The industry attracts over 1.1 million visitors annually. The tourism industry is Alaska's second largest primary employer. The rich fishing waters off Alaska's coast make it one of the world's finest sources for wild seafood. Each year nearly 6 billion pounds of seafood are harvested. Alaska is the number one producer of wild salmon in the world.
Forests add to Alaska's beauty and provide a renewable economic resource.
With 28 million acres of commercial forest, Alaska's timber industry supplies world markets with logs, lumber, pulp, and other forest products. The Chugach National Forest, at 4.8 million acres, is the nation's second largest national forest, following the Tongass in Southeast Alaska. Much of Southeast Alaska is part of the Tongass National Forest, a 16.8 million acre rainforest. Alaska contains half the nation's coal reserves, and its largest silver and zinc mines. Glittering gold in Alaska's streams and mountains still lure miners to work private claims.