As climate change and high costs plague Alaska's fisheries, fewer young people take up the trade

Lane Bolich first came to work in Alaskafor the freedom and excitement that comes with being a fisher.

A self-described adrenaline junkie, Bolich moved from hishometown in rural Washington state because he loves being on theocean even in cold winter weather and it gave him the chance to makemore money than back home. He worked as a deckhand for two yearson a family friend's boat namedHarmony before takingthe wheel as captainthis year at just 20 years old.

Bolich is a rarity in an aging industry with high barriers toentry.Equipment and access rights are costly,and there is increasingunpredictability as human-caused climate change alters marinehabitats. As some fish populations dwindle and fewer people pursuethe trade, fishers and conservation groups are actively working tobring in and retain the next generation of fishers through grantsand training even as the industry continues to shrink in Alaska.

For the young people who do become commercial fishers, many seeit as a way to make good money for a short time, while some othershave a desire to sustain the industry for the long term in a waythat benefits both fishers and fisheries. But with the obstaclesoutweighing the perks, young fishers are in short supply.

"There's no future for an industry that doesn't have youngpeople coming in," said Linda Behnken, the executive director ofthe Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association. "They're thinkingabout the long-term health of the resource, the health of theindustry and the fishing communities that they're a part of."

A 2018 study found the average age of fishers had increased 10years from the previous generation to about 50 years old. Ruralcommunities also lost 30 per centof their local permit holders as accessrights consolidated and made it harder for new fishers to enter theindustry.

But the biggest challenge, Behnken said, is climate change andwhat it means for the long-term health of the fishing stock and theindustry. Research has shown that warming ocean temperatures maymake fish habitats less suitable, leading to changing populationsand different ecosystems, and the potential loss ofcommercially-important fish species.

"I think people recognize the future is less predictable infisheries, that we're going to see bigger fluctuations," she said. "There's just a lot more unknowns."

These challenges are apparent to Bolich. He said working as acommercial fisher today means working to undo the damage tofisheries from harmful practices in the past like overfishing andunderstanding the impact climate change will have on fishpopulations.

"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."

Marissa Wilson, executive director of the Alaska MarineConservation Council, notedthe decline in the number of peopleworking coincides with the shrinking of fisheries in general aspopulations of fish decline and move. The high initial cost ofaccess rights and equipment has also deterred some people frompursuing commercial fishing.

"It's a handful of things coming into confluence at once thatmakes it difficult," she said.

The Alaska Marine Conservation Council and the Alaska LonglineFishermen's Association actively lobbied Congress for passage of theYoung Fishermen's Development Act, which passed in January 2021. Aspart of that act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sea Grant Office awarded about $1 million this yearto help fund on-ship training and mentorship for young fishers inAlaska.

More training should help as finding reliable crew for boats isdifficult, according to Darren Platt, captain of the Agnes Sabine asalmon fishing boat based in Kodiak. When Platt started running hisown boat in 2010, unemployment was high and labour was easier tofind, but as jobs have become more available in the lower 48, Platthas noticed fewer people making their way to Kodiak to work. Thatloss of labour, combined with a lack of experienced career fishers,makes fully staffing a boat a challenge.

"We need to continuously bring in people from outside to come upand work," he said. "And it's usually college students or youngfolks looking for an adventure, but not career fisherman."

For Juan Zuniga, a first-year deckhand on Platt's boat, thatsense of adventure and the prospect of making good money drew him toKodiak from his home in Florida. Platt's been teaching Zunigaeverything he knows about working on a boat.

"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 onkeeping crew members as comfortable as possible sothey mightreturn again to work the following season.

For many though, contract work on a boat is a quick way to makemoney and gain experience for a different career. Sam Stern, adeckhand on the Big Blue, plans to pursue a career in marineengineering and worked this season to both make money for school andto earn hours at sea for eventual licensing he'll need for that job.

"I guess people my age don't really think about this as like acareer," Stern said, adding that he can make up to $20,000 in asingle summer. "It is more of a way just to make money quickly."

But fishing has become more than that for Bolich.

On the Harmony, Bolich is running between the deck and the cabin,grabbing power tools and fixing equipment before heading back out tosea to supply fishing boats and haul their catch back forprocessing. As captain, he has to know every aspect of every job andbe able lead a crew older than himself. He admits his first yearwill be a learning experience, but he isn't deterred.

He hopes to pass on what he's learned to the generation afterhimso Alaska's fishing industry can live on.

"I want them to see a future in it," he said. "Not just a dead-end job."

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