Sealaska Creating Opportunity and Building Pride for Alaska Natives in Southeast.

Many passionate people fought in the '60s for a policy that would enable Alaska Natives to retain control of territory that had been their people's homelands, a fight that resulted in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), passed by Congress in December 1971. Among those activists was Marlene Johnson, one of the vice presidents of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida at the time and ultimately a founder of, and director for, Sealaska.

"I think people need to know those people that fought for ANCSA were dedicated to the people of their region and Alaska," Johnson told First Alaskans magazine in Spring 2021. "Those people working for the corporations and the passage of land claims were doing it out of love for the people and love for the land. I really appreciate them."

The land was essential, not just to preserve traditional hunting, fishing, and cultural areas but also to ensure sustained economic opportunity for Alaska Natives. At Sealaska in Southeast Alaska, that economic opportunity started with timber and seafood, "two things that were natural to our people," Johnson said.

Over the fifty years since ANCSA was passed, Sealaska's businesses have evolved. Five years ago, the company closely examined its business operations and took deliberate steps to refocus them to align with shareholders' heritage and values, while solving global problems. That meant the path forward involved investing in endeavors that contribute to health and balance for lands and oceans and address the inevitable impacts of climate change. It was an idea inspired by Sealaska's owners, rooted in the collective wisdom, heritage, and knowledge of thousands of people and cultivated over thousands of years in Southeast Alaska.

This philosophy has inspired Sealaska to become an ocean sciences company, with growing capabilities to feed people well, clean up man-made messes, generate clean energy, and build thriving communities. For Sealaska, it's about land and it's about water. The corporation is building on its origins and its role as a steward to foster ocean health around the world, resulting in two key lines of business: sustainable seafood and global water science.

Sustainable Wild Seafood: One of the Best Things for Our Oceans

Inspiring people to eat more wild fish is an essential component of reversing climate change, says Sealaska CEO Anthony Mallott. And achieving that comes with a big challenge.

Even though people know seafood is good for them--and...