In comparison, Alaska fishermen fall in between, using twice as many people to haul in the same catch as a Norwegian farmer, but fewer than in Chile. Regulations can also make or break an industry. In Chile and Norway the government smoothed the way for salmon farms, investing in research, developing the infrastructure and making it easy for companies to lease bays or inlets. The opposite is true in Washington state, where it has become so difficult to get a salmon farm permit most companies gave up, said Dan Swecker, a state legislator. That permit, which went through 13 appeals before being approved in 1992, was the last one granted in Washington.
Regulation adds to the expense of fishing in Alaska as well.
Not only is there the obvious cost of permits, but also fisheries managers set rules to protect wild salmon that also drive up fishermen's costs, said Anchorage economist Knapp. Chile's transportation infrastructure is built on farmed salmon, as is clear from the Lanchile Cargo signs lining the road to the airport in Puerto Montt. Each ad shows a skyscape of clouds with either a Lanchile plane or a salmon flying over. Clearly Lanchile considers cargo synonymous with salmon. Half the cargo flown out of Chile is salmon, about 55,000 tons last year.