Alaska seafood harvesting jobs down for fifth straight year

Alaska's commercial fishing industry has seen its workforce shrink for five straight years, according to state labor officials. Shutterstock photo.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Alaska's commercial fishing industry, facing lower prices for its harvest and rising costs, saw a loss of 443 harvesting jobs in 2024—a fifth straight year of employment loss, state labor officials said.
That 7.6% job decline was similar to the previous year's 7.8% job loss, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development noted in the November issue of Alaska Economic Trends.

Seafood harvesting in Alaska has lost over a third of its total jobs in the past decade, with fishing employment down every year of the last 10 except for 2019. That includes the summer peak, which has fallen about 30%, from 24,600 jobs in July 2014 to 17,400 in July 2024.

Go to this link to read the full article published by the National Fisherman https://www.nationalfisherman.com/alaska-seafood-harvesting-jobs-down-for-fifth-straight-year