“It’s just how the earth is supposed to be,” says third-generation commercial fishing boat captain Katherine Carscallen. She’s talking about her homeland, Bristol Bay, Alaska. Every June and July, more than half of the world’s supply of sockeye salmon are pulled from these waters.
It sounds excessive, but it’s not; in a highly regulated practice, thousands of fish are left to return home and spawn, allowing the industry to support the region for generations.
The yearly salmon fishery brings in an estimated $200 million in direct revenue to the community of Bristol Bay, says Norm Van Vactor, president and CEO of Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation.
“Overall, it’s a multi-billion dollar fishery,” he says of the thousands of fisherman who come from all over the world to fish for salmon. On average, 10,000 fishermen come each year — but oftentimes that number is upwards of 15,000. In addition, 6,000 fish processing workers also descend on the tiny community.
Fishing has dangers of its own, but this year the peril is invisible. The isolated community of Bristol Bay has only recorded three cases of COVID-19 as of June 20, and now many of those arriving could be carrying the deadly virus. As a result, some local fishermen wanted this year’s fishery to be canceled.
“There’s no doubt that this is putting the region at risk. And if it was our choice, it likely wouldn’t be happening,” says Carscallen.
The commercial fishery hasn’t even begun and it’s already seeing an outbreak at a fish processing plant. On June 22, 12 of the 52 workers screened tested positive. They were immediately isolated.
Bristol Bay is home to only 6,500 people, and most are Alaskan natives who feel their safety is at risk if the fishery were to commence.
“The vast majority of our economy is the heart of the commercial fishery,” said Alannah Hurley, executive director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay. “It was a hard decision to make but it was a necessary one.”
One of the largest fishing companies in the United States, Trident Seafoods, told ABC News in a statement that they have implemented their own stringent protocols throughout all operations. A representative tells ABC News they “require 14-day, monitored quarantines in hotels with security guards that we provide for all of our Alaska shore plant and large vessel workforce, with PCR testing before safe secure transfer to the destination work site.” They also offer daily health screenings.