Norton Sound Seafood Products paid out more than $4 million to 212 fishermen so far for the 2014 fishing season. This new payout is double the rate seven years ago when $2 million was paid to 120 fishermen.
Chief operating officer of Norton Sound Seafood Products Tyler Rhodes says his company is the only fishery in the area.
“Rather different from Bristol Bay, our distance from markets, the size of our runs are much smaller. Quite a bit less activity than you see down there by Dillingham but the fishing is really important to the residents of Norton Sound as an economic opportunity and we’re happy to support that.”
The over 274 employees were hired during the summer. Of those, most were hired in the processing plants in Nome, Unalakleet and Savoonga, 28 were hired as crew on tender vessels and 34 were hired at community fish buying stations in Shaktoolik and other communities.
Rhodes says the 2014 season was strong for both salmon and crabs, the two main commercial species the company fishes. He says the most recent season is the most successful yet.
“Really this is a high mark, for wages and payments made to fishermen and wages to those who work in our processing plants and on our tender vessels that serve the fishery as well.”
The NSSP’s overall operations amounted closer to $6 million this season. The operations manager William Johnson says the success of this season is due to building a market base for live red king crab and being more aggressive in the salmon fishery, while working with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to schedule openings.
Rhodes says this season was definitely a welcomed change.
“We definitely have had more difficult years and we are happy to see a rebound this year over past years.”
Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation built and operated land-based buying station in three communities which Johnson says gave the fishermen of Norton bay flexibility in their deliveries.