(SitNews) - Fish harvesting is a critical component of Alaska’s economy, employing thousands of people across the state and bringing money and workers to parts of Alaska that might otherwise struggle to find steady sources of income. Its economic impact goes beyond the harvesting of fish, and includes seafood processing and all necessary support activities.

Alaska provided almost 53 percent of the fish harvested in the United States last year. More than 4.3 billion pounds of seafood were caught in Alaska, worth $1.6 billion.

This month’s Alaska Economic Trends focuses on the jobs provided by harvesting Alaska’s seafood, which can number as many as 20,000 during the peak summer months.

Earlier this year, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development surveyed the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Fisheries Entry Commission permit holders from 2009. The last Alaska Seafood Employment Survey was in 2002, and much has remained constant according to comments in this month's Trends by Labor Commissioner Click Bisho.

According to the updated estimates provided by the survey, the Southeast region of Alaska had the largest fish harvesting workforce in 2010, but its gross earnings ranked third behind Southcentral. Harvesting employment grew by 146 workers, reaching 9,182. As with many of the regions in 2010, Southeast had a record year for gross earnings — $49 million more than in 2005.

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Labor
www.labor.state.ak.us

SitNews ©2011
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper sources.