Measuring the multiregional economic contribution of an Alaska fishing fleet with linkages to international markets

The Alaska head and gut (H&G) fishing fleet, a major component of the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands region (BSAI) groundfish fisheries, was recently rationalized under Amendment 80 (A80) to the BSAI groundfish fishery management plan. Economic impacts from H&G sector activities occur not only in Alaska but also extend to other U.S. regions via economic linkages with economic agents in those regions. Using a multiregional social accounting matrix (MRSAM) model of three U.S. regions (Alaska, West Coast, and rest of USA), the multiregional contribution of the H&G industry is estimated, and multiregional impacts of selected shifts in H&G sector production are evaluated in terms of changes in output, employment and income. Results indicate that the A80 H&G fleet vessels are important participants in Alaska fisheries, that more than half of the impacts from the H&G fleet on total output and about 80% of the impacts on household income accrue outside Alaska, and that the H&G fleet is relatively insensitive to variations in world prices of its primary products.