Kodiak: the Emerald Isle: maritime hub increasing tourism to diversify economy.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi
• Position: Towns in Transition

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The City of Kodiak, consistently ranked as one of the nation's busiest ports for seafood landings, is used to weathering the uncertain and volatile climate of the commercial fishing industry, which is often paralyzed by State and federal regulation and management decisions, complicated politics, and the unpredictable moods of Mother Nature.

So when city officials look at the general ledger and see revenues holding steady in a sea of economic insecurity, instead of focusing on local issues that never go away--every community has them--they appreciate the city's relatively healthy economy. This results from sales taxes that also indicate this coastal community of 6,261 people will realize a modest 2 percent growth this year.

"We are not seeing anything that would give us any reason for concern," says Aimee Kniaziowski, city manager. Stability has been the trend for the past several years and based on that tendency and other indicators, she expects this economic stability to continue.

MARITIME HUB

The marine waters around Kodiak are among the most productive in the North Pacific and the area's highly productive salmon industry results, in part, from more than 800 salmon streams. According to a National Marine Fisheries Service report, Kodiak remains the third largest port in the country--after New Bedford, Massachusetts and Unalaska-Dutch Harbor--when it comes to value of commercial fishery landings, with $103.8 million, up from $98.7 million the year before. Kodiak also is listed as the fourth largest port in the country when it comes to the volume of commercial fisheries landings with 282.9 million pounds.

Commercial fishing and processing has been the mainstay of Kodiak since the early '80s and currently accounts for 55 percent of the private-sector work force. The seafood industry employed nearly 6,600 people across the Kodiak Island region, with 3,664 employed in harvesting and 2,934 employed in processing. Besides the direct economic benefits of harvesting herring, halibut, cod, Pollock, crab, scallops and five species of salmon, the city is a hub for Southwest Alaska's maritime industry and the local economy also benefits from support services for the fishing fleet and businesses supporting those employed by it. There are also several government and educational entities that operate fisheries-related research facilities including the Fishery Industrial Technology Center, which houses scientists who do research in...