Summer Work in Alaska
Seafood Processors Hire Continuously Throughout Season
By Judith A. Ballard
If you’ve dreamt of a trip to Alaska but didn’t feel you could afford the adventure, think again. Summer is the right time
to visit the 49th state and neighboring Canada.
Seafood processors in coastal communities hire continuously throughout the busy salmon season and are always looking for workers who
don’t mind the long hours and working conditions. Work as little or as long as you choose. Some folks arrive on vacation and stay the entire summer.
They sightsee on days off and down time and return home with a hefty hunk of change in their pockets.
Most processors usually offer housing and meals at a minimal cost, which is deducted directly from your pay—so you’ll incur
no out-of-pocket expenses. Hostels, B & Bs, RV parks, campgrounds, and wilderness camps are available in most areas if you prefer to find your own accommodations.
Most all of these communities offer a wide array of activities such as sport fishing charters, marine and glacier tours, flight-seeing,
kayak rentals, and hiking to name a few.
Upon your arrival in town, the Alaska Employment Center will be glad to direct you to the local seafood processing plants in their area.
To work in Alaska you will need your social security card and state I.D. or driver’s license. You must either be a U.S. citizen or obtain a work visa
and be at least 18 years of age.
Wages vary from about $6 to $7.50 per hour. Any time worked over an 8-hour period is considered overtime. Most processors work very long
shifts.
Here’s a sampling of the many land-based seafood processing plants that hire each summer:
Resurrection Bay Seafood’s, Lowell Point Rd., Seward; 907-224-3366.
Seward Fisheries, City Dock, Seward; 907-224-3381.
Ocean Beauty, Nash Rd., Seward; 907-224-7066.
Ward’s Cove Packing Co., Cannery Rd., Kenai; 907-283-9278
Dragnet Fisheries, Inc., Fish Dock Rd., Homer; 907-235-6023.
Icicle Seafood’s, Inc., Fish Dock Rd., Homer; 907-235-3961.
JUDITH A. BALLARD writes from Cantwell, AK.
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