History Made Every Day™

LIFE IN ALASKA

A fish jumps from the net, on a commercial fishing boat, off the shore of Kodiak, Alaska. Photo credit: Corbis

From Russian fur trappers in the 18th century to gold rush prospectors in the late 19th century to oil wildcatters in the 20th century, people have long headed to Alaska to make a living off the land. While rich in natural resources, the state's vast and varied terrain-- from snow-capped volcanoes to rocky coastline to mile after mile of frozen tundra--is not for the faint of heart and can make many types of work very risky business. In the place nicknamed America's "Last Frontier," occupational hazards can include everything from avalanches to earthquakes to a limited transportation infrastructure. Indeed, Alaska's lack of roads in certain regions has led to widespread dependence on air travel: In 2004, the AP reported that one out of every 59 Alaskans was a pilot, and in the 1990s, aviation accidents in Alaska comprised 39 percent of the total number of air crashes in the United States.

One of the industries most closely associated with Alaska is commercial fishing, which ranks as one of the most hazardous jobs in America. Studies show that fishermen face the highest rate of occupational fatalities of any workers in the United States. They must constantly contend with harsh weather, rough water, heavy equipment, long hours and little sleep. And, if fishermen get hurt, medical attention is often too far away to be of much help. According to a 2008 report in the Anchorage Daily News: "One-third of the 948 work-related deaths in Alaska between 1990 and 2006 were fishermen." Nevertheless, because it is a lucrative business, commercial fishing remains among the state's key industries: Total gross earnings of Alaska's fisheries in 2006 approached $1.2 billion. Alaska has many important seafood exports, including crab, but the state is particularly famous for its salmon. The state's commercial wild salmon harvest peaked at $700 million in the late 1980s before collapsing following the growth of the global farmed salmon market. The harvest sank to $163 million in 2002, but has since begun to rebound, reaching $374 million in 2007.

Host Geo Beach climbing in snow.

Oil and gas development is another industry vital to Alaska's economy, representing approximately 80 percent of the state's revenue. Since production began on the Kenai Peninsula in 1961, Alaska has produced more than 16 billion barrels of oil and 6 billion cubic feet of natural gas, about 20 percent of the entire country's production. And the oil business has recently become an even bigger moneymaker than ever before, with the price of oil skyrocketing from an average of $23 per barrel in 2001 to $110 in March 2008. Jobs in the industry have grown 34 percent from 2000 to 2007, according to a recent state economic trend report. One challenge for workers is that oil fields are typically located in remote locations where weather conditions can be extreme. Like fishermen, workers can be far from medical help when disaster strikes.

Despite the dangers that go along with fishing and drilling for oil in Alaska, as well as a host of other tough jobs, including logging, firefighting and ice road trucking, Alaska--just as it has for hundreds of years--continues to attract adventure seekers eager to work in a unique, rugged landscape, as well as those whose primary interest is a solid paycheck.

Thanks to the following sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Alaska Oil & Gas Association
2008 Alaska Economic Trends report