Why We Return ~ Salmon Life

Enterprise Passion

I have spent fourteen summers mirroring the migration of salmon as they return to their natal streams that pierce the shorelines of Alaska. Silvery bodies pulse through the ebb and flood of each passing tide, as they inch closer to fulfilling their biological programming; I too feel a similar push and pull to return to these same rivers each season.

As a fisherman, the start of every season is a homecoming, reconnecting with my commercial fishing family in Bristol Bay. The familiar faces that line the boat yards and back decks year after year intertwine with my memories of each passing season, weaving together to create the patchwork quilt that makes up my fishing experiences. My witness to one of the greatest migrations on the planet is also a means of sustaining my way of life.

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"I am helping feed the world with a sustainable, healthy, and renewable resource."

The long days of work, although grueling at times, reinforce my connection to the place and the nourishment it brings my soul to know I am helping feed the world with a sustainable, healthy, and renewable resource. Once the final brailer is scrubbed and the boat put to bed, I hang up my fish pick and grab my camera.

I’ve spent these past years hopping from fishery-to-fishery and boat-to-boat, documenting the many people, places, and gear groups that harvest the millions of salmon that return to Alaska’s thousands of streams and tributaries. Each waterway traces the salmon’s arc home to fulfill their perennial cycle of nourishing the land, plants, and animals, and creating the next generation to carry on the tradition. My perspective as a fisherman opens doors and windows into the worlds of my fellow harvesters that aids my passion to share their experiences and lives with the outside world.

Our shared experiences, whether they are first-hand or relayed through story, bind us to our collective efforts to sieve salmon from Alaskan waters. No matter where you go in Alaska, every fisherman thinks their salmon taste the best and that their gear type, be it seining, gillnetting, or trolling, produces the best salmon. They are all right; salmon are delicious. I have witnessed and played referee in many a prideful discussion at the bar as to who has the best salmon. Rarely does anyone sway the opinion of the other party. In the end, the conversation transitions to tales of high seas, huge catches, the ones that got away, and the commonalities of living a salmon life.

Our shared experiences, whether they are first-hand or relayed through story, bind us to our collective efforts to sieve salmon from Alaskan waters.

As the saying goes, we are what we eat, and if that’s the case, I will have seconds of any wild Alaskan salmon, regardless of where it was harvested or if it was caught by a hook or net. Ultimately, I know that whoever harvested the mouthwatering portion of perfection adorning my plate, did so with great pride and love for their chosen lifestyle. I know this, because I feel the same way as I pick each silvery fish from the net, and see it in the faces of all the fishermen I photograph. Our labors reflect those of the salmon we pull from the ocean and rivers, and as long as we continue to care for our land and waters, they will continue to return for future generations of Alaskan fishermen.

As long as we continue to care for our land and waters, they will continue to return for future generations of Alaskan fishermen.

Salmon Life

Why We Return

The Story of Chris Miller

Fishing: May it Always be with Friends

Copper River: Respecting the Red Salmon

Why We Return

The Story of Chris Miller

Fishing: May it Always be with Friends

Copper River: Respecting the Red Salmon

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