March 24, 2008 - Seafood was Alaska's top exported product in 2007, raking in more than $1.9 billion, according to the state Office of International Trade.
The value of Alaska's 2007 seafood harvest was the second highest in state history, despite a 1.9 percent decrease from the previous year. The overall value of Alaska's exports fell to $3.9 billion last year, down slightly from the record $4 billion set in 2006.
Japan remained Alaska's biggest trading partner, but the value of exports to Japan decreased by about 22 percent in 2007 from the previous year. Meanwhile, the value of exports to Alaska's second-biggest export customer -- China -- grew by about 51 percent in 2007.
A lot of that growth was from seafood: Alaska's seafood exports to China increased by 27 percent to $411 million in 2007. Chinese seafood companies process Alaska seafood and then re-export it to other countries, including the United States.
Seafood exports to Europe are also growing. A decade ago, European markets accounted for less than 6 percent of the value of Alaska's seafood exports. This year, Europe accounted for about 25 percent of the value of those exports.
