Overview of Major Alaska Fisheries

Gunnar Knapp

Professor of Economics

Institute of Social and Economic Research

University of Alaska Anchorage

Updated September 2009
Alaska has five major fisheries. 

• Salmon (Sockeye, Pink, Chum, Coho, Chinook

• Herring• Halibut• Shellfish (Tanner crab, King crab, Dungeness 

others

)

• Groundfish (Pollock, Cod, Rockfish, others

)

* A fishery is the industry engaged in harvesting and processing of fish of a particular species or species group.
Groundfish—mostly Alaska pollock-- account for most of the v

(weight) of Alaska fish harvests. Salmon is a distant secon

Note: Fish harvest volumes, prices and values vary significantly from yeaIn any given year, volumes and values may differ from those shown in this presentation.

Average Volume of Alaska Fish Harvests, 2004-2008

0

500

1,0001,5002,000

Salmon Herring Halibut Shellfish Groundfish

thousand metric tons
Groundfish also accounts for the largest share of total value. But 

halibut and crab—which command much higher prices than grou

also contribute significant value.

The term ex-vessel value refers to the value received by fisherm

when they sell round (raw) fish to processors.

Average Ex-Vessel Value of Alaska Fish Harvests, 2004-08

0

100200300400500600700800

Salmon Herring Halibut Shellfish Groundfish

millions of dollars
Alaska Salmon Fisheries

Five salmon species are harvested in Alaska:

sockeye, pink, chum, coho and chinook.

Just to make things confusing, each species has two or more othe

For example, a “sockeye salmon” is also called a “red salmo

Different species vary widely in size, fat content and other charac

which affect taste and suitability for different product forms

3.65.87.27.9

15.9

Average weight

(Alaska, 2004)

Pink Humpy

Sockeye Red

Coho Silver

Chum Keta, Dog

Chinook King

Species Also called
Salmon are harvested in Alaska using four major types of 

gear: seine, drift gill net, set net, and troll. There are 

important differences between gear types in catch 

volumes, costs, species harvested, and fish handling.

Seine

Drift gill net

Troll fishing picture source: Downloaded F

from www.primeseafood.com/ salmon.htm

Troll originally courtesy of Seafood Producers C
This picture shows a salmon seiner in Prince William Sound

are used mostly for high-volume pink and chum salmon fi

Photograph by Gunnar Knapp, August 2007
These pictures show drift gill net salmon fishing boa

The fish swim into the net and their gills get stuck.

The fishermen pull the net in on a big roller and “pick” the fish out of the net as it comes into the boat.
Alaska wild salmon are processed into four major primary prod

canned salmon, frozen salmon, fresh salmon, and salmon roe. C

salmon and frozen salmon account for most of the product vol

Alaska Salmon Production, by Product

0

50,000

100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Source: ADFG Commercial Operator Annual Reports data

PoundsFresh Frozen Canned

Canned salmon Frozen salmon

Fresh salmon 

Salmon roe accounts f

the product volume (an

graph) but it accounts 

share of the total w
The products made from Alaska salmon go to different end 

• Canned salmon is sold mostly in the US & UK.• Frozen salmon was formerly sold mostly to Japan but in re

has been sold in increasing volumes in the United States aEurope.

• Fresh salmon is sold mostly in the United States.

• Salmon roe is sold mostly in Japan and Russia.
Workers processing salmon 

roe (salmon eggs) at a 

Bristol Bay fish processing 

plant. Roe is a valuable 

product on the Japanese 

market.
Alaska salmon are harvested in 27 different “limited entry” fish

A limited entry fishery is one in which a permit is required to fish, a

limited number of permits are issued. The permits may be bought 

Alaska’s 27 salmon fisheries differ widely in value, number of perm

average earnings and average permit value.

Area Gear

Gross 

earnings 

($millions)

Total 

permits

Resident 

permits

Resident 

share of 

permits

Share of 

permits 

fished

Aver

earning

perm

fishe

($ 00

Bristol Bay Drift gill net 65.5 1,896 916 48% 96% Southeast Purse seine 28.8 416 189 45% 86% PWS Drift gill net 22.2 541 393 73% 97% PWS Purse seine 19.2 268 197 74% 49% 1Chignik Purse seine 12.3 99 75 76% 100% 1Cook Inlet Drift gill net 4.2 577 384 67% 89% Kuskokwim Gill net 1.2 823 815 99% 76% Lower Yukon Gill net 0.7 704 694 99% 80% Other 19 fisheries 91.5 6,432 5,193 81% 62% Total 245.7 11,756 8,856 75% 73% 8Source: Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, Basic Information Tables.

Overview of Selected Alaska Salmon Fisheries, 2000
The world salmon industry was transformed in the 1980s and 1990development of salmon farming. In salmon farming, fish eggs are hatcheries. The fish are then are raised in pens until they are large be sold. Salmon farming has become a very big business in NorwScotland and Canada. In the 1980s, there were proposals to develop salmon farms in Alafishermen bitterly opposed this, and in 1989 the legislature passed salmon farming in Alaska.Alaska fishermen opposed salmon farming for two major reasons. thought that salmon farming might harm wild fisheries by causing dfarmed salmon escaping and mixing genetically with wild fish. Secwere worried about economic competition from farmed fish. 

Workers at a salmon farm in 

Chile
Alaska Herring Fisheries

• Herring fisheries, like salmon, are 

small- boat fisheries

• The major gear types are drift gill net, 

and seine

• The major product is frozen round 

herring which is shipped to Japan where the herring roe is extracted for use in making luxury herring roe products (kazunoko) 

• Herring fisheries occur in the spring 

beginning in Southeast and continuing westward.

Kazunoko

Seining for her
Alaska Halibut Fishery

• Halibut are fished by boats ranging 

from small skiffs to large boats.

• Halibut are fished using “longline”

gear--long lines with hundreds of baited fishing hooks

• Both fresh and frozen halibut are sold 

to US markets

• Fishing occurs from March through 

November

Longline fishin
Alaska Shellfish Fisheries

• Alaska’s major shellfish species are king 

crab, opilio and bairdi crab (also referred to as “Tanner crab” and “Snow crab”) and dungeness crab

• King crab and opilio and bairdi crab fisheries 

are medium-large boat fisheries in Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska; Dungeness crab fisheries are smaller-boat fisheries in southeast Alaska

• Most crab are fished using pot gear• Historically, Bering Sea crab fishing has 

been one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Because of recent management changes (“rationalization”) it may become safer. Ice accumulation in winter can make boats 

top-heavy, difficult to steer, and vulnerable to capsizing.

Baited crab pots sit on the ocean bin and can’t get out. Boats come bcrab pots every so often, remove tmore bait.

Handling heavy crab pots is dangerous work. Fishermen often get banged up by the crab pots or caught in lines and dragged overboard.
Alaska Groundfish Fisheries

• Many species of groundfish are caught in 

Alaska waters including Alaska pollock, Pacific cod, rockfish and sablefish.

• Alaska pollock is by far the most important 

groundfish species. It is the single largest US fishery by volume

• The largest pollock catch volumes are in 

the Bering Sea.

• The pollock fishery is a large boat fishery. 

Most of the boats are corporate-owned factory trawlers (which do the processing on-board) or large trawlers delivering to large onshore plants 

• The most important groundfish products 

are surimi (the kind of fish paste used to make artificial crab) and pollock roe (eggs), both of which are mostly sold to Japan, as well as pollock fillets (which are sold worldwide)

A trawl net 

A large factory trawler
Volume of Alaska Seafood Harvests

0

500

1,0001,5002,0002,5003,000

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Source: National Marine Fisheries Service

thousand metric tons, round w 

United States fish harvests in Alaska waters increased dramatic

1976 as U.S. fleets replaced foreign fleets harvesting pollock a

groundfish in the U.S. 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Since 

groundfish fishery has become Alaska’s largest fishery in volu

value.

1976 Magnuson 

Act establishes 

200-mile U.S. 

exclusive economic 

zone and goal of 

“Americanization”

of fisheries within 

this zone

Extensive fishing 

by foreign fleets

Period of 

“Americanization” Fully “Americanized” fisheries
Groundfish accounts for the largest share of total value of Alaska 

But salmon accounts for the largest share of value to Alaska reside

because most of the groundfish are caught by non-residents, wh

larger share of the salmon are caught by Alaska resident

Relative Importance of Major Alaska Fisheries (share of 2001 

All Fisheries 100% 100% Shellfish 7% 14% 

Groundfish 60% 50% Halibut 5% 13% Herring 2% 1% Salmon 26% 22% 

Ex-vesse

Wholesale value Ex-vessel value Alaska re
The salmon and halibut fisheries account for the largest num

of permit holders and boats. This is because these fisheries use sm

[Note: To deliver fish legally in Alaska, someone on the fishing boa

a permit for that fishery. The person holding the permit is referre

“permit holder.”]

Number of permit holders who fished in 2001

Shellfish 1,363 986

All Fisheries 10,051 7,077

Groundfish 1,745 1,155Halibut 2,418 2,005

Herring 693 575

Salmon 7,306 5,174

Resident permit 

holders

Total permit 

holders
Alaska residents’ share of ex-vessel value (payments to fishermen

in the salmon and halibut fisheries, and lowest in the groundfish 

Shellfish 30%All Fisheries 41%Groundfish 23%Halibut 64%Herring 54%Salmon 62%

Share of Ex-Vessel Value Earned by Alaska Residents 

(2001)