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Naknek's dock gets official welcome

June 29th 7:28 pm | Hannah Heimbuch Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Bristol Bay Borough and state officials held a belated ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new dock in Naknek last week.

The dock, which constitutes one phase of Naknek's port expansion project, actually became operational last year, though finishing touches have been ongoing.

The new digs are located adjacent to the old dock, situated so that it can take over port operations during the next phase — demolition and rebuilding of the older structure.

Not all funding has been finalized for that next phase, as bond packages await approval from voters. Thus far more than $10 million has gone into the project.

For now, both the old dock and the new will be fully functional for the current fishing season.

Naknek is a major regional hub, serving both the seafood industry and western communities. It's ranked as the fourth busiest seafood port in the country, and getting busier.

The additional dock space in no way feels like extra space, said Port Foreman and Harbor Master Herk McDermott. The new dock has been a huge help in dealing with the increasing volume coming through Naknek, he said, estimating that volume has quadrupled since 1995.

"When we're in the thick of the season, it's a pretty impressive operation," he said.

This includes the massive export volume created by the seafood industry, as well as providing that industry and the surrounding communities with supplies.

Super barges measuring 400 by 100 feet are able to off load at Naknek, McDermott said, and they are one of the major stops between Dutch Harbor and Bethel.

The difficulty with the next step in the expansion project is putting all that business onto the new dock alone, while tearing down and rebuilding the adjacent dock in a timely manner.

That's why it's helpful they're at a pause in construction right now, McDermott said.

"Fishing season is also the construction season, and we couldn't build and operate at the same time," he said. "Having a construction effort while we're doing what we do is definitely problematic."

And what they do during that season is no small feat.

While Naknek is rated the fourth busiest seafood port, the three ports ahead of it — Dutch Harbor, Kodiak and New Bedford, Mass. — are all year round ports. Naknek manages to rank up with the big dogs even though the bulk of its operations are essentially a three-month per year gig.

Naknek Mayor Dan O'Hara, Representative Bryce Edgmon and ADF&G Commissioner Cora Campbell were just a few of the officials present for Saturday's ribbon cutting.

They addressed the gathering, commending the progress the expansion has made.

"It's an important project for the community and for the borough but actually for the whole state," Campbell said in a KDLG radio recording, as she addressed those present for the ribbon cutting. "It's just incredible when you think about how much freight goes across this dock every year, how many communities are served by it."

Once funding is secured for the next phase of construction, it will be opened for contractor bids.

Hannah Heimbuch can be reached at hheimbuch@reportalaska.com.

 

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