Happy Thanksgiving

Long Live The Kings

There's a great trailer for a video that is scheduled to be released in January of 2014.  It's called Long Live The King.   Click here to watch it.   Great footage with a great message.....I can't wait to watch the whole video.

The Battle Rages On....

The fish wars continue and this is going to be a major battle.   If you're familiar with the movie Spinal Tap, this is going to be an "11".

A group in Alaska has put together a proposal to ban commercial set netting in Upper Cook Inlet and other urban areas of Alaska.  Their purpose is to reduce overfishing and the by catch kill of king salmon.   If this is found to be legal, and if this group gets 30,000 registered voters to sign on, this initiative will be on the 2016 ballot.  

I have mixed emotions about this proposal; completely eliminating an industry.  But I am in favor of the residents of Alaska determining the best use of the resource.   After all, "the best use of the resource" is written into our State constitution.   Perhaps a selective ban of the most lethal set net sites allowing nearly 90% of the participants to continue with their livelihood would be a better compromise.   This alternative is no different than Fish and Game closing down certain sections (killing fields, spawning grounds) of the river to sport fishing while allowing fishing opportunities in others.  

All I can say is hang on, this is going to be an epic battle.  This will make the Pebble Mine debate seem like junior high.

October Wrap Up

On my last trip of the year in the middle Kenai River, I snapped these photos of the various stages of decomposed red salmon.   They may not look pretty but decomposing carcasses contribute food for the entire ecosystem.

 Yuck.

 Double yuck.

Triple yuck.

Not always the greatest thing to look at but if it weren't for over a million salmon dieing in the Kenai River there wouldn't be life.    From feeding trout, salmon smolt, birds and bears, to providing nitrogen/nitrates to the watershed, their role is pivotal in the ecosystem.