Alaska Salmon Fishery
In Alaska, salmon come first. Alaska has a long and successful track record of managing and conserving its abounding salmon resources. Record salmon runs with an 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 harvested in Alaska. Alaska is the top producer of wild, high-value salmon, producing nearly 80 percent 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 bucks 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 private sector jobs, and is 2nd 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 given to people, not corporations, through 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 a similar gear type and area. This creates a fishery made from many people 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 tug or troll 2 to four deep weighted lines through the water, each with 8 - twelve leaders attached. At the end of each leader there’s a lure or baited hook. Ship size varies from little skiffs to vessels of 50 feet or more with lots ranging between twenty-five to forty feet.
Trollers essentially 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 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 alter in length from nine hundred to 1800 feet long. The net’s mesh openings are just big sufficient to permit an adult fish head to get through and become caught at the gills.
There are 2 kinds 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 use 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 allowed north of the Alaska Peninsula; boat size is limited to 58 feet. Purse Seiners crop principally pink salmon close to the coast and close to fresh water spawning grounds where runs are highly concentrated.
For more information about food and useful cooking tips, check out cooking101.org and also have a look at baking salmon recipe.
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