Fisheries
A purse seine vessel in Bristol Bay
A purse seine vessel in Bristol Bay.

ADF&G

Catching Up on
Alaska’s Fisheries
Below average yield in 2020; better news for 2021
By Vanessa Orr
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here’s no doubt that 2020 wasn’t a good year, and this is especially true for those in Alaska’s fishing industry. Between having to take pandemic precautions, seeing smaller runs of some fish species, and losing markets as restaurants throughout the state shut down, it was not a banner time. And though nothing is set in stone for 2021, there’s hope that the industry, at least in some areas, will be able to recover.

“While we don’t yet have final gross revenue values for the 2020 Alaska fisheries, I would say it was definitely a below average year statewide across all species; possibly substantially below average. The good news, though, is that 2021 is looking better.
Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director, ADF&G
“There were a number of challenges posed to the fishing industry in Alaska in 2020—most notably, the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Forrest Bowers, deputy director, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), Division of Commercial Fisheries. “While we don’t yet have final gross revenue values for the 2020 Alaska fisheries, I would say it was definitely a below average year statewide across all species; possibly substantially below average. The good news, though, is that 2021 is looking better.”
A Perfect Storm
COVID-19 affected the fishing industry in myriad ways: not only did fishermen have to worry about catching or transmitting the virus but processors had to find ways to protect their employees and to keep the product safe. Restaurants closed their doors, limiting the markets where fresh fish could be sold and lowering prices across the board. And fishery science was affected too.

“Early in the year, we weren’t even sure if we would even be able to operate our stock assessment projects,” says Bowers. “All of our fisheries are managed based on preseason or in-season assessment of fish biomass or run size, and that is normally done by having crews out in the field looking at populations. This often requires that we have crews living together in congregant settings or traveling or being based out of small communities in rural Alaska.”

ADF&G decided to try to operate as many field projects as it could while minimizing disruptions from the pandemic and succeeded in continuing its stock assessment projects. “This was very successful; by implementing health plans, we were able to avoid any situations where we had to constrain any fisheries because of COVID-19,” says Bowers. “That is one positive thing about 2020.”

Unfortunately, there were a number of negatives as well. Premium seafood products harvested in Alaska that are served fresh, such as sablefish, king crab, halibut, and salmon, lost their markets as numerous restaurants closed or were required to go to take-out only. “That market was disrupted pretty significantly, and we saw declines in prices for those species,” says Bowers.

To keep workers and the food chain safe, processors had to undergo numerous—and expensive—COVID-19 mitigation procedures.

In Bristol Bay alone, for example, Intrafish Media estimates that processors spent between $30 million and $40 million on pandemic-related costs during June and July of 2020. This number includes having to put employees up in hotels or other 14-day quarantine sites at a cost of roughly $3,500 per worker; chartering flights for employees to isolate them from commercial flight passengers; having medical professionals on-site; and testing workers multiple times for the virus.

“Unfortunately, some of the processing plants did have outbreaks, which resulted in having to slow down production, which was problematic as well,” says Bowers. “Overall, however, the industry did a really good job at minimizing disruptions.”

“Commercial fishermen were hit really hard under COVID, as were many businesses,” agrees Frances Leach, executive director of United Fishermen of Alaska. “It was a real challenge, especially in the beginning when the virus picked up; there were rural communities in Alaska asking Fish and Game not to hold these fisheries, which was a big concern for us. There were even some fishermen in these communities willing not to fish to keep their communities safe.”

“By implementing health plans, we were able to avoid any situations where we had to constrain any fisheries because of COVID-19. That is one positive thing about 2020.”
Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director, ADF&G
A crab trap in Ketchikan; Alaska saw a “record or near record” harvest of Dungeness crab in 2020.

Eric Smith | iStock

A crab trap in Ketchikan; Alaska saw a “record or near record” harvest of Dungeness crab in 2020.

Eric Smith | iStock

A crab trap in Ketchikan
United Fishermen of Alaska worked with the administration and other entities to make sure that communities were protected while enabling fishermen to continue their livelihood, which included getting commercial fishermen listed as critical infrastructure. It also worked with the State of Alaska Unified Command and processors and stakeholders in the industry to come up with Mandate 17, which included best practices and guidelines for commercial fishing during COVID. All fishermen were required to sign an acknowledgement form that they agreed to follow the mandate and could not sell fish without showing proof of the signed document.

“Though we had fishermen fishing throughout the entire year, our biggest concern was salmon season, when there’s such a big influx of people coming into Alaska to work at processing plants and as deck crews, as well as Alaskans going into smaller communities,” says Leach.

“A lot of vessels are mom-and-pop family businesses, so it was a real challenge for them to put all of these protective measures into place,” she adds. “Bigger operations had to quarantine crews that they brought in, which resulted in a lot of extra costs, and processors had to spend millions to make their facilities safe.”

She adds that the poor salmon season, combined with low fish prices and the Chinese tariff, made fishing even more of a struggle, especially for younger fishermen still dealing with permit and boat payments.

“We’re really proud of our fishermen; as far as vessels go, we were not linked to any major outbreaks in the state,” says Leach, adding that Governor Mike Dunleavy also praised their efforts in keeping Alaskans safe.

Salmon Production Down, Crab Up
According to Bowers, 2020 harvest numbers for different species were a “mixed bag” across the state.

Total salmon production equaled 117 million fish, a decline from the previous year’s total of almost 207 million, which Bowers credits to a massive decline in pink salmon across the state.

“This was not a great year in terms of the pink salmon fishery, which was down 44 percent from 2019,” he says. In 2019, pink salmon totaled 129 million fish; in 2020, it was roughly 60 million fish.

Since 1975, this was the 13th lowest salmon harvest on record, resulting in a 56 percent decrease in the value of the fishery, following a decade of relatively large salmon harvests.

“Sockeye production was good in 2020, primarily because of a large harvest of 40 million fish in Bristol Bay,” Bowers adds. “The rest of the state was below average, so it was a tough year for sockeye unless you were fishing in that area.”

While things have improved in the Pacific Cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska since the federal fishery disaster in 2018, cod abundance was still relatively low in the Gulf.

“The positive news is that we did have a very good Dungeness crab fishery across the state, with a record or near record harvest,” Bowers says.

What Does 2021 Hold?
According to Bowers, ADF&G is forecasting a harvest of 190 million salmon across all species, which would be a 40 percent improvement over 2020 numbers.

“The main difference in the forecast for this year is our projected pink salmon harvest; we’re expecting to go from 60 million pink salmon in 2020 to 124 million in 2021.”

Two fishermen work on a net in Juneau.

Dee | iStock

Two fishermen work on a net in Juneau.

Dee | iStock

Two fishermen work on a net in Juneau
a vessel in an Alaskan bay
A purse seine vessel in Bristol Bay.

ADF&G

Nearly half of that number is expected to come from Prince William Sound, with the rest split between Southeast Alaska, Kodiak, and the Alaska Peninsula.

Bowers explains that pink salmon have a unique odd/even year life cycle, and that typically one year class is stronger than the next. “Across Alaska, 2019 was a pretty good pink salmon year, and the fish returning in 2021 are the offspring of that year class,” says Bowers.

While Pacific cod harvest levels are expected to increase from 2020 numbers, they will still remain relatively low when compared to a decade ago. “The trend is one of improvement for Pacific cod stocks in the Gulf of Alaska; conversely, the Bering Sea area will see slight declines in cod and in the walleye pollock fisheries,” says Bowers.

“We are expecting to see improvements in some other large fisheries in the Bering Sea including yellowfin sole, northern rock sole, and some flatfish stock that comprise the remainder of the groundfish fishery,” he adds. “Sable fish abundance is improving, and we expect to see a steady increase there for the next several years.”

Halibut stock has been at a relatively low level for the past several years, and the allocation for 2021 is increasing slightly from the 2020 level.

While Mandate 17 is no longer in effect for commercial fishermen, Leach says that they are still urging caution during the 2021 season.

“The fact that vaccinations are happening and cases are lessening is great, but we can’t let down our guard,” she says. “We’re encouraging people to still follow the protocols to keep folks safe; potential outbreaks could still happen, and with salmon season just around the corner, we need to be cognizant of that.”

Preparing for the Future
Even as the pandemic wanes and predictions for 2021 are made, it’s important to look at the long-range issues facing Alaska’s fisheries.

“When you look back at the past decade of very high levels of salmon production in Alaska, what we’ve seen in recent years is a lot of volatility across stocks, and from one year to the next,” says Bowers. “We know that the North Pacific Ocean is a challenging place to be a juvenile salmon right now, and the decline and abundance of certain stocks, such as sockeye and chinook, is the result of marine survival.”

Even though the restaurant market declined in 2020, some of the loses were offset by supermarket retail sale of Alaska seafood products.

Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association

Even though the restaurant market declined in 2020, some of the loses were offset by supermarket retail sale of Alaska seafood products.

Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association

hand brushes seasoning onto fish on grill
“The trend is one of improvement for Pacific cod stocks in the Gulf of Alaska; conversely, the Bering Sea area will see slight declines in cod and in the walleye pollock fisheries… We are expecting to see improvements in some other large fisheries in the Bering Sea including yellowfin sole, northern rock sole, and some flatfish stock that comprise the remainder of the groundfish fishery.”
Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director, ADF&G
While Alaska is fortunate in that its freshwater habitat is in good shape due to the lack of dams, pollution, and urbanization, ocean conditions are causing concern.

“We’ve been attributing declines in abundance to early marine survival; the condition of the ocean when the smolt enters it,” says Bowers. “They are vulnerable at this early age and this small size; if the temperature isn’t right or if food sources aren’t available, there are going to be elevated levels of mortality.

“We know that there have been marine heat waves in the North Pacific that have increased temperatures to levels that are lethal to salmon in the ocean,” he adds. “This is contributing to the increased uncertainty about what the returns will be in a given year.”

Even with all of the predictions, the unforeseen can still happen. For example, the decline in chum salmon production in 2019/2020 was unexpected, as the species had been at relatively high abundance in Southeast and Prince William Sound.

“We didn’t expect to see that decline, which we believe is attributable to marine survival,” says Bowers. “It will be a challenge, for us and industry, to remain flexible and to use all the tools that we have. We can’t only rely on preseason projections but will need to have personnel in the field to run streams. On the industry side, they will need to be flexible to respond with production and tender capacity in the areas where it’s needed.”

Emerging Industries
While the fishing industry is holding its own, a new mariculture industry is emerging in the state, which could become integral to Alaska’s economy.

“Building the mariculture industry is a priority for the state, which is why former governor [Bill] Walker created the Alaska Mariculture Task Force,” says Bowers. “We’re working on ways to improve the process for permitting kelp and oyster farms and how to grow that industry. There’s a lot of interest and a lot of opportunity, particularly in kelp farming; while it’s small right now, it is expected to grow.”

Drift gillnetters in Bristol Bay.

ADF&G

Drift gillnetters in Bristol Bay.

ADF&G

drift gillnetters in an Alaskan bay
“When you look back at the past decade of very high levels of salmon production in Alaska, what we’ve seen in recent years is a lot of volatility across stocks, and from one year to the next. We know that the North Pacific Ocean is a challenging place to be a juvenile salmon right now, and the decline and abundance of certain stocks, such as sockeye and chinook, is the result of marine survival.”
Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director, ADF&G
He adds that while the pandemic was challenging for the fishing industry overall, it was positive in that more people began cooking at home and developing an interest in seafood. “That retail market was pretty strong compared to what it has been,” he says. “As the restaurant market declined, some of those losses were offset by supermarket retail sales.”

A growing interest by consumers in eating seafood that has been harvested sustainably can only help Alaska in the long run.

“It will be interesting to see what happens as we come out of the pandemic and to see how consumers react,” says Bowers. “We are fortunate in Alaska that we have pristine freshwater habitat and a commitment to sustainable management, and that provides a lot of assurance in terms of the underpinnings of the industry and giving it the flexibility to operate going forward.

“Fishing is a dynamic industry, and over the last 100 years or so, Alaskans have demonstrated their resiliency and the flexibility to adapt to various abundance levels and still produce a high quality product,” he adds. “It’s one of the things we do really well.”