page_title: Tlingit cuisine
section_title: Harvesting
hierarchical_section_title: Tlingit cuisine / Salmon / Harvesting
caption_attribution_description: English: Thlinget Packing Co. trap no. 7, Aug. 2, 1907: One of two scow-loads of 18,000 [salmon] each caught in trap Français&#160;: Action de pêche des saumons par piégeage. Piège n°7 de l’entreprise Packing Co. trap no. 7, en territoire amérindien Tlingit (peuple, qui se nommait lui-même «&#160;Tlinkit&#160;», qui vivait sur la côte pacifique de l’Amérique du nord, et qui était réputé particulièrement apprécier le saumon). Photo prise le 2 août 1907 et présentant l'un des deux chalands contenant environ 18.000 saumons capturés dans le piège installé en travers leur trajet de remontée vers les sources du fleuve Italiano: Salmone azione di pesca da cattura. Trappola n ° 7 Packing Company trappola Co. no. 7, in Tlingit territorio indiano (le persone, che se stesso "Tlingit", che viveva sulla costa del Pacifico del Nord America, chiamata che è stata ritenuta particolarmente apprezzare il salmone). Foto scattata 2 agosto 1907 e aventi una delle due barconi contenenti circa 18.000 salmone pescato nella trappola installata in tutta la loro ascesa percorso alle sorgenti del fiume Deutsch: Lachsfischen Aktion Trapping. Falle Nr. 7 Unternehmen Packing Co. Falle nicht. 7, in Tlingit indischem Territorium (Menschen, die sich selbst "Tlingit", die an der Pazifikküste von Nordamerika lebte, wurde aufgerufen, schätzen vor allem die Lachs als). Photo taken 2. August 1907 und mit einem der beiden Kähne, die etwa 18.000 Lachse in die Falle über den Weg Aufstieg zu den Quellen des Flusses installiert gefangen Nederlands: Zalmvisserij actie van trapping. Trap No 7 Bedrijf Packing Co val niet. 7, in Tlingit Indiase grondgebied (mensen, die zichzelf "Tlingit", die aan de Pacifische kust van Noord-Amerika leefde, genaamd die vooral werd geacht waarderen de zalm). Foto genomen 2 augustus 1907 en het hebben van een van de twee schepen met ongeveer 18.000 zalm gevangen in de val geïnstalleerd over hun pad aanleiding tot de bronnen van de rivier
context_page_description: The food of the Tlingit people, an indigenous people from Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon, is a central part of Tlingit culture, and the land is an abundant provider. A saying amongst the Tlingit is that "When the tide goes out the table is set." This refers to the richness of intertidal life found on the beaches of Southeast Alaska, most of which can be harvested for food. Another saying is that "in Lingít Aaní you have to be an idiot to starve". Since food is so easy to gather from the beaches, a person who can't feed himself at least enough to stay alive is considered a fool, perhaps mentally incompetent or suffering from very bad luck. Though eating off the beach could provide a fairly healthy and varied diet, eating nothing but "beach food" is considered contemptible among the Tlingit, and a sign of poverty. Shamans and their families were required to abstain from all food gathered from the beach, and men might avoid eating beach food before battles or strenuous activities in the belief that it would weaken them spiritually and perhaps physically as well.
context_section_description: Tlingit constructed fish traps in a few ways, depending on the type of river or stream. At the mouth of a smaller stream, they drove rows of wooden stakes into the mud in the tidal zone. The stakes supported a weir of flexible branches. Outside the harvest, the weir was removed but the stakes left. Archaeological work has uncovered a number of sites where long rows of sharpened stakes were hammered into the gravel and mud.
  Another trap for smaller streams was made using rocks piled to form long, low walls. These walls submerged at high tide, and the salmon swam over them. Adults and children threw rocks beyond the wall when the tide began receding, scaring the fish into staying inside the wall. Once the tide went down enough to expose the wall, men walked out on the wall to spear the schooling salmon. The remnants of these walls are still visible at the mouths of many streams; although none are in use today. Elders recall them being used in the early twentieth century.
  On larger rivers, Tlingit built a weir that either spanned the entire river or merely crossed a channel known for salmon. These weirs followed the pattern above, but instead of depending on the tide to fill them, they had small gaps in the weir with platforms above them. Since salmon were restricted to passage through these small gaps they were easy targets for the spearmen who plucked them from their platforms above the gaps.
  Fishwheels, though not traditional, came into use in the late nineteenth century. The mechanism was based on a floating platform tied to a tree on the bank of a river. The wheel consisted of two or four large baskets arranged around an axle. The force of the river's current rotated the baskets as with a conventional waterwheel, and salmon resting in the current were caught in the basket. The basket spilled its contents as it came over the top of the wheel, and the fish dropped into a large pen or container. Fishwheels are still used in some locations, particularly the Copper and Chilkat Rivers. They have the particular advantage of working without constant attendance, and harvesters can come by a few times a day to remove the caught fish and process them. Their disadvantage is that they are slow, and depend largely on luck to catch salmon being pushed downstream by the current; placement in well-known channels increases the recovery, but still does not compare to more active means of harvest.
  Note that none of the traditional means of trapping salmon severely decreased the salmon population, and once the Tlingit harvested enough fish in a particular area they moved to other locations. This left the remaining run to spawn and guarantee future harvests. This is in contrast to commercial fish traps used in Alaska in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which devastated runs, and in some cases completely destroyed spawning populations.
  With the advent of gasoline motors, winter trolling has become a common practice, and provides fresh fish in the cold months that traditionally depended on stored fish. Trolling poles are similar to those used in sport fishing, but are much heavier and stronger with correspondingly heavier tackle and longer lines. They are set in the stern and along the side gunwales of a boat, baited or strung with flashing spoons or spinners. The boat then slowly motors around areas where salmon, usually kings, are known to school during the winter, aided by ultrasonic fish-finders. Periodically the lines are checked and brought in to remove fish. The same techniques are used for halibut as well. The harvest by this method is fairly small as it depends more on luck; salmon are not guaranteed to bite at lures and bait, unlike the certainty in catching them while spawning. Because of this limited take, trolling is usually avoided during spawning season and only used to bring home fresh fish in the winter. Trolling is often a family event done on the weekends, and often includes overnights on board. Because of the relative inactivity in trolling, the poles are not always well-minded. This occasionally results in seals or
caption: Commercial salmon production by the Tlingit, 1907
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