Fishery Basics

When and Where

When to fish (and for how long) is one of the trickier
aspects of the business. All of Alaska's fisheries are
managed on the priciple of "Sustained Yield," meaning
that the primary goal is having a minimum number of
salmon return to the spawning grounds. This number
is called the minimal "escapement," and each river
system has a different capacity, therefore each has a
different "escapement goal." Only after fisheries
managers with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
are confident that minimal escapement numbers
can be achieved are the fishermen allowed blocks of time
(called "Emergency Openings" or, more commonly, "Fishing Periods") to actually fish. On years with strong returns, fishing periods may be frequent and last for hours, or even days. On weaker years, they may be short and infrequent. On a few occasions, there were NONE!

The second tricky aspect of fishing is perhaps the most famous, even to sports fishers: Where to fish. Like many sport fishers, commercial fishermen are confined to specific areas. Salmon returning to Bristol Bay normally seek out the rivers of their birth. This allows fisheries biologists to focus on each river system individually, as salmon return to that estuary. These regions are called fishing "districts," and boundaries are set for each. For instance, the Ugashik District outer boundaries run from Cape Greig, eight miles north of the Bay, to Cape Menshikof, ten miles south (see map). The inner-boundary runs across the bay as it narrows near the confluence of the King Salmon River, eighteen miles up from the mouth of the bay.

Extracting fish from the net is a process called "picking the net," using one's hands and occasionally employing a tool called a "fish pick."

Once "picked" out of the net, fish are held in large bags made of heavy nylon sheeting called "braillers." They are then transported to large vessels called "tenders" where they are sold ("delivered") to the fish buyer. Tenders can range from small "limit seiners" of a just few fathoms' length to large ocean-going crab and shrimp ships of several hundred feet. These "tenders," in turn, deliver the product to the "processor," where the fish are frozen, canned, filleted or otherwise readied for market. Most of Alaska's salmon are sold to consumers in Asia, especially Japan. With the development of alternative seafood sources, this niche is becoming decreasingly important as the ultimate market.

Whither The Future
The salmon fishery in Alaska is much like any other industry:
change is the norm. A relatively new, and controversial,
development is the introduction of "Set Net Only" or "Drift
Net Only" Periods which strive to allocate certain percentages
of the catch to one user group or the other. Another is a system
whereby fishermen pool their efforts in a cooperative effort and
market them as a group. This program was pioneered in the
nearby village of Chignik (on the Pacific Ocean side of the
peninsula from Pilot Point) and its legality is still being decided.

The methods of catching, holding and marketing have all been
radically altered in recent years and more change lies ahead.
Some elements of the industry are opposed to change, whereas
others look forward to it. Some of the hardest decisions facing
Alaskans are whether to join the growing trend towards fish
"farming," which is rapidly expanding in our neighbor to the south:
the Canadian province of British Columbia. BC's experience with
salmon farming has done little to inspire confidence on the part of
most Alaskans. Accidental "releases" of non-native salmon species,
rampant disease outbreaks, and heavy pollution at farm-sites are
just some of the problems which has distressed Alaskans watching
from just north of the Canadian border.

How the industry will shake-out during the next few years is anybody's guess, but this one thing can be safely assured: Alaska's salmon runs will endure as one of the most watched-after fisheries in the world.

The Fishery Basics
As part of the larger Bristol Bay salmon management area, Ugashik Bay is a salmon gillnet fishery which typically runs from early May through September.

Several subspecies of salmon run at different times during this summer season, starting in the spring with the Chinook (King) Salmon run (May and early June), followed by the Sockeye (Red) Salmon run (late June through July). A small Chum (Dog) Salmon run starts during the late Sockeye run (late July) and is followed by the Coho (Silver) Salmon run in August and September.

The other indigenous Alaskan salmon species, Pink (Humpy) Salmon rarely appears in Ugashik Bay, although they do run in northern Bristol Bay rivers.

Most western Alaska salmon are caught using gill nets, including in Ugashik Bay.

Two methods are employed using gillnet. Shore-based operations are called Set Nets. The fishing fleet (boats) use Drift Nets. Each usesthe same type and size of net, called "gear." A single length of gear is called a "shackle" and is fifty-fathoms long (300 feet; 92 meters). The net uses a series of floats (called "corks" to keep the top of the net buoyant, while using a weighted line (called "leads") to keep the lower portion submerged.

The net, itself, is a web of nylon line forming a diamond-shaped pattern in which the fishare caught around the gills. Set Nets utilize one length (shackle) of net anchored to shore at each end to make it immovable, while Drift Net vessels ("drift boats") use three shackles and are not permitted to remain anchored or stationary while fishing.

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