July 24, 2007

After having one fisherman not show up with fish after
agreeing to do so 12 hours previously, I headed to
Sitka, where I arranged to buy fish from a friend who
started trolling the same year I did. I bought fish
from him in April, and they were fabulous. He talked
me into paying a higher price than I had, after I
asked him the usual questions about fish handling and
on board processing.

When I got to Sitka, I found only one of us was
holding up our end of the deal. His fish were pretty
average, and I saw I’d have to do alot of extra work
when I got back to my processor in Juneau bleeding his
fish to bring them up to our high standards. When I
pointed this out to him, he proceeded to yell at his
deckhand as though it was all her fault. Only problem
was, she hadn’t been the one on the phone telling me
what I could expect. Her skipper had. So, another
lesson learned and another file logged to the hard
disk in my head for the next time I buy fish from this
particular boat. I spent 3 hours when I got back to
Juneau taking care of things I’d paid him to do, but
live and learn.

I’m getting the boat we bought last year to dress fish
on ready to sell. The state crippled our operation
this year, and only one legislator – Rep. Gabrielle
LeDoux of Kodiak – gave me any assistance. She wrote
an unsolicitied letter to DEC after reading my
editorial in the Anchorage Daily News. The governors
fisheries liason Cora Crome made a courtesy call, but
did nothing to assist our situation as of yet, and the
season is quickly coming to a close. So much for an
administration looking out for the “little guy”. We
had a great plan for high quality salmon.
Unfortunately, we operate in a state that discourages
innovation and real-time reaction to it’s salmon
entrepreneurs.

My buddy Chris just got back from Bristol Bay, where
he caught 170,000 lbs of sockeye in 3 weeks! He said
he’s going to troll close to Juneau later in the
season, and so I hope to start deckhanding for him
then when I can run out in my boat or skiff to meet
him and return to town with a few totes of fish after
we’re done.

Deer season opens next week – Aug. 1. I can hardly
believe it’s August already, as I didn’t even notice
we were in July.


Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Fish no Fish

A troller called last evening, and said he was coming into Juneau and did I want to buy his fish. He and I kind of grew up together fishing. I asked him about his fish – were they iced or FAS, had he raked the belly walls, did he pressure bleed them. All looked good. He said he’d be in late in the evening. I told him the tide was a minus tide at 945 am, so let’s do it after that, and to call me in the morning when he’s in and ready to offload.

I wake early today. I clean and sanitize all my fish totes. I’m ready to go. I do some errands in the morning. I leave a message on his cell about 10 am that I’m ready whenever he is. I leave another message about 1130 am. I then call his step dad, who I used to work with. He’s thoroughly confused, because he said he just sent his son out to Elfin Cove to fish with his brother.

About 1230 noon, I return home, and my wife is just getting off the phone with the boat I was supposed to meet. There was a king salmon bite on the coast, so he had left for that.

This was all fine, except I ‘d already notified customers and processors to be ready for a load of fish. I then had to email all my customers expecting fish, and let them no there were no fish now.

This got me thinking of how much I’d learned in the past 6 years. As a direct marketer, I would have known all that is involved in a delivery – from having fish totes ready, and processors in place and customers lined up for delivery. But for those who only fish, they just think of delivery as routine. If I don’t show up today, then no big deal. I’ll just come in when I want to and sell my fish. This, of course, works for the big processors who send their fish to distributers, but not for me, who sell fish directly to customers. So, I’ll have to drop this boat for now. He certainly doesn’t get it.

So, I hope to get to the Stikine and fish with my brother in law next week. Not sure if the ferry schedule will work, but we’ll see.


Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Sitka , Rain, and Bear Stories

I took my cousin Amy to Sitka with me to get fish. Poor girl doesn’t like the rain, and I can see Southeast Alaska may not be for her. It rained on the way over, while we were there, and all the way home. King salmon fishing is very slow this year, and so not much in the way of fish from my friends there.

I bought a new trifold sleeping pad for the ferry at Costco. It’s bulky to carry, but well worth the great night’s sleep. We left about 1 or 2 am, and arrived late in the morning. I showed Amy around a bit, and then got the call, and off we went to the drive down dock – a feat of engineering Juneau Docks and Harbors somehow can’t figure out.

I took my bigger scale, which really speeded things up. The king salmon were real monsters with many in the middle and upper 20 to 30 lb range (dressed weight) and ocean bright. Just not a lot of them, but plenty for our needs. We also got some very nice cohos.

We stayed the night with my friend Mike, who, like me, grew up in Western New York state. His dad was in town, so I went to store to buy burgers and salad and we had a relaxing dinner.

We left the next day on the fast ferry, which only takes 4.5 hours to get to Juneau – half the time of the larger, slower ferries. The boat was packed with kids going to softball camp in Juneau.

Also onboard was a woman who teaches with my wife at the high school. She sat down and told me about her trip, which she was just finishing. She’d taken her kayak on the ferry to Kake, and from there paddled down the west side of Kuiu Island, then over to Coronation Island and back to Cape Decision… BY HERSELF! At one beach, she said, after paddling about 30 miles around Coronation Island, she camped on a beach. After setting up her tent, she collapsed for a restful sleep. She then heard “crunch, crunch, crunch” on the beach gravel. In her semi-conciousness, she thought, “Oh, I wonder who this is walking down the beach”. Then she remembered: I’m in the middle of absolute wilderness here. That “somebody” is likely a bear. Her eyes popped open wide, she rolled over to look out her tent window, and all she could see was black and bear! She said she knew the bear would wind her soon, so she started talking softly to the bear so it would hear her first and not get excited when it finally smelled her. She got the bear to take off. She got out of her tent to look down the beach to see where the bear went, and then heard commotion behind her. The bear had doubled back behind her tent to come back and check out what had scared it. She said she spent the next while shooing the bear away, and it finally left.

The next day, on a different beach, she heard the “crunch, crunch, crunch” again, and swore under her breath – another bear! Preparing herself for a similar ordeal as the day before, she got out of her tent toot sweet this time. She saw what was making the sound and relaxed – a doe Sitka blacktail deer and two little shaver fawns.

The weather kicked up at Cape Decision, and she managed to catch a ride to Sitka on a fish tender – a boat that collects fish from fishing boats and takes them to the processing plant. She said she was on the boat 3 days on it’s trapline and then back to Sitka. So, we caught her on the final leg of her trip back to Juneau on the ferry, and glad we did.


Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

One Fine Holiday

I left Juneau on July 4 to head out to the outer coast for king salmon. I only set foot in one of my favorite places in the world, Elfin Cove, for about 30 minutes last year, so I was eager to get back to familiar surroundings.

I left town in my 26 foot boat. I thought to myself I haven’t felt this good since the last time I went to Cross Sound in my own boat 2 years ago. When you untie from the dock, you leave all your troubles behind.

I saw humback and killer whales in Icy Strait, as well as sea lions and porpoises, and all the sea birds. Calm seas made for a comfortable ride in the first planing hull I’d made such a long trip in.

I got to Elfin Cove in 4 hours – 4 hours! It took 10 hours in the Dutch Master on a good day. I took fuel, took a lap around the Elfin Cove boardwalk, then headed out to Mite Cove, in Lisianski Inlet, where I was meeting my longtime friend Joe Emerson, and his twin teenager son and daughter deckhands Molly and Tyler. I was a little apprehensive about crossing Cross Sound, which is exposed to the open ocean, but it was calm seas. I anchored in Mite Cove, and would meet Joe the next day.

I re-read Pacific Troller, written by Frances Caldwell in the 1970’s, which I always would do the evening before the big July 1 king salmon opening in years past. It was a good feeling being at anchor in a familiar place. When I woke up the next morning, the Lightly, owned by John Clausen, was anchored nearby. John’s boat, which he built himself, is in the Pacific Troller book I was reading. John is a mountain of muscle and sinew and bone. I saw him climbing up the ladders to attend to his tattle tales and trolling pole tag lines in the morning. Not that unusual in most circumstance, but John, I believe, is well into his 80’s. A quiet, reserved man, he’s a living legend and commercial fishing pioneer and still lives with his lovely wife in Pelican, Alaska.

Joe arrived the next day to offload fish with me. His twins are now about 16. Molly looks just like her dad, with the blond hair and naturally rosy cheeks of healthy kid who spends time outdoors. Tyler is long and tall, with the brown hair and eyes of his mom.

I knew the boat could hold 6 fullsize fish totes. A fish tote holds about 800-1000 lbs of fish, so I’d hoped the boat could haul as much. We started putting fish into the totes, and I was only up to about 3000 lbs when water started sloshing into the self-bailing deck skuppers, and I had to call it good. While were were working, word came over the VHF radio that a boat had sunk, but all hands were okay, and I didn’t think any more about it. The boat, called The Prospector, was a little horseshoe stern boat that worked out of Elfin Cove for years.

I headed back to Elfin Cove. I’d missed the flood tide, which would carry back to Juneau, as well as last call at the fuel dock, so I decided to stay the night.

I went to Cohos Cafe, the lone restaraunt in town, for dinner and catching up with Shirley, the owner. Shirley has lived in remote parts of Alaska throughout her life, and knows the local gossip and news from Sitka to the Fairweahter Grounds and beyond. I went to bed with the boat tied to the front float in town after Shirley’s dinner of halibut and fries.

I awoke to the sound of what I thought was luggage being dragged along the dock. I was tied up right next to where the small floatplanes come in to ferry passengers from Elfin Cove to Juneau. I then thought I heard something rattle on the back deck, so I put on my boots and stood up. My deck was swarming with otters! They were trying to eat my fish! One had his body halfway in to one of my fish totes. When I banged on the door, all left except the one in the tote. I stepped on deck, and yelled, but it still didnt’ leave. I finally banged on the lid he was under, and that got his attention and he scurried off. I checked for damages. One king salmon lay unscathed on deck. I put it back in the ice of the tote it was removed from, and made sure the latches on all totes were secured. I returned to the cabin and waited. Sure enough, 2 otter came back on the dock and tried to feign interest in coming back aboard my boat by half-heartedly investigating the yachts tied to the dock. But the scent of fish was too much temptation. One kept looking at me in the window, and I tried to remain motionless just a few feet away. Finally, the two tested the lids on the fish totes with their noses, vigourously trying to lift the tote lids. With no luck, they finally returned to the dock, then over the side and into the water.

The tide would not start flooding until noon, so I headed back to Cohos for breakfast. Shirley mentioned the sinking, and that Nelson Merrill and Erin Nash were okay. Nelson Merrill? I had no idea he had bought the Prospector. Nelson is the son of fisherman Ted Merrill, and in his mid-20’s. Everyone likes Nelson, and it was his first boat. His father was tied up across from me on his boat, the Dundas, having come in the previous evening after I’d gone to bed.

After breakfast, I went back down to see his dad, and as it turned out, Nelson and Erin were also on board, as he had brought them back from the sinking. Nelson was taking the boat out for his first trip trolling with it. He said as they were about to put the gear out for the first time, he saw there was 10 inches of water in the stern cockpit. He called the Coast Guard as he knew this was trouble. When he went forward, he saw things floating in the foc’sle, and knew his boat was flooding. Luckily, he was among many boats. He had a life safety ring aboard. When the siderail of the boat was level with the water, he sat back in it and paddled to a fishing boat on it’s way to help him. His deckhand had a surf board on board. He climbed on and paddled to the rescue boat as if heading out to surf. Nelson said he got more wet than his deckhand on the surfboard! The boat sunk in 150 feet of water, and went down quickly. The rescue boat got it on film, which I’m eager to see.

I offered Nelson a ride to Juneau, but his dad was going to take him in. I left after they did, headed for Juneau with about 3000 lbs of king and coho salmon. I was not sure how much more fuel I would burn going home full versus coming out empty. When I ran out of gas in one of my 2 tanks less than half way home, I knew I wouldn’t be going directly home. Although I had an extra 30 gallons on board in jerry cans, I didn’t want to risk it. So, I detoured to Hoonah. I dodged the big cruise ship at anchor near the Icy Strait Point complex, and had no wait at the fuel dock. With full tanks, I was on my way again. The seas were the roughest of the trip, but not bad at all, and fully loaded, the boat rides much more comfortably than when empty. I carefully monitored my time, and switched tanks at Pt. Couverdon, just before I entered the nexus of Icy Strait and Chatham Strait, which can be lumpy. I ran up and around Pt. Retreat, across the south end of Shelter Island. With the dock in sight, I ran out of gas and put a 5 gallon jerry can of gas in the tank, and made it to the dock. I left at 11 am, and was in at about 6 or 7 pm.

I was surprised when my chevy 3/4 ton pulled the boat and 3000+lbs of extra weight up the boat ramp. Luckily, I arrived right at high tide. I pulled the boat into the parking lot, unhitched the boat from my truck, then used the hydraulic davit to move totes from the boat down to my pickup bed. I made 2 trips with fish to my processor, then took the boat back to it’s parking space. I was home about 1130 pm, and after a quick shower, was asleep almost instantly. That was a full couple days. Whe


Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Ready to Launch

No kings much of anywhere on the coast. I’m heading out to the coast tomorrow in the tender vessel I bought last year to meet a friend and get his fish. Will be the first long trip in this boat, and may determine if I keep it or not. Fuel is $3.50/gal here, and so it may be a $1,000 bill out and back and so hope it’s worth it. Vessel is flat bottomed, so I expect to have a few fillings loose before I get back. Excited to get out to Elfin Cove again, but so much to still do tonight to get the boat loaded and ready to go.


Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

July 1

First July 7 in about 8 years that I have not been on the outer coast trolling for king salmon. I did jump on with some friends this morning to sport fish for kings near Juneau, but no luck. Pretty late in the run, and we mostly saw chum salmon being caught.

No word yet what’s happening with the fishery. When I came over the Juneau bride today at 930 am to go out and pack up some fish shipments, there was a line of gillnetters as far as you could see down the channel, steaming out to start fishing at noon today, past the 5 cruiseships docked or anchored off of downtown Juneau.

Sockeye seem slow coming in this year, but plenty of chum salmon. Sounds like the Stikine has more sockeye in than up here.


Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com