Every summer, the vast watershed of winding streams and rivers that flow into the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea become a magnet for homing salmon. And for the scores of daring men and women more than 10,000 in all who pour into the remote region of Bristol Bay, Alaska, to take their shot at scoring big paydays as seasonal fishermen and industry workers.
This year’s rush, wedged in the middle of a pandemic, will be more dangerous than ever, though. The bunkhouses and boats that house the fishermen are tightly packed just the sort of environment where the coronavirus thrives. The seasonal workers will face a mandatory 14-day quarantine when they enter the state, but locals fear that won’t be enough to keep the virus in check.
It’s a migrant work camp, basically the reality of that is what makes it so dangerous, said Katherine Carscallen, a commercial fisherman and boat captain from Bristol Bay, which supplies half the world’s wild sockeye salmon. It is hard to imagine how we are going to pull this off without having some major outbreaks among the fishermen alone and among the processing workers. It’s a huge risk.
U.S. fishing hits full swing over summer months, and there are nascent signs of trouble as outbreaks pop up in hubs like Alaska, Oregon and Washington. The infections come just as Americans have been loading up on seafood at grocery stores. In a twist all too reflective of current times, consumers turned to ocean indulgences like shrimp and crab in the wake of the U.S. meat-industry crisis that saw Covid-19 shutter beef and pork plants.
Now sickness in the seafood industry is the latest threat to America’s food supply.
Food workers, who have been deemed essential employees at businesses that mostly stayed open during the pandemic, have seen some of the worst virus outbreaks of any industry outside health care. Thousands of employees at plants that process meat, fruit, vegetables and dairy have fallen sick, and dozens have died.
On top of of the human suffering, it’s also dealt a blow to consumers. Grocery stores rationed meat buying after plant closures, and shortages for other foods are possible with outbreaks reported in at least 60 plants outside the meat industry. Meanwhile, farm workers are also falling ill, which could trigger a labor crunch during the harvest season for fruits and vegetables.
In Alaska, the Bristol Bay Area Health Corp. on Tuesday reported the fifth Covid-19 case for the region, with an independent fisherman falling ill. The far-flung corner of southwest Alaska, only reachable by plane or boat, was virus free until seasonal workers started arriving. Now it seems nearly impossible that infections won’t keep increasing as the waterways start to burst with life.
Other Alaskan fishing communities have also seen an uptick in cases. Meanwhile in Oregon, Covid-19 hit two locations of Pacific Seafood, with more than 140 getting sick, according to state health authorities. And Seattle-based American Seafoods said about 120 crew members from three of its vessels have tested positive.
If fishing crews fall ill, it can prevent boats from going out.
At American Seafoods, the three vessels where employees got sick are currently being idled at port in Seattle for deep cleaning and all staff who were aboard are being quarantined, the company said.
We continue to work with our public health partners to make appropriate adjustments to our protocols based on the growing body of knowledge about this virus, Chief Executive Officer Mikel Durham said in an emailed statement. We have extended the quarantine before going to sea to 14 days, and we will require two negative nasal swab tests before crew members can board a vessel.
In Bristol Bay, Carscallen says she’ll make sure everyone who works on her boat is tested before they head to sea. Her crew will stay quarantined before heading out and won’t interact with other boats, she said. During the process of selling fish to bigger boats or offloading, workers will keep their distance and wear masks.
2020, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer