Whaling 2009

Nagai Island

Nikita Shumagin, a crew member on Bering's voyage that discovered Alaska, was the first of many to die of scurvy on the long way back to Russia. He was buried on this island, giving the Shumagin Islands their name.

The weather in SW Alaska has been stormier than average. My boss Mark and his wife Bree, a whale biologist for University of Alaska Fairbanks, flew into Sand Point from Kodiak for another year of whale surveys.


After sitting around a few days waiting on weather, we made it out for some whale chasing (permitted, of course!). Bree gave me access to her great photos, so I could share them with everyone. The whales in the photos below are all humpbacks.

Seiners fishing Red Bluff. I love getting off the docks to see the fleet hard at work. The Sand Point seine fleet has some of the largest seiners in the State.

Here's my face after throwing up 3 times. It was rough out there!



The next day was incredible weather, but I opted to stay on land while the seasick memories were still so fresh from the day before. Bree got some incredible photos!


Humpback whales are identified by the markings on their flukes. As many are cataloged as possible. Part of Bree's goal every year is to survey the Shumagins, identifying the returning and new whales in the area.
Here are a series of fin shots taken on the second day showing how distinct their flukes can be.

It's really August?!

Sand Point under the sunniest sky I've seen in two weeks.

Usually Sand Point has pretty nice summer weather--even compared to Ketchikan which is nearly the same latitude. This year, however, it seems to be reversed. It sounds like I'm missing one of the best weather years in Ketchikan's history, and catching all the rain clouds in Sand Point. I'm still in hats and gloves on the first day of August! Wow--I can't believe it's August already! The percentage of red salmon in the daily harvest has dramatically decreased, and the silvers are starting to show up. Watching the volume and percentage of salmon species in the harvest really shows the passing of summer. Here in the Southeastern District, June typically has the largest percentage of red salmon, and by August the harvest is largely pink and silver salmon. With the 20,000 fish I sample in a season, I notice even the little things, like the tightness of their scales and the firmness of their meat. This time of year, I start to see more "watermarked" fish--chum salmon that have been in or near freshwater and are starting to get their characteristic striping, pink salmon morphing into "humpies," sockeye turning into "reds." The signs of summer's end are starting to show.

Yesterday my schoolteacher friend Heather and I went for a hike despite the weather. Sometimes you just can't let the rain hold you back! With 20 days left in town, I feel an urgency to enjoy some of my favorite places and activities before I jump on a plane for the kiln-heat of Arizona and my sister's wedding. Things on my list: ocean swims, smoking salmon, a trip to Red Cove, and salmon berry picking. Somebody send me some good weather!!!

Flight Seeing

Last week, I got to hop in an empty seat in the Fish and Game's Cessna 185. I love flying with Steve, the department's pilot who's flown in this area for more than 40 years. The flight was a quick hop from Sand Point across the Peninsula to Port Moller. The map shows the villages, as well as the volcanic mountain range that hugs the South Side of the Peninsula. When I counted fish in Chignik for a summer, I could always see Veniaminof smoking. In 2007, I was lucky enough to watch Pavlof erupt from a safe distance. This mountain range acts as a barrier for the Bering Sea fog that is prevelent on the North Side. For most of the summer, I can look over towards the mainland from sunny Sand Point and see the huge fog bank stuck behind the mountains.


Here is a stretch of coastline facing Sand Point. The geography is just incredible, and how it is formed in such bizarre shapes is a total mystery to me.



It was a quick flight over the mountains, where on the otherside everything becomes totally flat. We saw several brown bears with cubs out in these mud flats as we flew over. Steve said there are days where he'll fly over at least 50 brown bears.


The weather kept getting nicer as we flew. I got to see the North Side on it's only sunny day!


There are a lot of hot springs on the Peninsula. This is a popular spot for fishermen to drop by and warm up over the summer. It sure looked good to me!

The snaking of this little river makes it really obvious how flat the ground is on the North Side.

Once you get to Port Moller and Bristol Bay, all you see are small boats that drift net. Seine fishing is only seen on the South Side.

The flight only took about 15 minutes to get from one side to the other. It was great to see the country first hand after looking at it on a map for so long! I feel so blessed to spend my summers in such gorgeous wildnerness. Wow!

how to fillet a fish my style

There are 3 necessities when filleting salmon--beer, a sharp knife, and a fish (obviously). A fillet table is not required, but sure is a nice luxury! I have a preference for cotton gloves when filleting--not to keep my hands clean, but to have a good grip on the fish!



I like to use a thick bladed butchering knife when I fillet salmon. The sharper the blade, the easier it is to make a nice cut. It really makes a world of difference. I keep a little sharpener on hand to use between each fillet.


The first cut that needs to happen is right behind the pectoral fin. I don't cut all the way through the fish, just until I feel the blade hit the spine.

The second cut I make goes all the way down the back of the fish. It's important to keep the tip of your knife right on the spine, and angle the blade slightly downwards to cut as much flesh off the bone as possible.


When I've cut past the belly, beyond the ribs, then I push the knife all the way through the fish, to where I can see the tip coming out the other side. I finish this way clear to the tail.


From here, I go back to the upper section of the fillet where it is still attached to the ribs. Angling the blade slightly downward, I press on the ribs as I slice the meat from the bones.


Once I reach the belly, I slice through the skin and cut the fillet free from the fish.
Then I flip the fish over and repeat the same process on the other side.



I always rinse the fillets off once they're cut to remove any blood that might have gotten on the meat.


Obviously I fall short of Filleting Diva when I leave that much meat on the bone! How embarrassing. But at least in this photo, you can see that it's not necessary to gut any fish if you're going to fillet them the same day they're caught. This king was caught just a few hours before it landed under my knife.


Naturally after all that concentration, you get pretty thirsty. Sipping on a home brew is totally appropriate at this time.

(Photo and shadow credits go to Lisa!)

Sweet Summer Days

The Shumagins have had some beautiful summer weather the last few days. I had to get the camera out today while kite flying with Lisa to show proof that the sun does come out here occasionally.

The sampling schedule has been dark and early lately. One nice thing about it, we are free to enjoy the awesome weather.


Kite flying has become one of our favorite ways to spend the afternoons out here. Sand Point isn't particularly known as a windy place, but there are plenty of opportunities to catch an updraft off the cliffs.


I wish I could share with everyone the incredible scent of the Aleutians in summer. Though treeless, the islands are so lush with vegetation the air is heavy with the peppery smell of pushkie, the sweet smell of wild geranium and brush alder, and the clean smell of the salty ocean.

Fishing

A calm Sand Point harbor at 6 am.

Lisa and I volunteered this year to be the observers on the test fish. Those of you who followed my blog last year might remember my posts about seining with the f/v Lady Joanne, the same boat chartered this year. Every summer there is a pause in the fishery known as the "overlap" that happens the first week of July. During this time, Fish & Game charters a local seiner to fish for 3 days so that the number of immature salmon in the harvest may be observed. This season the numbers were within the ideal range, and the fishery reopened on the 6th of July.


In this picture, Lisa is picking a "giller" out of the web. On the test fish, every immature salmon has to be counted and identified as pink, chum, coho, sockeye or king. There can be times where there are so many immatures stuck by their gills in the seine net, that it looks like a Christmas tree and the gear will jam up. Fortunately, that didn't happen while we were observing!


And here I am doing my best to stay on my feet. I imagine it takes awhile to get really good at running around all the gear on deck. This set of fish was probably around 8,000 pounds, which is pretty average. A large set is 12,000+, and a lot of fun to experience. The energy is incredible.



Though all 3 days were thick with fog, we had surprisingly calm seas for being out between two southeast storms. Getting a chance to be on a boat and do some fishing is a highlight of every summer I've had in Sand Point. It's a chance to connect with the reason I'm employed, and of course it's a whole lot of fun.

I'm Back.

Well, after a long and chilly winter I've returned to the Shumagins.

To catch up, I thought it would be nice to summarize the last year through a little photojournalism:

1. Taking a break from homework in Fairbanks, friends and I skied Moose Mountain at 20 below. Yeah, the tip of my nose tells me to NEVER do that again.

2. My sister's epic 21st birthday was a fantastic reunion of the best people I know.

Portland, Oregon was ROCKED the night of December 27th!

3. Cori and her boyfriend Evan decided to get really serious.

4. The world had to say goodbye to this wonderful man:

5. I made a special visit to Ketchikan during spring break. After saying goodbye to Poppa, I needed to go home.






Southeast nurtured my spirit, and I got to catch up with a couple of very special girls, Penny and Hunny.

6. On August 29th, 2009, I will officially have a brother!




7. After crossing paths at the baseball diamond in Unalaska (credit to Penny!), this handsome geologist from Anchorage has convinced me to date him.

8. I turned 25 on the f/v Tustumina,

my home-away-from-home,

while en route to Sand Point.

Mmmm. . .chocolate cupcakes and Kodiak micro-brew.

Hello half-way to 50!

So, now I'm back in Sand Point for a final summer of sampling. It feels good to have another year of school under my belt, and take a much-needed breather in the fresh Aleutian air. I can't believe it's July already! The weather in June was stormy, but it was the first without snow that I've experienced, and already there are signs of a good berry year. I have high ambitions for salmonberry jam. And lots of ocean swims.


My crew leader and friend Lisa is back with her kayak, and I am back in my wetsuit. Good times!

I hope everyone is doing well, and getting plenty of opportunities to have their own summer fun. I'll be posting often, so check back for more, and I'd love to hear from you!