Fishing

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 a recent 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 cropped in Alaska. Alaska is the top producer of wild, high-value salmon, producing nearly 80 % of the world supply of king, commercial salmon fishery is essential to the Alaskan economy and the Alaskan way of life.

Each year, the salmon industry provides thousands of roles and many millions of greenbacks to the state’s economy. Commercial fishing is critical to communities and fishing
families throughout the state.

Alaska’s fishing industry leads the state in providing 47% of private sector roles, and is second only to the oil industry in providing cash to the state. In 2002, the exvessel worth for mixed fisheries totaled $955 million with $162 million from salmon.

Salmon fishing allows are given out to individuals, not corporations, through the “limited entry permit system”. The total number of available allows 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 tiny vessels ; averaging 30 to fifty feet.

Trollers use long trolling poles to drag or troll two to 4 deep weighted lines thru the water, each with eight – twelve leaders attached. At the end of each leader there is a lure or baited hook. Boat size varies from tiny skiffs to vessels of fifty feet or more with most ranging between 25 to 40 feet.

Trollers essentially target king, coho, and pink salmon as they enter Alaskan waters on their way to the spawning grounds. Trollers catch a relatively low volume of high-quality fish. The fish they catch are bright and vigorous 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 suspended from a float line at the surface and a weighted lead line along the submerged bottom edge. Nets change in length from 900 to 1800 feet long. The net’s mesh openings are just huge sufficient to allow an adult fish head to get thru and become trapped at the gills.

There are two sorts 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 thirty 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 authorized north of the Alaska Peninsula ; ship size is limited to 58 feet. Purse Seiners crop especially pink salmon near the coast and close to fresh water spawning grounds where runs are highly concentrated.

For more easy to make recipes, visit cooking101.org and also read about how to fry salmon.

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