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  • 11 hours ago
The Viking Maid Video 2008
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00:00:02OK, I got a coast report for you over, Kenny, just checked in on the battle right there at the
00:00:06coast, over.
00:00:08Does he need a tender?
00:00:11He had six fish in his first set, over. Six fish, two sockeyes, three dogs, one and a pig.
00:00:20What a bummer. Good side's coming. Good side will get there when it's over.
00:00:28Yeah, I know. That's what I looked at, the good tide. If you don't get the good tide, this helps
00:00:32me out there.
00:00:34So anyway, he's... Oh, I got a dog inside. Holy shit, it's a sockeye. I gotta curl him.
00:00:40Look at him go. He's got three dimes.
00:00:43Man, fish like your voice. You stay right there. Fish love your voice.
00:01:20Kenan, go this way, Mike. Let's go, Mike.
00:01:24I'm kind of, I guess, deck boss.
00:01:27It's a little bit more dangerous, I guess,
00:01:28because you're right next to the deck winch,
00:01:30and lots of people get hurt doing that.
00:01:31But you just got to be careful.
00:01:33You got to be paying attention.
00:01:34That's the main part about fishing.
00:01:37You always got to be paying attention,
00:01:40because, I mean, you could kill yourself doing this.
00:01:54We pull the net to the beach,
00:01:55or we're doing open toes offshore.
00:01:58I just, I work together with the skipper,
00:02:01and we try to corral the fish.
00:02:08This is actually my first year.
00:02:11Actually, this is my third trip out.
00:02:14So I'm a greenhorn, as they like to call us.
00:02:26Yeah, I work the cork and the web,
00:02:29and I work the tow line.
00:02:31The tow line is where we hook up the skips
00:02:33so we don't drift.
00:02:35So we stay away from shore.
00:02:39There you go, going up!
00:02:49Inside Suckeye!
00:02:50Inside Suckeye!
00:02:50Inside Suckeye!
00:02:54Inside Suckeye!
00:02:59It sounds real adventuresome to some of these young fellows,
00:03:01you know, until they come out and do it
00:03:03and find out it's actual work.
00:03:04Yeah.
00:03:05You know, and we haven't even begun the season, you know.
00:03:08It's not gotten crazy yet.
00:03:12When we start fishing two on, two off,
00:03:14or four on and one off,
00:03:17then it really gets to be a drag.
00:03:19I mean, it's a grind.
00:03:20So, you know,
00:03:24it's a spawn.
00:03:24It's an island for you.
00:03:24No, you're not.
00:03:25You're not.
00:03:27You're not.
00:03:27You're not.
00:03:27Ain't.
00:03:40No, you're not.
00:03:50But there is a sign.
00:04:33It looks just like a cancer.
00:04:35The flesh is completely falling away from itself.
00:04:39I had a case down there that was so bad that I cut one fillet off of the side of
00:04:45the fish,
00:04:46got halfway through the other side and held it up and the fillet completely peeled off
00:04:50the rest of the bone.
00:04:53According to the United States EPA guidelines, consumption of more than one serving of farmed
00:04:59salmon per month could pose unacceptable cancer risks.
00:05:05I manage a seafood department right now in a grocery store and the disgusting part of
00:05:09it is those fish are going to people at these high end restaurants or any restaurant for
00:05:14that matter and people are eating that and they're not aware of what they're eating.
00:05:21It's also hurting all the fishermen because these engineered fish are taking over the market.
00:05:30Everyone's buying them because they're so much cheaper and it's a real problem.
00:05:36I'm afraid that it's going to take over and my way of life is going to go away.
00:05:48Ketchikan is a small town nestled along the shoreline of a vast, flooded mountain range that makes
00:05:54sense of southeast Alaska.
00:05:56Surrounded by ocean fjords and national forests, Ketchikan's unique location was founded and
00:06:02its roots and history rest on the abundant wild Pacific salmon.
00:06:09In 1885, an Irishman named Mike Martin purchased 160 acres of land from an Indian named Paper-nosed
00:06:16Charlie.
00:06:18The land included a salmon stream nicknamed Fish Creek.
00:06:21Its Tlingit Indian name translates to the spread wings of an eagle and it became Ketchikan's
00:06:27namesake.
00:06:30Salmon psalteries began production, followed by canneries and in the year 1900, with a
00:06:35population of 800, the town became a city.
00:06:39Trolling for salmon began on a small scale in 1903 and canneries continued to expand in
00:06:45size and number.
00:06:481912, Ward's Cove Cannery was established, and in 1913, Ketchikan Cold Storage was built,
00:06:55with a capacity to produce 70 tons of ice and storage capacity of over 7,500,000 pounds.
00:07:04The halibut industry began to boom, and by 1930, more than 150 halibut boats and 1,000 salmon
00:07:11boats called Ketchikan home.
00:07:13These fishermen maintained a steady supply of seafood for the 13 canneries and cold storages
00:07:19that had by then been established.
00:07:21The industry underwent trials and tribulations.
00:07:24Fish pirates raged against fish traps.
00:07:27And federal mismanagement eventually gave way to state regulation.
00:07:32The wild Alaskan salmon that had supported indigenous peoples for thousands of years, and that gave
00:07:39life to the city of Ketchikan, remains an important part of the town's identity.
00:07:45Despite 120 years of commercial fishing, Alaska maintains the only healthy and sustainable
00:07:53salmon fishery in the world.
00:07:57In the 1990s and the early 2000 have been the highest catches and escapements in the history
00:08:06of Alaska, so we're off the scale in terms of the production of wild stocks and the aquaculture
00:08:14programs as well.
00:08:15And we have an extremely dedicated crew of biologists that work for the state that work
00:08:21tremendous hours to see to it that it's managed properly.
00:08:25They do a tremendous job.
00:08:28They're as healthy now as they've ever been, if not healthier.
00:08:32In fact, the Chinook stocks on the mainland are healthier than we've seen them.
00:08:36I've been on the Chinook Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission for years,
00:08:40and we've been dealing with rebuilding the stocks to their historic levels, and in most
00:08:48cases we're up over the natural escapements that we're looking for, and everything's as
00:08:53healthy as it's been.
00:08:54So I would say, in general, it's probably the healthiest fishery in the world right now.
00:08:58It's got a real bright future.
00:09:01I don't see any wild problems anywhere.
00:09:05Over the years, rules and regulations have really been put in place to protect salmon
00:09:11streams.
00:09:11And I'd say, by and large, here in southeast Alaska, we have, as I said, almost pristine
00:09:17spawning grounds for the salmon.
00:09:19And we've been very fortunate that we've had very good marine survivals.
00:09:22Just the natural survival we've had over the last 20 to 25 years has been wonderful.
00:09:28And because we do manage the fisheries to assure escapement, we've been able to take advantage
00:09:37of the great marine survivals.
00:09:38And we have more fish right now than we know what to do with up here.
00:09:48Yeah, that's been a lot of fun having Jared.
00:09:51He's been with us fishing since he was about eight.
00:09:54It's pretty much a family industry.
00:09:57It kind of goes down from generation to generation.
00:10:00I might be next, unless I find a good land job.
00:10:05Ron, my skiff man, is born and raised in Chomley Sound, which is an island on Prince of Wales
00:10:11Island.
00:10:13And he's a mountain man, born out of his time period, and he's a full-time commercial fisherman.
00:10:21I longline halibut, black cod, Pacific cod, and I've done some shrimping.
00:10:28I haven't done that for a few years.
00:10:29I've done a little herring fishing, and Kodiak Tanner fish, which is a crab, and salmon.
00:10:42Jason, he's, I've known him since he was real little, and he's been bugging me for years,
00:10:47a high school kid that's just been bugging me and bugging me.
00:10:51And so I finally took him up and said, OK, let's go.
00:10:54First trip, I got sick.
00:10:56Second trip, hurt my arm.
00:10:58Then this trip, I got sunburnt really bad.
00:11:02My goal for the next trip is not to get hurt at all.
00:11:05The one slot Mike is filling, that slot's been filled for six years.
00:11:10It's just by happenstance mostly that if we need a guy and one of the other crewmen know
00:11:17some of somebody that we want to give a chance, we'll give them a chance.
00:11:22But it's, I don't go shopping for salmon crew members.
00:11:30Day one on board the Viking Maid.
00:11:33The crew is the first to arrive on board.
00:11:36They don't know where they are going or when, but there's always work to be done
00:11:40and always supplies to be bought.
00:11:42Do you have cream or no?
00:11:44Oh, chocolate milk.
00:11:45We're not getting chocolate milk.
00:11:48Where they go is always a mystery until Russell brings word.
00:11:51Yesterday, McAllister did a test set at Hawk Hillet.
00:11:55Seventy-some thousand pounds.
00:11:58Well, they're going to make an announcement this afternoon,
00:12:00then we'll decide which way we're going to move.
00:12:02Only certain areas will be open to fishing, and of those areas,
00:12:06fishermen pick a spot based on past experience, time of year, weather,
00:12:11gut feelings, instinct, and superstition.
00:12:14Many captains are so superstitious and secretive
00:12:17that not even their crews are given a clue as to where they are going.
00:12:20Because in fishing, who's catching what and where is very important.
00:12:32Time to get down to the business of fishing.
00:12:35We're headed north to Hidden Falls.
00:12:41Possibly.
00:12:42To Hidden Falls.
00:12:43To Hidden Falls, which is a terminal harvest area.
00:12:48Chase some chum salmon.
00:12:51It's an opening up there on Sunday.
00:12:54We have like a 20-hour boat ride here up the beach.
00:12:58Go up through here, up through here, up through Wranglin Arrows by Petersburg,
00:13:01across Fredericks Sound, down Gardner, up by Hidden Falls,
00:13:05in Chatham Straits.
00:13:07Here's Juneau over here.
00:13:09This is Sitka out here.
00:13:11This is Petersburg.
00:13:14It's kind of like a shootout.
00:13:17Yeah, there could be about a hundred boats in a seven, eight-mile area.
00:13:24So it's going to be real crowded, real crazy.
00:13:27A lot of boats dodging and weaving.
00:13:33It's pretty entertaining, really.
00:13:36A lot of guys scratching and clawing for a good set.
00:13:41Chums.
00:13:43Hopefully it should be the fishing, but...
00:13:46Yeah, it should be.
00:13:48We'll get a boatload.
00:13:49Oh, I've been at this too long to get too excited, but...
00:13:55We've had sets as big as 50,000 pounds before, which is half a boatload in one set.
00:14:02So it'll be fun.
00:14:06Didn't a couple boats run into each other that year, too?
00:14:09Boat rolled over.
00:14:10That's what happened.
00:14:12Or was it some guy got hit by the main tow line?
00:14:15Yeah, the helicopter came and medevaced a guy off the back deck.
00:14:18Toe line snapped.
00:14:20Yeah, it was crazy.
00:14:21That was the day we had the 50,000-pound set.
00:14:24We couldn't get it aboard.
00:14:25It took us two hours.
00:14:26Remember that?
00:14:27That was our first set of the season, wasn't it?
00:14:29First set of the year.
00:14:31Yeah, our very first set of the year.
00:14:3250-some thousand pounds.
00:14:33It was Timmy's and Jeff's first year, and we had to rail them all out.
00:14:38Yeah, they didn't know what a railer was.
00:14:39Look, I remember hitting Timmy with the end of that railer, like, every time.
00:14:45Sorry, Timmy.
00:14:49Yeah, okay.
00:14:50We'll just go inside or go around the starboard side.
00:14:54I can't read.
00:15:04There's people that will try it and then never do it again,
00:15:07and there's people that will do it and love it
00:15:08and keep doing it, I would say.
00:15:10You know what I mean?
00:15:11And then there's dudes that will come in and work for a week
00:15:14and be like, I'm out of here.
00:15:15You know, this is not my gig.
00:15:17It's almost impossible.
00:15:19You take all these different personalities
00:15:22and you shove them on a 58-foot boat and try to make sure they get along
00:15:25and plus teach them a job that they'll luckily get in a year
00:15:30and you only have about a week to teach them it.
00:15:32Guys, you always got to be telling them what to do,
00:15:34and they just sit there staring at their hands all day.
00:15:38You know, guys like that really piss me off.
00:15:40You know, guys aren't going to make it.
00:15:42Like, I think there's a guy on Gary's boat now,
00:15:44the guy who's running the hydraulics.
00:15:46I think he's going to quit as soon as he gets back to Ketchikan.
00:15:49I don't know if Gary knows that now, but the other kid was telling me that.
00:15:53But, yeah, so there'd be, like, crew members.
00:15:56You can constantly go through them.
00:15:58We went through six guys, so, you know, they don't mess around.
00:16:02You screw up, you're done.
00:16:04We'll take you back to town, drop you off,
00:16:05or sometimes if you piss the captain off enough,
00:16:08we'll drop you off on the nearest packer.
00:16:09You don't even make it back to town.
00:16:12It's working on a boat.
00:16:13I mean, it's something you can do, anybody can do,
00:16:18but not everybody can.
00:16:25Early the next morning, the Viking maid reaches the road
00:16:28from Wrangell Narrows, nicknamed Christmas Tree Lane.
00:16:31More than 70 navigational aids light up the 21-mile stretch
00:16:36of narrow waterway passage.
00:16:38In some places, it is only 100 yards wide.
00:16:42Its average depth is only 19 to 22 feet,
00:16:45and navigating its passage requires at least 46 nautical course changes.
00:17:01At the northern edge of Wrangell Narrows is another small fishing town,
00:17:05Petersburg, and one of the processing plants, Ocean Beauty.
00:17:09Russell makes a quick stop to pick up an announcement
00:17:12provided by the Department of Fish and Game,
00:17:14who regulate the fishermen.
00:17:16I'm just going to grab any one of these pylons here.
00:17:24If we see a lot of fish entering, we'll give the fishermen
00:17:27two or three or four days to fish.
00:17:29But if things don't look good, or if certain areas don't look good,
00:17:33we won't allow them to fish in that area, or we'll cut back in time.
00:17:37The news release will announce time and area for the whole region,
00:17:41because we coordinate all the openings throughout the region.
00:17:44We're not opening up a couple days here in Ketch Can
00:17:47and then a couple days in Petersburg.
00:17:48Everything's open at the same time.
00:17:49So they kind of control the fleet movement that way,
00:17:53so they don't get the whole fleet piling into one area.
00:17:57And it's worked real well.
00:17:59And of course, over time, they've had a lot of practice at it.
00:18:02You know, since statehood, they've gotten really good.
00:18:06Now, since we all understand how safe the future of these salmon are,
00:18:10the Viking-made can continue northward to harvest a few of them.
00:18:13As we cross Frederick Sound, we are entering larger bodies of water
00:18:17that are not as difficult to maneuver in as the straits.
00:18:20These waters, however, represent a much more dangerous element than big tides.
00:18:25These waters are subject to heavy winds and big seas.
00:18:29Depending on experience, fishermen have seen various sizes of waves.
00:18:36It's really hard for me to say. I'd say I've definitely seen 20-foot seas.
00:18:41It's possible they've been a little bigger.
00:18:43I don't know. Probably 20... 20-footers.
00:18:47I'm imagining. I don't really know.
00:18:50I've seen probably 30, 35-foot seas.
00:18:52Probably close to 30-footers.
00:18:55I don't know. I couldn't get a tape measure out at the time. I was rather busy.
00:19:02You just sit there and idle into them, you know.
00:19:05Hopefully, your windows hold.
00:19:07But it's not fun, you know.
00:19:11But it happens.
00:19:19Sainters don't hesitate to fish in 5- to 6-foot seas.
00:19:23It is not fun or easy.
00:19:25But whenever there is an opening, fishermen want to fish.
00:19:30Like, the roughest I think I've ever fished in, as far as sainting goes,
00:19:34is probably about 15-footers.
00:19:36They're a nice swell, nice ocean swell we are over at McLean's Arm.
00:19:41My dad goes and wakes us all up again or something.
00:19:44He took us back out there, and it was a nice swell.
00:19:47It was rocking back pretty tough.
00:19:50We got it back, and I think we only had, like, maybe 1,000 pounds,
00:19:54a couple thousand pounds.
00:19:55So we just had to go test it out, see if there's anything out there.
00:19:59Well, in the rough weather, things get a little trickier
00:20:03because then you really got a lot of weight swinging.
00:20:05The net goes way up, way up above the deck before it comes back down at you.
00:20:11And when the waves are heavy and the wind is blowing,
00:20:14that sain is blowing all over the place, and you got to hang onto it.
00:20:18Sometimes it'll pick you up and make you fly around,
00:20:22but you got to keep a steady grip on it and keep throwing it down.
00:20:25Hauling gear one time in the heat of the battle, you know,
00:20:27you get a little close to the beach, things get crazy.
00:20:29I mean, it's, and it's a deal of odds.
00:20:32I mean, you're going to have a disaster.
00:20:34It's just your odds, you know, are totally against you.
00:20:42Oh, yeah, I've salvaged a few, a few accidents,
00:20:46and they're always sad, but they do happen.
00:20:49I mean, it's just inevitable.
00:20:51Something, something happens.
00:20:53It's, uh, I've been on a couple different salvage operations
00:20:56where we had to go retrieve a boat that was an unfortunate accident.
00:21:04So...
00:21:06Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world,
00:21:10particularly when done in the sporadic seas of Alaska.
00:21:15Every year, the fishing community is reminded of this
00:21:17when something goes wrong and a boat doesn't come home.
00:21:22Nav tech programs, noble tech programs, computers,
00:21:27high-tech fathometers, radars, all this new stuff,
00:21:30and, uh, it's a lot safer than it ever was.
00:21:33But it's, uh, there's a lot of rocks out there,
00:21:35but you really have to pay attention.
00:21:37You know, a lot of uncharted rocks.
00:21:45From Wranglin Narrows, the Viking Maid traveled through Frederick Sound,
00:21:48up Chatham Straits, and onto Tocats Bay,
00:21:52just south of Hidden Falls and 80 nautical miles from Petersburg.
00:21:57The number of boats they could see rises quickly.
00:22:00Many boats are already gathering to look for jumps
00:22:03and trying to find the best spot for the first set of the next mooring.
00:22:08As they search for the perfect location,
00:22:10these fishermen are also very anxious to find out
00:22:13what their competitors might or might not know.
00:22:16As a result, it is not uncommon to see a couple of boats
00:22:19pulled up alongside each other.
00:22:21Yeah, we're lost. What about you?
00:22:24I've been lost.
00:22:26I'd like to have this bay, just me and you,
00:22:29when you showed up at the right time.
00:22:33It's also the camaraderie with the other boats.
00:22:35We have groups of us that work kind of together,
00:22:37so we're always on the radio yick-yacking and stuff like that,
00:22:41and it beats working for a living, you know.
00:22:45Yeah, I mean, you know, yeah, and so,
00:22:48I mean, this could be really good up here, too.
00:22:49It sounds like shit, there ain't no boats.
00:22:53122 last time, and I haven't seen 10 new players.
00:22:57I mean, this fleet could be less than 200.
00:23:01Yeah, it's a good thing, except 100 from right here.
00:23:07It's cooking grass, man.
00:23:09You got a nine-inch?
00:23:12All those grass.
00:23:14Nice.
00:23:18That's this funky one there.
00:23:19Yeah.
00:23:30It's gonna be loaded with boats in here.
00:23:32It's gonna suck.
00:23:35It'll be like a little hidden vault or something.
00:23:37Wow.
00:23:39Go home.
00:23:42Tell Ocean Beauty that we don't wanna fish up here too much longer.
00:23:47Go back to the regular spots.
00:23:50Get to see the girlfriend every once in a while.
00:23:54It's about it.
00:23:57Everything that you like and you want
00:24:00is not here.
00:24:01I mean, my girlfriend is not here.
00:24:05Three months of the year, you know.
00:24:07Three and a half, say maybe four months a year.
00:24:09I don't see her.
00:24:10You know, I get some garbled up phone call
00:24:12and once in a while maybe can shoot off an email
00:24:16and whatever.
00:24:16I don't know what she's doing.
00:24:17She doesn't know what I'm doing.
00:24:19I don't see her.
00:24:20You know, I'm lonely out here.
00:24:22It's the middle of nowhere.
00:24:23You're with a bunch of guys who you get sick of after three weeks
00:24:26and that's all you see is the same four faces every day.
00:24:30There's no warmth.
00:24:31There's no, uh, there's no niceties.
00:24:35It can be hard, you know, at times.
00:24:37You know, little hours of sleep.
00:24:40And, you know, but it's, you know, I wouldn't wanna be doing anything else.
00:24:45You know, any other job, no way.
00:24:49I think this wind will blow, hopefully blow these fish up here.
00:24:56This right here is where Gary had, uh, right on this corner of this island, Ron, yesterday.
00:25:01He had three sets for 85,000.
00:25:03He had one set for 40,000.
00:25:05He said on a 20-minute tow on the flood yesterday morning.
00:25:10He said, yeah, yeah, there's jumps.
00:25:11And he had jumps yesterday.
00:25:13So, so far there's not very many boats here.
00:25:16So, about, uh, looked like to me about 15 boats.
00:25:22So, Gary said a lot of those guys, or six of those guys, didn't even have gear on, nets on
00:25:26when he left.
00:25:28They were still...
00:25:30But, yeah, it's, um...
00:25:36We'll find out more tomorrow.
00:25:38Before fishing, the power skiff has to be dropped down into the water.
00:25:42Fueled up and run for several hours to make sure it is ready to go fishing first thing the next
00:25:48morning.
00:25:49The deckhands have to look over the net several times to make sure there are no holes.
00:25:54Any hole in the net could mean lost fish and lost money.
00:25:57So, everything has to be in tip-top shape.
00:26:00All right.
00:26:01All right.
00:26:01All right.
00:26:19All right.
00:26:20All right.
00:26:21All right.
00:26:21All right.
00:26:22All right.
00:26:22All right.
00:26:23Prior to statehood, Alaskan salmon runs were severely damaged by federal mismanagement and by corporate fish traps that
00:26:30decimated salmon populations.
00:26:33When Alaska became a state, fish traps were banned and salmon were granted constitutional protection.
00:26:40Fishermen in Alaska are not allowed to catch fish until or unless enough salmon enter the streams to guarantee healthy
00:26:48reproduction.
00:26:56No worries!
00:27:04No worries!
00:27:12No worries!
00:27:17I will kill nut dung in you all.
00:27:18I will kill someone h
00:27:29To be continued...
00:28:01To be continued...
00:28:44To be continued...
00:28:49Everybody's going full bore to set their nets out.
00:28:51And I've seen boats roll over because they went too hard and turned to make that set they wanted, and
00:28:57they just rolled right over.
00:28:59So it's a zoo in there. It's kind of crazy. It's pretty dangerous, too.
00:29:02And, you know, every year we hear about boats just screwing up and guys on deck who are looking at
00:29:10their feet rather than what's going on, getting their necks broken from lines popping across.
00:29:15It's like I was saying before, you always got to pay attention.
00:29:18And if someone else isn't paying attention, they're going to hurt themselves and they're going to hurt you.
00:29:37They're going to hurt you.
00:29:39I'm going to hurt you.
00:29:43They're going to hurt you.
00:29:47They're going to hurt you.
00:30:06Let's go.
00:30:31Let's go.
00:31:03Big loads of fish.
00:31:06Deck loads.
00:31:07That's my favorite job.
00:31:08My favorite part of the job is deck loads by far.
00:31:12You can't get them all on deck anymore.
00:31:14So you get a big wave and then you dump the net back in.
00:31:17You pull up another big old wave and you're just like, yeah, that's more money.
00:31:22And then another one comes in and you're just like, yeah, look at all that fish.
00:31:26You just got to come and see it.
00:31:30It just makes a whole week worthwhile when you get a nice big set of fish, come pouring
00:31:37on deck and when the whole deck's filled up to your knees and fish.
00:31:43That's the best part.
00:31:48The whole fishing thing is like a big game.
00:31:50I mean, usually we're on the top end of things because we got that guy out there.
00:31:55It's us against the other guy, the other boat, you know, and it's like a professional sport
00:32:01and it's the competition life.
00:32:04And that's why I tell the new guys that come on board and say, this is a sport.
00:32:08We're a team.
00:32:09We're a five-man team.
00:32:11We're on as good as our weakest link.
00:32:15So we'll start them off slow and then, like, a couple weeks or, you know, maybe 40, 50 sets.
00:32:22I expect to be up to high speed.
00:32:37Everybody's out there gossiping on their CB all day long.
00:32:40That's a part of the game.
00:32:42It's a very complex and complicated game out there.
00:32:45So all day long you're hearing rumors, you're hearing hearsay, everyone's chatting, everyone's
00:32:50gossiping about what other boats are doing, what else is going on, what other spots are firing off.
00:32:56Some captains purchase VHS with secure lines on them so that no one else can tap into it
00:33:02and they can communicate on secure radio lines and no one else can pirate into their conversations.
00:33:07It's that cutthroat.
00:33:08It's that competitive.
00:33:09I mean, there's guys that just drive, drive, drive, drive.
00:33:20are really hard drivers and other ones that are more relaxed and laid back.
00:33:25I used to be crazy, but anymore I've gotten to look at the big picture and just, I mean, people
00:33:32pay thousands of dollars for this.
00:33:34And we get paid to do it, which is really a treat.
00:33:42Second set.
00:33:44The first set was decent, but the course of the day is still uncertain.
00:33:55It is usually these early morning sets that make or break a day, so tensions remain high.
00:34:02Speed is of the essence.
00:34:03Even as the second set is hauled aboard, the skipper and skiffman are in constant communication.
00:34:11Salmon jump.
00:34:12Through the use of hand gestures, the two relay the number and style of jumps they can see in order
00:34:18to try and quickly determine where the most fish are concentrated and which direction they will be moving for the
00:34:23next set.
00:34:25Once a decision has been made, the saying has to be set again before another boat can beat them to
00:34:30it.
00:34:40I used to jump around and whoop and, you know, scream, get real excited when I saw a bunch of
00:34:47fish pulling over the side of the boat.
00:34:49You look around and everyone, all the seasoned fishermen are stone cold because you don't press your luck.
00:34:55You don't, you know, you don't challenge it.
00:34:58You don't do anything that can endanger it.
00:35:01You know, you get a set like that, you don't celebrate, you don't get too overexcited because the next one
00:35:05could be dry.
00:35:06The next set could be nothing.
00:35:07You know, you try not to get too excited.
00:35:09Of course, you got to kind of restrain yourself from grinning because, you know, who could be upset with earning
00:35:15$1,000 in literally 30 minutes of work?
00:35:19But it's exciting.
00:35:20I mean, there's nothing like it.
00:35:21When your net's full and you know it's full, it's a damn good feeling.
00:35:28I mean, you really, that's what you do it for, really.
00:35:31You can grind away all day and get the same amount of fish, but the big sets are just a
00:35:36lot of fun.
00:35:37The efficiency of communication and coordination between the skiff man and the captain is a big factor in the success
00:35:44or failure of a set.
00:35:46They're coming down the hook.
00:35:47If they close the net too soon, they may miss fish that are still swimming in.
00:35:51If they close the net too late, the schooling fish may begin to escape.
00:36:09It is then up to the crew to work quickly to purse the net, which will trap the fish by
00:36:14lifting the bottom of the seine underneath the fish and alongside the boat using weighted rings.
00:36:26The salmon are then completely trapped within the seine.
00:36:29There is no escape.
00:36:32Now the focus is to get the captured fish on deck as soon as possible so that the net can
00:36:37be set again.
00:36:43The same process is done over and over again, up to 18 times a day, as fast as possible for
00:36:50the entire day, for every day of each opening.
00:37:04The mission is not to be completed on deck.
00:37:05The Largo, to complete a second or two-led-led-led ship.
00:37:05They are then able to get the어서 to get the boat from the ship.
00:37:08It is the same as possible for the-led ship.
00:37:09The L affidavit has been on deck while the ships are taken toelf.
00:37:10The sailor is now in the seas all over and over again.
00:37:13The sailor is not on deck for the boat.
00:37:13The ship is now in the seas to the sea.
00:37:17The ship is now in the sea.
00:37:18The ship is now in the sea.
00:37:22The ship has been throughout.
00:37:26Let's go.
00:37:53Let's go.
00:38:25Let's go.
00:38:56Let's go.
00:39:45Let's go.
00:40:12Let's go.
00:40:16Let's go.
00:40:29Let's go.
00:40:32Let's go.
00:40:35Let's go.
00:40:37Let's go.
00:40:39Let's go.
00:41:02Let's go.
00:41:05Let's go.
00:41:06Let's go.
00:41:06Let's go.
00:41:08Let's go.
00:41:09Let's go.
00:41:11Let's go.
00:41:11Let's go.
00:41:11Let's go.
00:41:13Let's go.
00:41:14Let's go.
00:41:18It's actually not that cold.
00:41:21Let's go.
00:41:23Let's go.
00:41:26Let's go.
00:41:29Let's go.
00:41:47Let's go.
00:42:05Let's go.
00:42:13Let's go.
00:42:22Let's go.
00:42:25Let's go.
00:42:27Let's go.
00:42:54Let's go.
00:42:58Let's go.
00:42:58Let's go.
00:43:00Let's go.
00:43:16Let's go.
00:43:25Let's go.
00:43:41Let's go.
00:43:42Let's go.
00:43:43Let's go.
00:43:44Let's go.
00:43:44Let's go.
00:43:45Let's go.
00:43:46Let's go.
00:43:47Let's go.
00:43:49Let's go.
00:43:51Let's go.
00:43:54I alerted farmers of my planned trip and hoped to obtain some interviews, but they said that
00:43:59no one would be available.
00:44:01When I contacted the Friends of Klackowitz Sound, an environmental group opposed to fish
00:44:06farms, I was offered a place to stay and a free tour of the Sound.
00:44:10The Friends had planned to dive near a fish farm to capture footage of the effects of
00:44:15the farm on the seabed floor.
00:44:17The farmers were not happy, and I was right there to capture it all.
00:44:47We're going out.
00:44:54We call both of the farmers before you do this.
00:44:59Diego.
00:45:00We called them two weeks ago about this.
00:45:03I spoke to the RCMP, the F1 Coast Guard, and nobody said it was trespassing for provincial
00:45:08penchant.
00:45:09Yes.
00:45:10In the hearing, you spoke to Varney and Ray.
00:45:13Yeah.
00:45:13Varney and Ray don't have the ultimate authority over what happens within the Chief's territory.
00:45:18We have that authority to make that decision.
00:45:21And whether or not they gave you permission to do this, it's well and done.
00:45:27As of now, you have no permission to do that in my territory.
00:45:31This is the territory that I hold until such time.
00:45:34How are you?
00:45:35I pass this on to somebody else here.
00:45:39Okay, thank you.
00:45:40Well, we're going to go anchor up, and I will call Moses as soon as the anchor up.
00:45:44And we're going to be there with you guys.
00:45:45Okay, that's fine.
00:45:47What's your name?
00:45:49Bye.
00:46:02The seas have been overfished.
00:46:06Scientists predict that major seafood stocks will completely collapse by 2048.
00:46:12Up to 90% of the ocean's major predator stocks have already been wiped out.
00:46:19Farming carnivores like salmon are making matters worse.
00:46:23It requires the capture of wild fish to feed the farm-raised salmon.
00:46:29Many people believe that raising farm salmon would leave wild salmon stocks free to sustain
00:46:35themselves.
00:46:36But researchers in Canada have demonstrated that the sea lice that thrive on salmon farms
00:46:42are actually decimating wild salmon runs.
00:46:47Walmart will not sell farmed salmon because it is not a sustainable industry.
00:46:54Salmon farms are plagued with diseases.
00:46:56When a disease breaks out in a farmed population, they are quickly rushed to market.
00:47:02If parasites soften the flesh beyond marketability, they are canned.
00:47:08If the decay is beyond canning, they are left to rot on barges with the maggots.
00:47:18Despite all of the negative factors associated with farmed salmon, 90% of the salmon sold in the United States
00:47:25today is farm-raised.
00:47:29Seals and sea lions are also attracted to the farmed salmon.
00:47:33Over 5,000 seals and sea lions have been slaughtered.
00:47:38The tide of public opinion is turning against farmed salmon.
00:47:42Guarding against negative press, salmon farmers patrol surrounding areas to keep people away.
00:47:48We are now inside our tenure.
00:47:52You keep telling us at our table when we see a crash from Prince of Clankwet Sound,
00:47:57how much do you expect the chief's decisions?
00:48:00The decision that I'm making right now is asking you guys not to proceed with what you're doing here.
00:48:05We have tried very hard for years to protect this region with all respect to First Nations.
00:48:11Lots of times we don't agree on some particulars.
00:48:13That's not because we don't respect First Nations.
00:48:16And until there's a legal land claim, which hasn't happened,
00:48:21with all respect, whether Clankwet likes or doesn't like the dive, the dive can happen.
00:48:26Now you can call the cops. We've called the cops. Spencer's called the cops.
00:48:29We are on notice that it's dangerous. We accept that it's dangerous.
00:48:32And we're just going to do it.
00:48:34I don't know, they've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on GFN's request for them to do studies that they
00:48:41didn't have to do.
00:48:43How many of you, how many...
00:48:45This isn't a threat to that area.
00:48:46And all we want to do is to show people what's down there.
00:48:49We want to go take video, take some photos, and show people and say this is what we're talking about.
00:48:53So that when we sit down, we know what we're talking about.
00:48:56I mean, have you been under there? Like, do you know what it looks like?
00:48:59Are you curious what it looks like?
00:49:00It's just, it's just information that we want to give people.
00:49:02To show people what is beyond the site, right?
00:49:06Beyond our site right now. We don't know what it looks like.
00:49:08But why on a Sunday? Why not on a Sunday?
00:49:11That's the time I'm not working until in the morning, I feel like...
00:49:15This is a way for us to see that. That would be great if we use that available.
00:49:29According to the Friends of Klakwa Sound, there are five fundamental flaws to farm salmon.
00:49:36Number one is waste.
00:49:39Salmon farms containing 500,000 to 700,000 fish apiece can discharge untreated feces,
00:49:46equivalent to a town of 20,000 people.
00:49:49With 138 fish farms in British Columbia, that's equivalent to 2.8 million people
00:49:55discharging waste straight into the ocean.
00:49:58In addition to feces, farms discharge contaminated feed, toxic chemicals, and artificial colorings.
00:50:05What is that stuff?
00:50:07You know, the only industrial farm really in Canada that's permitted to not treat their waste.
00:50:14The waste of the animals just goes into the ocean.
00:50:18And, you know, people really don't have a good sense of what happens after that.
00:50:24So this is from the seabed floor.
00:50:26So because you've got such high densities of fish, they're being fed tons and tons of feed a day.
00:50:31And that feed goes to the bottom of the sea.
00:50:33And you've also got the fish feces from the thousands of salmon on the farm.
00:50:36So the bed turns into marine desert.
00:50:40You've got anoxic sediments.
00:50:42You've got lack of oxygen.
00:50:43And you've got this horrible black sediment, which stinks.
00:50:48It's polluted.
00:50:49This is symptomatic of a polluted environment.
00:50:51So this is why we're trying to dive onto the farms to see the impact for ourselves,
00:50:56the impact on the marine life.
00:50:58But really, under a salmon farm and around a salmon farm, it's like a dead zone.
00:51:05Number 2.
00:51:06Disease and Parasites.
00:51:09Disease is the greatest threat to farmers and has wiped out entire farm populations.
00:51:14The Kodoa Parasite costs BC farms $30 to $40 million a year.
00:51:19It actually liquefies the flesh of farm salmon.
00:51:24And the sea lice from these farms are decimating wild salmon populations.
00:51:30So for me to see the sea lice was a big one.
00:51:35You know, none of it, this didn't really hit home.
00:51:37It all seemed, you know, okay, somebody says this, a little hearsay there, a little hearsay there.
00:51:41Oh, there's a scientific report, sure, you know.
00:51:45But it wasn't until I was out in the inlet last year around the Broughton,
00:51:50and the researchers were scooping in like hundreds and hundreds of these little baby fish,
00:51:56and every single fish was covered in lice.
00:51:59Like one or two lice on a juvenile fish is fatal, and these things had like, you know, 50 lice.
00:52:05Between 30 and 50 lice, like it was just, you know, way beyond the lethal limit in all of them.
00:52:11We're like this.
00:52:12And I was, I had been kind of joking around that day, like having a good time.
00:52:16And it was just one of those moments where I just, it was like I kind of hit a wall.
00:52:23And it was like, it felt like I was in the middle of a horror movie, you know.
00:52:27Like this can't be happening, because it hit me.
00:52:30You know, that these fish are not going to make it to sea.
00:52:33They're definitely not going to survive to adulthood.
00:52:36These fish are toast.
00:52:38They're not coming back.
00:52:40So everything here that's going to, that's here because of the salmon.
00:52:44The whales, the bears, the eagles.
00:52:46All, everything else.
00:52:48Like the millions, the little things.
00:52:49Like, you know, wild salmon are the lifeblood of the coast.
00:52:52That's what everything depends on.
00:52:53Everything.
00:52:54The First Nations, the people, the whole ecosystem, everything depends on it.
00:52:57Like, I can't even imagine.
00:52:58And, you know, I was just, it was happening, you know.
00:53:02And up until now, I've been, oh, something might happen.
00:53:05Something might happen.
00:53:06No.
00:53:06Like, it's happening.
00:53:1299% of the salmon from six rivers vanished.
00:53:173.6 million spawning salmon dropped to 147,000 in a single generation.
00:53:29Number three, escapements.
00:53:32Farmed salmon are predominantly Atlantic salmon, a foreign species to the Pacific Ocean.
00:53:38The escaped salmon transfer parasites and disease to wild salmon and compete for breeding ground.
00:53:44The escaped Atlantics are colonizing basically all our rivers.
00:53:47There are escaped Atlantics everywhere.
00:53:48Everywhere around here, up around Atleo and around the house of the Atlantic and the rivers.
00:53:53And they come in at the wrong time.
00:53:54They come in later on.
00:53:56They physically trash up the wild reds.
00:53:58And also, in her wisdom in nature, the wild fish, when they hit the injury, they stop feeding.
00:54:04So when they hit the rivers, they're not actually consuming smolts or oolican larvae or small
00:54:10baby codfish or whatever.
00:54:13Whereas now, with the farmed, escaped Atlantics, when they're in the rivers, they're munching away
00:54:18on the wild fish.
00:54:19Why do Alaskans care?
00:54:21Well, because salmon travel.
00:54:23Escaped farm salmon have been found as far north as the Bering Sea.
00:54:27A Chinook salmon tagged in the central Aleutian Islands was captured a year later in the Salmon
00:54:32River, Idaho, 3,500 miles away.
00:54:37Escaped farm Atlantics have been found attempting to spawn in 80 D.C. river systems, including this
00:54:43one caught in the Scott River.
00:54:46Massive new super farms being built in northern British Columbia are within just 30 miles of
00:54:53Alaska.
00:54:56Number 4.
00:54:58Toxins and chemicals.
00:55:00Anti-parasitics, anti-balance, antibiotics, and artificial colorings are all used in farmed
00:55:06salmon.
00:55:06In January 2004, in an article in Science Magazine, a study was presented that found
00:55:12that farmed salmon was contaminated with 14 cancer-causing chemicals.
00:55:18You've got a whole range of ways chemicals are used on farms.
00:55:23There's disinfectants.
00:55:24There's antibiotics.
00:55:26Here in Clackwood Sound, creative salmon used a quarter of a ton of oxytetracycline.
00:55:30That's an antibiotic that humans take as well.
00:55:33There's also sea lice chemicals.
00:55:35Because you've got parasite infestation on salmon farms, because they're crammed at such
00:55:40high densities, salmon farmers, just like cattle farmers and sheep farmers and pig farmers,
00:55:46they use chemicals to get rid of these parasites.
00:55:49And there's also artificial colorings and they go in via the feed.
00:55:53So some of the chemicals are actually used in the feed.
00:55:57And sometimes the farmed salmon are bathed in chemicals as well.
00:56:01And then there's injectable vaccines, which are injected into the flesh of the salmon.
00:56:06So this is not a natural product.
00:56:11Number five, sustainability.
00:56:15This is what some call the fatal flaw of farmed salmon.
00:56:20Globally we have, you know, a net loss of protein.
00:56:23Salmon are carnivores.
00:56:25We have to feed them, you know, fish meal, fish oil.
00:56:28I think the industry is somewhere around three kilograms of input to get one kilogram of
00:56:33basically farmed salmon.
00:56:34So producing farmed fish causes a net loss to the world's food supply.
00:56:40It is not producing food, it is reducing the food supply.
00:56:45After diving, the friends of Klackowitz Sound toured other farms in the Sound.
00:56:50And their new friends followed them around.
00:56:54They were going to observe the scheduled harvesting of farmed salmon.
00:56:58But the collection boat was sent home and processors sat idle just because they were there with a camera.
00:57:06Farmers called the cops, who verified that everything the friends had done was within the lock.
00:57:13But the friends returned home to find that they had again been vandalized.
00:57:25Day four.
00:57:27Back in Alaska, the Viking maid anchors up for the night after a long day of fishing.
00:57:34The guys jumped into the skiff to find cell phone range.
00:57:39And on the way out, they saw some whales.
00:57:58They shot a boat or something with a crane.
00:58:14The strict laws mandate that mariners must stay at least 100 yards away from whales and
00:58:19that people must not stay in the same vicinity for more than 30 minutes.
00:58:26The Viking Maine had spent the entire day participating in a cause for recovery.
00:58:30They received no money for the day's work.
00:58:33All the money for the fish went to support the hatchery.
00:58:37Fishermen support hatcheries run by non-profits under state approval because they supplement
00:58:42salmon available to fishermen who are also taking pressure off the wild stocks.
00:59:02On the way back to the cove, the whales moved in closer to check out the skiff.
00:59:06Oh my god!
00:59:09Oh my god!
00:59:11Oh my god!
01:00:04Day five is a non-fishing day, as dictated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
01:00:09The Viking maid and others travel further north to areas that will be open to fishing the next day.
01:00:15Because of distances traveled, fishermen are many times forced to stay on the fishing grounds between openings.
01:00:22A lot of this time is spent figuring out where to fish next.
01:00:27But the fishermen also get a chance to kick back and soak up all the beauty that surrounds them in
01:00:32southeast Alaska.
01:00:35Conservation of all natural resources is written in the Constitution of the State of Alaska.
01:00:41It is the only state in the Union with a constitutional mandate for preservation of fish and wildlife resources, and
01:00:49the state has done very well.
01:00:52Alaska's is the only wild salmon fisheries program in the world to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as
01:00:59well-managed and sustainable.
01:01:03Since farmed salmon are not considered sustainable and threaten wild salmon, Alaskans adopted legislation in 1990 that banned the practice
01:01:13in the state.
01:01:16Historically, the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game has done a phenomenal job managing the more than 15,000 streams
01:01:22in Alaska while still enabling for strong industry.
01:01:27In the late 80s, Alaskan salmon dominated the U.S. market and had captured over 90% of the Japanese
01:01:34market.
01:01:35But then farmed salmon hit the world stage and went from producing a mere 1% of the world's supply
01:01:40of salmon to more than 60% in 2002.
01:01:45Farmed salmon from Chile have now captured 70% of the Japanese market, and 90% of all salmon produced
01:01:52in British Columbia are shipped directly to the United States.
01:01:56Farmed fish has dramatically dropped the price of my canned salmon from when I was getting a dollar a pound
01:02:04down to 8 and 9 cents a pound.
01:02:07So the impact of farm fish has really destructed my livelihood.
01:02:13Pink salmon prices fell from record highs in 1988 of $1.20 a pound to record lows of 9 cents
01:02:21a pound in 2002.
01:02:25In 1987, we had 197,000 pounds of fish for $189,000.
01:02:36Last year, we caught over 2 million pounds for a total gross stock before expenses or any of this stuff
01:02:48for about $200,000.
01:02:53That's 2 million pounds.
01:02:59As operating costs continued to rise and real prices continued to fall, 37% of fishermen were forced to quit
01:03:07the business.
01:03:10Ward's Cove Cannery in Ketchikan, Alaska closed in the winter of 2002.
01:03:17My story is not really too different than a lot of guys, but I had my own boat for years,
01:03:25and I've got a family of boys.
01:03:28I've got six boys and one daughter, and I had a dream to one day take all my kids fishing
01:03:34on the boat.
01:03:35And because of what's happened economically from the farmed salmon, I call it the farmed salmon fallout,
01:03:48I ended up having to sell my boat, having to sell my house.
01:03:55So, you know, in a sense, your dreams kind of go up in smoke.
01:04:04The Alaskan salmon industry has taken a hit from the emergence of farmed salmon across the globe.
01:04:11Many have been forced to quit the business, and those that remain must catch more fish than ever before.
01:04:21And so a lot of folks lost their jobs.
01:04:24And so the rest of us have had the opportunity to catch more fish, maybe.
01:04:31But at these prices, we certainly haven't made any more money.
01:04:35But we've had to work a little harder.
01:04:46Back to the Viking Maid, which had traveled north from Hidden Falls and had anchored up next to a potential
01:04:52fishing point just south of Basket Bay.
01:04:56The day is spent doing routine maintenance, checking the net, looking for jumps, and checking in with other fishermen.
01:05:13I'm all for trying to make the company make a go of it, but if we can't survive, what's the
01:05:18point?
01:05:19I agree.
01:05:20You know, what's the point?
01:05:22Exercise. They're just getting cheap fish right now is all they're doing.
01:05:26You can load your boat and it's not that much money.
01:05:28You know?
01:05:29That's the sad thing about it.
01:05:32There's no money.
01:05:34The thinking early on was there's no way we can generate the kind of money it's going to take to
01:05:40mount a media campaign to beat up on these guys.
01:05:45If the Alaska salmon industry had something bad to say about beef, for instance, we could be crushed overnight in,
01:05:54you know, one Super Bowl ad or something.
01:05:57And we're not going to pick any fights with somebody that's got a bigger bank account than we do.
01:06:03The farmed salmon industry has a savvy and effective media marketing and advertising campaign, but Alaskan fishermen have seen a
01:06:12lot of factual reporting about farmed salmon in the media.
01:06:17Like Brad Haynes, Russell's nephew, owner and captain of the Yankee.
01:06:22You know, the media is what has helped us all out, you know, just hands down.
01:06:27The media has put the scare in the general consumer about, you know, the dyes and the toxins that go
01:06:34into the farmed salmon.
01:06:36So, you know, nature's just taking its own course.
01:06:41Actually, farm salmon suffered kind of its own meltdown.
01:06:46Quality conscious consumer has said, hey, not only is this fish got some problems with it, it doesn't even taste
01:06:53that good either.
01:06:55Side by side taste test with a wild salmon is a hands down winner for Alaska salmon every time.
01:07:04And it's coming back a little bit now, you know, but there's no leaps and bounds.
01:07:09The cost of doing business is huge compared to the increase in what we're getting in salmon.
01:07:16I'm not going to get millions of dollars out of this.
01:07:19I'm going to get a nice family wage, hopefully, hopefully, and be able to continue to do it.
01:07:25I mean, that's what I bought into it for.
01:07:30It is our last day of fishing onboard Viking Maine.
01:07:38Mike, how are you today?
01:07:40You good?
01:07:41Are you good?
01:07:42You look really good.
01:07:46You can hear them for you.
01:07:49Well, you're nice and deep.
01:07:53You can do that next step.
01:07:55Okay.
01:07:55Okay.
01:07:57All right.
01:07:58Doggy.
01:07:59Bowser.
01:08:01Bowser.
01:08:01Look at him go.
01:08:03Ow.
01:08:03Ow.
01:08:04It's been good to be alive.
01:08:13We're just going to breast line it.
01:08:15It's going to make it pretty heavy.
01:08:30That's about 3,000 pounds to start off the day.
01:08:34With the net back in the water, Jared has time to make a favorite snack using canned salmon.
01:08:42It's good.
01:08:43It's the best part.
01:08:44Did you really drink that?
01:08:45Yeah.
01:08:47Good.
01:08:49It's just like salmon oil.
01:08:51Uh, sir, for the word.
01:08:58Oh, red salmon and salt.
01:09:02Word colors were shut down.
01:09:04Why?
01:09:05It's where we used to work.
01:09:07For 25 years and they shut down on us.
01:09:10It's good.
01:09:10It's good.
01:09:10It's a market.
01:09:18It's where I lived off in college right here.
01:09:20It's a caucase.
01:09:21Caucase.
01:09:23Cocktail.
01:09:25Fishermen eat salmon all the time.
01:09:27And the amazing thing is they never seem to get enough of it.
01:09:31We eat a lot of salmon.
01:09:33Sure.
01:09:34I mean, it's fantastic food.
01:09:36It's the best food there is and it's here every day.
01:09:42I eat salmon or seafood at least six days a week and sometimes five days a week I'll
01:09:48have it twice a day.
01:09:49There's all kinds of ways you can add spices and complement the salmon flavor, but I guess
01:09:56I like it straight up almost.
01:09:58You can make salmon fettuccine, salmon casserole, or salmon spreads.
01:10:03One of our favorites, you know, just blending in different ways.
01:10:06We grill it.
01:10:07We bake it.
01:10:08Put mayonnaise and cheese on it.
01:10:10Smoked salmon, dried salmon.
01:10:12Baked, broiled, sauteed.
01:10:14We make ceviche out of it.
01:10:15Cured lightly and dried.
01:10:17Smoke it and can it.
01:10:18Poaching it's good.
01:10:19Barbecue.
01:10:20We eat salmon raw.
01:10:21Don't ever try to eat it the same way twice.
01:10:23You can even microwave it.
01:10:24Any way you cook salmon is a good way to cook it as long as it's wild salmon.
01:10:28Can't go wrong.
01:10:30You know?
01:10:30Don't overcook it.
01:10:32You're fine.
01:10:33The leftovers are the best part for me.
01:10:36The salmon spread is definitely where it's at.
01:10:39You treat it like tuna fish.
01:10:41You do the same thing with it as you would tuna fish, but it's so much better.
01:10:48It tastes so much better than tuna fish does.
01:10:50There's just no competing with mother nature when it comes to quality food.
01:10:56The fish that we're producing today fleet-wide is the finest quality fish that's ever been
01:11:03produced.
01:11:04It's an excellent product.
01:11:06And, you know, as far as farm compared to wild, you don't compare.
01:11:13If you think that farm fish is similar, it's not.
01:11:16I mean, I know fish.
01:11:19Fresh salmon, freshly prepared, it's got a super wonderful flavor and it just feels richer.
01:11:27It's much nicer than the farm salmon.
01:11:43It's a lot of folks look at Alaska as a big park.
01:11:46Well, it's a beautiful place, but with our technology we can do industry and different things with the natural resources
01:11:56and do them right.
01:11:58I mean, that's why they were put here, I believe, natural resources.
01:12:01God put trees here.
01:12:03He put minerals here.
01:12:05He put fish here for human beings to utilize.
01:12:09And with our technology we can utilize these things and still not mess up the environment.
01:12:15It's a proven fact.
01:12:16We can do it.
01:12:17You know, humans are pretty smart, so.
01:12:23It's not about the money.
01:12:25It's about being out here and doing a job, and there's a lot of jobs you can do.
01:12:29But to be out here and to do what we do every day, there's not really anything quite like it.
01:12:38You're not just out here working nine to five in some office.
01:12:45Yeah, okay, it's rough and everything, and there's the upsides and downsides.
01:12:49At the end of the day, you're working hard, you're feeding people, you are seeing beautiful things every day.
01:12:59Every day is something that you just say, wow, I've never seen that before.
01:13:06Really long spring coming up.
01:13:14It's pretty exciting to see that you've accomplished what you've set out to do.
01:13:21You've harnessed the tide, the currents, and beat Mother Nature taking a few fish away from her.
01:13:27So that's pretty exciting, and it keeps you on your toes trying to do the best.
01:13:41I don't think I could ever leave Alaska.
01:13:45It's the wide open spaces, you get used to that.
01:13:49The hunting, the fishing, whether it's sport fishing or commercial fishing, it's truly a great place.
01:13:56I don't think I could ever leave.
01:14:03I've visited quite a few different places, and I haven't found any place on Earth that I'd rather live, other
01:14:12than Alaska.
01:14:14Alaska is an excellent place to grow up and to raise children.
01:14:21I really enjoy Alaska.
01:14:22I'm glad I grew up here.
01:14:25And I wouldn't trade it for the world.
01:14:27I really wouldn't.
01:14:30I'd love to fish.
01:14:31I'd do it for nothing.
01:14:32No, I would.
01:14:33I'd take that back.
01:14:34I'd do it for, you know, I've done it for less, let's say that.
01:14:55Margarita time.
01:14:56Looking at the rest of, you know, I've been to Mexico, and I've been on the East Coast of the
01:15:03U.S. and a lot of other places around.
01:15:07We're pretty spoiled up here.
01:15:09I mean, we are real spoiled.
01:15:12But I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
01:15:15I mean, it's just, where else can you do this?
01:15:19I mean, what a view.
01:15:20You know, a room with a view.
01:15:24It's, but you have to like the outdoors, you know.
01:15:27It's an adventure just being alive.
01:15:30It's, you really have to like the outdoors.
01:15:32You got fish jumping right here, going south.
01:15:35So, but it's, it's home.
01:15:45I think it's a good place to grow up.
01:15:46I mean, it's beautiful.
01:15:47You don't have to deal with the city too much.
01:15:50I mean, Ketchikan is kind of turning into a, whatever, city, more city than outdoorsy place.
01:15:57But you can still go hike the trails and see the mountains and the ocean.
01:16:02I mean, that's the thing I needed the most is the ocean.
01:16:05I can't live where there's no ocean around, so.
01:16:21Just keep, keep reading them health books and keep watching the health TV show and just believe what they say
01:16:27about the wild salmon and how great it is for you.
01:16:30Keep me, keep me with the job.
01:16:35Eat fish.
01:16:37Eat fish.
01:16:38There's real people out here catching them and they're good.
01:16:41And there's lots of them.
01:16:43So whenever you eat a wild fish from the state of Alaska, don't be afraid you're eating an endangered species
01:16:50because that's far from the truth.
01:16:53Far from the truth.
01:16:54Come on up and see.
01:16:56I'll take you for a ride.
01:16:57We'll show you some fish.
01:17:09That's the end of our trip on board the Viking Maid.
01:17:13Russell and the crew will head down to Petersburg to offload salmon and then head back down to Ketchikan for
01:17:19another opening.
01:17:22For them, the season has just begun and they're hoping for many, many more to come.
01:17:31But that won't happen unless everyone out there starts eating some wild Alaskan salmon.
01:17:36So on behalf of all the fishing vessels and all of the fishermen involved in the Alaskan salmon industry,
01:17:43to protect the only sustainable salmon fishery in the world, which is also constitutionally state mandated to protect salmon,
01:17:53to protect the environment and to protect your own health against the encroachment of farmed salmon.
01:17:59Be sure to eat only wild Alaskan salmon.
01:18:03And keep in mind a favorite Alaskan slogan.
01:18:07Friends don't let friends eat farmed fish.
01:18:13Thanks for watching. I hope you enjoyed the show.
01:18:51We'll see you later.
01:18:51Bye-bye.
01:18:51Bye-bye.
01:18:52Bye.
01:19:01Bye.
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