It can’t be denied that pollock helps power Alaska’s economy. But when it comes to payouts at the docks, another fish rises above: salmon.
At a glance: On average in 2023 and 2024, 41,800 workers were directly employed in Alaska’s seafood industry, earning $1.5 billion in total labor income each year. Alaska’s commercial fisheries employed 19,200 fishermen who earned $743 million in total labor income. Seafood processors employed 21,000
workers, paying $573 million in labor income. An additional 1,600 workers in Alaska were directly employed in fisheries management and salmon
hatcheries, resulting in $149 million in labor income.
The seafood industry contributed nearly $5.2 billion in added economic value to Alaska’s economy on average in 2023 and 2024. This includes all the economic activity supported by harvesting, processing, support sectors and secondary impacts as a result of industry spending circulating in Alaska’s economy.
Learn more in the report: The Economic Value of Alaska’s Seafood Industry/2006 by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI)
