Lane Bolich first came to work in Alaska for the freedom and excitement that comes with being a fisher.
A self-described adrenaline junkie, Bolich moved from his hometown in rural Washington state because he loves being on the ocean — even in cold winter weather — and it gave him the chance to make more money than back home. He worked as a deckhand for two years on a family friend’s boat named Harmony before taking the wheel as captain this year at just 20 years old.
Bolich is a rarity in an aging industry with high barriers to entry. Equipment and access rights are costly, and there is increasing unpredictability as human-caused climate change alters marine habitats. As some fish populations dwindle and fewer people pursue the trade, fishers and conservation groups are actively working to bring in and retain the next generation of fishers through grants and training even as the industry continues to shrink in Alaska.
For the young people who do become commercial fishers, many see it as a way to make good money for a short time, while some others have a desire to sustain the industry for the long term in a way that benefits both fishers and fisheries. But with the obstacles outweighing the perks, young fishers are in short supply.
“There’s no future for an industry that doesn’t have young people coming in,” said Linda Behnken, the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. “They’re thinking about the long-term health of the resource, the health of the industry and the fishing communities that they’re a part of.”
A 2018 study found the average age of fishers had increased 10 years from the previous generation to about 50 years old. Rural communities also lost 30 per cent of their local permit holders as access rights consolidated and made it harder for new fishers to enter the industry.
But the biggest challenge, Behnken said, is climate change and what it means for the long-term health of the fishing stock and the industry. Research has shown that warming ocean temperatures may make fish habitats less suitable, leading to changing populations and different ecosystems, and the potential loss of commercially-important fish species.
“I think people recognize the future is less predictable in fisheries, 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 a commercial fisher today means working to undo the damage to fisheries from harmful practices in the past like overfishing and understanding the impact climate change will have on fish populations.