(SitNews) - Southeast Alaska is a maritime region. Nearly every element of the economy of the area is intermingled with the maritime economy. Southeast Alaska depends on barges to import most commodities, including food and fuel. The seafood industry of Southeast Alaska depends on the wealth of the sea and the flotilla of 3,000 commercial fishing vessels home-ported in the region. A million visitors come to Southeast Alaska on 500 cruise ship voyages in the summer. Freight ships move logs and ore laden with precious metals to market. Alaska Marine Highway ferries provide transportation between communities.

Southeast Conference believes its new publication - The Maritime Economy of Southeast Alaska - will change the way people think about the Southeast Alaska economy.

Shelly Wright, Executive Director of Southeast Conference, says the publication quantifies Southeast Alaska’s maritime economy. It was released on September 17th at Southeast Conference’s Sitka conference.

“Ocean-related jobs play such a significant role in our regional communities and we at Southeast Conference wanted to better understand the impact of this as a whole. Until now, no one had quantified just how big and important that role is. This publication marks the first time that all aspects of our maritime economy have been combined and examined together, and it finally answers the question: ‘What is the main economic identity of our region?’ We are a maritime economy. It is what most marks our identity and what fuels our economic engine. Maritime work and services permeate into every aspect of our economy and includes tourism jobs and fishing jobs; government jobs, and natural resource development.”

The publication, developed by consultant Sheinberg Associates on behalf of Southeast Conference, shows that just over one-quarter of all Southeast Alaska work earnings were directly from ocean-based employment in 2012. In Southeast Alaska there are 8,200 “blue jobs” as maritime jobs are sometimes called, with $475 million in associated wages. Taken together, the more than 400 businesses and government agencies that are directly tied to the ocean comprise Southeast Alaska’s largest economic sector. The report also provides an in-depth focus on one of the region’s fastest growing segments: maritime manufacturing in the form of ship & boat building and repair.

On the Web:

The Maritime Economy of Southeast Alaska (12 pages - pdf)

Source of News: 

Southeast Conference
www.seconference.org

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