FISHERIES
Oceans of Opportunity Alaska seafood products reach far beyond state’s shores By Vanessa Orr
66 | June 2021
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ach year, between 5 billion and 6 billion pounds of wild seafood is harvested in Alaska. Seafood processing accounts for 70 percent of manufacturing employment, and in 2017-2018, the industry provided an average of $5.6 billion in economic activity to the state, directly employing more than 58,700 people. While there’s no doubt that this industry plays an enormous role supporting Alaskans, its overall impact, both in the United States and abroad, cannot be underestimated.
A Value-Added Resource Seafood processed in Alaska takes many forms, from the savory fillets found on plates at white-tableclothed restaurants to fish oil used as nutritional supplements. According to Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of Alaska Seafood Marketing Association (ASMI), most of the seafood produced in Alaska ends up as headed and gutted fish or fresh frozen fillets. “While you might traditionally think of canned salmon as a large portion of the industry, only 15 to 20 percent of the overall salmon product takes that form, compared to the 40 percent it used to represent,” says Woodrow. “While that number is still significant, canned salmon has pretty much been replaced by fillets.” One reason for this is that frozen fillets are considered a value-added product. Because it is more labor intensive than just removing the head and guts from a fish, processors
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