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How can I get a job in Alaska's seafood industry? Where do I start?

First things first. In order to obtain a job in Alaska's seafood industry, you must be a citizen of the United States. According to the U.S. Customs Service, a nonimmigrant can only come to the United States as a visitor and would not be allowed to work. However, you can petition the U.S. Immigration Service to obtain a work visa. Their address in Alaska is 222 West 7th Avenue, Number 16, Anchorage, AK 99513. They have informed the Department that they would most likely not grant a visa to anyone applying for work in the fishing industry, because there are more than enough qualified individuals already interested in employment opportunities available now. Please note that the Alaska Department of Labor has issued a Worker's Advisory about foreign workers and fishing season job scams. Go here for more information.

If you are not a United States citizen and do not qualify for U.S. employment through other processes than you may still be able to qualify for immigration status and a green card but the requirements and procedures are very strict. Please visit this United States Citizenship and Immigration Services web page.

If you are a United States citizen, but you've never crewed on a fishing vessel before, chances are somewhat slim in finding a job.

Most boats are family operations, or use seasoned crews, year after year. A walk-on crewmember could land a job if he was in the right place at the right time. Generally, we recommend the ports of Kodiak, Soldotna, Ketchikan, or Petersburg. These are listed because of their accessibility; however, only Soldotna is on a road system connected to the Lower '48. Because of Alaska's vast size and few roads, most travel in Alaska is done by air. Air fare — into and out of Alaska and within the state — can be quite high. We always recommend that roundtrip tickets be purchased in advance. Some areas can be reached by our “Marine Highway System” (ferries), which would allow you to take a vehicle. Bookings fill quickly, however, so you will want to make reservations early.

While hunting for employment, be prepared to camp out. Hotels and restaurants can be costly, and could seriously erode any profit you hoped to walk away with. Many of Alaska's coastal communities have a maritime climate, meaning it rains a lot during the summer. Temperatures range from the 50s to the 80s. Rain gear and rubber boots are the norm. The only way to let people know you are interested is to walk the docks, volunteering to stack or repair gear, etc. You may also be allowed to post a notice with the local harbormaster in an area. Persistence can pay off.

Related sites:

Alaska Department of Labor — "Seafood Jobs in Alaska and Foreign Worker Fishing Season Job Scams

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What kind of money could I expect to make?

Most of what you hear about BIG MONEY in Alaska is simply not true. While some boats make very good money, others make very little, and crewmembers won't necessarily see much of it in either instance. Most permit holders have extremely large payments. For example, a typical Bristol Bay salmon gillnet vessel now costs about $325,000 (new) to buy. Crab vessels run several million dollars to build, and tens of thousands of dollars to operate annually. All of Alaska's salmon fisheries, and many of our shellfish, herring, and crab fisheries, have gone to a limited-access system of some kind. This means that in order to participate in that fishery, you must purchase a permit (or the privilege) from an individual wishing to get out of the fishery. Permits for entry into these fisheries can run from $8–450 thousand. Payments are generally on a 10- to 15-year schedule. You can appreciate the tremendous overhead involved. Fuel, nets, and other required gear cost even more. A crewmember on a salmon boat gets between 6 and 15% of the “net profit,” after the boat and skipper generally take 50%. Earning potentials for crewmembers are probably somewhere from zero to tens of thousands of dollars, — depending on where you fish and whom you fish with.

The salmon season runs from June through August in most coastal areas of Alaska. Salmon stocks are in very good health, with record catches landed almost yearly. Earning potentials are highest in the Bristol Bay, Alaska Peninsula, and Chignik fisheries. Unfortunately, these are also some of the more remote fisheries. Although not necessarily a summer fishery statewide, crewmembers on crab boats generally get between 1 and 5% of the net value of the harvest. Dungeness crab fisheries occur in Southeast during the summer. “Big Money” crab fisheries are generally in the fall and winter months, and may last less than 4 weeks for each fishery. Most activity is in September, November, and January in the Bering Sea. Alaska's crab stocks are declining in some of our more valuable fisheries.

There are several outfits in the Lower '48 that advertise “big paying jobs in Alaska.” This can be very misleading. For $60–80 these outfits will send you material on employment in the commercial fisheries in the State, most of which, coincidentally, is material that we distribute for free.

Related sites:

Alaska Department of Labor — “Seafood Jobs in Alaska”

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What kind of onboard jobs might be available?

Most of the jobs you have probably read about are in our groundfish fisheries. Groundfish, like pollock and cod, are harvested in very large quantities (billions of pounds) in the Bering Sea. As the old saying goes, “it's not the end of the Earth, but you can see it from there.” The Bering Sea is a very remote and hostile region. These fisheries involve catcher as well as catcher/processor vessels. The advertised work most probably is on a catcher/processor or “factory trawler.” These can employ up to 100 crewmembers per vessel who work on large, floating fish processing plants. These boats generally go to sea for 6–8 weeks at a time. Most jobs are on the “slime line” (butchering line) below deck. Hours are long (10–18 hours / 6 to 7 days per week) and the work can be very dangerous. Most of these boats take on crewmembers in the Seattle, Washington area. This is a federally managed fishery, and not under the State of Alaska's jurisdiction. Groundfish fisheries operate year round, but the bulk of the opportunities are in January–March and August–September for pollock. Stories are told of workers making fairly good money and commenting that they planned to return to the vessel next season. But at the same time we've seen newspaper articles describing how one of the larger companies in operation had just filed for bankruptcy and had to sell both of its multimillion dollar vessels in an attempt to defer costs. The company made considerably less from sales than they had hoped. Many crewmembers and factory workers were very concerned about their ability to collect their earnings in the settlement. Many had put in long, hard hours, and it now appears that they might not get fully paid for time already worked. Even the State of Alaska lost out because of this bankruptcy, as a loan from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (State Agency) for $2.7 million had to be written off. This serves as a reminder that much of what you read about “getting rich” in Alaska can be very deceptive, and certainly isn't always the case.

Related sites:

Alaska Department of Labor — “Seafood Jobs in Alaska”

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Are some of these jobs dangerous?

Safety is always an issue. Each year fishing boats go down, in many instances with all hands aboard. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has very stringent rules and regulations in place, but even the best plans can fail in Alaska's commercial fisheries, which can operate under some of the most severe conditions on Earth. During the 1990s, commercial fishing fatalities made up 33 percent of all State of Alaska worker fatalities. Overall commercial fishing fatalities were 28 times that of the overall U.S. occupational fatality rate during that period.

Records indicate that while less vessels have been lost since additional safety regulations and requirements were implemented by way of the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act of 1988, still on average more than 25-35 vessels sink each year, with about 24 lives lost annually.

Always check with other fishermen in an area about the safety record of the vessel and captain prior to climbing onboard.

For additional information about fatalities in Alaska commercial fisheries you may either go to the following: CDC articles pertaining to commercial fisheries safety and fatalities or download the following Acrobat PDF file*:  Commercial Fishing Fatalities in Alaska — Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies (188K).

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What about cold storage or cannery jobs?

Another option for employment is to work in a cold storage facility or cannery. Processing plants can be found in nearly all coastal areas of the State. The pay is $5–8/hr for “slime-line” workers. These plants are almost always looking for summer help. The following link will take you to our Intent to Operate listing — a listing of seafood processors, buyers, exporters, etc. (there are over 700 listings, listed alphabetically by company name and containing such things as contact reps, mailing and phone data) provided in three different file formats.

Related sites:

Alaska Department of Labor — "Seafood Jobs in Alaska and Foreign Worker Fishing Season Job Scams

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Who is Multiplex Consultants and if I send them money can they guarantee me a job?

This department has learned of a company going by the name of Multiplex Consultants, which claims it will send foreigners seafood processing employment forms and applications, and will, for a fee (anything from $30 - $350), guarantee the foreigner a job in the Alaskan seafood processing industry.

This same company is claiming our own agency home page (www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us) as their own. Do not be deceived, Multiplex Consultants IS NOT associated with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, and WE DO NOT endorse their methods or practices!

Please also know that:

• according to our own search of Alaskan businesses, no company by this name currently holds a valid Alaska business license.

• based on emails that this department has received from foreigners that have sent money to Multiplex Consultants, these job-seeking individuals never received any employment materials, nor were they delivered any guaranteed employment with Alaska's seafood processors.

  And finally,

• according to a representative of the United State Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS; the U.S. government agency responsible for issuing legal work visa's for foreigners interested in working in the United States), these job guarantees and Mulitplex Consultant's collection of moneys for this purpose are probably part of a scam operation. The INS has been unable to locate any individuals from this company in Alaska and they have been unable to stop Multiplex Consultants from continuing such deceptive business practices.

To best protect yourself, or anyone interested in working in the Alaska seafood sector, we strongly recommend that you contact and wait for a reply from the following individual before sending any money to any company operating such an employment service:

John Gerardo, Immigration and Naturalization Service, phone: (907) 271-3104 or fax (907) 271-3112; email: john.p.gerardo@justice.usdoj.gov.

But if you are a foreign worker trying to seek employment in the Alaskan seafood industry, please understand that to work any Alaskan seafood processing job you must either be a U.S. citizen or have full legal rights to work in the U.S. (work visa and other I-9 documentation). According to the INS, most requests for a work visa for the seafood processing industry are denied because there are plenty of employees already in the U.S. to fill the required needs.

If you are a U.S. citizen or plan to apply for a work visa with the INS, then you can gain additional information about seafood processors and jobs they offer by going to the following Department of Labor web page: http://www.labor.state.ak.us/esd_alaska_jobs/ak_jobs.htm .

If you are a foreigner wanting additional information about employment scams recognized by the State of Alaska, Department of Labor, then you can go to the following web page: http://www.labor.state.ak.us/news/2001/news01-41.htm (on this page they specifically mention workers from South Africa being scammed but from our own experience the scams are occurring worldwide.)

[Note: Throughout the world there are many legitimate business with "Mulitplex" included as part of their name and identity. These companies are most likely not related to Multiplex Consultants and are thus in no way associated with or endorsing the questionable business practices of Multiplex Consultants.]

Related sites:

Alaska Department of Labor — "Seafood Jobs in Alaska and Foreign Worker Fishing Season Job Scams

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We hope the preceding question-and-answer section has shed some light on job opportunities in Alaska, the kind of jobs available, the money you might be able to make, and what to expect overall. While we certainly do not wish to be discouraging, the facts are that while some may come to Alaska and make good money — most do not.

Alaska is a beautiful place, and if you get an opportunity to visit the state, jump at it. Best wishes for summer employment.

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Where can I find catch statistics for Alaska's salmon?

Commercial salmon harvest statistics as well as historical catch data back to 1970 can be found via links on our Salmon home page. Additional information might be available as CF publications or reports or from staff in various area offices.

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Where can I find catch statistics for Alaska's herring?

Commercial herring roe harvest stats as well as historical catch data back to 1980 can be found via links on our Herring home page. Additional information might be available as CF publications or reports or from staff in various area offices.

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Where can I find catch statistics for Alaska's shellfish?

Current commercial shellfish catch statistics can be found via links on our Shellfish home page. Additional information might be available as CF publications or reports or from staff in various area offices.

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Where can I find catch statistics for Alaska's groundfish?

Current commercial groundfish harvest statistics can be found on the National Marine Fisheries Service page at: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/default.php#groundfish. Additional groundfish harvest and historical information links can be found on the NMFS / Alaska Regional Office home page or may be available as CF publications or reports or from ADF&G staff in various area offices.

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What is the value of Alaska's commercial fisheries? What does the management of these fisheries cost the State?

A quick look at the value and costs involved in Alaska's commercial fisheries can be obtained by examining: Yearly Overview of the Division of Commercial Fisheries.

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Can I get a commercial fisheries loan for a boat, gear, or permit?

Commercial fisheries loan information is available through the Department of Community and Economic Development's Division of Investments.

Division of Investments Alaska Department of Community and and Economic Development PO Box 34159 Juneau, AK 99803-4159 (907) 465-2510 1-800-478-LOAN (5626) TDD (800) 770-4833 FAX (907) 465-2103 investments@dced.state.ak.us

Division of Investments Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development 3601 “C” Street, Suite 724 Anchorage, AK 99503 (907) 269-8150 FAX (907) 269-8147

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Purse seiners catch salmon (primarily pink salmon) and herring by encircling them with a long net and drawing (pursing) the bottom closed to capture the fish. The net is first stacked on the stern of the boat and then payed into the water while the boat travels in a large circle around the fish. The far end of the net is attached to a “power skiff,” which helps the operation by holding the net while the seiner completes the circle. The top of the net stays on the surface of the water because of its “float line” that runs through thousands of colorful floats, and the bottom of the net falls vertically because of its weighted “lead line.” As a result, the net hangs like a curtain around the school of fish. The vessel crew then purses its bottom with a “purse line.” The lines, and thus the net, are retrieved through a hydraulic power block (winch). Once most of the net has been retrieved, with the remainder of it lying in a “bag” alongside the vessel, the fish are dipped from the bag and into the vessel's hold. For large catches of herring, a buying vessel or “tender” comes alongside the fishing vessel and lowers the end of a fish pump into the bagged purse seine. The herring are then pumped aboard the tender and into its hold without ever going aboard the seiner.

Sometimes referred to as “limit seiners,” purse seiners are sleek, cabin-forward vessels that are limited by Alaska law to 58' in order to more precisely manage their fishing effort. They are recognized by their long, clean decks, the boom with its power block, the net stacked on the back, and the power skiff that is often seen riding “piggyback” aboard the vessel's stern while it is traveling. When fishing, of course, the circle of floats on the surface of the water, and the power skiff assisting with the operation, are sure giveaways.

Seine-caught salmon are delivered “in-the-round” (whole) to buying stations and canneries where they end up as canned and frozen products. Herring are delivered to processing plants where they are either stripped of their roe (eggs), or packaged as bait for other commercial fisheries; e.g., the longline fisheries and the crab fisheries. Salted herring roe, called “kazunoko,” is shipped to Japan where it is a high-priced delicacy.

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Crabbers target Dungeness, king, and Tanner crabs using twine or wire-meshed steel pots (traps). Baited with herring or other fresh bait, the pots are left to “soak” for several days. A line extends from each pot to a surface buoy that marks its location. There are several configurations for the pots, though in general, the smaller round pots are fished for Dungeness in shallow bays and estuaries, and the large, heavy, rectangular pots are fished in waters deeper than 100' for king and Tanner crab. A power winch is used to retrieve the pots. Once aboard, a pot is opened and the catch sorted. Females and undersized males are discarded (alive) over the side and legal-sized males are retained in aerated seawater tanks.

Crab boats come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from aluminum skiffs with outboard motors that fish the inside waters for Dungeness, to seagoing vessels of 100' or more that ply the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska for king crab. Unless one happens to see a crabber headed for the fishing grounds with its decks stacked with pots, identification of a vessel as a crabber might be difficult for the casual observer.

Crabs are delivered live to shore stations where they are cooked and then either canned or sold as a fresh or frozen product. A small number are sold live in local markets through retail outlets that have circulating seawater holding tanks.

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Troll vessels catch salmon, principally chinook, coho, and pink salmon, by “trolling” bait or lures through feeding concentrations of fish. The word “troll” comes from a medieval German word, “trollen,” and refers to the revolving motion of the bait or lures used in this type of fishing.

Typically, four main wire lines are fished, each of which has a large (40 lb), lead sinker (“cannon ball”) on its terminal end, and 8–12 nylon leaders spaced out along its length, each of which ends in either a lure or baited hook. To retrieve hooked fish, the main lines are wound about small, onboard spools via hand crank (hand trollers) or with hydraulic power (power trollers), and the fish are gaffed when alongside the vessel. The leaders are then rebaited and let back down to the desired depth(s).

Troll vessels come in a variety of sizes and configurations, ranging from small, hand troll skiffs to large, ocean-going power troll vessels of 50' or more in length. Troll salmon fishermen operate throughout Southeast Alaska in both state and federal waters.

The troll salmon fishery produces a low-volume, high-quality product. Troll-caught salmon are dressed at sea and sold either as a fresh or frozen product. Public markets and fine restaurants are the final destination.

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Trawlers are sometimes confused with trollers due to their similar sounding names, though there are few similarities. Trawlers typically catch large quantities of midwater species, such as pollock or pink shrimp, and bottomfish, such as flounder, by towing a large, cone-shaped net. Most trawl nets have “doors” on either side of the net's opening to help hold it open, and some, that are fished near the bottom, have a heavy chain strung along the bottom of the opening to hold it close to the sea floor. The net is retrieved via the use of huge winches and a power drum upon which the net is rolled as it is brought aboard. The end of the net, the “bag” or “cod end,” holds the fish and is usually pulled right up into the back of the vessel on a slanting stern ramp.

Trawlers are generally large vessels; the largest in the ocean pollock fishery are factory trawlers that possess onboard processing facilities. These can be up to 600' in length. Catches are often enormous, with a 2-hour tow of the net yielding up to 100 tons or more, depending on the fishery, the size of the vessel, and the concentration of fish in the area.

The trawl fishery may process its catches into fillets, as in the case of flounder destined for the fresh and frozen market, or minced fish called “surimi,” which is manufactured into fish sticks and similar products such as artificial king crab. Shrimp fishermen sort their catches by size and species and sell the product as either a whole, frozen product, or as a headed, frozen product.

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Longliners catch bottomfish (primarily halibut, blackcod, lingcod, and rockfish) via a long line that is laid on the bottom. Attached are leaders (called gangions) with baited hooks. Each longline can be up to a mile in length and have thousands of baited hooks. The lines are anchored at each end of each “set.” Lines at the ends run to the surface and are marked with a buoy and flag. A longline vessel typically sets several lines for a 24-hour “soak.” The lines are retrieved over a side roller with a power winch, and the fish caught are bled or dressed and then packed in ice in the vessel's hold.

Longliners are typically large vessels, 50' to 100' in length, with a weather cover on the stern to protect the crew. The longlines are coiled and stacked on deck in tubs when not in use. Most vessels in this fishery can pack 20 to 40 tons, or more, of iced product before returning to port. Longliners are readily identified by their weather cover and, when not fishing, by the numerous orange buoys and flags that are tied along their rails.

This fishery delivers its catch whole and bled (rockfish), or whole and gutted (halibut), or headed and gutted (blackcod and lingcod) for subsequent sale to fresh and frozen markets.

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Gillnetters catch salmon, primarily sockeye, chum, and coho, by setting curtain-like nets perpendicular to the direction in which the fish are travelling as they migrate along the coast toward their natal streams. The net has a float line on the top and a weighted lead line on the bottom. The mesh openings are designed to be just large enough to allow the male fish, which are usually larger, to get their heads stuck (“gilled”) in the mesh. Much larger fish and the smaller females are not so readily gilled. Gillnets work best in silty or turbid water which makes them difficult for the fish to see.

Gillnet vessels are usually 30' to 40' long. They are easily recognized by the drum on either the front (“bow picker”) or the stern (“stern picker”), on which the net is rolled. Net retrieval is by hydraulic power which turns the drum. Fish are removed from the net by hand “picking” them from the mesh as the net is reeled onboard.

Gillnet-caught salmon are usually iced and delivered to buyers and cold storages. Historically, their ultimate destination was the canned market, though a growing market for frozen product has developed overseas.

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What is a limited entry permit?
Because the fishery resources of Alaska, like all resources in the world, have natural limits beyond which harvesting can be detrimental, the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) was established to set limits for various fisheries throughout the state. To aid in the regulation of these limits, a permit system was set up whereby qualified resource users could apply and obtain what is referred to as a “limited entry permit.” This permit entitles the holder to operate a unit of gear in a specific commercial fishery. These fisheries are in turn defined by a combination of fishery resource, gear type, and area. Permits vary in scope and can be valid statewide for some species but restricted to specific areas of the state for other species. For general information on limited entry permits, visit the following CFEC site at http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/.

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What is the Alaska Commercial Fishermen's Fund?

The Alaska Commercial Fishermen's Fund was established in 1951 to provide for the treatment and care of an Alaska licensed commercial fisherman whose injury or illness is "directly connected" to his operations as a fisherman on shore or off shore in Alaska.

The Fund is not an insurance program, but an emergency fund payer of last resort. Benefits are awarded "only" after other coverage is "fully" considered from private health or vessel insurance, and public programs except Medicaid. Benefits for "contractual services" provided for the Indian Health Service (IHS) are considered when an appropriate "letter of denial" is received. "Direct services" provided at IHS medical facilities are not eligible for benefits.

Benefits from the Fund are financed from $18 and $54 received, respectively, from each resident and nonresident commercial fisherman's license/permit fee.

For additional information pertaining to the Alaska Commercial Fishermen's Fund go here (link to the Department of Labor).

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What is aquaculture?
Aquaculture — the growing of organisms in either fresh water or salt water, generally for use as food. This includes the culture of any species of fish, shellfish, or aquatic plant. For additional information on Alaska aquaculture please refer to the following web page, www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/enhance.php.

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What is mariculture?
Mariculture — saltwater aquaculture or sea culture of organisms by a variety of means to maturation. In Alaska this only includes the farming of aquatic plants and shellfish. Farming of finfish is prohibited. For additional information on Alaska mariculture please refer to the following document: The Mariculture FAQ.

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