"The Pacific Sea"

"I was engineer on the Petersburg Fisheries (now Icicle) tender Chichagof and we were on our way across the gulf, I believe to Kodiak, when we encountered the Pacific Sea, a Petersburg boat fishing on the Fairweather Grounds. It was very nice weather, and we stopped for a few minutes to chat. Halibut fishermen in those years made 20-day trips, and I think we gave them some groceries."

"For me, the ocean has always been there.
Like an elbow or the mess of my hair,
the wind through branches,
or the food in my belly.
It is a center.

I grew up floating between Juneau and Couverden on my dad’s commercial crab boat, F/V Williwaw. Fishing has always been about family. Whether it's shipping crab at three am, stuffing bait jars on the back deck, training for soccer in the breaks between crab picking, or skiffing between the boat and our remote cabin, commercial fishing connects me to the ocean and to my family. The ocean sustains us.

In the presence of such rich motion and mystery, I find a center that includes, but does not rotate around people. Small family fisheries give me pride in the connection that exists between people and place in Southeast and hope for a more sustainable future that is closely tied to the natural cycles of the earth."

"Who landed who?"

"Daughter Lindy coming out of freezer hold. From being a great deckhand to being a great mother."

"Theo Grutter"

"

This photo of humpies swimming up Indian River, to me, represents a truth I learned in Sitka last summer: Salmon aren't from the sea, they are from the forest. The protection of the species and industry of salmon relies on the protection of the Tongass. This rings with the larger truth that "you cannot honor a man's right hand and cut off his left;" conservation requires a holistic approach and attention to every part of the system. I love the way that commercial fishing in SE Alaska feels less like an extraction industry and more like an involvement in a larger system. This is clear from the appreciation Sitkans have for salmon, even as they turn weird colors and swim upstream. "

"Mary Smith aboard the Virga, landing a king during July troll opener. Mary, a trained chef, also worked for 15 years for 2 large seafood wholesalers and is also the publisher of Edible Alaska magazine."

"For me, the ocean has always been there.
Like an elbow or the mess of my hair,
the wind through branches,
or the food in my belly.
It is a center.

I grew up floating between Juneau and Couverden on my dad’s commercial crab boat, F/V Williwaw. Fishing has always been about family. Whether it's shipping crab at three am, stuffing bait jars on the back deck, training for soccer in the breaks between crab picking, or skiffing between the boat and our remote cabin, commercial fishing connects me to the ocean and to my family. The ocean sustains us.

In the presence of such rich motion and mystery, I find a center that includes, but does not rotate around people. Small family fisheries give me pride in the connection that exists between people and place in Southeast and hope for a more sustainable future that is closely tied to the natural cycles of the earth."

"Fishing to me means the height of appreciation for salmon and the ecosystems they come from. I have never met anyone who loved salmon more than troller Eric Jordan, who has killed countless Chums, Pinks, Kings and Cohos on the deck of the I Gotta. Fishing is a way of handling the fish directly, physically pulling, gaffing, and cleaning them, but also emotionally engaging with them, trying to think like a fish, spending every daylight hour in their domain. Sophie, the star of these photos, is a deckhand who has also learned the way of the I Gotta, and the camaraderie we share with each other and with Eric is a special and immeasurable benefit of small scale fishing. "

"Fishing to me means the height of appreciation for salmon and the ecosystems they come from. I have never met anyone who loved salmon more than troller Eric Jordan, who has killed countless Chums, Pinks, Kings and Cohos on the deck of the I Gotta. Fishing is a way of handling the fish directly, physically pulling, gaffing, and cleaning them, but also emotionally engaging with them, trying to think like a fish, spending every daylight hour in their domain. Sophie, the star of these photos, is a deckhand who has also learned the way of the I Gotta, and the camaraderie we share with each other and with Eric is a special and immeasurable benefit of small scale fishing. "

"3D view in Eastern Channel"

"Night Delivery"

"Lindy and daughter Grace. Lindy gave us many years being an excellent deckhand. Her new role in being an excellent mother gives us a beautiful grandchild. Although I miss Lindy being on the boat, I now get more out of having a grandchild around"

"Grace and I" 

"Crew Bonding"

"Angry Chinook!"

"Sophie and King" 

"Fishing to me means the height of appreciation for salmon and the ecosystems they come from. I have never met anyone who loved salmon more than troller Eric Jordan, who has killed countless Chums, Pinks, Kings and Cohos on the deck of the I Gotta. Fishing is a way of handling the fish directly, physically pulling, gaffing, and cleaning them, but also emotionally engaging with them, trying to think like a fish, spending every daylight hour in their domain. Sophie, the star of these photos, is a deckhand who has also learned the way of the I Gotta, and the camaraderie we share with each other and with Eric is a special and immeasurable benefit of small scale fishing. "

"Mary Smith, Fairweather Grounds. She really puts it all out there, on deck and as an advocate for AK seafood and fishermen. She just returned from NYC Chefs Collaborative meeting, where, out of her own pocket, yet one more time, promoted Alaska fish, specifically troll caught salmon from Southeast.
She's awesome...why I talked her into marrying me."

"Left and right handed halibut"

"Kingsmill sunset"

"For me, the ocean has always been there.
Like an elbow or the mess of my hair,
the wind through branches,
or the food in my belly.
It is a center.

I grew up floating between Juneau and Couverden on my dad’s commercial crab boat, F/V Williwaw. Fishing has always been about family. Whether it's shipping crab at three am, stuffing bait jars on the back deck, training for soccer in the breaks between crab picking, or skiffing between the boat and our remote cabin, commercial fishing connects me to the ocean and to my family. The ocean sustains us.

In the presence of such rich motion and mystery, I find a center that includes, but does not rotate around people. Small family fisheries give me pride in the connection that exists between people and place in Southeast and hope for a more sustainable future that is closely tied to the natural cycles of the earth."

"For me, the ocean has always been there.
Like an elbow or the mess of my hair,
the wind through branches,
or the food in my belly.
It is a center.

I grew up floating between Juneau and Couverden on my dad’s commercial crab boat, F/V Williwaw. Fishing has always been about family. Whether it's shipping crab at three am, stuffing bait jars on the back deck, training for soccer in the breaks between crab picking, or skiffing between the boat and our remote cabin, commercial fishing connects me to the ocean and to my family. The ocean sustains us.

In the presence of such rich motion and mystery, I find a center that includes, but does not rotate around people. Small family fisheries give me pride in the connection that exists between people and place in Southeast and hope for a more sustainable future that is closely tied to the natural cycles of the earth."

"For me, the ocean has always been there.
Like an elbow or the mess of my hair,
the wind through branches,
or the food in my belly.
It is a center.

I grew up floating between Juneau and Couverden on my dad’s commercial crab boat, F/V Williwaw. Fishing has always been about family. Whether it's shipping crab at three am, stuffing bait jars on the back deck, training for soccer in the breaks between crab picking, or skiffing between the boat and our remote cabin, commercial fishing connects me to the ocean and to my family. The ocean sustains us.

In the presence of such rich motion and mystery, I find a center that includes, but does not rotate around people. Small family fisheries give me pride in the connection that exists between people and place in Southeast and hope for a more sustainable future that is closely tied to the natural cycles of the earth."

"Terry and Roland cheeking halibut"

"Salmon Love"

"Fishing to me means the height of appreciation for salmon and the ecosystems they come from. I have never met anyone who loved salmon more than troller Eric Jordan, who has killed countless Chums, Pinks, Kings and Cohos on the deck of the I Gotta. Fishing is a way of handling the fish directly, physically pulling, gaffing, and cleaning them, but also emotionally engaging with them, trying to think like a fish, spending every daylight hour in their domain. Sophie, the star of these photos, is a deckhand who has also learned the way of the I Gotta, and the camaraderie we share with each other and with Eric is a special and immeasurable benefit of small scale fishing. "

"Fishing to me means the height of appreciation for salmon and the ecosystems they come from. I have never met anyone who loved salmon more than troller Eric Jordan, who has killed countless Chums, Pinks, Kings and Cohos on the deck of the I Gotta. Fishing is a way of handling the fish directly, physically pulling, gaffing, and cleaning them, but also emotionally engaging with them, trying to think like a fish, spending every daylight hour in their domain. Sophie, the star of these photos, is a deckhand who has also learned the way of the I Gotta, and the camaraderie we share with each other and with Eric is a special and immeasurable benefit of small scale fishing. "

"Fishing to me means the height of appreciation for salmon and the ecosystems they come from. I have never met anyone who loved salmon more than troller Eric Jordan, who has killed countless Chums, Pinks, Kings and Cohos on the deck of the I Gotta. Fishing is a way of handling the fish directly, physically pulling, gaffing, and cleaning them, but also emotionally engaging with them, trying to think like a fish, spending every daylight hour in their domain. Sophie, the star of these photos, is a deckhand who has also learned the way of the I Gotta, and the camaraderie we share with each other and with Eric is a special and immeasurable benefit of small scale fishing. "