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ALASKANS HELPING ALASKA SALMON
Various speakers have been credited with the phrase, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” To Alaskans, that means sustaining the freedoms provided by Salmon, a precious resource as well as a spirit of nature. It begins with salmon habitats and the habitats that sustain those habitats, a network so complex that it spans from the ocean depths to the rain forests, all of them crucial links in salmon’s life cycle.
IN SOME TRADITIONS, DRIED SALMON RETAINS THE SAME PROTECTIVE ESSENCE THAT THE CREATOR ENDOWED IN SALMON THE SPIRIT.
camera and the angler’s fly rod — a singular sportfishing challenge in the water, and a mesmerizing geometry when your lens finds them drying on frail wood racks erected on a rocky shore. Take a selfie when you find a primitive salmon wheel set up in a native village. Salmon as an art form is sold in galleries and studios. Displayed on ice in a local market, salmon flash silver, pink and red for the camera. Spawning salmon, all sparkle and splash, are a challenge for the wildlife photographer as they swim or jump upstream.
FOLKLORE, FAIRY TALES, TRUTHS AND TRADITIONS In some Pacific nations, fish bones and entrails are returned to the water after a feast, assuring return of the sacred fish. The ceremony is often carried out by twins, who are considered to be good luck. This is followed by a traditional Salmon Dance. One folktale speaks of a woman who sees salmon ghosts by the shore and asks them why they float in and out of the water. The salmon tell her that they cannot return home because
At the heart of the efforts is The Nature Conservancy, whose projects include continued learning about salmon’s needs. “In one day on the ground, we mapped at least a dozen new major tributaries in the Bristol Bay watershed,” enthused one volunteer. “It was full of spawning sockeye salmon. It’s amazing how much salmon habitat hasn’t even been documented yet!” The Conservancy is active in preserving and restoring habitat such as streams that were harmed by old logging practices and restoring rain forests, whose big trees stabilize river banks, shade pools and provide cover. The group is funding people of the Hoonah Native Forest Partnership to chart the future of the forest. SEABOURN CLUB HERALD
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