Marina There is no doubt that the stars of National Geographic’s long-running docuseries, Port Protection Alaska, can make life in this remote, off-the-grid community, seem idyllic.
If you are a fan of this immensely popular extreme survival show, or you have simply been researching locations for off-the-grid living in Alaska, you may have found yourself wondering about what life is really like in this unique community.
And chief among the questions that you have probably asked yourself over the course of Port Protection Alaska’s nine seasons is how this handful of residents manage to earn a living when they are so far removed from everyone and everything.
But, just like everything else in Port Protection (from fishing to skiff maintenance) it seems like there are many different ways that residents can go about finding a job or earning an additional income in Port Protection.
Settling down to watch a good episode of Port Protection can sometimes make you feel like you have been transported to this remote part of Alaska yourself.
However, the reality of living (and even working) in Port Protection is slightly different from how it is often portrayed on the show.
To give you a more realistic idea of what life in this community is really like, we have rounded up a few key details about the area, including the following:
| Category | Description |
| Port Protection population | 36 |
| Port Protection size | 3.91 square miles (this includes just over 0.20 square miles that are covered by water) |
| Distance to other towns and cities |
|
If you surf the internet right now, you will find that the only listed job available in Port Protection at the moment, is the position of the Postal Clerk at the local Post Office.
And, if you have been keeping up with the recent Port Protection Alaska gossip, you will know that the reason this job is open is because Troy has reportedly moved away from the area.
Port Protection Alaska: Who is (and is not) still living in Port Protection
However, in general, most of Port Protection’s full-time residents earn a living by fishing.
Moreover, as we have seen on Port Protection Alaska throughout the years, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you can also earn a few extra dollars in Port Protection by selling drawings or other craft projects, selling wooden boxes or other wooden items, opening your own lodge in the area, renting out your boat (or skiff) or by coming up with any number of other creative business ideas.
And if you look a little further to the bigger, nearby towns, there are open positions ranging from opportunities for transportation officers and fish and wildlife technicians to marine mechanic positions and more.
Life in Port Protection is unlike anywhere else in the world, and, this includes the earning and spending of income.
According to ZipRecruiter, the annual pay in Port Protection was just over $71,000 a year as of May 14, 2024.
But since there are so many different ways to earn a living in this tiny, remote community, it seems like earning potential can vary drastically from one job and one person to the next.
As a result, ZipRecruiter lists annual salaries ranging from as low as $36,500 per annum to as high as $110,500 per annum for the current residents of Port Protection.
Fishing and various other business endeavors may be the most common ways for the real-life, full-in residents of Port Protection to make ends meet, but the stars who have been part of the Port Protection Alaska series also generate a little additional income from their participation in the show.
Shows like Port Protection Alaska (and its parent-show, Life Below Zero) typically have iron-clad non-disclosure agreements which prevent the producers and the stars of the show from sharing any behind-the-scenes details like their compensation.
Some sources have reported that the Port Protection Alaska cast may earn up to $4,500 per episode each (and there have been rumors that the cast of Life Below Zero earning as much as $200,000 a year from the show).
But none of these rumors have ever been confirmed.
Port Protection Alaska: What is real and what is not about living in Port Protection
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