The Alaska fishery and the Pacific Northwest: a mutually beneficial endeavor.

• Author: Harrington, Susan
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Alaska & Pacific Northwest

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Commercial activities with possibly the most mutually beneficial endeavors between Alaska and the Pacific Northwest are found in the relationship between the two regions in the commercial fishing industry in waters off Alaska. Some would even say the Pacific Northwest has a sort of colonial hold on the rich waters of Alaska that teem with the oceans bounty. Thousands of vessels participate in the Alaska fishery, and the majority of those vessels are homeported in Alaska; however, the majority of the larger boats and at-sea processors come from the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon. The Alaska fishery includes state waters three miles from shore plus federal waters reaching beyond that to two hundred miles out in an Exclusive Economic Zone.

According to data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, the Permit Holder and Crew Member Active Permit counts for the last three years have been declining; in 2014 there were 14,065 resident and 4,419 nonresident, in 2015 there were 14,648 resident and 4,395 nonresident, and this year there are 14,002 resident and 4,177 nonresident. Where nonresidents live was not included in the report, but the vessel total of 9,950 was listed as 7,387 Alaska, 1,765 Washington state, 279 Oregon, and 369 Other States or Countries. Also, regarding the Active Permits report, the department noted: "In this report Active Permits are defined as follows: all permanent permits, regardless of whether they have been renewed, and interim-use and interim-entry permits that have been issued. Excluded from Active Permits are any permits that have been cancelled and interim permits that have not been issued (renewed) for the given year."

Outside Offices

Aside from vessels, permit holders, and crew, many government agencies and private organizations have offices in Alaska, Washington state, and Oregon related to the Alaska commercial fishing industry as well. Some of the purposes of these organizations include administration, management, policy promulgation, information gathering and dissemination, and promotion of the Alaska fishery and products harvested. One example is the Alaska Fisheries Information Network with staff in Anchorage, Seattle, and Portland. They are better known as AKFIN. The organization consolidates Alaska fisheries data for fisheries analysts, economists, and other requestors. It provides Alaska data to NOAA for the annual...