Alaska Seafood Processing Operations

Seafood processing operations in Alaska come in all shapes and sizes. During our visits, we’ve toured almost every plant in Alaska.

Since very few first-time employees have the chance to travel to Alaska before their seafood employment adventure begins, we’re passing along first-hand, expert knowledge.

Some onshore processors hire hundreds of employees. These large processing plants sometimes feel more like huge unrelenting factories than a summer job at a fishing plant. Others however, operate with only a few dozen employees and have much more of a family feel. Despite the difference in size, operational features at most company plants are the same.

Most plants are located on piers so that boats may dock-up and off-load their product. The plants themselves feature a main processing house in which the fish are processed and then later frozen or canned, and an egg house where salmon eggs are processed and boxed for shipment overseas. Many plants have additional features like on- or off-site living quarters (dormitories or camping areas), a cafeteria, and general offices. Plants are either centrally located in town or far from civilization, but they are always near active and productive fishing grounds.

Find out more about the specific jobs you will find at a processing plant on the following page!