www.AKRDC.org 37 VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | WINTER 2025 Geologic Consulting Geologic Staffing Geologic Engineering Reporting (including 43-101) Logistics/ Operation Coordination Remote Sie Management GIS Services Permitting Assistance Community Engagement Claims Staking Claims Administration Equipment Rental Dedicated to responsible development of Alaska’s resources. state’s robust salmon industry. Mariculture, or ocean farming in coastal has significant potential, but a lengthy and complex permitting discourages investment, legislators have been told. Developers, mostly small-scale, could benefit from new loan programs. On the federal side, streamlined federal disaster declaration and relief will help. Harvesters now wait years for funding. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is working on this, she told legislators in the final hearing of the seafood task force. Labor issues also have continued to hinder the industry in recruiting a large seasonal workforce to remote locations that have limited housing. The task force recommends more attention paid to local subsidized housing, along with more support for training. On this point, seafood companies working to entice younger workers into fisheries must struggle to reach high school students and support staff to promote vocational education and career pathways, legislators were told during hearings of the task force. A key message companies try to convey to younger workers is that there are well-paying, year-round jobs in the industry in specialized technical services and support, including marketing and administration. The processing industry is becoming highly-mechanized and automated, and the engineering and maintenance support required demands education and training. The days of seafood jobs mainly on the “slime line,” are long gone. However, there are still workforce development limitations from aging facilities and equipment. Training providers also struggle to recruit and retain instructors in specialized programs. Fuel and power are challenges as well as supply-chain disruptions that often come during peaks of harvesting. Recommendations from the legislative task force include fuel subsidies in certain commercial fisheries and infrastructure grants to improve transportation, along with energy efficiency initiatives. Meanwhile, there are real opportunities for the industry in value-added products, legislators were told. Many operators lack access to new technologies that can lower costs, however. There also are regulatory barriers in food processing that impede new product development. Marketing is needed, such as through the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), the state’s seafood marketing arm. “While the work to recapitalize the seafood industry will take time, in the shortterm the industry needs support to remain globally competitive,” Woodrow wrote in his letter to legislators. “At the very least, the industry requires fair-market access versus global competitors both domestically and abroad. The global market remains important to the economic vitality of Alaska seafood and as geopolitical challenges arise and change the importance of diversification continues.”
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