Kodiak

[NomadicBear]

Thanks for the info, Classic Satch. Scenery doesn't pay the bills! I come from a rural area of WA state, so I know how difficult it can be to find work in a small town. Unemployment here is 15%, which is why I'm moving. I was laid off, and there's just nothing available. Finding a job in this economy seems nothing short of miraculous. At this point, I'd take anything, anywhere as long as I've got a place for the pup.

[mj101]

I was curious if Victor ever went....Although it seems easy to just go, its not. I would have advised someone like him to get a generic job in the fishing industry. By that I mean contacting the main companies in Seattle. They do the bulk hiring for Alaska processing jobs. The main canneries close to Kodiak are Dutch Harbor and Akutan and Bristol Bay. Trust me this is the best way to get there and figure from there what you really want. They will pay for your ticket from Seattle.I personally would recommend getting a job on the big trawler boats they are now doing better than a lot of fishermen. If you really want to get to Kodiak the best thing to do is get a job through UniSeaor Westward Seaffods. They will transport you to Dutch Harbor to work. Dutch Harbor is similar to Kodiak only it is much smaller and has way less stores. But it can give you a taste of island living. Then you can either take a ferry to Kodiak(April through Spt) or fly to Anchorage then Kodiak. I would not advise anyone to just go to these places. The fishing industry has just gotten worse and many would be fishermen show up with no luck(thanks to the "Deadliest Catch" who makes it seem so appealing, NOT).It is soooo expensive and just sad to do it this way. My way is so much better and cheaper. Many people go this route and quit the canneries to look elsewhere.....

[K1GER]

You can get work in shore based or floating canneries usually through their offices in Seattle. You can hit the more Northern locals i.e. Bristol Bay, town of Naknek where there are several canneries, AGS (CANFISCO) or Trident Seafoods are the best to work for anywhere in Alaska. Follow the fish runs and seasons down to the South or go out to Dutch harbor and work a more year round changing fishery. Kodiak can be a tough gig if you don't have references and or an in with the fleet. The canneries in the remote areas are required by law to provide lodging and meals the operations in areas like Kodiak are not so required so you would have to provide housing food and transportation. I worked about 15 years in the industry working to QA Manager and finally reached a point where my body couldn't take the hours and stress anymore. I do miss it and Alaska dearly. Cordova is another good place to look into, canneries lodging and meals a longer season and usually plenty of fish so you can make some money. The area around Cordova is quite beautiful and offers much to do from hiking up mount Eyak, to fishing the rivers, visiting the Childs glacier, photographing the raw beauty of Alaskan wildlife. Anchorage and Ketchikan are the only two places in Alaska I did not care for. Lived there from 1955 to 1998 left the fisheries industry in 2008.