Fisheries and FishBiz
Alaska’s fisheries are critical to its livelihood
Alaska is home to several of the largest and most valuable commercial, subsistence, and sport fisheries in the nation. Commercial fisheries in the federally managed waters of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska produce the highest volumes of groundfish (pollock, cod, rockfish, sablefish, and flatfish) in the country, close to 2 million metric tons per year, valued in 2013 in excess of $2 billion.
Wild salmon fisheries range from Ketchikan in the south to Kotzebue, north of the Arctic Circle. In 2014, the commercial catch of salmon in Alaska totaled more than 717 million fish worth $576 million.
Crab fisheries in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Southeastern are annually valued at over $280 million with halibut fisheries contributing over $140 million.
Subsistence fishing is critical to the cultural as well as economic well-being of the more than 100,000 Alaska Natives and non-Natives living in rural Alaska. Four percent of fish harvested in Alaska is used for subsistence purposes.
Sport fishing is also important, occurring in saltwater and freshwater regions of Alaska.
How Alaska Sea Grant helps fisheries
The Marine Advisory Program provides information and technical assistance to Alaskans involved in commercial, subsistence and sport fishing. We coordinate workshops, carry out applied research, and publish materials of interest to fishermen.
Fisheries Explorer map
Visit the interactive Fisheries Explorer map to learn about various commercial fisheries around the state, including harvest seasons, commercial access, gear types, and links to more in-depth information. The results can be filtered by region, species, gear types, and more.
News
An underwater robot with a custom-built arm may become a useful tool in seaweed farming, an emerging industry in Alaska. Alaska Sea Grant’s Gary Freitag designed and modified the seaweed-plucking arm to help our state’s aquaculture industry expand its reach.
From SeafoodNews.com: Alaska Sea Grant, an organization created to help Alaska’s marine coastal and watershed ecosystems through research and education, is offering two programs to ensure that the seafood industry in the area continues to grow.
Three interns at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center reported on project outcomes at a recent seminar. Their work will be used by nutritional supplement marketers, Alaska seafood promoters and seafood processing plants.
Terry Johnson has spent much of his life on boats and on the coast. The marine agent and University of Alaska Fairbanks professor has commercially fished, led marine life viewing tours, assisted fishermen, been a prolific writer and helped coastal residents adapt to climate change.
Thomas Farrugia’s university training, Knauss Fellowship in DC and other work have helped prepare him for a challenging and enjoyable fisheries management job. Read an interview with the UAF PhD candidate as he steps into a career on the other end of the globe.
Whale entanglements in fishing gear are infrequent near Petersburg but when they happen the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center needs trained people to respond. On June 30, NOAA’s Ed Lyman helped build the response team by training nine people in large whale disentanglement response methods.
Camron Christoffersen, a Utah resident, is spending his summer in Alaska exploring how long and at what temperature fish need to be frozen to be parasite-free. At the same time, Phil Ganz is working on how best to communicate complicated science topics to the public.
Juneau, Alaska—The behavior of pollock fishermen may yield insights about the effects of climate change on fishing operations, according to preliminary findings of a University of Alaska Fairbanks student researcher.…
FishBiz includes financial and business tools, resources, and training for Alaska commercial seafood harvesters. Find information on starting and managing your business, growing and diversifying, and planning an exit strategy.
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Upcoming training
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Business of Fishing – February 2026
February 23–February 27
See all Alaska Sea Grant workshops, classes, and conferences
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