Alaska’s fishing industry is sailing into a new era of innovation, combining centuries-old traditions with cutting-edge clean energy technology. The transformation creates jobs, develops local expertise, and significantly reduces operating costs for small business owners.
In 2023, fisherman Eric Jordan made history by deploying one of Alaska’s first low-emission fishing boats. His 460-foot vessel, “I Gotta,” utilizes an innovative hybrid battery-diesel system that cuts fuel consumption by a remarkable 80%.
Such an advancement could transform life for Alaskan fishermen. According to a report by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, on average in 2021 and 2022, the industry directly employed nearly 50,000 people, generated $6 billion in economic output, and brought in $161 million in tax revenue and fees. It also produced $2.3 billion in labor income for 17,000 Alaskans from more than 142 different communities across the state. The breakthrough in hybrid technology also poses a significant opportunity for the U.S., considering Alaska accounts for approximately 60% of the country’s commercial seafood production facilities and output.
Jordan’s boat represents years of work between the Sitka-headquartered Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), a cooperative representing more than 160 small commercial fishers, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Linda Behnken, executive director of ALFA, explained, “We tend to be leaders in the climate and environmental space up here. Our fishermen are really eager to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and their fuel costs. . . Everybody who fishes up here cares about the ocean. We care about our legacy to the next generation of fishermen and people who live in these coastal communities. This isn’t just a way to earn a living—it’s a way of life.” Therefore, she applied to the DOE’s Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, even though it does not typically focus on water-based technologies, to take some of the risk out of adopting new clean transportation systems.
The DOE accepted ALFA and ten other communities into the program in 2021 and connected the cooperative with researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories. These specialists then helped analyze operational data to determine the optimal propulsion system for Jordan’s vessel.
Michael Lammert, a commercial vehicle technologies engineer at NREL who led the project, reflected, “Our teammates from Sandia looked at running the boat off of next-generation fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels. We also considered fully battery-electric scenarios and the charging and filling infrastructure that would be needed. Once we looked at the data, built the models, and ran the analysis, it became clear that a plug-in hybrid model was the right path forward for this boat.”
With support from Acme Seafood Company and the AgWest Farm Credit Services, the result was a boat using a Transfluid hybrid propulsion system, allowing it to use diesel power to fly across the water and battery-electric power for a slower cruise through fishing spots. Renewable electricity is sourced entirely locally from hydroelectric dams in Sitka.
ALFA was awarded $700,000 from the DOE to test multiple technologies and convert two commercial fishing boats to hybrid power and one mariculture vessel to fully electric. One of the hybrid boats will use a parallel hybrid system like “I Gotta,” capable of using either the internal combustion engine or the electric motor to propel the boat forward. The other will use a series hybrid system, through which only the electric motor powers the propeller, while the internal combustion engine powers the generator that can recharge the motor.
These projects will create a ripple effect throughout the Alaskan economy. Local boatbuilders will handle the installations, developing expertise in low and zero-emission systems. The knowledge transfer is building capacity within Sitka’s maritime economy that can be applied to future projects and exported to other communities. The financial case is also compelling. With fuel costs capable of consuming large chunks of a fishing operation’s revenue, the reduction in fuel use translates to significant savings.
As Alaska’s maritime and energy sectors evolve, these initiatives prove that sustainability and economic growth can sail together toward a prosperous horizon. Behnken emphasized, “Our goal is to inspire decarbonization across more fleets. We hope to set an example by walking the walk and showing how it can be done. We’re building local capacity here in Sitka knowing that the lessons we learn here can be applied elsewhere. And we really hope they will.”
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