Fishermen approach the Cordova boat harbor after the first commercial opener of the season on Monday, May 17, 2021. The answers can be found in an easy to read, colorfulfor 2019-20 that includes all regions from Ketchikan to Kotzebue.
Overall, the industry includes 8,900 fishing vessels with 5,417 measuring in the 23-49 foot range. Each is a small business and if all the vessels were lined up bow to stern, they would stretch nearly 63 miles! The fishing boats harvested nearly 5.7 billion pounds of seafood in 2019, worth $2 billion.
Alaska produces more seafood than all other U.S. states combined and provides two-thirds of the nation’s wild-caught fish and shellfish. Bristol Bay accounts for over half of global sockeye salmon supply and is home to the largest red run in the world. Commercial fishing and processing businesses paid more than $163 million in taxes, fees, and self-assessments in FY 2019.