Fish processing is a huge business in Alaska and as such there are plenty of fish harvesting and fish processing jobs available – not only for locals, but for foreigners as well. In fact you are more likely to find people who speak Spanish, Russian, French, or Japanese working on the Alaskan fishing vessels. Many students come from all over the world to work in Alaska during their GAP year and love the outdoor work, travel experience and the chance to earn a great amount of money.

One student from Poland said that he paid a recruitment agency about $3000 to get him a job working at a fish processing plant at a company called Sno-pac. During the peak salmon season the working day is around 16 hours and he earned minimum wage, although meals and accommodation are paid for as well. Working in the fishing industry in Alaska can see that you will make your money back quite quickly. 

Those fish processing plant owners who have employed student workers from outside the country say that results have been positive. Some have gone as record as saying that these employees work hard and are interesting to be around.

The hiring of foreign students began in the 1990s when they ran out of local workers to hire. The J-1 visa program is what allows some types of employers in the states to hire non-US Citizens for jobs in America. As you might imagine some Alaskans are not as enthusiastic about the program because it could result in fewer Alaskans being hired. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, those coming from afar are getting a truly unique work experience in Alaska — and employers appear happy.

The majority of the fish processors are eager to come back season after season and hope to improve their skills, knowledge, life experience and earn plenty of extra cash to pay for studies, travel and to take back home.

To learn more about the various fishing jobs you can get in Alaska working as a processor or on the fishing vessels themselves, you should become a member of the Alaska Job Finder website. Here you will not only discover the skills and qualifications you need to possess to apply for any job in Alaska, but you will also find out what fishing jobs pay, where you can work, what hours are required and what the working conditions are like.

Aside from this you will also find out how to go about applying for fishing jobs and other employment in Alaska, and you will discover tips for writing your resume and going for interviews. There are over 180 pages of information that you can use to learn about the various fishing employment opportunities in Alaska including crabbing and you can also research all the other ways you can make money by working in Alaska.

The salmon season has started in some regions, but July is when the salmon season in Alaska gets underway completely, especially in regions 1, 2, 3, and 4, namely the Southeast Alaska region, Prince William Sound region and Kenai Peninsula region, Kodiak Island region, and the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands region.

The following are the main seasons for Alaska salmon fishing and the various Alaska fishing regions:

(June 1 – Sept. 30)
Region 1 – Summer Salmon Troll Season
(June 2 – Oct. 31)
Region 1 – Yakutat Set Net Salmon Season
(June 8 – Sept. 15)
Region 2 – Salmon Seasons (gillnet & purse seine)(dates may vary)
(June 8 – Sept. 30)
Region 1 – Salmon Gillnet Season
(June 10 – July 25)
Region 5 – Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Season
(June 10 – Aug. 20)
Region 4 – Salmon Seasons (dates may vary)
(Apr. 15 – June 30)
Region 1 – Spring King Salmon Troll Season
(May 14 – June 30)
Region 2 – Copper River King and Sockeye Salmon Season (dates may vary by a few days)
(June 19 – Sep. 4)
Region 1 – Salmon Purse Seine Season (one area does stay open into October for late fall chums)

The Fish and Game Department has also issued new rules for this season which includes the Anchor River being closed to sport fishing from the 15th to the 30th June 2011 in order to protect the returning King Salmon. A spokesperson said, “We are unable to predict with certainty that the sustainable escapement goal of king salmon would be met for 2011.” Currently the escapement of king salmon is 1,405 with the goal being 3,800 to 10,000 king salmon.

When opened, the best times for fishing are expected to be in the early morning hours with water conditions in the Anchor River, Deep Creek and Ninilchik Rivers being clear and low.

The Kenai Peninsula has been said to have plenty of salmon this season with the department of Fish and Game reporting the following:

“Trolling success for king salmon has been fair off Bluff Point and the south side of Kachemak Bay.
Fishing has been fair for early-run king salmon in the near shore salt waters of Deep Creek, Anchor Point, and Whiskey Gulch.
King salmon fishing at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon has been slow.
King salmon fishing is reported to be fair to slow in Halibut Cove Lagoon and Seldovia.”

It is recommend that fishermen use flashers and dodgers for attracting the king salmon with the most popular trolling set-ups being herring, spoons, tube flies and hootchies. If you are interested in finding a salmon fishing job in one of the Alaskan regions mentioned above, you should make sure that you know all these set ups and also find out as much as you can about the fishing industry in Alaska.

You can do this easily by visiting Alaska Job Finder and becoming a member, where you will have access to detailed information about fish harvesting jobs, fish processing jobs, crabbing jobs, and the fishing industry in Alaska in general. You will also have access to information about other jobs in Alaska including summer tourism jobs, Alaska oil pipeline jobs, and much more. This website provides you with the most exclusive information and advice you need to find a top job in Alaska and teaches you the best ways to apply for jobs.

According to figures over the last few months, Alaska has an abundance of fish and this was the main topic of discussion at the United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) session last Tuesday. Fishermen from various different companies and organizations as well as transporters, processors and promoters were there to showcase their various products and by the looks of things, the 2010 season has been one of the best so far with plenty of Alaska fishing jobs being produced.

In fact, Bristol Bay is one of the top regions where there are a great number of seafood harvesting jobs being 26 % or 3567 full time harvesting and processing jobs. Of these jobs about 275 permit holders and 687 crew members live in the vicinity of Anchorage. There are plenty of fish and therefore plenty of fishing job opportunities for locals and out-of-towners alike. The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Marketing Association representative Bob Waldrop explained that if the entire wild sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay where laid out head to tail, it would spread over 14 thousand miles.

“It’s a magnificent abundance,” he said, “due to the very astute management of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.”

The President of the UFA and Executive Director of the Crab Coalition, Arni Thompson said, “People just don’t get it – the fishing industry puts more people to work than oil and gas, mining, timber and tourism combined.”

Various presentations were held throughout the event and an assortment of wild seafood appetizers was served.

In a presentation by Naresh Shrestha from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute she said, “The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private sector employer. People will buy what they understand, what they relate to. You have to bring a human face.”

Other presentations were given by Dale Kelley of the Alaska Trollers Association, Gary Fandrei of Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, Rochelle van den Broeck of Cordova District Fishermen United, Greg Kessler of Ocean Totem Trailer Express, Ed Poulsen of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, Skip Winfree of 10th and M Seafoods in Anchorage, Glenn Reed of Pacific seafood Processors Association and Bruce Schactler of Kodiak, who said that because of the bounty, fishing is becoming somewhat of a year round industry in Kodiak.

The fishing industry is a place where anyone can find work and where the pay is also really high considering you don’t require a tertiary education. There are plenty of fishing jobs in Alaska as you can see, so why don’t you find out more about the various positions you can get by becoming a member of Alaska Job Finder.

This website will not only give you details into the fishing industry and what each job holds for you, it will also provide you with the resources to find any fishing job you require including crabbing, seafood harvesting, seafood processing and more. All you have to do is keep an eye on the Job Board for all the details, and then you can apply for a great fishing job in Alaska.

Alaska has always had a competitive job market, but in July the unemployment rate fell to the lowest percentage at 7.7 which is also far below the national average. According to economist Neal Fried, this rate is largely due to Alaska’s seasonal jobs and small economy. The unemployment rate is usually averaged at 9.5 percent for July.

The great news for Alaska  job seekers is that you are pretty much guaranteed to find work when you come to Alaska, especially in the fishing industry where crew are highly sought after for the large fishing seasons, namely in Salmon, Crab, and others.

July and August are traditionally the seasons for the Salmon fisheries to start full production, and King Crab in the Aleutian Islands. This gives job seekers a brilliant opportunity to get in on the high paying fishing jobs in harvesting and seafood processing. The unemployment rate is down from 8.1 last year, which is not really a huge difference, but it shows that people are starting to hire again, and according to Fried, having such a low rate below the national average is rare.

Alaska not only offers excellent fishing opportunities during July and August, but you will also find that there are plenty of other high paying jobs in the summer tourism industry in Alaska. Summer months in Alaska are where you will find jobs in game reserves, lodges, and towns where tourists flock to take in the beautiful surroundings. You can find jobs as tour guides, game fishing instructors, horseback riding guides, and more. You can even work in restaurants and local hotels in the hospitality department where jobs are in demand quite regularly during the summer months and where there are not always enough locals to work.

You should look at the various Alaska jobs that you can get by visiting Alaska Job Finder and joining as a member. You will then be able to get detailed information about all the different jobs in Alaska which are high paying and readily available including salary information, working hours, working conditions and where you are most likely to secure these jobs.

The website also contains a database of employers in Alaska ready to hire for any type of industry, including fishing and hospitality or tourism. This will give you an indication of where you can find work when you get to Alaska, or what companies you should approach. Alternatively, you can keep checking the Job Board regularly for actual jobs that are posted that meet your qualifications.

You will get instructions on how to create a great looking resume and application form which you can then use to approach the various companies searching for employees at any particular time. Jobs in Alaska are being filled readily, and as you can see from the unemployment rate being at an all time low, Alaska is ready to cash in on this summer’s tourism and fishing industries, so why not be part of it?

The notoriously dangerous waters in Alaska were where 4 fishermen found themselves clinging to a lifeboat after their vessel, the 52 foot long Nakat, caught fire just off the coast of Sitkinak Island on Sunday morning just before 8:30 as they were long lining for halibut. The highly trained U.S Coast Guards were dispatched and a rescue diver lowered from their helicopter to hoist the 4 fishermen to safety. U.S Coast Guard jobs are available in Alaska, but you will have to undergo intensive training to become one of these fine hero’s. No one was injured in the incident on Sunday, but there are occasions where burning and sinking vessels pose a huge threat, not only to the people trapped on board, but to the Coast Guard as well.

Working in Alaska as a Coast Guard can be thrilling for sure, and pays well, but you have to be sure that you are up for the challenges that face you should you be stationed here.  With Alaska fishing jobs being of the most dangerous in the world, it is only reasonable to assume that the Coast Guard jobs here will also be dangerous. They are definitely in higher demand as there are more incidents here than in any other U.S waters.

The fire was caused by spilled diesel fuel which had apparently occurred in the 20 foot swells that the crew of the Nakat experienced the night before. The captain of the vessel, Joe Macinko, had gone down to the galley to discover the stove on fire and after 10 minutes of trying extinguish it, decided to abandon ship with the rest of his crew, Dave Merriman (deck boss), Nando Macinko (deckhand and the captain’s son), and Wyatt Adams (deckhand).

They had no time to send a mayday, but had an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) with them, which Sector Anchorage Command Center watchstander Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Ernst said was instrumental in letting someone know that they were in trouble in the first place, and then being able to come to their rescue.

If you want to find out more about rescue jobs in Alaska working for the U.S Coast Guard or any other kind of rescue organization, you should take the time to look at Alaska Job Finder and search for all the fishing jobs and related positions that you can get. If you are not working on board a vessel, you will find that there are Coast Guard jobs and other law enforcement jobs on offer.

Alaska jobs do pay well considering the danger that many of these jobs put people in, but if you are up for some adventure and want to make some good money helping others and working closely in the fishing industry, then you should look at applying to be a U.S Coast Guard. There are many options you have working in operations, administration, training, pilot, or as a rescue diver. These all require various forms of training and qualifications. If you want to find any available jobs like these in Alaska, go to Alaska Job Finder today.

Now is the perfect time to find fishing jobs in Alaska Regions 1, 2, and 3 which are the Southeast Alaska Region, Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound, and Kodiak Island respectively. These areas offer not only fishing jobs, but also hunting jobs, adventure travel jobs, jobs at national parks, and much more. You will be able to search for fishing charters and fishing vessels in these regions and start making a lot of money right away. The current season is for Salmon (also in Region 4, the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands), Crab, Blackcod, Yellowfin Sole, Rockfish, Halibut, Beam Trawl Shrimp, Yakutat Shrimp, and Pollock among others.   

There is more demand now than ever to get willing and able crew members to work on these fishing vessels, so you should think about applying for some current fishing jobs that are advertised out there. It is likely that you will also be able to get jobs simply by talking to people you meet in the local hangouts. This is in fact how most crew get their first shot at working on a fishing vessel. Under the most experienced captain you can earn a huge amount of money each day because of the catch that you bring in.

You can learn about the wages you get from other deckhands and crew members who have been in the industry for a while. You will start off with a percentage of the pot which will fluctuate depending on the price of salmon, or whatever fish it is that you have caught. To work on Alaska fishing boats will be a great chance for you to earn a lot of money and have an adventure at the same time. You will find out more information about the different types of fish you get in each region and the various employers by visiting Alaska Job Finder.

You can join as a member and then gain access to a Job Board where you will be able to search for and apply for new jobs that are added on a regular basis. This is one of the best resources you will find to keep you in touch with fishing vessels and captains and apply for the ones you want to work on. Aside from fish harvesting, you can also work in the fish processing plants which will also see you earn a great salary. All you have to do to get the details about any Alaska fishing job is to become a member of the website.

The decision by President Obama to cancel the leases of oil and gas in the Bristol Bay and eastern Bering Sea area, has been met with cheers from all in the fishing industry. These two areas are some of the most essential fishing spots in Alaska, providing nearly 40 percent of the US harvest. This important fishing area covers a 5.6 million acre area, and thanks to the efforts of the Alaskan government, as well as more than 66 native groups in Alaska, President Obama has declared the areas protected fishing grounds until 2017.

The Alaska Marine Conservation Council has indicated that they want to ensure that this is permanent. The same oil and gas leases for the region were pulled by President Clinton after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but late in President Bush’s office during 2007, they were reinstated. The Alaska Marine Conservation Council wants to ensure that this cannot happen again and to declare the area a protected zone.

The Alaska fishing industry provides the majority of jobs in Alaska, and the amount of fish in the Bristol Bay and eastern Bering Sea region is valued at over $2 billion annually making it a very necessary part of the Alaskan economy. The fish in this area that are harvested include Salmon, Pollack, Cod, and Mackeral, and with the farmed salmon industry taking a huge knock, there is more demand for wild Alaskan salmon at the moment.

Chile was the largest exporter of farmed salmon to the US, but with the huge virus that has been killing the fish since 2007, Chilean production has dropped by 60 percent, with the exports in 2010 dropping by 40 percent. To combat the virus Chilean farmers have also been pumping their salmon with antibiotics and pesticides that are found to be harmful for human consumption and are banned in the US. Since 2007 the Chilean farms have been cut almost in half from 344 to 174 as of 2009.

This has improved the Alaska salmon markets dramatically and this means that there are plenty of fish harvesting and fish processing jobs available in Alaska in Region 4 and 5 mainly, but in the other areas as well. To find out more about what kinds of jobs you can get in the fishing industry you should visit the Alaska Job Finder website. Here you will discover the high paying fishing industry that you can be involved in and learn about what jobs you can get even if you don’t have a degree or any kind of experience.

You can work on the fishing vessels, or in the land based processing plants. Whatever you decide, you will be sure to make a very good salary and you will also get to explore the stunning Alaskan environment. To apply for these kinds of jobs, you can become a member of the website and get regular updates when new jobs are listed that you can apply for.

When you look at shows like the Deadliest Catch, you will see how dangerous the career of crab fishing can be in Alaska’s Bering Sea. The main areas that you will find the three major crabs are Bristol Bay, Kodiak Island, the Bering Sea and Dutch Harbor. In the Deadliest Catch the 8 vessels operate out of Dutch Harbor and spend months in the Bering Sea trying to catch the largest numbers of crabs. From October they go out in search of the King Crab, and from January, the Opilio Crab or Snow Crab is harvested.

A crabbing vessel normally consists of between 4 and 10 crew members and the skipper. It takes years to become a skipper of a crabbing vessel, but it is not that easy to become a rookie member of the crew, known as a greenhorn, either. You will normally have to start working in the winter crabbing season and then in the salmon fishing industry during the summer. If this all works out then you will be able to move onto working in the summer crab fishing season which is the busiest and most intense. The best way to get employment on the Alaska crab fishing boats is to get to know people in that circle and meet the skippers.

When you work on the crab fishing boats you will bait large steel pots which are like cages. The bait consists of a mixture of cod, salmon, and herring. These weigh about 700 Pounds and are dropped into the ocean by way of hydraulic launchers with buoys attached to them. These are then each marked with a number to be collected later. Each catch is checked for immature crabs that are too small and then they are thrown back. The remainder are counted and recorded by the skipper.

When you want to be involved in this kind of industry and make the large amounts of money that are offered on crab fishing vessels you should find out more on Alaska Job Finder. Here you can learn about the different fishing seasons and what you can expect when you work in Alaska. When you become a member you will have access to the biggest list of fishing jobs in Alaska that are currently open. Not only this, but you will also find job openings for Alaska tour guides, ice road trucking, Alaska oil drilling, Alaska resorts, and much more.

If you decide that you want to make a lot of money and work in an exciting career that takes you into interesting places, you should go to the main areas for crab fishing and apply for jobs. You should try to get involved in any kind of fishing to start with so that you can meet as many people you can including the skippers. This will give you a chance to work on the summer crab fishing vessels, where the most money can be earned.

With Alaska fishing being the largest industry in the state and responsible for the majority of the economy, jobs are in demand. The fish harvesting and crabbing jobs are high paying, albeit dangerous, but one industry that also pays a fairly good salary is the fish processing industry. The Bristol Bay region is responsible for many of the top fish processing companies in the state, and it is here where new jobs are soon going to be available.

A new company called Togiak Seafoods has opened in the Togiak area as a collaborative effort between Copper River Seafoods and the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation for the salmon processing industry. This is a 4 Billion Dollar company that has been started to rejuvenate Togiak and more specifically the processing building there. It was not ready for this fishing season, but the Togiak fish are still being purchased. They are iced and transported to nearby Anchorage to the Copper River Seafood processing facility.

The nearly 42000 tons of salmon from Togiak Bay are being helicoptered to Anchorage and processed for sale to the lower 48 States as fillets. The company will continue to purchase Sockeye, Chums, Coho, and Kings throughout the month of September.

The company hopes to have the Togiak processing plant open for business in 2010 with a fish filleting line as well as a gutting and heading line. This is not the only processing plant using the Togiak fish. On the other side of the bay there is a Seattle owned company in charge of Togiak Fisheries who also purchase this fish.

This creates a viable market for the fisherman in Togiak Bay. They are getting excellent prices for their fish and are getting use to the new iced and bleeding requirements. It is all about getting the number one product out to the rest of the country.

If you are thinking of joining as one of the fisherman in the Togiak area, you should check out the new rules regarding the sale of your catch. You might however want to work in seafood processing. This means that you will have to get your resume and application form in for next year.

You can find out more about what the seafood processing industry entails, by having a look at Alaska Job Finder. Here you will get all the details you are looking for regarding a job in seafood processing, and you can also learn about how to apply for current job openings. There are numerous jobs offered in the member’s area and you just have to pay a small membership fee to gain access to all these wonderful benefits.

There are over 100 seafood processing employers currently on the site that you can also have a look at and send your resume to for consideration. These are in offshore and onshore processing facilities. You can gain access these as well as other employers in Alaska by joining the website. You can also learn all about the working conditions in Alaska, what you need to take with you, what the salaries are like, how the processing and harvesting industries work, what you need to apply, how to write a good resume, and more.

The Summer Season is almost at an end in Alaska and along with the ice, snows and freezing temperatures come some of the highest paying jobs you can find anywhere in the world. The most famous and deadly job working during the Fall and Winter is King Crabbing. The Bering Sea is the common location for crab harvesting trawlers to work and this intense and extremely risky job might just be the thing for you.

Looking at some other fishing jobs you can find in Alaska starting from September are Mackerel, Pacific Cod, and Sablefish or Black Cod. Aside from these specific season openings at this time you can also work in the many other ongoing fisheries including the Winter Salmon, Halibut, Shrimp, Lingcod, and Pollock.

There are many types of fishing jobs you can get during the winter months in Alaska. You can easily climb aboard a gillnetting vessel, become a deckhand on a fishing trawler where you will earn a nice sum of money for the catch, or simply work at a game fishing resort where you can teach people to fish for Pink Salmon, Coho, and Chinook.

As of Monday, the Marine Area 1 region from Leadbetter Point to Cape Falcon, has reopened for ocean fishing of these fish as the quota has not yet been reached as it was expected. This means that if you want to still get a job as a tour guide or game fishing guide you can easily get some last minute Alaska fishing jobs. It is thought that the season will close at the end of September, as there are still about 14 thousand Coho in the area.

The winter season offers many other kinds of jobs in Alaska besides fishing. You can brave the icy roads and get your high salary working as an ice road trucker. You will cross treacherous terrain – basically just ice – to deliver goods. These ice road trucking jobs are dangerous, but they also pay a huge amount of money which is a great reason to get involved if you want an adventure that pays well.

Most winter jobs in Alaska require that you brave the cold and head out into the wilderness. During winter you will not expect to find many tour guide or adventure guide jobs, unless you can teach skiing or snowboarding. The snow covered terrain makes for unfriendly tourist weather, unless you can use the conditions to your advantage.

There are plenty of reasons to get winter seasonal work in Alaska, and if you don’t mind the icy weather and constant night time, you can make a pretty decent living. It will also give you a foot in the door if you are on the lookout for an interesting job in one of the most beautiful settings in the world.

If you want to find out more about all the winter jobs in Alaska you should check out the Alaska Job Finder website and become a member right away. This will give you instant access to a comprehensive database of employers who are currently hiring. It also allows you to learn all about the different Alaska jobs in detail, and upload your resume. As a member you will be able to search the job board for current Alaska Winter job openings and apply immediately.