Kodiak's first people lived close to the water, hunting sea mammals, birds and fishing the salmon rivers and the Russians initially came to the island for the luxurious pelts of the sea otter. The United States purchase of Alaska triggered the development of the salmon fishery and salmon has been the mainstay of Kodiak since then even with the ups and downs. All five species of salmon (Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink and Sockeye) are fished from Kodiak waters.

Red King Crab took the spotlight in the 60's and 70's when the salmon fishery was rebuilding from previous years of overfishing. When the crab fishery ended in 1983 the salmon fishery was revitalized. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 closed most fisheries.

In the late 1980's the groundfish fishery for Pollock and cod was born and in 1991 it ranked first in value of all the fish landed in Kodiak. Halibut and Tanner crab are also very important. Other fisheries include herring, scallop, sea urchin, shrimp, Dungeness crab, brown king crab and octopus. Today close to 800 commercial fishing vessels make Kodiak their home port.

The Fishery Industrial Technology Center and the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center both support and regulate the fishing industry along with extensive international, national and state regulations.

The Coast Guard station is located on Women's Bay south of town and is the largest in the country. Besides the many rescue operations conducted each year by the Coast Guard, communications navigational support marine safety and training are also a part of their mission.

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