Trolling is a unique, environmentally responsible fishery that has been one of the primary components of the Southeast Alaska economy for over 100 years.
Trolling is a year-round fishery that selectively targets salmon with hook and line. Trollers are fishermen skilled in the art of enticing adult salmon to strike individual lures.
Entry into the troll fishery is limited by the State of Alaska, which also regulates fishing time and trolling gear to maintain the continuing good health of the salmon stocks. Fish are caught one at a time, immediately cleaned and iced, or frozen to temperatures approaching 40 degrees below zero. The special care and prompt processing techniques used by trollers produces high-quality salmon that are prized throughout the world.
Seafood is the number one private sector employer in the State of Alaska. The troll fleet is one of the largest in the state and its permit holders are 85% resident. Trolling provides more jobs for Alaskan citizens than any other fishery and is especially important to those who live in smaller communities; roughly one of every 40 people in the Alaska Panhandle works on the back deck of a troll boat. This does not begin to account for the processing and support sector jobs that trolling generates. With those kinds of numbers, it can truly be said that what is good for trolling is good for Alaska.
Fishing Ride-Along: How is Wild Alaska Salmon Fished? (Part 1: Trolling)