On the Kenai Peninsula, as go the salmon runs, so goes the economy

[unhappycamper]

http://www.adn.com/article/20140831/kenai-peninsula-go-salmon-runs-so-goes-economy



St. Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna has grown rapidly, and their restaurant is often packed during the summer. August 1, 2014.

On the Kenai Peninsula, as go the salmon runs, so goes the economy
Megan Edge
August 31, 2014

SOLDOTNA -- It is not uncommon, during summer on the Kenai Peninsula, to get stuck in a traffic jam, strike out finding a camping spot and then drive to four stores looking for one bag of ice to toss into the cooler. Tourists and Alaskans alike flock to the area just south of Anchorage to catch their own fresh Alaska salmon and, without knowing it, boost the local economy by about 40 percent.

Rick Roeske, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, said that rough 40 percent is about "typical," although it actually fluctuates from year to year and goes with the flow of the salmon runs -- which in recent years have been less than ideal for fishing guides, sport fisherman, setnetters and commercial fishermen.

In Roeske's 34 years on the Kenai Peninsula, he said, he's seen the fishing industry "winding down," which could mean hard times ahead, as it makes up one-fifth of the local economy.

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This summer, he said, business along the Kenai River was as patchy as the salmon runs. Some retailers were profitable while others suffered. Both Alaskans and tourists seem to be hesitant to fill their tanks with high-priced fuel and head to the peninsula if there is a possibly they could go home with empty coolers, Roeske said.