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The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Dutch Harbor Ranks As Nation's Top Port For 20th Consecutive Year

Laura Kraegel/KUCB

For the 20th year in a row, Dutch Harbor has been recognized as the largest fishing port in America.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made the announcement Wednesday in its annual fisheries study.

Unalaska’s port held on to its longtime title easily, hauling 770 million pounds of commercial seafood in 2016.

“Walleye pollock continues as the big catch there,” said Ned Syr, Director of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology.

Credit Courtesy of NOAA Fisheries

Dutch Harbor’s haul was worth $198 million in total. That’s down $20 million and 17 million pounds from the previous year.

City officials blame the dip on a bad year for Bering Sea crab fisheries, which suffered slashed quotas and canceled seasons. They've said Unalaska’s budget has already taken a small hit.

Meanwhile, Alaska continues to lead all other states in commercial landings. Alaska fishermen brought in 5.6 billion pounds of seafood, more than half the national total.

Laura Kraegel reported for KUCB from 2016 until 2020. She was KUCB's news director starting in 2019. We are proud to have her back in the spring of 2023 filling in as an interim reporter for KUCB.
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