Making Landfall: Linkages between Fishing Communities and Support Services

Abstract

The relationship between the fishing industry and the fisheries-related support service sector creates economic benefits for communities through the strong linkages between fishermen and their land-based suppliers and the induced or multiplier effects from fisheries revenue. The support service sector is embedded within fishing communities where the impacts of fisheries management changes are perpetuated. This article examines the potential for such impacts by evaluating the diversity of fishing gear use, ex-vessel revenue, presence of processing plants, public moorage, and haul-out or tidal grids, and the number of vessels in a community, in relation to the availability of support services in communities in Alaska. The results show that the presence of a processor and haul-out facilities in a community significantly affects the number of support service businesses; however, there is not a strong association with the number of vessels or ex-vessel revenue. One hypothesis is that fishermen often travel to other communities to obtain services. We evaluate this hypothesis using social network analysis to evaluate transfers of revenue for fishery-related goods and services. Ultimately, this informs the exploration of the importance of support service businesses and fishery-support infrastructure to the continued well-being of fishing communities.

Ground-truthing social vulnerability indices of Alaska fishing communities

“…Increasing costs have impacted the availability of ferry, barge and airline services, and the ability of residents to access these services. Larger communities that have sufficient infrastructure, such as Kodiak, Kenai, and Dillingham, are better positioned to support fishing activities and provide services to other communities (Kent and Himes-Cornell 2016;Lyons, Carothers, and Reedy 2016). Some communities lacked ferry service or service was infrequent (i.e., once per month), which diminishes resident's ability to access essential goods, supplies, and services.…”