March 4, 2013 — When I'm asked about the future of wild fish in the sea, I often cite my personal experience working in Alaska’s historically volatile salmon and crab industries. The science-based management of Alaskan fisheries has proved over time to be sustainable and is generally embraced (awkward man hug) by the fishermen.
I landed my first job as commercial fisherman in 1995. We spent the season gillnetting in a small skiff for Sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kvichak River in Bristol Bay, Alaska. At age 19, I came for the adventure and allure of quick but hard-earned money. We landed an average amount of fish that year but the following season and subsequent decade proved to be a bust. The mighty
Kvichak Sockeye run had collapsed and it was unclear exactly why.
At the same time, farmed salmon from Norway and Chile had saturated the market with cheap red filets. This in turn devastated the price of wild salmon. The Alaska department of Fish and Game closed fishing in the Kvichak district for a number of years to allow for the spawning biomass to recover. Many Bristol Bay fishermen reluctantly quit the bay entirely during this period, including myself, as crew wages proved unsustainable.
More recently, the Kvichak began to show signs of revival. The price of salmon at the dock has more then doubled since its low point and continues to climb as consumers are now better educated on the health and environmental benefits of wild salmon. The Kvichak is back. It is now the highest producing river in the region.
Read the full story at the New York Times