Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Alaska’s fishing industry has been a part of the state’s development since the opening of the first fish cannery in Kawock, Alaska, in 1878, but even before that, native Alaskans fished the waters of the Aleutian Islands for their livelihood. Today, commercial fishing is an integral part of the Alaskan economy, and ports on the Bering Sea send out hundreds of fishing boats during the state’s two main fishing seasons.
Unalaska, a town in the Aleutian Islands off the southwestern coast of Alaska, has been a fishing port for more than 8,000 years when the Unangan people fished and whaled the waters of the pass. Later, Russians came across the Bering Strait to fish the waters off the coast as well, giving these native people the name “Aleuts,” and the area became known as the Aleutian Islands.
In the port of Ketchikan, on Alaska’s southeast coast, fishing camps of the Tlingit natives soon evolved into the commercial fishing fleets of the 1900s. By 1930, there were seven canneries in operation, but overfishing caused the industry to crash in the 1940s.
Tlingit fishermen also populated the town of Petersburg, and in 1890, a Norwegian immigrant to the area started the first cannery operation to take advantage of the abundance of fish in the offshore waters. The area became a magnet for Scandinavians involved in the fishing industry.
Alaskan fishing ports bring in a variety of species for consumption, such as halibut, steelhead trout, rainbow trout, five different types of salmon and Alaska king crab. These are caught during Alaska's two fishing seasons--one that begins in January, and the second that runs throughout the summer.
The fishing industry is crucial to the economy of the coastal areas of Alaska, and many young men take on the dangerous work of braving the icy waters of the Bering Sea. Commercial fishing is rated one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. The pay for this work is generous, however. Wages are based on a percentage of the harvest earnings. Recent market prices declines have caused percentage shares to decline.
Today, Dutch Harbor in Unalaska is the one of the top commercial fishing ports in the United States. It was the site of the popular Discovery Channel TV show "Deadliest Catch," which showed the dangers of the commercial fishing industry.
Ketchican’s commercial fishing industry is still one of the largest in the state and is known as the "Salmon Capital of Alaska."
Petersburg still retains its Tlingit/Norwegian cultural flavor, and the industry is the largest employer in the city.
Seeing the fishing ports of Alaska is good way to get a feel for the history and energy of the state’s economy. Cruise ships often dock at cities on the Alaskan coast where fishing is still done today. The Alaska Marine Highway System allows visitors to visit a number of fishing ports along Alaska’s coast.