Going in the right direction?

Ketchikan Daily News: For the most part, Alaska is going in the direction we want for its goods. Last week it topped the $5 billion mark for exports for the first time.

According to the governor’s office, exports for 2010 were $4.2 billion for the entire year. The $5 billion total is for the first 11 months of 2011.

As those who know firsthand the value of wild Alaska salmon, we are particularly pleased to note that seafood exports had the greatest increase over the past year, going up 34 percent to reach $2.4 billion. Mineral ore exports rose 31.4 percent, to $1.7 billion.

An unfortunate note was a decline in energy exports, to $348.3 million. The category includes liquefied natural gas, refined petroleum products and coal. Within those groups, the value of refined petroleum exports more than tripled, to $73.2 million, according to Gov. Sean Parnell, and coal was up 14.6 percent.

Precious metal exports grew to $243.4 million, up 28.3 percent.

2011 saw another first as far as Alaska exports went. China was the No. 1 importer from Alaska, followed by Japan, South Korea, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia and Finland.

Alaska’s resources are our bread and butter, supplies that these latest figures show the world badly needs. It is gratifying that there is a market for the high-quality products that Alaskans know how to extract and handle responsibly.