With oil and gas issues dominating Alaska politics, it can be easy to forget that as many as 20,000 people work in the state’s commercial fishing industry every year. That’s six to 7,000 more jobs than on the North Slope.
So as many fishermen near retirement age, the next generation is looking to step into leadership roles.
For the last four years, the Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit has brought together some of the brightest young minds in the industry.
Casey Kelly is a reporter at KTOO in Juneau.
