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In Alaska, salmon come first. Alaska has a long and successful track record of handling and preserving its abounding salmon resources. Record salmon runs with a recent average yearly catch of 165 million salmon is the evidence of this successful approach.

Nearly 95% of all commercially caught salmon in the US are cropped in Alaska. Alaska is the top producer of wild, high-value salmon, producing nearly 80 percent of the planet supply of king, commercial salmon fishery is critical to the Alaskan economy and the Alaskan way of life.

Each year, the salmon industry provides thousands of roles and hundreds of millions of dollars to the state’s economy. Commercial fishing is urgent to communities and fishing
families across the state.

Alaska’s fishing industry leads the state in providing 47% of non-public sector jobs, and is 2nd only to the oil industry in providing income to the state. In 2002, the exvessel price for combined fisheries totaled $955 million with $162 million from salmon.

Salmon fishing allows are given out to individuals, not firms, thru the “limited entry permit system”. The total number of available authorizes for each fishery is precisely limited. Fishermen may not own more than one salmon permit for the same gear type and area. This creates a fishery made up of many people and families.

Three main gear types catch Alaska salmon: trolling, gillnetting, and purse seining. All commercial salmon fishing boats are relatively little vessels ; averaging thirty to fifty feet.

Trollers use long trolling poles to pull or troll 2 to 4 deep weighted lines through the water, each with eight – twelve leaders attached. At the end of each leader there’s a lure or baited hook. Boat size varies from small skiffs to vessels of fifty feet or more with most ranging between twenty-five to 40 feet.

Trollers primarily target king, coho, and pink salmon as they enter Alaskan waters on their way to the spawning grounds. Trollers catch a relatively low volume of high-quality fish. The fish they catch are bright and powerful from fresh ocean waters. They are regularly
sold dressed, or filleted in the fresh or fresh frozen market.

Gillnetters set curtain-like nets in the water postponed from a float line at the surface and a weighted lead line along the submerged lower edge. Nets change in length from 900 to 1800 feet long. The net’s mesh openings are just big sufficient to allow an adult fish head to get through and become caught at the gills.

There are two types of gillnets; driftnets that are free floating from boats, and setnets that have one end attached to the shoreline. Boat size is limited to 32 feet or less in Bristol Bay ; otherwise, the average range is 30 to forty feet. Gillnetters essentially crop sockeye, chum and coho.

Purse Seiners use a huge floating net, pulled and set in circle by a power skiff, to enclose schooling salmon. The weighted “purse line” at bottom of the net is drawn closed to contain the fish. The net full of fish is then gathered to the ship thru a highpowered hydraulic block.

Purse seiners are not allowed north of the Alaska Peninsula; boat size is restricted to 58 feet. Purse Seiners crop principally pink salmon near the coast and close to fresh water spawning grounds where runs are highly concentrated.

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