District 13’s previous single-day harvest record was set in 2017 when roughly 950,000 pink salmon were caught. Aaron Dupuis is the Sitka area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He says while pink salmon harvests are down in other parts of the state, they’re surging in Sitka.

“We’ve just been seeing really strong harvests of pink salmon and really strong escapements, which was kind of unusual for an even year, and fairly unusual, given what’s been going on with pink salmon in the rest of the Gulf of Alaska,” Dupuis said. “So it’s pretty special to have a good pink run in the Sitka area this year.” 

He says local seiners beat the record on August 6 this year, catching 1.23 million pink salmon in one day. And it didn’t take long for them to beat it again, harvesting 1.28 million pink salmon on August 10. 

Dupuis said fishing effort was up this year, in part, because pinks arrived late for some of the fisheries that typically see higher participation. 

“So a lot of that purse seine effort moved from the Ketchikan area, Juneau, Petersburg over to Sitka,” Dupuis said. “So right now we have about 20 or 30 more boats on average, and then combine that with pretty good run.”

Dupuis said ocean conditions may have played a part in the “good run.” And the weather played a part in salmon escapement, too – that’s the number of fish that make it past the fishery, into streams to spawn. With the dry August weather, water levels were low when fish showed up. 

“In a lot of these other systems, the fish aren’t up the creek. We have the whole escapement sitting there. Kind of the worst case scenario is the fish go up the creek, and then the water drops. Then you can have pretty big mortality events, which isn’t great,” Dupuis said. “But we haven’t had that because the water levels were low prior to the fish showing up.” 

As of Monday (8-17-26), Dupuis said the fishery was ranked the seventh largest in the state’s history, with more openings to come. That’s a big contrast from what state fishery managers were anticipating earlier in the summer.

“It started out the season looking pretty grim,” Dupuis said. “Historic low harvest levels and escapement observations going into the last week in July, it was kind of looking like it might be a disaster, and then all of a sudden all these fish started showing up.” 

The record pink harvest will sell for a high price. Dupuis said purse seined pink salmon are going for $0.60 per pound, as much as double some recent years.

A Fish & Game fisheries technician is recovering after being attacked and mauled by a bear during a routine stream survey north of Sitka in August. Jess Coltharp said quick response from his coworkers and emergency training kept a bad situation from getting worse. 

Sitkan Jess Coltharp has worked for Fish and Game for 14 seasons surveying streams.

“For the most part, the main part of my job is just walking creeks and counting salmon, and then reporting escapement numbers back to the office,” Coltharp said, in an interview with KCAW last week. “So they have an idea of how many how many fish are going up the creek and spawning.”

Most jobs have hazards; some are worse than others. Fishermen have to be aware of the weather. Postmen have to know where the unfriendly dogs are on their route. For Coltharp, bear awareness is important: Sightings and interactions are common in his line of work. 

“It’s usually about 80 to 90 bears a summer is what you run into. And of course not all of those are close contact, but a good good portion of them are. And so, over 14 years, now you’re looking at around 1,000 bears,” he said. “You’re eventually going to run into them in a bad situation where you don’t know they’re there or you startle them.”

And that’s what happened on August 19. Coltharp was a few hours north of Sitka, surveying a stream on West Chichagof Island with his deckhand Anthony Walloch and a volunteer named Ethan. It was around 5 p.m. and they’d already walked the stream and they’d counted the fish. Relieved to be finished with their work for the day, they were heading back to their boat on a side trail about 20 yards away from the river.  

Coltharp was walking ahead of the other two men, when he heard the salmonberry bushes rustling. 

“I remember looking over my shoulder and I was saying something to them, when I kind of heard the bushes crashing, and that’s when I looked up and looked over toward [where] the sound was coming from,” he said. “I couldn’t even really see it all at first because the brush was pretty thick but about 20 feet away…this bear comes charging out of the brush at full speed.”

Coltharp said it happened so fast. “And without any, you know, warning at all. Normally, when they’re defensive over their territory they let you know,” he said. “They get all huffy and puffy and they start popping their jaw and making a lot of noise, and there was there was absolutely none of that going on. So it was a it’s kind of a unique situation.” 

Coltharp grabbed his gun from a sling on his back and tried to load the chamber, but the bear was faster than he was. So he jumped to the side to get his upper body and head out of the way, in the hopes that Walloch, who was also armed, could get in a shot. 

“And that’s when that’s when the bear reached down and just kind of chomped me right above my kneecap,” Coltharp said. “And [the bear] was just shaking me around by my leg. I was just laying there as it’s got me, just yelling, ‘Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it!’ as fast as I could say it.”

Walloch was standing about 15 feet behind Coltharp, when the bear charged. “I had my shotgun up, and then just like, in a second, I was like this is the safest shot I’m going to have,” Walloch said. “I took one shot, the bear rolled right off of Jess. And then I pumped two more shots into the bear just to make sure that it wasn’t going to get back up.”

“And the moment I heard that gunshot was the exact same moment I felt that bear release,” Coltharp said.

“I looked at Jess and I turned around looked at Ethan, and all of our eyes are so wide open. We’re all pretty worked up over the scenario,” Walloch said.

The next part is a bit of a blur for Coltharp.

“Your adrenaline is kind of fighting your body wanting to go into shock, almost. So it’s like, you’re kind of fighting with yourself a little bit trying to figure out how to deal with it,” Coltharp said. “I remember standing up immediately afterwards, and just looking at Anthony and telling them you know, like, ‘Nice shot, thanks for saving my life.'”

“He’s like ‘Hell of a shot, buddy!’ And at that moment when he said that, I was like, that made me feel a little calmer in that situation,” Walloch remembers. “Knowing that Jess, he could still talk to me, and everything seemed all right.”

“I think I had a smile on my face, because I was just so damn relieved that the bear didn’t have me anymore,” said Coltharp. He said the relief washed over them for a moment before reality sank in.

“And then I remember feeling the blood run down my leg, and then it became a little bit of, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve got to still make sure that we’re going to be okay.'”

So the three men took a moment to work out a plan. They made a tourniquet for Coltharp’s leg wound. They had an inReach satellite communication device, so they contacted their boss, who made preparations to send a float plane to pick them up where they’d left their boat, a half-a-mile hike away.

While the walk back wasn’t easy with a severe leg injury, Coltharp took time to commemorate the occasion when he took a moment’s pause to sit on a log.

“And I remember thinking, wow, this is something I’m really gonna have to remember,” said Coltharp. So he asked Walloch to take his photo, while he rested on the log. Coltharp and Walloch laughed, and he smiled and gave a thumbs up, displaying his fresh injury. The photo has been widely circulated on social media, and made the front page of the Sitka Sentinel.

“It was symbolic, I guess,” Coltharp said. “At least to me, it felt like the right way to go about it. There’s no reason to freak everybody out. You know, you’re in the situation you’re in. You might as well keep your spirits up while you do it. And I think that that can make all the difference in getting out of there quickly and safely.”

Between the men, they had a lot of emergency response training. In addition to their training from Fish and Game, Walloch had EMT training from the Sitka Fire Department. Coltharp credits that training for keeping a bad situation from becoming worse. 

“I’m not somebody that’s, thinks that, you know, there’s bears out there in the woods ready to jump on you even though that is pretty much what happened,” Coltharp said. “Being prepared just in case it does happen is is huge. You might think, oh, I’ve walked this trail 100 times, and I’ve never had any issues in my whole life. But that one day where you do, if you’re not prepared, it’s the difference between life and death.” 

Coltharp was rushed back to Sitka on a float plane and was in the Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center emergency room being attended to a little over two hours after the attack happened. He’s had surgery since then, and now he’s on the mend, though he has weeks of recovery and physical therapy ahead of him.

He said he can’t thank Walloch enough for his quick reaction, which likely saved his life.

“Anthony’s never gonna have to buy a drink around me ever again,” Coltharp said. “I definitely owe that guy a lot. So he’ll be reaping the benefits of that for a while.”

A little over a year ago, organizers for the Salmon Nation project met in Sitka to talk about how to bring a diverse group of people scattered along thousands of miles of coastline together. What binds them is salmon and a passion for the bioregion that hosts them from the northern coast of California to the North Slope of Alaska. Starting Sunday, the group will meet for the second time to share ideas and solutions and to celebrate with music and entertainment. KCAW’s Erin Fulton spoke with Salmon Nation’s Ian Gill about the upcoming “Festival of What Works.”

Salmon Nation’s virtual “Festival of What Works” will take place from Nov. 15-22. Those interested in learning more or registering for the free festival, can visit https://salmonnation.net/whatworks.

A recently-published 10 year study estimates the value of what the Tongass and Chugach National Forests contribute to Alaska’s commercial salmon industry — and the numbers are sizeable.

The study is called Quantifying the Monetary Value of Alaska National Forests to Commercial Pacific Salmon Fisheries (Volume 39, Issue No. 6, December 2019). Published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management, the article attributes 25-percent of the state’s salmon harvest — worth $88 million — to the Tongass and the Chugach, the country’s first- and second-largest national forests respectively.

Note: Laine Welch’s Alaska Fish Radio is sponsored by Ocean Beauty Seafoods and the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association. You can learn more about this story online at alaskafishradio.com.

By Laine Welch

Researchers excluded salmon born outside the forests’ lakes, rivers and streams such as the Canadian portions of the transboundary Taku, Stikine and Unuk Rivers, and also state, private and Native owned lands. They also did not include hatchery fish.

The results showed that from 2007 to 2016 the two forests contributed 48 million salmon on average each year to commercial fisheries, with a dockside value averaging $88 million. These “forest fish” represented 25% of Alaska’s total salmon catch for the time period and 16% of the total commercial value. 

For the Tongass, the most lucrative “forest fish” was pink salmon averaging $42 million to fishermen each year. Cohos came next, averaging nearly $15 million and chums at almost $9 million.

For the Chugach, the priciest returns came from sockeye salmon which produced $10.5 million in local catches on average. Pinks were next, averaging $6.2 million.

The study said it underestimates the value of salmon produced by the forests, as it only takes into account commercial harvests, not recreational or subsistence, uses. It also counts only dockside value, and not the economic impacts of local fish processing.

The 10 year project was funded by the U.S. Forest service which is interested in estimating the different activities and services that national forests provide.

At a time when forests are under threat of timber harvests, mining, more roads and development, the researchers hope their findings can be used to better inform forest management.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is expecting another underwhelming year for pink salmon in Southeast. 

According to a preseason forecast released on Wednesday (11-20-19), the estimated 2020 harvest is around 12 million fish, far below the ten-year average of 35 million.

Since 2006, more pink salmon have been returning to Southeast waters in odd-numbered years than in even-numbered years, for the most part. But the 2020 forecast still  falls below the recent even-year average, which is about 20 million fish. 

Andy Piston of Fish and Game says it’s hard to determine the exact cause of the decline. Warming ocean temperatures caused by climate change could be a factor, both in terms of fish mortality and in changing migration routes. Piston says the recent drought years haven’t helped, either. 

“We haven’t had any huge die-offs, but we’ve had a lot of situations where fish are having to hold for extended periods of time,” Piston said. “We’ve had extremely low waters in a lot of spawning grounds which adds stress to the fish, they have to mill about in warmer waters for longer periods of time.” 

He adds that this forecast is in line with a general downward trend in pink harvests in recent years, following a record-setting catch in 2013. The forecast specifically cites low escapement rates since 2012 in the Northern Southeast Inside subregion. 

The final number for the 2019 pink salmon harvest throughout Southeast is expected to come in at just over 21 million fish. 

The public comment period is open for the US Forest Service’s proposal to exempt Alaska from the Roadless Rule. One community where that plan is likely to meet a cool reception is Tenakee Springs, where the Forest Service is holding a public meeting Tuesday, November 5th, 10am – 11:30am in the Community Center. Megan Moody, who runs Tenakee’s Independent Learning Center, spoke with KCAW about the town’s resistance to amending the Roadless Rule.

Southeast’s troll fleet has wrapped up what’s likely to be the end of its most lucrative fishery — summer kings. Early indicators are that the chinook were abundant during the two-day opener.

Deborah Lyons has been trolling off Sitka’s Baranof Island since 1985. She agrees the chinook were plentiful this year. And it’s a welcome change from the dire forecasts of recent years with record low returns and limited openers. 

“We had fish coming aboard four at a time on a line — and these are king salmon,” she said Thursday morning.

Lyons is also with the group Chinook Futures Coalition which advocates for higher salmon quotas for Alaska’s troll fleet. She says when the sun set on the fishing grounds, it was clear that the fleet was out in force.

“At night in the anchorage, it was just beautiful,” she recalled. “There was like 40 mast lights anchored behind Saint Lazaria. …You could see out behind Stika Point, other boats were out drifting. It was wonderful to see the numbers of fish.”

Conservation measures implemented in accordance with the Pacific Salmon Treaty with Canada limit the opportunity for the fleet to target king salmon. 

Southeast’s trollers had five days to target chinook in July. Under the Department of Fish and Game’s Southeast Alaska King Salmon Management Plan, that left 24,000 chinook to be caught in a second opener this August.

Sitka-based state area fisheries biologist Grant Hagerman says that target’s likely been hit in two days — but the agency won’t know for several weeks.

“We may possibly have a third chinook retention period for troll,” Hagerman said. “But that’s still to be determined.”

The troll fleet will continue to fish for other salmon species like coho and chum. But under regulation, fishermen must shake off the more lucrative kings that they might hook.

That’s not the case for non-resident anglers. Fish and Game had planned to limit visitors to catch-and-release until mid-September. But that’s been moved up. 

Bob Chadwick, Southeast’s regional coordinator for sportfish, says as of Friday, August 16, non-residents will be allowed to retain one king salmon that’s at least 28-inches long — for the rest of the year.

“We can resume the non-resident fishery and still stay within our allocation,” Chadwick said.

The management plan allocates about 25,800 chinook for the sport fishery. The waters around Haines and Skagway will remain catch-and-release for non-residents for another month. And regulations for Alaska resident anglers also remain unchanged.

Angie Bowers join KCAW’s Rich McClear for a discussion about an upcoming program. Bowers is an assistant professor with the fisheries technology program at UAS in Sitka. This fall, she’s running something called the Salmon Culture Semester.

It’s a bit different than fisheries tech programs in the past. This course is more hands-on, Bowers says, and involves students in all aspects of salmon culturing. The semester-long class is an introduction to the basic skills necessary for working in a hatchery.

Governor Walkers looks out over Sitka Sound, as trollers pass by calling for him to not sign a Pacific Salmon Treaty that would further cut Alaska’s allocation. The salmon fleet organized a boat parade and rally to send that message. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Sitka’s salmon fishermen are worried about the state’s strategy for renegotiating the Pacific Salmon Treaty. That’s the document between the United States and Canada that allocates the king salmon harvest across borders and expires at the end of the year. As KCAW’s Emily Kwong reports, the fleet took to the seas yesterday (06-20-18) to send Governor Bill Walker a strong message not to sign “a bad treaty.”

Downloadable audio.

Governor Bill Walker’s agenda in Sitka was pretty straightforward: meet with the mayor, speak at a conference, hold a campaign rally. He expected that. What he wasn’t expecting, was this.

(Fireworks crackle)

(Fishermen chanting: Let us fish! Let us fish!)

Three dozen fishing vessels are parading along Sitka Sound on a blazing, sunny day. They’re blaring boat horns and shooting off fireworks. Perched on the bow, troller Cavan Pfeiffer has an orange traffic cone against his mouth, a makeshift megaphone. He shouts, “Governor Walker! We need you! Stand up!”

Aboard F/V Sword, troller Caven Pfeiffer used a traffic cone to amplify his voice. He shouted, “Governor Walker! We need you! Don’t forget about Southeast.” Another troller simply shouted, “This treaty is killing us Governor.” (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Salmon fisherman are worried the Governor will agree to a Pacific Salmon Treaty that deepens cuts to Alaska’s king salmon fishery. Standing with a group of conservationists and fisherman to greet the Governor’s vehicle, Eric Jordan said, “It’s a tough time for trollers.”

“There are things going on out here in the ocean. I fished all morning, got up at 3 a.m. in the morning and was out there in the fog and stuff for one fish,” he said.

King salmon populations are crashing across Alaska and no one knows why for sure. In response, the Board of Fish passed a conservation plan for Southeast in January and limited fishing at certain rivers. While Jordan supports those measures, he said he and other trollers cannot afford to lose more fish. “We’re willing to make the sacrifices written into the treaty. But we’re not willing to just arbitrarily have our share reduced,” he said.

Sitka troller and former Board of Fish member Eric Jordan calls for Governor Bill Walker’s leadership on this issue. Walker told him he’s been talking with Commissioner Sam Cotten and said, “I’m here to say hello and hear your concerns.” (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Alaska’s negotiation team does not consider a reduction arbitrary. ADF&G Deputy Commissioner Charlie Swanton told trollers and processors at a Chinook Symposium in Sitka last month that the proposed cuts were carefully negotiated with Canada, as part of a strategy to protect endangered stocks in Washington state’s Puget Sound — and to avert a potential federal takeover of the fishery under the Endangered Species Act.

While Sitka trollers are on board with taking their share of cuts to protect fish runs in this region, they’re tired of taking the fall for problems elsewhere. The Sitka Conservation Society’s Heather Bauscher said the state needs to prioritize Alaskan interests. “Where are the positives? What are the things that are being done to support this region?,” she asked.

After arriving by car, Walker took in the whole scene. He waved to the vessels, listening to the words being shouted from the decks. He stood in the street and spoke with the group assembled. He told them, “We’re going to try to get the best deal that’s available. I’m known for doing bold things and so I’m not a very good follower of this is the way we’ve done it in the past necessarily.”

Walker did not elaborate on what that meant, but lingered looking at the water for a few minutes more. We then walk into a restaurant, where there’s a single customer eating a buttered scone. It’s Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott. 

Walker greets him heartily and they confer on the boats still circling the harbor outside. Walker said he’s keeping an open mind on the Pacific Salmon Treaty as treaty negotiations are still ongoing.

“Well, I have nothing to sign at this point. What I like to do before I make any decisions on anything is I like to hear from all different sides of it. So, that’s the beauty of being in Sitka today and the graciousness of those who have come out to express their opinion. I celebrate that,” Walker said.

Governor Bill Walker and Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott wave to the troll fleet demonstrating in Sitka Sound. The pair are running for re-election as independents, in a race with competitors on the left and the right. Elections are November 6th. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

What Walker is not celebrating is a potential trade war with China. News broke of China’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods on Friday (06-15-18), including 25% on seafood imports — though not to secondary processing. Walker will meet with U.S. Department of Commerce next week to illustrate what a blow this would be to Alaska’s seafood industry and plans for a natural gas pipeline.  

“We have probably the largest trade opportunity with China from the United States and that’s in our liquefied natural gas. That’s about an $8 to $10 billion dollars export per year and we believe there’s about 100 years of supply. That’s about a trillion dollars,” Walker estimated.

Fresh last month’s trade visit to China, Walker believes a deal between the two nations can be brokered before the tariffs take effect.  “I think there’s a deal to be made. I really do. And I think Alaska could likely be a part of the deal,” he said.

Walker said he and Mallott also sent a message to the White House, calling for an end the practice of separating children from their parents at the U.S./Mexico border. The Congressional Delegation has spoken out as well. Walker called the separations “intolerable.” Mallott spoke to the history of Alaska Native children being separated from their parents to attend boarding school.  

“I was one of those and as a young person, you don’t think about the anguish and grief that just had to have caused your parents. Now to reflect upon it, it almost takes me to my knees. So I understand fully what’s at stake here,” Mallott said.

Ellie Green naps in her stroller, donning a Stand for Salmon hat — a campaign to protect spawning habitat. It’s been a perfect storm of challenges for salmon fishermen and processors in Southeast: low returns and changing ocean conditions, restrictions made at the state level, and now, the potential for seafood tariffs in China. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Walker listens intently to Mallott talk about this. The two men had an usual road to statewide public office, merging on an independent ticket in 2014. They speak in turns about the tough choices they’ve had to make and how their professional relationship has only grown. Walker said, “We chose each other. We weren’t an arranged marriage as a result of an election or a primary. We chose each other and we remain that way.”

They’re entering this election season with the raceway crowded. Former Senator Mark Begich filed to run as a Democrat, which means voters will have choices on the left and the right — led by former Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell and former state senator Mike Dunleavy. As an independent, Walker said they’ll have to work harder to win a three-way race. But his strategy is to shoot down the middle with a bipartisan message. He said, “We’ll continue to be who we are.” 

An earlier version of this story said there were two dozen troll vessels in the water. That number was closer to three dozen. 

Smoked king salmon bellies, dripping with fat as they’re removed from the smoker. (Photo/Katherine Rose/KCAW)

Downloadable Audio

Jerry Fleming has a recipe for you. It’s a pretty simple one with just four ingredients. Alder chips, chopped from trees growing in Jerry’s backyard.

“That’s what it is is charcoal when I’m done. Hopefully it doesn’t catch fire in there,” Jerry says. “But sometimes it does. Hope I stop it quick enough.”

A big bucket full of water. Four scoops of salt.  All compliments to the main event. Something you can’t get just anywhere- king salmon bellies. But Jerry gets them delivered to his door in massive bags. And then he just gives them away.

“They’re too hard to pack for one thing. If they’re going to process them it takes too much time- they’ll never make out on it financially,” Jerry says. “I give it all away, just about. I go to the science center, I go to the fine arts camp. I don’t keep much. If I get extra I’ll can it.”

After soaking in salt water for a few minutes, these bellies will sit on the counter overnight before smoking. (Photo/Katherine Rose/KCAW)

He’s rigged an entire wall of his garage with a metal seafood processing table he salvaged from a local plant.

“It was down in front of Sitka Sound Seafoods,” he tells me. “It was down there laying on the ground and somebody had run over it and dented it. And they gave it to me.”

Soon, dozens and dozens of pink bellies will line this silver counter. But first he has to cut and glaze them. He sharpens his knife quickly. “Bet you can’t do this,” he says as he shows off his skills. 

He slices the bellies into small pieces, puts them in the bucket full of salt water and sets the timer. While he waits, he has a couple of visitors looking for a snack.

“Tinkerbell! How are you! See if I can find some goodies for you here. There tinker, there you go,” Jerry says as he hands some scraps to the tiny Papillon, Tinkerbell. “Yes,” he says to his fluffy black dog, Neva, “I’ll give you some too.”

Jerry Fleming slices king salmon bellies on a table he recycled from Sitka Sound Seafoods. (Photo/Katherine Rose/KCAW)

But with the smells of delicious salmon wafting through the garage, it’s hard to keep the pups out from under your feet.

“I got my hot water tank, I got my table here,” Jerry says, and he’s interrupted by a loud yelp from Tinkerbell. “Oh! Excuse me! Excuse me! Yeah, I stepped on ya’ didn’t I? But you get right underneath me!”

Now the bellies come out, they’re rinsed off and then sealed.  They’ll sit here overnight. Jerry sets up a fan at one end of the counter to dry the glaze.

Tomorrow he’ll be up at the crack of dawn to get them in the an old, blackened smoker. To say it’s seasoned is an understatement.

“I hope I have it all in the smoker by 5:30 or 6:00. I hope. If I don’t make it, I don’t make it, that’s also okay. Everybody is different. I’ve had some that aren’t good, but they all turn out basically pretty good. Just gives me something to do. You gotta be busy. I enjoy doing it, and they enjoy it, so why not?”

The final product, before it’s pulled out of the smoker. (Photo/Katherine Rose/KCAW)