ASMI (2022).
A condensed version of the Economic Value of Alaska’s seafood industry, prepared for PSPA by the McKinley Research Group (Updated 2024).
Alaska’s inshore processing sector includes shoreside facilities and floating processors. This sector processes wild Alaska salmon, pollock, Pacific cod, crab, rockfish and other species.
The United Fishermen of Alaska provides a detailed report on the local and state taxes paid by the seafood industry.
The United Fishermen of Alaska provides an overview of fish facts to better understand the seafood industry.