In the Nets, Off Ninilchik’s Shore

By Krista Leman, AIJI Staff Writer

NINILCHIK, ALASKA — Waves crashing on the shore, a sound every fisherman loves. Calm waters and sunshine, the scene fishermen hope for.

This is the real life of Alaska commercial set-net fisherman: Odd hours, emergency openings, unpredictable weather and unavoidable disasters.

Preparation for the season begins in June, and the season goes until mid-August. There are more than a few items to check off the list. We mend nets, check boat motors, keep track of buoys, find crewmembers and make sure the rickety beach truck is in good shape.

Throwing on old, torn Helly Hensen gear and a pair of thin gloves, it’s time to get on the boat. Getting knocked in the knees or in the ribs while swiftly crawling into the skiff against the current leaves bumps and bruises.

Quickly pulling the nets from the water, picking the fish and making sure the boat is steady is a tough job. Those thin white gloves don’t stay white for long.

Be prepared to get dirty. You’ll be soaked with fish slime and water. Scales will land on your face and chunks in your hair. Meanwhile your drenched clothes will grow heavy.

Depending on the tide, one could be out on the water for hours. If it’s low tide, the beach net gets a lot of attention.

Pulling the net over jagged lumps of coal and thousands of rocks is a hassle. Getting the net to the right spot can take some time. Seagulls scatter over the fish, eating their eyes and digging into their bodies. If that happens the fish won’t be sellable.

In hip boots pulled all the way up, you can get stuck in waist-deep mud, sometimes tripping over big rocks and falling in.

Two trucks bound by rope pull the boat to shore in increments as the tide flows in. Once the truck is beside the boat, fish get thrown in the totes; it’s what we call “pitching fish.” Gunk whips from the fish and slaps across your face, seaweed lands on your cheek and waves strike the skiff as you try to balance.

At least two people pick fish by the boat, and two others round the cork, or pull the ropes to secure the nets. Each turn draws the led sides of the net a few feet higher on the beach. The radio blasting, the sun setting and the fisherman jamming. This may be the best part of the day.

Sometimes though, the unimaginable happens.

Sitting on the beach, waiting for the boat to come in, my sister Whitney and I saw our cousin Jared go overboard. He is a big guy, unlike my dad, Dan, who’s been fishing for about 40 years. Luckily – Dad grabbed Jared and tied him to the front of the boat. Jared’s boots filled with water, dragging him further below. Thankfully the net didn’t attach to his boots or he would have gone under in seconds.

On his boat nearby, my uncle immediately moved to help. Once the boats were side by side, my uncle leaned over to help Dad, who was struggling to keep Jared above water and away from the net.

Together, they heaved him up and into safety.

Fishing is a brave job. So much goes into it. Long days, long nights, tragedies and a good possibility of having a horrible season.

I’ve helped and watched on our Ninilchik beach site since I was young. Coming home at the end of the day, eating some smoked or fresh salmon makes the work worth it.

Republicans Cross Over

By Jamie Hughes, AIJI Staff Writer

Republicans came out to support Senators Clinton and Obama Tuesday in Sioux Falls, S.D. Some Republicans have broadened their political horizons by campaigning and volunteering for the Democratic front-runners.

Jim Wainscoat, 67, re-registered three months ago to vote and volunteer for Clinton’s campaign.

I was a Republican for years, and I was hoping they’d come around and acknowledge issues like health care and education,” Wainscoat said. He said he thinks a woman could handle the job of commander-in-chief. He said if you lose it as commander-in-chief, nothing else matters. However, Wainscoat hasn’t always felt this way.

“When I was in Vietnam I was opposed to women [serving],” he said. Time served in the Washington, D.C., police force helped Wainscoat change his mind. He said when he was on duty, all the “bad guys” would humble down to a woman because they are afraid of women not having physical strength, making women more likely to use their weapons.

Although Wainscoat mentioned health care, he cited Iraq and education as some of the most pressing issues hitting America today. While serving on the police force in Washington, Wainscoat noticed that young people who were raised in poverty suffer. He said most of them don’t have a chance, except those working for the drug dealers with cash in pocket.

“The Thomas Edisons are out there and lost in the shuffle,” he said.

Wainscoat supported Clinton because she has a “warrior’s heart” and because women don’t make threats, they follow through, he said.

He also was cautionary to liken the Vietnam War to the present situation in Iraq. He said the Iraq is not like Vietnam.

“There comes a time you have to remove and support in other ways,” he said. “She won’t pull the rug out from under [the Iraqi people].”

After Obama secured the nomination on Tuesday, Wainscoat said he doesn’t think Obama will win in the general election because “everyone else has proved themselves” and he isn’t seasoned enough. Wainscoat said he would not volunteer for McCain because he “doesn’t need [the] help.”

Wainscoat spend most of his day Tuesday sitting outside the Barnes and Noble in Sioux Falls reading an issue of Newsweek with Obama on the cover. Wainscoat was joined by other Clinton campaigners. He said if Clinton were not to win the Democratic nomination, he would most likely vote for Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in the general election.

On the other side of the Democratic race is Terry Peters, 56, a volunteer for Obama’s campaign. Peters is a retired teacher from Sioux Falls.

Peters is still a registered Republican, but spent Tuesday, her first and only day to volunteer for Obama, making phone calls to citizens to make sure they knew where their polling location was, they had a way to get there and asking them who they had voted for if they had made it there.
Between McCain, Obama and Clinton, Peters said Obama seemed to be the best choice.

“[Obama] makes sense,” Peters said. “I like what he’s saying.”

Peters said the economy and gas prices are hitting the country, and herself, the hardest.

South Dakota teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation, and Peters said it was difficult to put her daughter through college on an educator’s salary.

“$17,000 a year was tough to come by but we made it through with no loans,” she said. Peter’s daughter, Emily recently graduated from the University of Minnesota, majoring in political science in psychology.

Emily is a registered Democrat who was campaigning with her mother.

Other than gas prices and the economy, Peters did not elaborate on other issues, but did say the senator’s endorsements by politicians like Ted Kennedy and John Edwards didn’t influence her. She said she doesn’t care who else is endorsing him.

“I think it’s wonderful if they want to support him,” Peters said.

She also said she doesn’t think there is any under the table or underhandedness going on in the Obama campaign. Peters said she carefully examined all Republican candidates and would have most likely vote for McCain if Obama had lost the primary race.

Terry and Emily both agreed they’d like to see Obama pick former Democratic Senator Tom Daschle (S.D.) as a running mate. They both intend to work on Obama’s campaign in the general election, although they’ll be in different states because Emily is moving to Missouri for a teaching job.

Emily said she was very proud of her mother because, to her knowledge, she had not participated in a campaign before.

“It was a really fun experience for us to be working on the campaign together,” Terry said.