Alaska’s fishing industry faces shrinking career interest from young people

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Bolich is a rarity in an aging industry with high barriers to entry — equipment and access rights are costly — and increasing unpredictability as human-caused climate change alters marine habitats. As some fish populations dwindle and fewer people pursue the trade, fishers and conservation groups are actively working to bring in and retain the next generation of fishers through grants and training even as the industry continues to shrink in Alaska.

Juan Zuniga, a first-year deckhand on the Agnes Sabine, refuels a boat on June 23, 2023, in Kodiak, Alaska."This is a pretty far place from where I live," Zuniga said."It’s a very big step out of my comfort zone." "I think that the golden days of fishing are kind of behind us," he said."Now it’s kind of a recovery of trying to bring the fish back and trying to keep this viable way of making a living."

More training should help as finding reliable crew for boats is difficult, according to Darren Platt, captain of the Agnes Sabine, a salmon fishing boat based in Kodiak. When Platt started running his own boat in 2010, unemployment was high and labor was easier to find, but as jobs have become more available in the lower 48, Platt has noticed fewer people making their way to Kodiak to work.

"This is a pretty far place from where I live so a very big step out of my comfort zone," Zuniga said."I still got a lot to learn."Retaining deckhands is key for Platt and he says he focuses on keeping crew members as comfortable as possible so that they might return again to work the following season.

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