The pure waters off the largest coastline in the United States provide the perfect rearing grounds for all five species of wild salmon commercially harvested in Alaska.  And at the end of their lives, these fish have the uncanny ability to find their way home to the stream of their birth.  Alaska owes its abundant salmon runs to good fisheries management and a clean environment.   Millions of salmon just keep coming back year after year.  And so do the people who depend on the fish to run their small, family fishing operations. 

For more than 30 years the Danelski family has spent each summer, from mid-May until mid-September, living on a small remote piece of beach called a setnet site.  Theirs is located on the west side of Kodiak Island, and the only way to get there is by floatplane or boat.  Behind the beach sit high rocky cliffs; in front a stretch of water reaching out to emerald green mountains in the distance.  Kodiak's numerous bays and inlets are dotted with such sites.  They're called fish camps-yet most have cabins and a variety of small buildings which support these modest fishing operations.  Instead of spending days at sea, fishing from a boat-these fishermen are called setnetters, and their work is based on shore. 

In 1972 Pete Danelski, a burly man with ruddy cheeks and a hearty laugh, bought the setnet site he's dubbed Polack Point.  He calls each summer spent there "four months of heaven" and boasts, "I haven't missed a season yet!"  Neither has his wife Jan Danelski, who for over three decades has done all the cooking and helped with a myriad of tasks that support her family and the crew members who haul in thousands of pounds of salmon each summer.  Jan says from the time she met her husband in San Francisco, his dream was to fish in Alaska.  At first he spent a lot of time talking with old timers from the nearby village of Larsen Bay.  It's a short skiff ride away, and also where the plant that processes their salmon catch is located.    Through those conversations Pete learned how to build nets, cope with tides; and position the nets so as to catch the most fish during the limited open fishing periods.

The Danelski's oldest daughter Carrie, now 35, was just a toddler when their family fishing adventure began.  A few years later she was joined by twin siblings Peter and Jackie.  Jan's mother, affectionately called Grandma, came from the Midwest each year to help with the youngsters so Jan could keep up with the cooking, net mending, and gear preparations.  As the business expanded, crew members gradually took over those duties.  In a friendly manner Jan scoffs, "For some reason people don't think I can tie a knot."  But she uses just two words to describe her role as cook - "absolutely essential."

That's because each summer she strives to ensure that all the crew and family members have a good fishing experience.  "After a long day of picking fish I don't want them to come into a cold cabin with a sink full of dirty dishes and have to start cooking."  She takes her work seriously, spending the days baking bread, cookies, homemade pies, and a variety of goodies that keeps the crew smiling.

These days it takes around 7 people to run the operation all summer long.  Over the years, recruits have included college roommates, boyfriends, girlfriends, and other assorted contacts made through the Danelski clan.  Because the lifestyle at a remote fish camp on Kodiak Island seemed foreign to so many of her children's friends, Jan made a video that spanned one whole season.  She edited the film to 45 minutes in order to capture the essence of life at the site.  Scenes such as the lively banter of crew members in their bunks after a hard day's work show the keen sense of camaraderie that develops over the course of a fishing season.

Peter, now 28, went to college on the East coast and has spent a lot of time traveling abroad.  When asked how many summers he'd spent at the family's setnet site he loses count, then laughs as he observes, "It's sort of the same every summer, but I really like it.  It's a good break from the rest of the world, out here in a remote place.  You get a lot of exercise, and eat well!"  When he was younger Peter wanted "to eat a little of everything that came out of the water" according to Jan.  That included sharks, skates, and even those squishy invertebrates known as sea cucumbers.  And she was usually the one to cook them!  "We've tried pretty much everything we've ever caught that's unusual," Peter quips.   And with a quick wink at his twin sister Jackie, he laughs and says, "You stumble across a good one every now and then!" 

When the twin siblings were old enough to become paid crew members Jackie felt torn over whether or not to spend all her time fishing for salmon and earn a full crew share, or stay behind to help her mom at the cabin.  After she graduated from high school, and was college bound, her choice became clear.  As a full crew member Jackie earns a paycheck close to $5,000.00-but not without a lot of hard work.   "It's always been a little tough for me because I'm smaller and not quite as strong, but I really got into it and I really enjoy the challenge of it."  And she's found ways to compensate, "You just learn different techniques if you don't have the brute strength."  Traveling from the East Coast to the wilderness of Kodiak Island each summer means an adjustment, "Sometimes it's hard, and the transition from the life you lead, to coming out here and not having all the things that you're used to right at your reach.  But it's also really nice, because you can leave everything behind for 3 months, and just work in a beautiful place."   Plus Jackie clearly relishes all the fresh salmon, cod, halibut and other wild Alaska seafood her mom cooks up.  She summarizes her feelings, stating emphatically, "I don't get sick of it at all!  Some people say they'd be tired of it-I think it's great!"  Jackie laments the fact she can't indulge in this Alaska seafood fest year round. 

Yet through the efforts of the Danelski family plus hundreds of others throughout Alaska, products from the state's plentiful salmon resource reach consumers worldwide. Although fresh wild Alaska salmon can only be found in a few select restaurants and retail stores during the late fall, winter and early spring,  high quality "fresh frozen" salmon fillets are gaining market acceptance, and people can enjoy Alaska salmon year round.   But no matter what form or variety of wild Alaska salmon people enjoy, it's clear their choice is a healthy one.  Numerous studies have confirmed the health benefits of eating Omega-3 fatty acids, high concentrations of which are found in wild Alaska salmon.

A peek at the family photo album reveals the Danelski's pride in their work and the quality of their salmon. The album includes a picture of Carrie's wedding reception in New York where each place setting is decorated with a small can of salmon bearing a gold embossed label from their Kodiak Island cannery.  On top of the can is a tiny leaflet with the sketch of a jumping salmon on its cover, and the inside contains a brief story about how it was harvested.  And with the birth of Carrie's daughter Emma, the family fishing tradition is carried on.  At the age of 6 months Emma spent most of one summer at the setnet site, while the Danelski family bustled around doing their work, and Grandpa radiated with pride bouncing her on his knee during lulls in the fishing action.   The younger Peter is now married and has built a cabin across the bay from his family's site so he and his new wife can still be part of this unique experience spending each summer harvesting salmon on Kodiak Island.