Alaska’s Seafood Industry has many opportunities
for seasonal or full time work. Advancement into management or technical
positions with good pay and benefits is possible.
SEAFOOD WORKERS may do the following:
- Unload fish from a boat; shovel chipped ice; clean and pack
fish eggs.
- Butcher frozen, fresh or salted fish for marketing or further
processing; move racks of product in and out of freezer room.
- Clean fish; scrape, cut, gut, head, wash, clean stomach linings;
fillet; prepare for canning, freezing or smoking.
- Butcher live crab; prepare shellfish; clean, remove foreign
matter; weigh; record weights; sort; pack in jars, cans, boxes
or containers of crushed ice for fresh pack.
- Feed cans and lids into lidding machine; operate machines to
move live or packed seafood from place to place.
WHAT THE WORK IS LIKE - Seafood processing
jobs can be rewarding, especially when there are opportunities to
work overtime hours and save money quickly. The typical environment
of a seafood processing plant requires that most employees wear
rain gear, rubber boots and gloves to process and rinse fish as
it is filleted, canned or turned into a value-added product.
TYPES OF PROCESSORS - Seafood processing
plants may be shore based, floating processors, or on-board at-sea
processing ships.
At-sea processors are ships that operate in Bristol Bay and the
Bering Sea both catching and processing seafood product such as
pollock. Work on an at-sea processor is a great job for some people.
You work, eat, sleep and basically spend the season out on the fishing
grounds. Since you rarely get to a town, it can be an easy way to
save money.
Shore based plants are located throughout the coastal regions and
along the major river systems of Alaska. The largest concentrations
occur in Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, Kodiak,
the Aleutian Islands and Bristol Bay. Within each of these areas,
there are urban, semi-remote and remote sites. Plants located close
to larger communities are easily accessible and often have several
people applying for each job.
Floating processors are plants on large ships and barges that usually
anchor near shore and receive harvested fish for processing.
RECRUITMENT AND APPLICATION - Seafood
jobs are listed at www.jobs.state.ak.us
through the Alaska Job Center Network. Click on either “Seafood
Jobs,” or the “Alaska Job Bank.” The Alaska Job
Bank allows you to search by specific occupation (e.g., cook, mechanic,
quality control, etc.), or location (e.g., Naknek, Dutch Harbor,
Kodiak, etc.). There is no fee for using Alaska Job Center Network
services.
Applicants must be physically present in Alaska to be referred
through the Alaska Job Center Network to one of these jobs. Employers
also recruit workers through their companies or other reliable recruitment
offices.
The best time to apply varies, although we recommend you apply
as early as possible, up to three months before a season starts
by contacting an Alaska Job Center for recruitment details (see
back page for location and contact information). An Alaska Job Center
Network Seafood Hotline, (907) 465-8900, provides recorded information
about current recruitments by company location and how to apply.
The Anchorage Midtown Job Center at 3301 Eagle Street is a central
hiring point for seafood processing jobs around the state in all
three categories of processing plants, and may be reached toll-free
in Alaska at 1-800-473-0688. Weekly recorded updates about orientations,
recruitments, and work calls at the Anchorage Midtown Job Center
are available at (907) 269-4770, extension 7.
A map showing when fishery seasons occur in Alaska is available
at www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us.
Processing seasons vary by location, but those most in need generally
are: pollock “A” season (January through April), Bristol
Bay herring season (mid-April for 2 to 3 weeks), salmon season (June
through early September), and Pollock “B” season (July
through mid-November).
TRANSPORTATION - Find out what the
transportation arrangements are before accepting a job. Employers
try to hire close to the job site. Each company has policies on
transportation, and job seekers must pay close attention. Alaska
law requires that if you are hired by a company that pays your way
to the worksite, the employer is required to pay your return fare
... UNLESS you are discharged for cause, which may include alcohol
consumption or drug abuse, prolonged unexcused absences, or if you
don’t tell the truth on your application for work.
THE INTERVIEW - Pay close attention
to a prospective employer’s description of the job and working
conditions – particularly on floating processors, out on the
open water fishing grounds, or in remote sites. Alaska seafood companies
work hard to process the harvest in a safe working environment because
the work is performed with and close to machinery. A reputable company
has well-defined personnel and safety policies and provides safety
and health training for all employees.
Be sure you understand the employer’s rules regarding hours
of work, pay, room and board, and the possibility of transportation
to and from the job site. Good companies will welcome your questions.
If you have doubts, ask to see written policies. Carefully read
any employment agreement before you sign. If you are not comfortable
with the job offer or the working conditions, a simple “no
thank you” is an appropriate response.
WAGE/HOUR AND SAFETY INFORMATION -
All employees should write the hours they work each day in a notebook
so that if problems occur, you have documentation. The Labor Standards
and Safety Division of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce
Development may help people who have wage or safety problems. For
problems over wages, contact them in Anchorage at (907) 269-4900;
in Fairbanks at (907) 451-2886; and in Juneau at (907) 465-4845.
For workplace safety issues, call 1-800-770-4940.
Employee safety issues that arise on an at-sea processor outside
the three-mile limit are handled by the U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Contact them in Anchorage
at (907) 271-5152. For potential problems with wages earned on a
at-sea processor outside the three-mile limit, call the U.S. Department
of Labor’s Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour
Division at 1-866-486-9243.
YOUTH ages 16 and 17 must have a work
permit, issued in Alaska by the Labor Standards and Safety Division
of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (contact
them in Anchorage at (907) 269-4900, or in Juneau at (907) 465-4842,
or download and print a work permit from the Internet at http://labor.state.ak/lss/forms/workpmit.pdf).
A work permit requires the original or faxed signature of a parent
or legal guardian. A good employer will ensure that youth under
age 18 work appropriate duties and hours. Wage and hour information
for youth employment is also available from the Alaska Department
of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Standards and Safety Division.
ALCOHOL AND ILLEGAL DRUGS - Alaska’s
seafood industry has a drug-free policy. Most companies require
drug testing.
CAREERS - Seafood industry workers,
who take pride in their work, work well as a team and complete their
employment season can do well in this industry, with opportunities
to advance up the career ladder. If workers return season after
season to a good company, they gain opportunities for advanced experience
and additional training that allow them to meet their goals, such
as to save money for school, or move into higher paying jobs with
benefits, including supervisory, managerial, quality control, sales,
production development, or corporate office careers. Finishing a
season for a first-time worker tells future employers that you have
a reliable work history and a good work ethic. To find out more
about seafood career information and ways to advance in the industry,
go to www.jobs.state.ak.us (click on “Seafood Jobs”).
PAY - Entry-level, on-shore processors
in remote areas earn $7.15 per hour when room and board and transportation
are provided. Urban work sites without company housing pay a slightly
higher wage. Hours and earnings are not guaranteed; they depend
on how many fish are caught and when they arrive. A strong salmon
run with work in excess of 14 hours per day, seven days a week,
and overtime at time and a half make it possible for an entry-level
worker in eight weeks to earn and save a very good income.
At-sea processing workers are paid by percentage of catch, and
if a company has a good catch, it is possible to earn thousands
of dollars in share income during pollock “A” season
(January through April).
HOUSING - Seafood processing plants
in remote areas often provide employees’ food and lodging
and may charge a minimal amount. Others may provide meals but no
housing. Hotels and motels are usually few or non-existent; if they
are available, rooms are expensive. Rentals, youth hostels, YMCA’s
and charitable organizations are not available in most processing
plant locations. Camping is allowed in very few areas. If housing
is not provided, and you know camping is available, you may want
to take a tent, tarp, stove, utensils, sleeping bag, just in case.
Don’t bring valuables or irreplaceable items. You may be living
in a group situation. Always ask about housing and get confirmation
about what a company provides before you accept any job.
DOCUMENTATION - By law, within three
days of being hired you must furnish documents that prove your identity
and show that you can legally work in the United States. Alaska
Job Center Network staff will confirm that workers possess appropriate
documentation before referring them to a job. For a list of acceptable
documents, contact the Alaska Job Center or Immigration and Naturalization
Service (INS) office nearest you.
WHAT ELSE TO BRING
- Durable raingear and duct tape for repair, knee-high rubber
rain boots with wool liners, wool or polypropylene socks, bib
style waterproof pants, baseball hat and warm hat with ear covers
for cold weather, three sets of warm work clothes, layered clothing
in soft luggage or sea bag.
- Items such as required medication (two months’ supply),
extra eyeglasses or contacts, towels/washcloths, toilet articles,
non-electric alarm clock, a small notebook to keep track of your
hours and addresses.
- Identification and right-to-work in the U.S. documents.
TRAVELING SEAFOOD WORKFORCE - This
program offers extended work for seafood processing workers and
helps ease the seasonal labor shortage. Moving workers from one
completed contract to another as fishery seasons progress benefits
everyone. Seafood processing workers and seafood companies benefit
from reduced transportation costs. Alaska Job Center staff work
in Naknek, Alaska, during the peak of the Bristol Bay salmon season
to recruit and relocate seafood workers who complete their contracts
between late June and mid-July. For summer opening dates of the
Naknek office and contact information check the Seafood Jobs website.
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