The dip net season for red salmon has started and so we drove down to the mouth of the Kenai to watch the harvest. I use the term harvest because its not fishing, its simply a harvest of salmon by Alaskan residents. I only wish that nonresidents were allowed to join in the fun.
We were watching from Scout Park, high above the beach and it was really amazing as there seemed to be two different techniques. The netters on our side would wade out, pushing their huge nets into the water and then stand still in the cold water. They would wait until a salmon would swim into the net and then slowly pull the net in with the fish giving them quite a tussle. We watched as a young boy had to have help as he couldn't get the net and fish out of the water.
On the other side of the mouth the netters would wade slowly along the beach, again hoping that a salmon would be added to their catch. It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of difference as both sides were cleaning and then washing their salmon before putting them in coolers, sleds, and even garden wagons.
We talked with a local who was deciding if he should launch his boat. The run of fish right now is low, about six thousand fish a day and last year it rose until it reached a peak of about two hundred and fifty thousand fish on July Seventeenth. He further told of salmon jumping everywhere and the river seemingly a river of fresh sockeye. Last years harvest, by netters, was estimated at over half a million reds.
The day wasn't just about the fish we also stopped to visit the Russian Orthodox Church. It was founded in 1841 and is still used although it is having structural problems and is in desperate need of money for repairs. We tried the doors but they were locked and so we had to settle for images of the outside.
Before we returned to our campsite we watched the combat fishing in the City of Soldotna. Salmon are being caught but its still pretty slow as the run is really just beginning. It also isn't really fishing but instead a harvest as the fish don't bite, but are simply snagged in the mouth as they swim bye. Again I am not implying anything wrong with this as it is the only method by which people can get fish for the table. I do so love eating salmon, I think I will sign off and head out. Clear skies.
Hi - Are you in Homer - we hosted a young woman this spring who was working on a book/study on Children of the Spill. She is from Homer and her father is a commercial fisherman there.. Her name is Katie Gavenus and after 20 years, exxon finally settled with her family - her uncle got a check for 00.00 and her father didnt even get enuf to pay for one semester of tuition for her sister. C
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