There are 125 small boat harbors in Alaska serving diverse maritime users, including commercial fisherman, recreational boaters, freight and fuel tug operators, tourism-related charters and Alaskan Native subsistent hunters and fishers. The conditions of the small boat harbors vary significantly based on the economic viability of the municipality, with numerous facilities unable to maintain and repair aging infrastructure due to the lack of local funding. Waning state revenues is an impediment to providing grant funding and capital investment to both municipal-and state-owned harbors. The Port of Anchorage, which receives 85% of all consumer goods entering the state, is unable to adequately fund a needed modernization project. The lack of a deep-water Arctic port is a barrier to providing the infrastructure necessary to develop Alaska resources and to carry out national strategic goals in the region.

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