While Alaska does continue to hold its own as the No. 1 fishing state in the Nation, employment in the crab fishery industry has dropped by a substantial amount because its fisheries for crab are privatized, according to economists in the state. So while salmon fisheries are providing an abundant resource for jobs, the crab fishing industry is not doing as well.

According to a report that was released in the November 2008 issue of the Alaska Economic Trends, which is published by the Department of Labor in the state, the overall harvest for seafood in Alaska was the third highest since statehood in 2007, as well as the sixth largest by volume. Despite a depressed salmon market not only in 1998 but also between 2000 and 2003, Alaskan fisheries have been able to recover in more recent years. Alaska experienced record harvest values both in 2006 and 2007 with $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion dollars respectively. The value of Alaska's harvest in 2007 was 3.6 times larger in value that the harvest in Massachusetts, which is the No. 2 fishing state in the country.

For the 2007 year, all complete figures have been made available, and the average monthly fish harvesting job count totaled 7,260. At the peak of the summer in 2007, the monthly job count rose sharply to 20,137. If you add in the thousands of jobs that these fisheries are creating in sea food processing, government management, support service industries and other industries and the economic importance between fisheries and Alaska becomes even more clear than before, according to economists.

While employment in the sablefish, salmon and halibut fisheries were down slightly from previous figures, the drop in jobs was most dramatic when it came to the crab fleet, only responsible for generating a total of 418 new jobs in the year 2007, which was a decline by 40 percent from 692 which was recorded in the year 2002.

Economists have said that one of the reasons that are to blame for the decline is the crab rationalization program which was implemented in the Bering Sea and the Aleutian islands in 2005. These areas are home to the state's largest crab fishery in terms of volume and may be one of the largest contributing factors to the decline. Between 2003 and 2007, the crab employment numbers in those areas alone fell by as much as 34 percent, and the peak month employment fell to 584 in 2007 from 1,694 in 2003, which is a total overall drop of 65 percent according to economists in the state. As intended, the crab rationalization program has reduced fleet size and managed to distribute share quotas more efficiently to fishermen in the area based on their harvest history and harvest quota on an annual basis.

Photo Credits: 1

• Englebright Lake  Englebright Lake is located in: Smartville, CA Phone: (530) 639-2342 About the Lake: This 815 acre lake is home to many trophy size fished and offers numerous boating opportunities. It was intended to be used as a storage depot for mining debris, and the nearby dam is made entirely of......
• Woodley Island Marina, Eureka, CA Woodley Island Marina is located in: Eureka, CA Phone: 707.443.0801 Average Water Depth: The average water depth is around 14 feet, but we do recommend calling ahead to check before you arrive. Marine Standby Channel: Yes, the marina does monitor marine channels 14 and 16. Is there a pumpout station?......
• Bullards Bar Lake Bullards Bar Lake is located in: Nevada City, CA Phone: (530) 288-3231 About the Lake: This gorgeous lake covers 4700 acres and is located near Nevada City. The North Yuba butts up against the lake and this is considered to be one of the tallest dams in California. The lake......
• Stan's Yolo Marina, Clarksburg, CA   Stan's Yolo Marina is located in: Clarksburg, CA Phone: 916.371.7040 Boat Launches: One boat ramp at facility What does the marina offer? The marina provides users with a boat ramp, docks and trailer parking. Please be advised that this marina does not have a fuel dock. The main......
• California Salmon Population Dropped 88% in 5 Years California Salmon are disappearing.  The number of King Salmon (aka the Chinook) returning to the Sacramento watershed was at a near record low low and an 88% drop from the population 5 years ago. Calif. salmon population declines. Regulators are still trying to understand the reasons for the shrinking number......

• TransUnion Reveals National Credit Card Debt on the Rise TransUnion.com, one of the three major credit bureaus, released the results of an analysis study of the trends in credit card lending specifically for the third quarter of 2008, revealing that credit card debt is on the rise. The report is one part of an ongoing series of quarterly consumer......
• Have you noticed that prices are rising? It seems as if the media willingly reminds us at least once a day that the economy is still a mess. Today, President Obama had to shuffle around some stimulus plans to offset the increasing unemployment numbers. Tomorrow? Well, who knows. Let's wait until then to worry about it. One......
• See how the other half lives in 30 Days. As most people know by now, Morgan Spurlock is the guy that brought Super Size Me to the world. After I saw it, I could not imagine eating fast food for a very long time. Even now, if we are on the road or something and have to eat......
• Debt and the Credit Crisis The last recession that our country experienced was, in truth, a mild one. The stock market and many corporate profits began to tank, but consumer spending seemed to dance merrily on through the recession without as much as a scratch. Consumer spending has long been the major engine driving the......
• pninen in Prosper forums -- Magnificent Writeup on the Lender Costs of Not Paying Interest Here is the post in it's entirety because it is that good: In the early days of Prosper, I estimated that the cost of my idle cash (cash balance waiting to be bid, cash tied up in bids, cash tied up in loan verification, cash tied up waiting for payments......

• Women Clothing Clothing, Shoes Accessories Fishing
• Feathers Fly Tying Materials Tools Fly Fishing Fishing
• Men Footwear Clothing, Shoes Accessories Fishing
• Rod Reel Combos Saltwater Fishing Fishing
• Hats Gloves Clothing, Shoes Accessories Fishing

Are you planning a vacation to California? Looking for a better way to fish the more than 1000 lakes throughout this state? You'll find everything you need to know inside The Complete Guide to California Fishing! Click here to download the 30 page the 100% FREE eBook "Fishing in California."

If you prefer a real book, this book can be bought as a paperback from LuLu.com for $10.93.

Boating, Crab, News

abundant resource, alaskan fisheries, billion dollars, crab fishery, crab fishing, department of labor, economic importance, economic trends, fishery industry, fishing industry, food processing, government management, Halibut, management support, new jobs, rationalization program, record harvest, salmon fisheries, sea food, statehood