Ketchikan Indian Community gets $900,000 to revive its fleet for subsistence trips, training and charters

The Ketchikan Indian Community will use 23 vessels and three charter halibut permits, acquired in 2025, to build a tribally controlled maritime program backed by a $900,000 federal grant. The award record states the project's goal is to restore KIC's access to the water, strengthen cultural and subsistence ties and create pathways to marine jobs.

The Administration for Children and Families, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the three-year grant, according to the federal award record. The program will be based at KIC's Salmon Falls property in Ketchikan.

The program plans elder-led subsistence and cultural outings for at least 50 KIC members each year. It will also train at least 30 youth and young adults in vessel safety, operation and maintenance, with at least 10 working toward a Coast Guard license to carry paying passengers.

The award record lists fleet assessment, vessel repairs, safety equipment, registration, insurance and permit activation among the expected work. A limited charter operation is planned to start in year two, along with charter systems, marketing and branding. An independent evaluation is planned as well. Earned revenue is expected to offset more of the operating costs over time and approach a break-even model by the end of year three, the record states.

Charter halibut permits are a limited-access license. Operators in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska have needed one for every trip with clients since Feb. 1, 2011, under NOAA Fisheries rules.

The award period opens Wednesday, Sept. 30, and runs through Sept. 29, 2029.