Alaska seafood harvesting jobs rise after five-year decline

Anchorage, Alaska, witnessed a reversal in its seafood industry this year. The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported that seafood harvesting jobs increased for the first time since 2019. The data covers permit holders and boat crews, the two groups that make up the harvester workforce.

The number of these jobs rose by 4% compared to the previous year. This translates to an average of more than 200 additional jobs per month than in 2024. This growth interrupts a five-year downward trend. In 2024, harvesting job numbers reached the lowest point recorded since data collection began more than two decades ago.

Economist Joshua Warren, who wrote the report for the labor department's publication Alaska Economic Trends, attributed the previous decline largely to the pandemic. He noted that other industries recovered after COVID measures ended, but the seafood sector did not follow that pattern. "Other industries saw some level of return once COVID measures stopped, but those trends just seemed to continue for seafood harvesting," Warren said.

Warren pointed to specific changes in fishery management as factors in the recent shift. Several fisheries, including red king crab and snow crab in the Bering Sea, had previously closed, and others faced reduced catch limits. Last year, no new closures occurred. Additionally, the state experienced a good salmon year, which removed the negative pressure that had caused job numbers to fall.

Salmon remains the primary driver of harvester employment, accounting for more than half of the jobs statewide. The increase in salmon harvesters was accompanied by growth in groundfish fisheries, such as pollock. However, this growth was not uniform across the state.

The Aleutians and Pribilof Islands were the only region to lose jobs, with a 4% drop in total seafood harvester positions. Groundfish harvesters in that region saw a steeper 7% decrease. Warren explained that the overall gains in the groundfish sector came from other areas, like Kodiak. He suggested that consolidation in the Aleutians, where multiple permits are fished on the same boat or larger vessels replace smaller ones, reduced the need for as many workers.

Warren said another growth year is possible, though the final numbers for this year are not yet available. The current data reflects the conditions of last year, when the industry stabilized after a long period of contraction.