Alaska Seafood Harvesting Jobs Rise 4% in 2025
Operators in Alaska's seafood supply chain see harvester employment recover from a five-year slide, led by salmon and Kodiak groundfish.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Employment
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Alaska seafood harvesting jobs rose 4% in 2025 over 2024, the first annual increase since 2019, after the category hit an all-time low in 2024. Gains averaged more than 200 jobs per month, and salmon harvesters account for more than half of the statewide harvesting workforce.
Why it matters
Seafood harvesting employment had declined for five years, a stretch the source attributes largely to the pandemic, while other Alaska industries recovered once COVID measures ended. The 2025 uptick is a reversal in one segment, but it does not yet show a broad recovery in harvester employment statewide.
Alaska seafood harvesting jobs rose 4% in 2025 over 2024, averaging more than 200 additional jobs per month, after reaching an all-time low in 2024. Salmon harvesters account for more than half of statewide harvesting jobs, while Aleutians and Pribilof Islands harvester jobs fell 4%.
The players
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
The state agency that publishes Alaska employment and industry data, including the seafood harvesting figures cited here.
The details
Multiple permits can be fished on the same boat, which reduces the number of people needed to harvest fish. Consolidation in the groundfish and crab fisheries has also cut harvester jobs in the Aleutians. Red king crab and snow crab fisheries in the Bering Sea were closed, yet no new fishery closures occurred in 2025, and groundfish-linked harvesting jobs rose.
Timeline
2019: Seafood harvesting jobs last rose before the 2025 increase.
2020: Pandemic-era decline in seafood harvesting jobs began.
2024: Seafood harvesting jobs reached an all-time low.
2025: Seafood harvesting jobs increased 4% statewide.
Market Landscape
Seafood harvesting employment fell for five years after 2020, a decline the source ties largely to the pandemic while other Alaska industries recovered once COVID measures ended. The 2025 rise marks the first annual gain since 2019, but it follows an all-time low in 2024.
Operators in Alaska's seafood harvesting and processing supply chain should factor in that harvester availability is recovering from a multi-year low, though the gain is concentrated in salmon and Kodiak-linked groundfish. Businesses in the Aleutians and Pribilof Islands should plan for continued harvester job losses tied to fishery consolidation.
The takeaway
The 2025 rebound is an early signal, not a settled trend, so operators should watch whether the monthly gains hold through the next reporting cycle. Track harvester employment alongside fishery closure notices and permit consolidation, since those factors drove the declines and could reverse or deepen the gains.
Further reading
For broader context on how these shifts fit into the state's labor market, see Employment coverage of Alaska.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KUCB.
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