A new economic report produced by The McDowell Group in
Juneau for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute puts the combined value of
Alaska seafood exports and retail value of Alaska seafood sold in domestic
markets at an estimated $6.4 billion. Total direct and secondary economic
output in the United States stemming from the Alaska seafood industry was
estimated at $15.7 billion, the report said. Meanwhile, the Alaska seafood
industry directly employed 63,100 workers in Alaska in 2011, making it the
state’s largest private sector employer, the researchers noted.
“Put another way,” the report said, “for every Alaska
fisherman, processor, or direct support worker, an additional 1.24 US jobs were
created by the Alaska seafood industry.”
Of particular importance ASMI officials said, was that the
report noted that “seafood is Alaska’s most valuable renewable resource and,
with responsible stewardship, jobs created by the industry can be passed down
from generation to generation.” Thanks to Alaska’s long-standing responsible
fisheries management, Alaska has been able to increase the economic value of
the resource over time, creating new wealth in Alaska and the region, making
“the cumulative value of Alaska’s seafood resource virtually priceless,”
according to the report. The 104-page document is online at http://pressroom.alaskaseafood.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/AK-Seafood-Impact-Report.pdf
In all, in 2011 alone, Alaska seafood resulted in 94,000
jobs for workers who earned $2.8 billion. The jobs included the harvesting,
processing, management, sales, cooking and serving of Alaska seafood. On
average, Alaska seafood directly created 61,200 jobs a month in the domestic
market, the report said.
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