Unalaska
Area Description & History
Unalaska overlooks Iliuliuk Bay and Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Chain. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Unangan. When commerce with Russian fur traders began in 1759, more than 3,000 Unangan lived in 24 settlements on Unalaska and Amaknak Islands. The City of Unalaska was incorporated in March 1942. In the early 20th century, seafood processing of salmon, herring, and cod was established. By the 1940s, the military presence in the region overshadowed commercial fishing, and Dutch Harbor was mostly repurposed as a naval port. After World War II, halibut, salmon, and king crab fisheries began in the 1960s, bringing an economic boom in the 1970s. When king crab stocks collapsed in the early 1980s, Unalaska began to transition to groundfish fisheries. Today, Unalaska’s International Port of Dutch Harbor is the top commercial fishing port in the nation. An estimated 2,500 seasonal workers come to Unalaska for fisheries employment each year.1 The population of Unalaska reaches its annual peak between January and April each year (during Pollock “A” Season). In 2010, 2,099 residents lived in group quarters, which is associated with processor housing.2 Unalaska was included under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and is federally recognized as a Native village. The active Native Corporations are Ounalashka Corporation and Aleut Corporation. The area is included in Federal Statistical and Reporting Area 610, Pacific Halibut Fishery Regulatory Area 4A, and the Western Gulf of Alaska Sablefish Regulatory Area. Unalaska is in House District 37, Senate District S.
Infrastructure & Transportation
Unalaska is serviced by daily scheduled flights from Anchorage. The state ferry operates bi-weekly from Homer between May and September. There are six marine facilities in Unalaska which include 10 docks, three operated by the city.3 Dutch Harbor has 5,200 ft. of moorage and 1,232 ft. of floating dock, accommodating vessels up to 200 feet, and 238 moorage slips. The Unalaska Marine Center and U.S. Coast Guard Dock offer cargo, passenger, and other port services. All homes and onshore fish processors are served by the City’s piped water system. All on-shore processors generate their own electrical power. Unalaska school enrollment has decreased by 16.7% since 2018.4
Demographics
In 2023, 2,577 of the 4,093 residents of Unalaska lived in group quarters, which is associated with processor housing.5 This was just above the mean population over the 1990-2023 period which has stayed roughly stable around this population level.
For the 2018-2022 period, median household income in Unalaska was estimated to be $104,706 and the percentage of people living below the poverty line was estimated to be 8%.6
| Demographics | |
| Population | 4,093 |
| Population in group housing | 2577 |
| Median household income | $104,706 |
| Housing units | 944 |
| Percentages | |
| Male | 65.4% |
| Female | 34.6% |
| White | 24.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2.4% |
| Black or African American | 3.7% |
| Asian | 47.4% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 4.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.6% |
| Below poverty line | 8.0% |
| High school diploma or higher | 88.9% |
| Population under 5 | 4.4% |
| Population over 18 | 82.9% |
| Population over 65 | 5.7% |
| Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2018-2022) | |
| Population and group housing estimates sourced from Alaska Department of Labor, 2023 | |
Current Economy
Unalaska’s economy is based on commercial fishing, fish processing, and fleet services, such as maintenance, trade, repairs, fuel, and transportation. Processors provide employment, and seasonal workers are brought in during peak seasons. In 2022, Unalaska generated $26.8 million in municipal tax revenue, of which $14.5 million was fishery related taxes (including shared and municipal).5 The overall amount of total fish taxes reported in 2022 increased by 9% compared with 2021.7 These revenues support basic city services such as education, sanitation, transportation, etc. and are important indicators of community health and wellbeing.
Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity
Exposure to Biophysical Effects of Climate Change
A community’s exposure to the biophysical effects of climate change, which include effects to the biological organisms and physical landscape surrounding them, aids in determining their vulnerability. The Aleutian islands are expected to experience increased temperatures and precipitation, and increased summer storminess. Similar to other Alaskan communities, they will be impacted by reduced sea ice as well.8 In 2021, the Aleutians experienced an uncharacteristically warm winter and Unalaska had its rainiest February on record. These trends mirror those that are predicted for the region.8 However, in comparison to other Alaskan communities, Unalaska has a low risk of exposure to the biophysical effects of climate change.
Dependence on Fisheries Affected by Climate Change
Reliance on fisheries resources which are being impacted by climate change can determine how vulnerable a community is to disruption from climate change. Unalaska has high engagement with processing in both the groundfish and crab fisheries, Residents are also highly engaged in subsistence fishing of various species of groundfish and crab as well, with most households utilizing at least some subsistence fisheries resources. Overall, Unalaska is highly dependent on fisheries resources which will be impacted by climate change. As abundance and location of species continue to shift, Unalaska residents will likely be severely impacted by these shifts and any commensurate fisheries closures. Recently, Unalaska island has been impacted by several subsistence salmon closures.9 The Aleutian islands also have a history of being impacted by overexploitation of natural resources on which they depend for subsistence and other uses, specifically sea otters and Stellar sea lions.10
Local Adaptive Capacity
Unalaska has low to medium-high limitations on its adaptive capacity. This rating takes into account factors in the community which can make it harder to adapt when disruptions occur. Unalaska received these ratings due to moderate vulnerability of the characteristics of its population, such as age, income level, economic diversity, education, ability to speak English, and the number of individuals in group housing. However, Unalaska ranks as having low social vulnerability in terms of its labor force structure, housing characteristics, poverty, and personal disruption as compared with all other U.S. fishing communities.
| Social Indicators for Fishing Communities* | |
| Labor Force | LOW |
| Housing Characteristics | MED |
| Poverty | LOW |
| Population Composition | HIGH |
| Personal Disruption | LOW |
| *Source: NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology. 2019. NOAA Fisheries Community Social Vulnerability Indicators (CSVIs). Version 3 (Last updated December 21, 2020). https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/socioeconomics/social-indicators-fishing-communities-0 | |
Groundfish Harvesting Engagement - LOW
Unalaska commercial fishers are diversified in commercial fisheries, including halibut, crab, groundfish, and salmon. Salmon remains the most abundant and valuable species; However, a wide range of fishing vessels use Unalaska as a base of fishing operations.On average, from 2019-2023, the majority of harvest revenue came from halibut (35%), pacific cod (29%), crab (22%), and salmon (13%). Fishing vessels owned by Unalaska residents continued a downward trend from a peak of 25 in 2010 to 9 in 2023 (64% decrease). Similarly, ownership of groundfish vessels continues to decline and was below 5 for the first time in 2022 and 2023. The pounds of groundfish harvested has steadily declined since 2014, with a sharp decline in 2018. Compared to 2014, the volume harvested has decreased by 8.5 million pounds (85%) while the ex-vessel value has decreased by about $2.4 million in the same time period (78%).
Crab Harvesting Engagement - LOW
There is not a substantial amount of crab harvesting activity among vessels owned by residents of Unalaska to report. Due to confidentiality concerns, only select data are available.
Subsistence Harvesting Engagement
Residents of Unalaska are almost universally engaged in subsistence fishing, with 96.8% of all households utilizing fisheries resources (according to the most recent data available).11 The most common species include salmon, halibut, crabs (King crab, Tanner crab and Dungeness crab), cod, and rockfish. The high per capita harvest rates of both groundfish and crab indicate that residents of Unalaska rely on these species as key sources of nutrition in their diets. According to more recent data on their halibut and salmon subsistence harvesting practices from the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, trends indicate that engagement in subsistence fishing for these two species has remained relatively constant in recent years, although declines in salmon harvests occurred starting in the year 2017.1213 Given that there have also been recent salmon subsistence fishing closures in the area, it is likely that these closures of declines in the salmon population more generally have impacted their ability to harvest as much as years past.14
Groundfish Processing Engagement - HIGH
Although the majority of Unalaska residents depend on income derived directly from the commercial fishing and fish processing industry, few residents have ownership interest in major seafood related firms. Many of the largest shoreside fish processors are wholly- or partially-owned by Japanese interests (Alyeska15, Westward16, and Unisea17). Many other large processor vessels (motherships), or floating processors are owned by non-Alaskan firms1819, although CDQ groups have some ownership interests as well.20 Unalaska has a total of 13 seafood processing plants, five of which process groundfish. The vast majority of landings in Unalaska over the last five years is pollock at 53.7%; Pacific cod accounts for about 5%, and crab 36.4%. In 2023, Unalaska processed 858 million pounds of groundfish with an associated landed value of $174 million. This is a 4% decrease in volume from 2019 (down 35 million pounds) but an increase in landed value (up $18 million or 12%).
Crab Processing Engagement - HIGH
Unalaska is highly engaged in the crab processing sector. In 2023, 13 Unalaska processors processed 9.69 million pounds of crab with an associated value of $85 million. This marks a 38% decrease (6 million pounds) in volume landed since 2019, yet only a 2% decrease in landed value (down $1.65 million). The amount of BSAI crab processed in the region reached a peak of 37.5 million pounds (with a value of $110 million) in 2008, but the total value was maximized in 2021 at $136 million on a volume of only 19.6 million pounds.
Himes-Cornell, A., K. Hoelting, C. Maguire, L. Munger-Little, J. Lee, J. Fisk, R. Felthoven, C. Geller, and P. Little. 2013. Unalaska. In Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries – Alaska: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands (pp. 237–260). NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-259, Volume 6. National Marine Fisheries Service. https://apps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/REFM/Socioeconomics/Projects/communityprofiles/Regional_Aleutian_and_Pribilof_Islands.pdf↩︎
Himes-Cornell, A., K. Hoelting, C. Maguire, L. Munger-Little, J. Lee, J. Fisk, R. Felthoven, C. Geller, and P. Little. 2013. Unalaska. In Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries – Alaska: Aleutian and Pribilof Islands (pp. 237–260). NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-259, Volume 6. National Marine Fisheries Service. https://apps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/REFM/Socioeconomics/Projects/communityprofiles/Regional_Aleutian_and_Pribilof_Islands.pdf↩︎
Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association. (n.d.). Unalaska. https://www.apiai.org/tribes/unalaska/↩︎
School enrollment statistics compiled from AK. Dept. of Education & Early Development. Retrieved November 14, 2024 at http://www.eed.state.ak.us/stats/↩︎
Alaska Department of Labor. (2023). Alaska Population Estimates: Cities and Census Designated Places (CDPs), 2020 to 2023. https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/data-pages/alaska-population-estimates↩︎
U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2018-2022. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/data↩︎
Tax data from AK. Dept. of Revenue, Annual Reports 2008 2008-2021. Retr.’ 06/30/2022 from http://tax.alaska.gov/programs/sourcebook/index.aspx aspx; Dept. of Commerce AK Taxable Database, AK Division of Community & Regional Affairs. Retr.’10/2022 https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/dcra/dcrarepoext/Pages/AlaskaTaxableDatabase.aspx↩︎
Aleutian & Bering Climate Vulnerability Assessment Assessment-ABCVA. Unalaska Lecture & Community Discussion Discussion-September 2014↩︎
McKenney, Hope. (2021). Warm, wet February in the Aleutians linked to warming ocean temperatures. KTOO Public Media. https://www.ktoo.org/2021/02/19/warm-wet-february-in-the-aleutians-linked-to-warming-ocean-temperatures/↩︎
Rosen, Yereth. (2021). In the Aleutians, climate change and ocean acidification impacts add to legacies of past exploitation. Arctic Today. https://www.arctictoday.com/in-the-aleutians-climate-change-and-ocean-acidification-impacts-add-to-legacies-of-past-exploitation/↩︎
Alaska Department of Fish & Game Division of Subsistence. (2024). 2020 Unalaska Harvest Data. Retrieved November 14, 2024 from https://adfg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/c5a783dd9f9049efb6489cce9fc38319↩︎
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence. 2021. Alaska Subsistence Fisheries Database. Data compiled by Alaska Fisheries Information Network in the Alaska Community Profiling Dataset.↩︎
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence. 2011. Pacific Halibut Subsistence Data. Data compiled by Alaska Fisheries Information Network in Alaska Community Profiling Dataset.↩︎
U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/karac/closures↩︎
Maruha Nichiro Corporation. (2020). Corporate profile 2020. Retrieved from https://www.maruha-nichiro.com/who_we_are/pdf/corporate_profile_en_202007.pdf↩︎
Maruha Nichiro Corporation. (2020). Corporate profile 2020. Retrieved from https://www.maruha-nichiro.com/who_we_are/pdf/corporate_profile_en_202007.pdf↩︎
Nissui Corporation. (n.d.). Global Network (Overseas). Retrieved November 20, 2024, from https://www.nissui.co.jp/english/corporate/group/overseas.html#tab↩︎
Phoenix Processor Limited Partnership. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved November 20, 2024, from https://www.pplp.fish/↩︎
McKenney, H. (2022, January 14). New owner to take over Unalaska fish processing plant. KUCB. Retrieved November 20, 2024, from https://www.kucb.org/industry/2022-01-14/new-owner-to-take-over-unalaska-fish-processing-plant↩︎
Seaman, T. (2022, October 21). CDQ group takes control of Golden Alaska pollock mothership after two catcher boat deals. Undercurrent News. Retrieved November 20, 2024, from https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2022/10/21/cdq-group-takes-control-of-golden-alaska-pollock-mothership-after-two-catcher-boat-deals/↩︎