Cook Inlet Fishermen, Inletkeeper
Protect & Market Wild Alaskan Salmon
By Bob Shavelson, Cook Inletkeeper

The rich and productive waters of Cook Inlet, Alaska, support vibrant runs of all five species of wild Pacific Salmon. Native Alaskans have relied on this bounty for thousands of years. Today, Cook Inlet’s renowned salmon fisheries represent vital threads in the social and economic fabric that supports countless fishing families.

In 1995, commercial fishermen grew increasingly concerned with the rapid ecological changes they witnessed with the expansion of the Cook Inlet oil and gas industry. In response, they joined with local conservationists and Alaskan Natives to form Cook Inletkeeper. Today, Inletkeeper works closely with commercial, sport and subsistence fishermen to protect water quality and fish habitat so current and future generations can enjoy fresh, wild and healthy Alaskan salmon.

Rob Ernst is a life long Alaskan who serves as president of Inletkeeper’s Board of Directors. He fishes red – or “sockeye” - salmon in Cook Inlet’s drift net fishery. “Drifters,” as they are known, catch returning salmon runs in long hanging nets cast into the water from large stern reels on 30-40 foot vessels.

In response to a glut of farmed - or “fake” - salmon on world markets in recent years, Rob works with other commercial fishermen to brand and market Cook Inlet red salmon under a new certification program that ensures all fish are bled, iced and shipped quickly to ensure a superior product.

“Farmed salmon are pumped full of antibiotics and phony coloring,” explains Rob. “Our wild fish are clean and healthy, and that’s what consumers increasingly demand.”

Ben Jackinsky is an Alaskan Native who serves as Inletkeeper’s Vice-President. Ben fishes commercially for red and king (or “Chinook”) salmon using nets set from the beach. Cook Inlet boasts the highest tides in the United States, and “set netters” like Ben arrange their nets so incoming tides fill them with returning salmon. Ben’s Native heritage, combined with his reliance on commercial fishing, highlights the need to protect our salmon resources for future generations.

“We can’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg,” explains Ben. “That’s why I work with Cook Inletkeeper – because they’re the most effective watchdog I know when it comes to cracking down on polluters and making sure we have clean fish now and in the future.”