Gulf of Alaska Fishing Communities
Cordova, Sitka, and Kodiak are key Alaskan fishing communities that support diverse fisheries and regional planning efforts, including surrounding communities.
Cordova
Located at the southeastern end of Prince William Sound (PWS) in the Gulf of Alaska, Cordova has a year-round population of just over 2,500 that doubles during the busy summer fishing season. The Native Village of Eyak has inhabited this community and thrived off the rich marine resources in the area for thousands of years. The town sits close to the mouth of the Copper River Delta, home to the world famous Copper River Salmon. Together, the PWS and Copper River regions provide Cordova fishermen access to numerous wild and hatchery salmon runs across all five species, which account for over 90% of total ex-value for vessels in the community. The planning effort in Cordova will include other adjacent PWS communities.
Sitka
The community of Sitka is located on the west side of Baranof Island in southeast Alaska, surrounded by the largest temperate rainforest in the world – the Tongass National Forest. The community was settled by the Tlingit several thousand years ago, with the name deriving from the Tlingit Shee At’iká, meaning “People on the Outside of Shee (now Baranof Island).” Sitka fishermen participate in a diversity of State and Federal fisheries including herring, salmon, halibut, sablefish, ling cod, and dive fisheries. Sitka consistently ranks as one of the top ten fishing ports in the U.S. The planning effort in Sitka will include other adjacent Southeast communities including Hoonah, Port Alexander, Pelican, Kake and Angoon.
Kodiak
The community of Kodiak is located on Kodiak Island, the largest island in the Gulf of Alaska, located 90 miles southwest of the Kenai Peninsula. For the past 8,000 years, the island has been inhabited by the Alutiiq peoples who relied on the rich terrestrial and marine resources of the region. Kodiak is home to a diverse fleet of fishermen that target a tremendous variety of resources including pollock, rockfish, flatfish, halibut, sablefish, salmon, crab, and dive fisheries. The planning effort in Kodiak will include the other Kodiak Island communities.