Alaska's commercial seafood: making smiles at dinner tables around the world.

• Author: Anderson, Tom
• Position: FISHERIES

When you think of Alaska and its robust industries, commercial fishing and seafood marketing are synonymous with our economic culture.

The size and scope of commercial fishing interests in the Last Frontier are truly eye-opening compared to other states. Alaska again produced more commercial seafood than all other states combined in 2015, accounting for 62 percent of the total US harvest volume. Alaska fishermen harvested 6 billion pounds of seafood in 2015, which is sold into more than one hundred countries around the world. Further, responsible fishery management is the fundamental goal of state and federal regulators and Alaska's commitment to sustainability is regarded as the gold standard.

According to the McDowell Group, in its October 25, 2016 "Alaska Seafood Industry Update" prepared for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), seafood's first wholesale value of $4.3 billion placed second only to oil flowing through the Trans Alaska Pipeline System in 2015 among basic industry sector production value. Seafood is the state's largest foreign export, totaling $3.3 billion in 2015.

ASMI is a marketing organization that maintains a public-private partnership with the State of Alaska to foster economic development of seafood. Led by Alexa Tonkovich, the nonprofit is an invaluable resource of print and online species, regional, and culinary information. ASMI is a loyal messenger to the world that Alaska is open for business, with plenty of fresh, quality seafood to sell. The organization has a global reach, with staff or contractors in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and Brazil.

A quick glance at the advocacy's website and the answer to why one should choose to purchase and consume Alaska seafood is obvious. ASMI reports Alaska's ocean pride stems from the healthy, wild, versatile family of sea life. Sustainability, nutrition, and environmental responsibility also play roles in Alaska's symphony of seafood.

The benefits from commercial fishing are not only employment and revenue. The science, ecosystems, and scrumptious culinary rewards are inextricably linked to the affinity of those around the world who savor Alaska seafood.

The size and comprehensiveness of seafood in the state tell it all. Alaska's seafood industry routinely produces harvests over 5 billion pounds and it has a diverse portfolio of species; twenty Alaska species had a first wholesale value greater than $10 million in 2015 and ten greater than $90 million. Other US states would be elated if blessed with even one or two such species. Indeed, the industry burgeons because of stellar management, abundant natural resources, and continued investment.

The Mighty Crab--Popular and Abundant

Southeast

Kelli Wood is an assistant crab biologist for Southeast Alaska with ADF&G. She explains that the US federal government, through the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the State of Alaska, jointly manage the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab stocks, whereas the State of Alaska solely manages the Gulf of Alaska crab stocks.

Wood and her fellow biologists manage four main crab species in Southeast: Dungeness crab, red king crab, golden king crab, and tanner crab (bairdi).

Dungeness

Dungeness crab reach maturity within three years. Large males can exceed 10 inches in shell width, but the average is 6.5 inches in carapace (shoulder width) and two to three pounds in weight. The estimated life span is from eight to thirteen years. AFD&G has found uniquely that "although Dungeness crabs are annual spawners throughout most of their range, females produce eggs biennially in Southeast Alaska."

2016 season preliminary data comes from crabbing schedules of June 15th to August 15, October 1 to November 30, and October 1 into February 29, 2017.

Through December 15, 2016, the harvest was 2,351,793 pounds and the number of permits participating in the fishery at 208. The fishery value based on mid-December 2016 was at $7,149,833.69 and $3.04 per pound.

Golden King Crab

AFD&G states there are approximately forty known species of king crabs. In Alaska, there are only three commercially harvested species: the red king crab, the blue king crab, and the golden king crab. The golden is smaller in size, at only five to eight pounds. "Golden king crab are caught in the waters surrounding the Aleutian Islands. Significant populations occur in pockets off the Pribilof and Shumagin Islands, Shelikof Strait, Prince William Sound, and at least as far south as lower Chatham Strait in Southeast Alaska, where an annual commercial fishery exists," notes AFD&G.

The 2015/2016 Southeast season preliminary data comes from a small tidal range opener in February 2016, but was closed prematurely by emergency order which is dependent on if the harvest reaches the Guideline Harvest Level or if there is a concern for stock health. Wood explains that there are seven even separate management areas in Southeast, each with different guideline harvest levels. The total harvest was 79,923 pounds, and the number of permits participating in the fishery was forty-two. The fishery value as of mid-December 2016 was $1,570,403.25 and $12.10 per pound.

Tanner Crab (Bairdi and Opilio}

AFD&G states the tanner crab is one of the most specialized and biologically sophisticated of the crustaceans. The males of commercial size usually live between seven to eleven years of age, weighing from one to two pounds for the opilio and two to four pounds for bairdi crab. Tanner crab are also labeled under the name "snow crab." The Alaska tanner crab fishery began in 1961 and remains one of the most...