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Seafood for thought as election approaches
By Elizabeth Dubovsky and Jason Lessard
October marks National Seafood Month — a month when Americans are encouraged to consume more seafood and support America’s seafood harvesters. Alaskans don’t need National Seafood Month to remind us about seafood, though. Seafood is already an integral part of our day-to-day lives, a staple of our diets, and a pillar of our local food system. If you haven’t crewed on a fishing boat yourself, then you certainly know someone who has. It’s important that we not take our seafood for granted as we head to the polls this election season; your vote will shape the future of Alaska’s seafood access and abundance.
Here in Alaska, seafood is much more than just a source of omegas and nutrient-packed protein — although those are all great reasons to consume it. Seafood has sustained Alaska’s Indigenous communities for millennia and remains central to their cultures and traditions. Seafood unites Alaskans, bringing us together and giving us a shared purpose; just visit the Kenai River during the salmon dipnet season and you’ll see people old and young, rural and urban, Alaska Native and non-Native elbow-to-elbow, chest-deep in the water cheering each other on and lending each other a hand. According to the State of Alaska’s Food Security and Independence Task Force 2022 Report, fishing is the single greatest source of wild-harvested food for Alaskans. Subsistence, personal use, and sportfish harvests comprise approximately 50–60% of the annual wild food harvested by Alaskans. This access to local seafood is especially important in Alaska’s rural communities where recent surveys show that nearly all rural Alaskans depend on fish. What these statistics really tell us, though, is that harvesting seafood is how we provide for our families and build community. Being able to harvest and share seafood with others is what makes us Alaskans.
Not only is seafood central to our way of life, it also generates immense economic opportunity throughout the state. Alaska’s seafood industry contributes over $5 billion in economic value annually to the state’s economy and is one of the state’s largest private-sector employers, directly employing 41,800 workers earning $1.5 billion in total labor income. Equally valuable is the innovation and resourcefulness that Alaska’s seafood industry fosters throughout the state. Over the last decade we are seeing more small-boat fishermen launch their own direct marketing business and a steady increase in family-run kelp and oyster farms pop up along Alaska’s coastline — a testament to more Alaskans wanting a livelihood that provides flexibility and independence, as well as the desire to feed their fellow Alaskans.
While there is a lot to celebrate about Alaska’s seafood bounty and the unique way of life that it provides, there are painful realities and challenges facing our fisheries and fishing communities. We are seeing massive changes in the marine ecosystem, causing fluctuations and variability in our ocean resources that are forcing fishermen to adjust their fishing locations and timing — or in some cases causing closures. Global politics and tariff wars are causing turmoil and volatility in the seafood marketplace, creating financial pressure for processors, harvesters, and growers already struggling to keep up with fuel prices and inflation. Consolidation and loss of infrastructure are leaving some fishermen without buyers or access to markets for their product. These issues aren’t just the seafood industry’s problems though; they touch all of us and jeopardize Alaska’s food security and economic stability.
Thankfully there are things we can do to bolster our seafood industry and coastal communities. We need to invest in the infrastructure critical to bringing Alaska’s seafood harvest to Alaska families and global markets. We need to adequately fund the state and federal agencies that help manage our fisheries and coastal ecosystems. We need to adopt policies that make it easier for our local schools and institutions to purchase Alaska seafood so that all children in Alaska can eat the best protein on the planet. There’s no question that Alaska’s seafood industry and coastal communities are at an inflection point. We need leaders in office who truly value and understand just how critical Alaska’s seafood is for the future well-being of our state.
As we head to the polls, let’s not take Alaska’s seafood bounty for granted. What does it take to keep our freezers full of salmon? How can we ensure that our children (and their children) can participate in Alaska’s world-class fisheries or our growing mariculture industry? Who we elect to office in November will have serious implications for our state’s most important local food source. Learn more about where candidates stand on Alaska’s seafood and make a plan to vote in the November general election at akfoodvote.org.
• Elizabeth Dubovsky has spent the last 20 years working to protect and promote Alaska's fisheries and fishing communities. She is the strategy director for the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, and currently serves on the Alaska Food Policy Council's board of directors and Local Catch Network's Executive Committee. Jason Lessard has worked in the Alaska seafood industry for over 20 years. He is the executive director of the Alaska Mariculture Alliance, a governing body member of the Alaska Mariculture Cluster, and a director on the Alaska Food Policy Council’s board. The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association has endorsed Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor.
