Salmon Life

This partnership, made up of homesteaders Mike and Molly Wood, salmon ecologist Sarah O’Neal, and filmmaker Ryan Peterson, seems unlikely at first glance, but it becomes clear when Mike, co-founder of Su Salmon Co, weaves the thread of conservation through their stories. “We all met while fighting that Su hydro-dam project up there,” Mike says in reference to the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project proposed about 180 miles upstream. “The dam really rocked our world. It threatened our food source, our communities, and our families, so we poured our hearts into fighting for the Susitna River. In the end, we all came out as friends.”

Winning hearts is no small task, but Mike, Ryan, and the rest of the Su Salmon team are optimistic. They agree that the region is ripe for this direct connection to a salmon source. “We have all these super-famous fisheries in Alaska — Bristol Bay, Kenai, Copper River, Southeast, Prince William Sound, but what about this one?” Ryan asks, citing that half of all Alaskans live within a short drive of the Susitna’s immense watershed. “The fish are practically right out their front door,” Mike adds in exclamation as he looks out toward Anchorage.

Mike pauses and points in the opposite direction over the grasslands to Cook Inlet. “When those mud bars disappear, it’s ‘go time,’ ” he says, waiting for the tide to overtake thin strips of mud that look as if claws pulled them across the horizon. “The fish will come charging up Cook Inlet and hit right at the beach we’re fishing on,” Mike says eagerly. There is a frenetic energy that overcomes the camp on fishing days. The crew bustles from the cabin out to the dock with coolers, waders, and gloves in tow. They are ready to push off in their boat at a moment’s notice.

What follows is twelve straight hours of fish-slinging madness for the Su Salmon team. They begin by navigating the turbid and choppy waves of the opener, setting the net on the muddy shore, plucking fish as they go, and resetting further up the beach with the pressing tide. When their totes are full, they motor back to camp under the weight of their fresh harvest. Their take is modest, but with the small team they will spend the rest of the night making sure that the fish are, as they say, “gutted, gilled, and chilled.”

“I wouldn’t want to do this anywhere else,” Mike says, “this is my home.” When he is not fishing, Mike is up with Molly at their homestead outside of Talkeetna. “When I’m up there, I’m paying attention to how many fish are coming up the river, to escapements — basically the health of the Susitna River’s fishery,” Mike reports. He works hard to serve the region he calls home. “I’m on the Mat-Su Fish and Wildlife Commission and have put in a ton of effort with the Board of Fish.” To add to it all, Mike also serves as the Board President of the Susitna River Coalition. Around every corner, after every discussion, it is abundantly clear that the Susitna River is truly Mike’s passion; his life force.

“I take from this river, but I try to give back,” Mike says in an upwelling of emotion. “The river has given me everything I have.” Mike pauses to look off into the distance with tears in his eyes. He then  looks back. “You know, someday this river will kill me.” Mike is laughing now. The air is fresh, the sea is close, and the scent of salmon permeates everything.