In Alaska, salmon come first. Alaska has a long and successful track record of managing and preserving its abounding salmon resources. Record salmon runs with a recent average annual catch of 165 million salmon is the explanation of this successful approach.
Nearly 95% of all commercially caught salmon in the States are harvested in Alaska. Alaska is the top producer of wild, high-value salmon, producing nearly 80 percent of the planet supply of king, commercial salmon fishery is critical to the Alaskan economy and the Alaskan way of life.
Each year, the salmon industry provides thousands of jobs and many millions of bucks to the state's economy. Commercial fishing is urgent to communities and fishing
families across the state.
Alaska's fishing industry leads the state in providing 47% of non-public sector roles, and is second only to the oil industry in providing money to the state. In 2002, the exvessel price for combined fisheries totaled $955 million with $162 million from salmon.
Salmon fishing allows are given out to individuals, not firms, thru the "limited entry permit system". The total number of available allows for each fishery is precisely limited. Fishermen may not own more than one salmon permit for a similar gear type and area. This creates a fishery made from many people and families.
Three main gear types catch Alaska salmon : trolling, gillnetting, and purse seining. All commercial salmon fishing boats are relatively small vessels; averaging thirty to fifty feet.
Trollers use long trolling poles to drag or troll 2 to four deep weighted lines thru the water, each with 8 - twelve leaders attached. At the end of each leader there is a lure or baited hook. Boat size varies from small skiffs to vessels of fifty feet or more with many ranging between twenty-five to forty feet.
Trollers essentially target king, coho, and pink salmon as they enter Alaskan waters on their way to the spawning grounds. Trollers catch a relatively low volume of high-quality fish. The fish they catch are bright and vigorous from fresh sea waters. They are regularly
sold dressed, or filleted in the fresh or fresh frozen market.
Gillnetters set curtain-like nets in the water postponed from a float line at the surface and a weighted lead line along the submerged bottom edge. Nets change in length from nine hundred to 1800 feet long. The net's mesh openings are just big sufficient to permit an adult fish head to get thru and become caught at the gills.
There are two sorts of gillnets ; driftnets that are free floating from boats, and setnets that have one end attached to the shoreline. Boat size is limited to 32 feet or less in Bristol Bay; otherwise, the average range is thirty to forty feet. Gillnetters primarily harvest sockeye, mate and coho.
Purse Seiners employ a huge floating net, pulled and set in circle by a power skiff, to surround schooling salmon. The weighted "purse line" at bottom of the net is drawn closed to contain the fish. The net full of fish is then gathered to the boat through a highpowered hydraulic block.
Purse seiners are not allowed north of the Alaska Peninsula; boat size is restricted to 58 feet. Purse Seiners crop especially pink salmon near the coast and close to fresh water spawning grounds where runs are highly concentrated.
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