Shipyards for Alaska modernizing the fleet: Alaskans, as builders and owners, help launch powerful new class of fishing vessels.

• Author: Loy, Wesley
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Building Alaska

Inside a colossal assembly and production hall in Ketchikan, with the newly built commercial fishing vessel Arctic Prowler towering over a patriotic stage, Governor Sean Parnell spoke to a special achievement for Alaska.

"This is no ordinary vessel, this Arctic Prowler, because it actually is symbolic of so much," Parnell said. "It's proof that Alaskans can and will build Alaska-tough boats and ships to handle these stormy seas."

The boat has been undergoing final outfitting since the October 5,2013, christening ceremony at the Ketchikan Shipyard and is expected to start fishing soon.

The Arctic Prowler is one in a wave of new fishing vessels being built to modernize one of Alaska's main industrial fleets. The boats, known as freezer longliners, target predominantly Pacific cod, among the state's most valuable fish species.

These new boats are fearsome fish killers--the Arctic Prowler will have the capability of fishing fifty-six thousand hooks per day.

The building boom reflects, on several levels, the continuing evolution of the Alaska fishing industry.

First, the new boats are the product of a fundamental shift in the way the Bering Sea cod fishery works, with Congress playing a big role in making it happen.

Second, the construction signifies the growing role of Alaskans in owning major fishing vessels and in building them. Until recently, vessel ownership and construction was anchored almost entirely out of state.

Third, the new longliners also advance efforts to make Alaska commercial fishing more "green," or environmentally friendly, by reducing pollution and fish waste.

Finally, the boats are expected to enhance efficiency and safety for fishermen at sea, replacing vessels from the World War II era.

A First for Alaska

Three new freezer longliners are nearing completion or have already started working.

The biggest and most sophisticated, the Blue North, is under construction in Washington state and is slated to go into service in early 2015. The boat is 191 feet long and will cost around $36 million.

A second boat, the 184-foot Northern Leader, was completed in Tacoma last year and already has begun fishing off Alaska.

The Arctic Prowler is the smallest of the three boats at 136 feet. But it's nevertheless a large and powerful vessel and represents a major project for the state-owned Ketchikan Shipyard. Portland-based Vigor Industrial has operated the Ketchikan yard since 2012.

In fact, the Arctic Prowler is the first large commercial...