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5.3.10.wavThanks to its vast coastline and abundant marine resources, Alaska's economy has always been oriented toward the rich oceans surrounding it. For thousands of years, marine resources, such as salmon and other fish, marine mammals, and tidal resources, such as clams and mussels, were the foundation of the Alaskan Natives' economy. The importance of seafood in Alaska's economy continues to be true today.
The fishing industry is the second-largest in Alaska and, in 2022, made up 10% of Alaska's GDP. In 2022, the Alaska seafood industry harvested nearly 5 billion pounds of seafood worth $2 billion. Processors turned this harvest into 2.3 billion pounds of product worth $5.2 billion. Alaska has the most productive commercial fishing industry in the United States, harvesting more seafood than all other states combined. Salmon is the most valuable Alaska seafood product, and the state produces 80% of the high-value wild salmon caught worldwide. Besides salmon, Alaska is among the largest global producers of pollock, halibut, cod, crab, sablefish, and yellowfin sole.
The seafood industry is often the largest employer and taxpayer in coastal Alaska communities. Nearly 50,000 were employed in the seafood industry in 2022, earning $1.8 billion in labor income. When including all economic activity from harvesting, processing, support services, and income spending, Alaska's seafood industry creates $6 billion in economic acitivty.
Below are charts detailing Alaska's seafood industry production and economic activity in 2022.
Seafood Industry Jobs and Income 2021-2022
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