Two Economic Reports Highlight Pollock Industry’s Impact in Alaska

AFPA points to Northern Economics’ findings, such as the 6,318 Alaskans employed by the pollock fishery in 2023. Those jobs included 2,869 directly employed by the industry, 2,386 indirectly supported in supplier industries, and 1,064 induced jobs supported through household spending. Alaskan workers earned nearly $103 million in wages and benefits, with an additional $234 million in indirect and induced income.

Direct economic activity in Alaska totaled $410 million in 2023, according to Northern Economics. When including indirect and induced effects, the total Alaska economic contribution more than doubled to $832 million. The harvest value of $455 for fishermen in 2023 came from 1.43 million tonnes of fish caught in Alaska waters. Processing plants across coastal Alaska delivered $1.7 billion in Alaska pollock products (fillets, surimi, roe, fishmeal, and oil) to market.

The pollock fishery paid $21 million in Alaska state, borough, and local tax revenues in 2023. CDQ groups spent $52 million directly on programs and projects in 2023, including grants, scholarships, and training programs. AFPA notes that the CDQ contribution is not fully captured in the Northern Economics study’s broader economic modeling, leaving the overall impact likely underestimated.

Findings from McKinley Research Group corroborate those from Northern Economics, AFPA observes, underscoring the pollock fishery’s central role in sustaining Alaska’s transportation and fuel networks. Without the volume and frequency of Alaska pollock product shipments, McKinley Research Group finds that marine freight carriers would reduce service to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor and other coastal villages. The absence of the Alaska pollock fishery would drive up costs of groceries, building materials, and essential supplies, and remote Western and Northern communities would have reduced access to diesel fuel.

The focus on Alaska pollock is a detailed account that fits within a broader economic picture. Last year, the latest report from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute found $2 billion worth of seafood harvested in Alaska in 2022, processed into $5.2 billion worth of product. The Alaska harvest is about 60 percent of the total US seafood harvest—more wild-caught seafood than all other states combined—and 1.3 percent of the global seafood harvest, including wild capture and aquaculture. By volume, Alaska pollock is the state’s largest fishery.