For over 2 decades, I have been a commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay, Alaska, home to the world’s largest salmon runs. With its vast undeveloped watersheds and abundance of fresh clean rivers and lakes, Bristol Bay is the perfect breeding ground for salmon. There is enormous pressure to develop this pristine area, especially with the discovery of North America’s largest deposit of gold and copper located at the exact headwaters of the most productive salmon rivers in the world. But thanks to the conservation efforts of seasonal fisherman, local indigenous people and environmental groups, this valuable resource has thus far been protected.
My family moved to Applegate Valley in 2014 after searching much of the west coast for a place to call home. Enticed by the wild and verdant landscape plus the openness of the community we bought a small farm on the Applegate River. This past autumn we watched spawning salmon fill the swimming hole in front of our house and I realized what a strong connection this region has to salmon.
For many thousands of years salmon have been woven into the ecology and people of these mountains and rivers including being an integral part of the local diet. But with the depressingly long list of ways we have compromised our watersheds and fisheries, the once very abundant salmon runs in this region have now dwindled to perilously low levels. There are some here who are lucky to sport fish here and catch enough to stock up their freezers, but for most people here there is just not enough salmon left to feed us.
I want to bring some of the abundance of healthy, wild Alaskan salmon back to my friends and neighbors here in the Applegate and Rogue valleys. By eating our fish you will support our young family and one of the world’s best examples of sustainable fisheries. And together we can work to protect and repair our watersheds for our fish at home.
Together, we are Bringing Salmon Home to the Siskiyous!