We may think that any monitoring conducted by a government organization in 2026 would happen using drones, sensors, and some AI dashboard performing calculations behind the scenes. However, as far as salmon fisheries in Alaska go, the process is far from automatic. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, a significant proportion of the salmon counting process carried out in Alaska is based on a method where a technician standing along the banks of a river clicks the counter every time he sees a salmon swim past; sometimes for ten minutes every hour, throughout the entire summer. This ten-minute-per-hour sampling routine is the method used at fish-counting towers, one of several manual techniques the department relies on. These are not just empty numbers. They are used directly to determine the number of fish that can be caught commercially and by recreational fishermen and also if enough salmon have survived for breeding.
The century-old jobs still keep Alaska's fisheries running
