Rec and Sports

Alaska Commmercial Salmon Fishery

In Alaska, salmon come first. Alaska has a long and successful track record of handling and conserving its abundant salmon resources. Record salmon runs with an average yearly catch of 165 million salmon is the proof of this successful approach.

Nearly 95% of all commercially caught salmon in the States are harvested in Alaska. Alaska is the top producer of wild, high-value salmon, producing nearly 80 % of the world supply of king, sockeye, and coho. Alaska’s commercial salmon fishery is vital to the Alaskan economy and the Alaskan way of life.

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

Alaska’s fishing industry leads the state in providing 47% of private sector roles, and is second only to the oil industry in providing cash to the state. In 2002, the exvessel worth for combined fisheries totaled $955 million with $162 million from salmon.

Salmon fishing allows are issued to people, not corporations, through the “limited entry permit system”. The total number of available permits for each fishery is strictly 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 individuals and families.

Three main gear types catch Alaska salmon : trolling, gillnetting, and purse seining. All commercial salmon fishing boats are relatively small vessels; averaging 30 to fifty feet.

Trollers use long trolling poles to pull or troll two to 4 deep weighted lines thru 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 little skiffs to vessels of fifty feet or more with most ranging between twenty-five to forty feet.

Trollers basically target king, coho, and pink salmon as they enter Alaskan waters on their way to the spawning grounds. Trollers catch a comparatively low volume of top quality fish. The fish they catch are bright and vigorous from fresh sea waters. They are often
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 bottom edge. Nets change in length from 900 to 1800 feet long. The net’s mesh openings are just big sufficient to permit an adult fish head to get thru and become entangled at the gills.

There are two sorts of gillnets; driftnets that are free floating from boats, and setnets that have one end attached to the shoreline. Boat size is restricted to 32 feet or less in Bristol Bay ; otherwise, the average range is 30 to 40 feet. Gillnetters essentially crop sockeye, chum and coho.

Purse Seiners employ a large 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 authorized north of the Alaska Peninsula; boat size is limited to 58 feet. Purse Seiners crop principally pink salmon near the shoreline and close to fresh water spawning grounds where runs are highly concentrated.

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