May 27, 2021 — Dutch Harbor has been named the nation’s top fishing port in terms of volume of seafood landed for the 23rd consecutive year. And the Aleutians East Borough — which includes Akutan, False Pass, Sand Point and King Cove — rose from third to second place.
That’s according to an annual report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released earlier this month on the status of U.S. fisheries in 2019.
Frank Kelty currently works as a contractor with the City of Unalaska, updating officials on fisheries issues and revenue projections. He was also mayor of the island community for 13 years before retiring in late 2019.
According to Kelty, NOAA’s annual reports are a bit dated — we’re just now getting data from 2019 when we’re halfway through 2021. But even so, he said, the reports provide an important snapshot of fishing seasons, how production is going and the value of landings being processed.
“It’s a good tool to point out the importance of what goes on in this community, the high volume of product that’s produced here and the importance of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor to the seafood industry not just in Alaska, but in the nation as a whole,” Kelty said.