ALASKAN FISHING COMMUNITIES, North Pacific Coast, Alaska
With over thirty thousand miles of shoreline, Alaska's most important private source of revenue is the fishing industry. Yet increasingly, fish populations in that area are being dangerously reduced, and several of the region's species are threatened due to rising demands on the ocean's resources. Competition for fish has caused a growing need for responsible fishing practices to curb overfishing and the killing of bycatch-fish that are not or cannot be sold that are unintentionally caught in large trawling nets. These commercial fishing practices have upset the natural ecological balance of Alaskan marine life and threatened its future production.

Halibut, Sitka, Alaska Toned gelatin silver print © Lynn Davis 1999	Mount Edgecumbe from Eric Jordan's boat, Sitka, Alaska Toned gelatin silver print © Lynn Davis 1999

In 1993, the Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC), a collective representation of fishermen, environmentalists, scientists, and educators was formed to work together to resolve the environmental and economic issues associated with the fishing industry. Through education and compromise, the AMCC promotes the idea of environmental "stewardship," or using the sea's resources wisely, and seeks solutions that take into account both the needs of the ecosystem and the economic needs of local fishing families and their communities. The particular strength of the council is that it is comprised of and driven by local people who rely most heavily on the fishing industry and who are also in key positions to help manage it. Through its grass-roots efforts, AMCC promoted the passage of a federal law that sets limits on overfishing, included smaller, independent fishermen in the process of trawling and bycatch management, and supported the needs of native Alaskan communities who have traditionally relied on fishing for food and trade.

Photographer Lynn Davis lives part-time in Nova Scotia. She has built an impressive career concentrating on ancient monuments, sacred sites, and natural water subjects around the world. Her images include a triptych (three photographs together) that shows commercial fisherman Bob Storrs and his home in Alaska. Also pictured are large, freshly caught halibut and a dramatic scene of a volcano on the shoreline seen through fishing boat wires.

Interviewer Jens Lund is a folklorist who has been involved in research on the traditions of Northwest timber and marine fishing communities. His interviews present the voices of villagers and environmentalists describing longstanding fishing habits and practices, and their effect on the area's resources. Disparate voices portray a multitude of viewpoints held in Alaskan fishing communities and the people whose future depends on maintaining a healthy fish population. quotation from an interview

http://www.creativephotography.org    This page last updated September 24, 2000.   oncenter@ccp.arizona.edu