Our groceries.
Our heating oil.
Our fishing industry.
Alaska's commercial fishing fleet helps keep the cost of living lower for every Alaskan, not just fishermen. Use the calculator below to see what happens to your monthly budget if it goes away.
Why commercial fishing affects our bills
The fishing fleet is what makes shipping to Alaska affordable. Here's the chain.
Most Alaskans know that everything costs more here — but fewer know that commercial fishing is one of the main reasons it doesn't cost even more. The connection is simpler than it sounds.
Step 01
Everything we buy gets shipped in
Almost nothing sold in an Alaska store is produced here. Our groceries, fuel, hardware, and household goods arrive by cargo ship from outside. The cost of running those ships is built into every price we pay at checkout.
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Step 02
The fishing fleet fills ships on the way back out
Alaska's commercial fleet loads billions of pounds of seafood onto those same cargo ships for their return trip south. Without that outbound cargo, those ships would travel empty — and an empty ship still costs money to operate.
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Step 03
Full ships in both directions keep rates lower
When ships travel full coming and going, carriers can charge less per trip. A major Alaska shipping company estimates that without the fishing industry's outbound cargo, freight rates to Alaska would be 10% higher — and that cost passes through to every item on our grocery list.
Calculate your household's exposure
Enter your monthly spending in each category. We'll show you how much more you'd pay if Alaska's commercial fishing industry ended.
How many people in your household?
Without Alaska's commercial fishing industry, your household pays
$—
more per month
Every month. Every year. Without fail.
More on groceries & goods
$—
per month
More on fuel
$—
per month
More on travel
$—
per month
Lost public services
$—
per month, your share
Per year
Total added household cost
$—
Over 5 years
Out of your family's pocket
$—
Adjust the sliders above to see how you're impacted.
Already Happening
What it looks like
when the fleet goes away
when the fleet goes away
In communities where fishing has declined or processing plants have closed, prices are already climbing. This is the calculator, playing out in real life.
King Cove · Aleutians East
The processing plant closed. Everything got harder overnight.
Happening Right Now
6 hours to get fuel.
9 hours to offload catch.
9 hours to offload catch.
When the Peter Pan Seafood plant closed in spring 2024, King Cove lost its economic center. Fishermen now travel 6 hours to False Pass just to fuel their boats, and 9 hours to Sand Point to offload their catch. Trips that cost nothing when the plant was open now cost entire days. Mayor Warren Wilson described it as "fighting for our lives." Read the full story →
Naknek · Bristol Bay
A gallon of milk costs $10.85 — and it would be higher without the fleet.
Today
$10.85
per gallon of milk
Without fleet
$12–$14
projected range
This is what milk costs in Naknek today — with the commercial fishing fleet still running. Lose the fleet's outbound cargo, and that $10.85 gallon gets even more expensive. Every item on our grocery lists follows the same logic. More on Alaska's fishing crisis →
St. Paul Island · Pribilof Islands
The crab fishery closed. The city had to crowdfund its ambulance service.
Happening Right Now
60% of the city budget — gone overnight.
When the Bering Sea snow crab fishery closed in 2022 for the first time in its history, St. Paul Island — a community of 330 people — lost nearly 60% of its municipal tax revenue almost immediately. City leaders declared a "cultural, social, and economic emergency." They had reserves to keep basic services running, but had to launch an online fundraiser just to pay for emergency medical services. The town's economy was roughly 90% dependent on the crab fishery. Read the full story →
Aleutians East Borough · Southwest Alaska
6,036 jobs. $573 million. Gone from one region in a single year.
NOAA Documented
The hardest-hit region in Alaska.
When Alaska's fishing industry contracted between 2022 and 2023, the Aleutians East Borough — home to King Cove, False Pass, Sand Point, and Cold Bay — took the largest hit of any region in the state. A NOAA Fisheries economic analysis documented 6,036 jobs lost and $573 million in economic damage in the region in that span alone. Plants closed or changed hands. Fishermen scrambled to find buyers for their catch. Communities built around fishing revenue faced budget shortfalls with no industry to replace it. Read the NOAA report →
The Scope
This isn't a niche industry.
It's Alaska's economic backbone.
It's Alaska's economic backbone.
Commercial fishing touches every corner of Alaska's economy — and every Alaskan's budget.
58,700
Alaska jobs tied to commercial fishing
Fishermen, processors, plant workers, and managers — plus the businesses, schools, and services that depend on their paychecks.
$124M
In public funding generated every year
Commercial fishing taxes and fees fund state services ($73M), local governments ($51M), and salmon hatchery management ($40M) that keeps Alaska's fisheries healthy.
60%
Of all U.S. seafood caught in Alaska
Alaska's fleet consistently lands 5 billion pounds of seafood per year, making it the single largest driver of outbound cargo that helps keep shipping costs down.
$2.1B
In annual wages paid to Alaskans
That labor income circulates through Alaska's communities — spent at local businesses, paid in local taxes, and invested in Alaska families.
9,000+
Commercial vessels home-ported in Alaska
These boats fuel locally, crew locally, and maintain locally — generating economic activity that reaches far beyond the docks.
10%
Higher freight rates without the fleet
A documented estimate from a major Alaska shipping company. Freight rates don't stay quiet — they pass through to grocery shelves, gas pumps, and airline tickets.
Don't Let This Be Alaska's Future
Alaska can't afford to lose the fleet.
What you just calculated isn't hypothetical. It's what happens when efforts to shut down Alaska's commercial fishing industry succeed. Every Alaskan has a stake in this fight.
Join the Fight
Methodology: All spending category impacts apply a 10% increase to user-entered monthly household spending, based on a documented estimate from a major Alaska shipping company that freight rates to Alaska would be 10% higher without the outbound seafood backhaul created by the commercial fishing industry. Public revenue gap reflects $124M in commercial fishing taxes, fees, and self-assessments distributed to the State of Alaska ($73M) and local governments ($51M) in 2018, divided by Alaska's population of approximately 733,000 ($169 per person annually, or approximately $14.08 per person per month), multiplied by household size. Community price data sourced from KUCB, Alaska Public Media, High Country News, and field documentation, 2024–2026. The Naknek milk price was documented by a local resident. All projections are estimates and should not be construed as precise predictions.
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