Life Commercial Fishing In Bristol Bay Alaska

Click to see photos of the fishery

 I just got back from another crazy two months aboard a commercial fishing boat in Bristol Bay, Alaska.   The last two months have been spent working long hours in rough and cold weather.    Bristol Bay is home to the largest sockeye runs in the world, with over thirty million salmon returning to spawn in the surrounding rivers every year.  

 www.aifma.org

  It's an amazing fishery that started back in the 40's with only sail boats pushing their luck to catch the millions of pounds that swim past their bay and into the rivers.    Thirty million sockeye or red salmon return to this area every year.   Some years even bigger.    I've spend the last four years, working, documenting, and falling in love with the lifestyle.    Click to see photos of the fishery  on my photography website.

Click to see photos of the fishery

The Big Bad Wolf. Why are we so afraid?

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."  Ghandi 

When I sit down to watch a movie,  I like to have a cold drink, a big bowl of popcorn, and enjoy them for what they are, entertainment.   After all it's what you pay for.  I recently saw the movie Grey,  which is about wolves stalking and killing a group of people plane wrecked in Alaska.

Watching the movie, I laughed at how unrealistic the betrayal of wolves were in the movie.  I know this because I've grown up in Alaska, and have spent time with them in the wild.  I have photographed them from a distance eating caribou, stumbled into the middle of a wolf pack, while waking through thick alders, come face to face with them, and even had one wolf walk up to me and fall asleep, like my black lab, right next to me.     

Sadly, in the real world, there is a war going on against wolves,  that doesn't end when I finish the popcorn, and  I can't just laugh off.   If it were a movie I would have thrown by drink and popcorn at the movie and walked out, in disgust.   It's not about the killing that chaps my ass, the most.  It's how low man will go to eliminate something they don't like.  It's embarrassing to Alaska and should be an embarrassment to those involved.   

There are some people out there, that really think wolves are man eaters.  Others think wolves, don't belong in the wild, or need to be managed.  Then there are those who just like killing shit, because they love the power of it.  

For hundreds of thousands of years, wolves have somehow lived in balance with nature, yet now a very powerful groups of people, mostly hunting lodge owners and trappers, believe wolves have no importance. No role in nature. 

 So before the wolves can eat all the big game in the wild,  government sponsored programs,  hunt them down with planes, poison them, and trap them.   There is no science backing up claims that wolves kill to many big game animals.   Studies that actually were done, about wolves show, they eliminate the weak, keeping herds healthy.   Two books which talk about in depth studies about wolves, some of the best ever, are a great read for understanding the balance in nature and each role animals take.     Link to Wolves of Denali Book    and Link to Wolves of Mt. Mckinley

Talking about wolves gets people fired up like talking about religion or politics.   Very few people I've talked with can see both sides of the picture.   But this video will hopefully open some eyes and make sport hunters understand, that it's programs like this that put a black eye on hunting in general.    

 Sign this petition if you want to help stop Aerial Wolf Hunts!

This is where I become agitated.  Future generations being robbed,  because of sheltered ignorance.  And ignorance is all it is.  It's more than just the killing of wolves.  It's a mindset that shows no intellectual understanding of balance.   No understanding of nature beyond, quick results.  

It's the mindset that our Board of Game in Alaska has taken.  A government sponsored Board that is supposed to be for the well being off all Alaskans,  but have been taken over by radical short minded hunters and trappers. 

It's become a joke in Alaska recently with how far the board will go, to blame declining moose numbers on wolves which have been around a lot longer than trophy hunting.  If African countries make it legal for hunters to take lions from planes, I guarantee that people would be up in arms.  

Map of Wolf Control locations  going on in Alaska.

Should I stand back and let this go on without trying to pass on the word. What has been done isn't doing much work. People need to stand up for something in life.  Fight for something we stand for.   The wolf has become a keystone species in the fight between conservation and hunting.    Where hunters have grown bold in bullying the rest of the population, who just want to enjoy viewing wildlife with out looking down the barrel of a gun.  

The Problem!

Where did wolves get such a bad reputation?  

Wolves are one of the least aggressive animals towards humans.   If you calculated the odds of getting killed by a wolf, it would make being struck by lighting look common.   To put things into perspective, an estimated 160 people are killed every year by falling coconuts.   Only one person has been officially documented as being attacked and killed by a wolf, ever!

Think about about growing up.  Did you read any books about the wolf being a dangerous animal?

How about the poor "Three Little Pigs" and the big bad wolf?    This wolf was so dangerous he would huff and buff and blow the house down.



Little miss riding hood couldn't walk to her own grandmothers house with out being stalked by the dangerous, cross -dressing wolf.

 

How about the "The Boy Who Cried Wolf,"   It may have taught us an important lesson about making up stories that weren't true,   but it also implanted us that wolves were bad.    Are we crying wolf about wolves, today?   I know it's ridiculous to bring up cartoons and stories as the reason people don't trust wolves, but you would be surprised how media and traditional influences affect our lives.

 I have always tried to at least see issues from both side,  I think it's in my DNA.  My dad worked for an oil company and my mom was a member of Sierra Club, which tried to shut oil companies down.

I understand people who make a living off ranching and are feared that their livestock would be killed by a predator, like a wolf.   I am commercial fisherman who makes a living catching salmon.  I am fearful of things, like Pebble Mine,  that would affect my lively hood.   But I will never agree with hunting an animal in an un sportsman like way.

Thinking outside the norm is how we become ambassadors of this planet.  How to Protect Livestock










So how do you convince people to respect wolves?  Maybe by sharing your own experiences.


This photo is of a wolf that I encountered in Denali National Park.   While backpacking I sat and watched this male, make his way down a river bed.   He saw me and curiously came to investigate.  After a few moments starting at each other, he went on his way.

The next day, while hiking I came across another wolf.  I photographed him for a while.  Like a dog he seemed to enjoy my company.   He was so comfortable with me that he walked up and fell asleep right next to me.   I even laid back and got some rest myself.     

This wolf was one of a pack of wolves that I had surround me while, I was walking alone through a valley.  They waited around long enough to look curious then they were gone.

Link to popular wolf photo I have published.

When the earliest pioneers came across the United States, they wrote about herds of animals so large that it was mind boggling. Buffalo stretching for as far as the eye could see.   When western man arrived they all but whipped them out.   This can be said for just about every big game animal around the world.   Since the invention of the rifle,  animals have been pushed towards extinction.

When it comes down to it you have to choose which side you are on.  I have no problem with hunting.   I have a problem with cowards, who think they are hunters. And only kill for the thrill.   You make your own opinion.    If you want to know how you can help stop Aerial wolf hunting.   Click on the link below. 

 Sign this petition if you want to help stop Aerial Wolf Hunts!  

Trapping of wolves isn't very sportsman like either.  But killing is in people's blood.  We will have to make the choice soon for what kind of legacy, we want to leave the next generation.  

     

  Sign this petition if you want to help stop Aerial Wolf Hunts! 

Saying Good-Bye to the Night Sky

Living in Alaska you get to experience lots of extremes.  Extreme weather, extreme climates, extreme animals, extreme daylight hours, and extreme light shows.   Nothing is ever dull up here.  This winter we had record snow falls and record wind storms.   If you travel on the hillside above the city of Anchorage,  you will see trees flattened all over the place.   Wind storms this winter, had winds up to 118 mph.

Since December 21st,  or winter solstice,  our days have gradually gotten longer.   By May you say good-bye to the night sky for about three months.  On June 21st or  Summer solstice, the sun in the northern parts of Alaska,  will ever set.  Like a dragon fly,  the sun will dip and touch the horizon and then climb back into the sky.

 The melting of the snow not only means the return of warmth, flowers, and birds.  It means the return of the midnight sun.   For humans and animals there is a celebration, we have survived another long dark winter.  We enjoy the long day light hours.

But with the disappearance of the night sky,  it means we no longer get to enjoy the stunning light show that goes on overhead, while most people are asleep in their beds.    

 Amazing video of Northern Lights.

I haven't spent much time photographing the northern lights.  Since I got into photography two years ago and I usually travel out of the country for most of the winter.   But while up at Arctic Man, the northern lights put on a great show.      Auroras at Arctic man

   Auroras at Arctic man

In Alaska and anywhere else near the south and north poles,  the night sky will put on an amazing light display.    The northern lights, or aurora borealis,  is a breath taking natural occurrence that leaves viewers amazed.     Named after the Roman Goddess of Dawn, Aurora and the Greek name for north wind,  Boreas.   This light show occurs when ever there is a solor flare on the sun.  

After a solar flare or burp by the sun the radiation or solar wind, travels towards earth, colliding with earths magnetic field.   The larger the solar flare,  the larger the display of auroras.   Charged particles react with gases in the atmosphere, creating different colors.    The most common color in the auroras is green,  which is oxygen.   Red is nitrogen, and purple is argon.

 Aurora borealis activity follows a 11-12 year curve.   By 2013 we will be reaching our peak of activity so make sure to stay up late next winter and look up into the night sky.   In the summer the auroras, will continue to put on a magnificent show,  but it will no longer be visible because of the midnight sun.

 When the midnight sun disappears,  giving way once again to night.   I will look forward to viewing once again the beautiful light show that goes on most nights over head.  

  Amazing video of Northern Lights.

One Island for Every Day of the Year. San Blas Islands. Panama.

Link to more San Blas Photos

The last few weeks I have been watching Bryce Harper, an American baseball player, try to succeed in  Major League baseball.   Watching his ups and downs, his trials and tribulations.  It snaps me back  in time,  reliving memories of another life I once lived, where I too road that roller coaster of athletic emotion. 

 The frustrations, the pressure,  the expectations to reach your potential.  The competitive monster inside of you pushing you beyond your breaking point.  Forcing you to take giant leaps when you should be taking small steps. 

 The blood running down Harper's face, from a self inflicted injury received during a temper tantrum, brings back the pain I experienced as well.  Sports will drive you over the edge.    Even the nice guys go mental at times.   

During my professional career, especially during the "dog days of summer,"  (meaning the hellishly hot months of summer where your ass seemed to never stop sweating and your body felt like you were melting under the intense sun),  I used to day dream of traveling to a place where the sun always shinned but a cool sea breeze kept things comfortable.   Where the sea was a blue turquoise color, the palm trees swayed in the wind, and the sound of waves put you to sleep every night.  

I know everyone has had those moments.  Sitting at a your desk in some tiny cubical, doing brain numbing work,  hating what you do.  You could be a teacher, the students are yelling, not listening, and being little butt heads because they are all hyper off lunch,  or even at home when stress of everyday life, gets you down.  Everyone has had moments where they day dreamed about somewhere better.   "Just like the Southwest Commercials, "want to get away."

There's a saying that goes something like, " the poor long for riches, the rich dream of immortality, buy the wise search for serenity."

The day I walked out of the coach's office and walked away from sports, I focused my passion on discovering the places around the world, were the scenery was so breathtaking that no matter what  pains your brought with you, they would be sucked from you like some black hole.   

Getting to the San Blas Islands isn't extremely challenging, to get to.  But it became an adventure for me, that I didn't mind being part of.  From my hostel in Panama City I arranged transport to take me to where I could catch a boat on the Caribbean coast.  What would normally be a 2-3 hour drive,  took about 5 hours.  We made it about 30 minutes before we came across a blockade.   Local Indians were holding a protest, blockading the roads, shutting down traffic, and bringing the country's transportation to a stand still.     

Local Indians blockaded the roads around Panama, protesting the government taking their lands.

Every road we travelled down ended in a blockade.    I was beginning to loose hope, that I would never make it out to the San Blas islands, since I only had three days left in Panama before I flew home.   But I've always felt in life,  that if things are meant to be then, your life will find it's way.  

Where there is a will there is a way.   My driver wasn't going to let the blockades  get me from reaching the coast. 

Luckily,  I had a driver who stood by his word.  He promised me he would get me to the coast and that is exactly what he did.  I think he just wanted to show off what his new 4WD jeep could do.  

If we couldn't travel down the roads, we would take to the rivers.  Sitting shotgun,  the driver and I laughed together.  I think he had the same sense for adventure that I did.

While the main roads were blocked the side roads remained open.  So we meandered our way down small side roads and finally got to my pick up point.

Finally we arrived to where I could get picked up by a boat and taken out to the islands.  

The Island I stayed on was no bigger than a soccer field.   Huts lined the beach.   There are 365 islands in the archipelago. Some much smaller having only one palm tree,  others much bigger containing cities. 

Depending on which island you stay on, you will live with the locals.  This was the mother of the family who lived on the island I stayed on.   You won't find any NBA basketball players coming from this part of the world. 

Kuna Indians dressed in beautiful traditional clothing.  

Depending on the island you stayed on, you had the beach to yourself. 

Link to more San Blas Photos

You can arrange to be taken out to the San Blas Island right from Panama City.   Just ask any of the hotels or hostels and they will arrange a pick up.    Tony's Island and Hamilton Island were the two I stayed on.  I would recommend both to more adventurous people.