During the peak season for cruises in Alaska, the population of Ketchikan can swell more than three times its normal size. This town, located at the southern entrance of the Inside Passage and famous for its stunning mountains, abundant salmon, and rich Alaska Native history, typically has around 8,000 residents but often hosts over 17,000 cruise visitors.

Creek Street, an iconic antique boardwalk rising above Ketchikan Creek, becomes a bustling thoroughfare filled with tourists.

“It gets so crowded on days like that, you can barely move on Creek Street,” remarked Lincon Hauser, owner of two local shops. One of his stores, Sam McGee’s, features Alaskan-made products, while Poker Creek Gold specializes in gold nuggets and quartz jewelry. However, the volume of visitors fluctuates tremendously day by day.

The cruise industry in Alaska was already thriving, being a highly sought-after destination known for its glaciers, wildlife, and coastal towns. Yet, some residents express concerns that the industry’s growth is harming the very environment that attracts tourists.

‘Walking a fine line’

Hauser’s family has been operating shops in Ketchikan since the late ’80s, drawn by the booming cruise business. He now owns four shops – some seasonal – and estimates that over 90% of their revenue comes from cruise visitors.

He’s far from the only one to gain from this influx. According to the Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, visitor spending in the state totals nearly $2.2 billion annually, excluding travel expenses. That number rises to $3.7 billion when including job income from the tourist sector, bringing the total economic impact to about $4.5 billion.

In Juneau, which is the busiest cruise port in the state, a report from the McKinley Research Group indicated that cruise activity contributed $375 million in direct spending in 2023.

However, Hauser expressed that the increase in tourists is noticeable. In 2023, approximately 1.7 million cruise passengers came to Alaska, a rise from nearly 1.2 million the previous year, according to the latest data from the Alaska Travel Industry Association. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, around 1.3 million visitors came through.

The financial benefits aren’t entirely clear-cut. “On those very busy days, sales go up,” Hauser noted. “But relative to the number of visitors, you might earn less than on a day with an 8,000-person population, simply because you can take more time to engage with people and make sales—if that sounds too opportunistic.”

Once the cruise ships set sail, much of the generated revenue departs too, leading to scaled-down operations.

The shops on Creek Street might close, but they keep their downtown locations operating until just before Christmas. During the peak season, they hire about a dozen people, but when the season ends, he and his wife are left to run the shops themselves.

“The truth is, if we depended solely on local customers, we wouldn’t last long,” he admitted.

Tourism has spread out more across the city as well. Residents used to escape to nearby Ward Lake, but since cruise ships began docking at Ward Cove in 2021, that option is no longer as accessible. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough has around 13,000 residents.

Tour guide Teague Whalen has also noticed the change. Whalen runs Tongass Teague LLC, offering tours including hikes and backcountry driving adventures for cruise visitors.

One of his favorite excursions leads guests to Settlers Cove State Recreation Site. “It’s a stunning place,” Whalen shared. “There’s a waterfall, and bears come down to catch salmon when they’re running.” This excursion is often followed by a visit to Tongass National Forest.

“I’ve observed a significant increase in traffic there over the last three to four years,” he commented. “We have to work around the timing of the ships coming in and out, making it a bit of a juggling act.”

The challenges of timing may only grow in the future. The cruise season in Alaska has extended beyond its traditional mid-May to mid-September timeframe and now includes April and October as well, according to CLIA Alaska. This year, American Cruise Lines is set to double its capacity, while MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection plan to start operations in Alaska by 2026.

About 65% of summer visitors to Alaska arrive via cruise ships, as noted by CLIA Alaska.

‘A significant shift in culture’

Efforts by the cruise industry to reduce its environmental impact are ongoing, yet many challenges remain. The primary concerns regarding its effects in Alaska include:

• Pollution in water
• Air quality issues
• Noise disturbances
• Wildlife disruptions
• Waste production

Jim Powell, an assistant research professor at the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center at the University of Alaska Southeast, indicated that the situation has changed “significantly” over the past 30 years.

Having previously worked for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, he noted that oil companies were once more cooperative than cruise lines, which often lacked a regulatory culture.

“The culture has changed drastically over the years, along with technological advances,” he pointed out, citing improvements in onboard wastewater treatment technologies as an example.

A variety of environmental regulations have been put in place starting in the early 2000s, mostly at the state level.

The Alaska DEC’s Division of Water, for instance, is responsible for controlling cruise ship wastewater discharges through permits and inspections. During the 2022 cruise season—the first full operating year post-pandemic—the DEC described the compliance monitoring for large ships discharging treated wastewater as “excellent.”

“The 14 vessels that exceeded their limits were engaged and responded quickly, achieving compliance,” noted the DEC. “Typically, these exceedances were isolated incidents rather than indicators of broader operational issues.”

Nearly half of the large cruise ships traveling to Alaska do not discharge wastewater in state waters or are prohibited from doing so, waiting until they are at least three miles offshore to release it. Once three miles out, they can discharge wastewater without state permission, but between three and twelve miles, they must obtain a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the DEC.

In contrast, many smaller vessels—those carrying between 50 and 249 passengers—often experience compliance issues. “Unlike large cruise ships with advanced wastewater treatment systems, smaller vessels sometimes fail to ensure their treated wastewater meets established standards,” the DEC reports.

While these state regulations are a positive development, Powell cautioned that the increasing number of cruise ships and tourists has amplified the environmental impacts overall.

Do Alaska Cruises Harm the Environment?

According to Aaron Brakel from the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), scrubbers, also known as exhaust gas cleaning systems, present significant environmental concerns. These systems are designed to eliminate pollutants from exhaust but may create their own environmental issues.

“By using these systems, ships can comply with federal regulations concerning sulfur oxide emissions without needing low-sulfur fuels,” states the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on its website. One type of scrubber, the open-loop scrubber, utilizes seawater, which is then discharged back into the ocean. Experts argue that while this technology reduces air pollution, it may have negative effects on marine ecosystems.

Research has shown that these discharges can introduce harmful substances that can negatively impact marine life, some of which have been linked to cancer in marine mammals, according to reports from The Guardian. As of mid-2023, over 5,000 vessels in the shipping industry are equipped with scrubbers, as reported by the International Council on Clean Transportation.

“This is extremely irresponsible,” said Brakel, who manages Clean Water Campaigns at SEACC. “It is entirely unacceptable, especially considering the critical issues of ocean acidification, climate change, and the global extinction crisis we are facing.”

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) did not respond to multiple inquiries for comments.

‘Beneficial Interactions’

Additional concerns arise from cruise-related activities such as helicopter and floatplane tours, which can create considerable noise, and whale-watching excursions.

“Our whale-watching industry is very popular among cruise ship passengers,” noted Shannon Atkinson DeMaster, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. “Passengers generally have positive experiences because our local whales are clustered, allowing the whale-watching industry to approach them closely.”

Having studied humpback whales for over 20 years and worked nearly six seasons on the Juneau Whale HEALTH Project, DeMaster explained that while there are guidelines limiting human interaction with whales, incidents of vessel strikes from cruise ships and other boats do occur—especially concerning calves, which are most at risk due to entanglement in fishing nets.

Despite these concerns, DeMaster believes that “the positive interactions are countless.”

“Every time a whale surfaces for air, it’s thrilling, particularly when multiple animals approach or when a mother and calf are present. These moments can be incredibly educational for cruise passengers and the whale-watching industry,” she mentioned. “It creates an exciting experience and a valuable learning opportunity.”

Whales migrate and return to Juneau around the same time that cruise ships are in the area, although they may arrive earlier and remain later. DeMaster expressed uncertainty about the sustainability of the whale-watching industry’s ongoing growth.

Cruise lines have implemented several measurable steps to minimize their environmental footprint, from reducing food waste to decreasing noise pollution in sensitive regions like Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Juneau became the first port globally to install shore power, according to CLIA Alaska, which aids in lowering pollution levels.

According to Carnival Corp., the parent company of Holland America Line and Princess Cruises—two lines known for their Alaska cruise offerings—hotels for their guests diverted over 760,000 pounds of materials from state landfills last year. Additionally, sister brand Carnival Cruise Line contributed $50,000 to the Alaska Carbon Reduction Fund, among other initiatives.

However, the company and its cruise lines have faced fines over environmental violations in Alaska over the years, as reported by Business Insider.

‘What is Our Limit?’

Some communities have instituted or suggested limitations on cruise traffic. Locations from Venice, Italy, to Bar Harbor, Maine, have taken measures to address the issue. Major cruise operators like Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Disney Cruise Line agreed to a daily limit of five ships in Juneau, which started last year.

An agreement will impose a daily cap of 16,000 available lower berths—and 12,000 on Saturdays—beginning in 2026. A recent proposal for “Ship-Free Saturdays” was voted down last fall, and a new ballot initiative aimed at limiting cruise passengers in Sitka received legal approval after three unsuccessful attempts, as reported by Alaska news site KTOO.

Hauser recognized the potential advantages of such limits—like providing a break for local businesses on Saturdays during the busy tourist season—but expressed uncertainty about which approach would satisfy everyone involved. “There’s no straightforward solution,” he remarked.

Whalen mentioned a desire for more engagement on balancing tourism benefits against residents’ needs. “That’s a complicated issue since Alaska has historically been in a cycle of boom and bust; we strive to maximize our opportunities to keep living in this beautiful place,” he stated.

At the same time, Whalen emphasized that his tours serve as opportunities to highlight the significance of conserving natural resources.

He often discusses the impact of logging while guiding visitors through logged forests. These experiences spark conservation discussions among the group, occasionally leading to brainstorming sessions on possible solutions.

“With more and more visitors entering an area,” Whalen noted, “it raises the question: What is our limit? What will constitute a healthy balance for our environment, our waterways, and our town, as well as its residents?”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter based in Nashville.