How Alaskan Fishermen are dealing with the Pandemic.

Originally Published on Forbes and written by Ariella Simke

In Alaska, salmon is kind of a big deal. According to NOAA Fisheries, more than half of the fish caught in US waters come from Alaska, and about a third of those fish are salmon. COVID-19 has been on the global radar for several months, however the focus now is mitigating rapid community spread. Shelter-in-place orders keep people indoors and away from grocery stores, markets, and restaurants. While the pandemic is crippling every industry, the seafood supply chain is at a standstill. Producing more by volume than all other states combined, Alaskan fisheries are exceptionally important to seafood markets. The outbreak could disrupt the start of salmon season for Alaskan fishers this year, and there is currently little understanding of how the seafood industry will be affected now and in the future.

The salmon season in Alaska runs from May through September. In this time, many fishers pull in a majority of their annual income. In 2019, the valuable salmon season brought in $657.6 million. Of the five species of salmon caught in Alaska, sockeye, pink, and chum salmon account for more than 90% of the total value, according to the Alaska Journal of Commerce.

Many remote Alaskan fishing towns rely on seasonal crews from other states or countries. One deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development estimates more than 20,000 workers are brought into the state each year to work in the seafood industry, according to Anchorage Daily News. With travel restrictions in place, questions remain as to whether essential workers will be able to travel to work in the processing plants this year.

Most fishermen are required to sell their fish to a processor rather than directly to consumers, and restaurants will buy from these processors. However, with restaurants shut down, there is little demand for fresh fish. “If there’s nowhere to sell the fish, people have to stop fishing,” says Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

Fishing is more than just a job, it is a way of life. Captain Shannon Ford, a fourth generation salmon fisherman says: “I'll admit that we are extremely stressed and worried,” about the coronavirus impact, “sales are already down and we count on a big bump from markets starting in order to fund the season”. Large expenses such as plane tickets, licensing costs and supplies add up quickly. A salmon fishing permit can cost tens of thousands of dollars, “It was a hard hit to have business grind to a halt,” says Ford. Getting creative in business and sales is how many companies are coping, “I'm scrambling like mad to figure out alternate business outlets for our fish sales, ways to connect online instead of in person”.

Captain Shannon Ford harvesting fish from shore with her baby. 

For small-scale operations, consistent sales are essential. Like every business feeling the harsh impacts from a global outbreak and travel restrictions, fishers and seafood businesses appreciate continued support from their customers during a difficult time. “We really appreciate our customers who stand by us and keep us going,” Ford says.

Despite the outlook, she is stubbornly optimistic. “My family weathered it before, surviving the Great Depression by fishing and trapping, and we'll do it again now”. Ford has fished through  broken feet, a pregnancy, and personal tragedy. For her, the idea of missing a season is sickening, “if we can't go, I have no idea how I'm going to cope with this mentally and emotionally”.

Despite the tough times, fishers will persevere. “We are at the mercy of a thousand changing parameters, we are used to gathering all available info, paying attention, and trying to make the best guess decisions that we can,” says Ford, “when plans A-Z fall through, we start over with A-1 and keep going. If there is anyone who can weather this, it's us!”.

Other fisheries in Alaska such as halibut and black cod (sablefish) are facing lack of buyers and low prices. This month, halibut and sablefish seasons opened, and while boats were pulling in high numbers of fish, the prices they fetched were pretty dismal. “Halibut prices are down 40%, black cod is down maybe 30-35%” says Behnken, who started fishing in 1982. Without restaurant sales the fresh market is gone, leaving only frozen fish, which fetches a lower price.

A new 2 trillion dollar stimulus package addresses the seafood industry specifically and may help fishers and seafood businesses get back on their feet.

For the hardy, dedicated, and resilient Alaskan fishing community, salmon are everything. “We define ourselves and our families by the cycle of the salmon, and our part in it. Salmon are the defining central factor that support everything else in the region,” says Ford, “I'm praying that somehow we can all go fishing. It's not just the fish that get that unstoppable urge to go home; the fishermen have to answer it, too”.