OUR COMMUNITY Our seafood comes from harvesters who have built their lives around the rich bounty that comes from carefully managed resources. Ekuk Bluff 58° 35’ 33”N, 157° 13’ 58” W Kvichak Bay Every summer in Alaska tides rise and fall as tens of millions of wild salmon make their way with uncanny precision back to their natal streams. This is a fisherman’s time to harvest; our days and nights are consumed with the rhythm of the ocean. We set and pull nets, deliver our catch, maintain and repair boats and gear, find a few minutes for a meal and maybe, just maybe, get an hour or two of sleep. Resources managed with care Strict fishery management regimes have been developed over decades to ensure fishermen only harvest as much fish as the ecosystem can handle. This science based approach has created a symbiotic relationship between the fishing industry and marine ecosystems. Thoughtfully managed resources allow fishermen to fish, and seafood species to flourish. It’s vital to our communities, to our harvest and to the quality of the product you’ll serve to your customers. Meet our community Jeff Regnart Fishery Manager Every year sockeye salmon migrate with uncanny precision from the ocean, through Bristol Bay, and back to the natal river where they were born. In the past twenty years the average total return of wild Sockeye Salmon to Bristol Bay has been 39 million fish. In the past five years - 58.3 million fish. Over the course of Jeff Regnart’s 30+ year career he has been an integral part of the community committed to sustaining and growing this precious resource. Jeff's connection to Alaska and life as a fishery manager began before he could understand the stakes of protecting Alaska’s wild ocean ecosystems. When Alaska became a state in 1959, his father was one of the first people the Alaska Department of Fish and Game hired under the new state administration. Jeff was a small child unknowingly watching his father lay the groundwork for what would become his life’s work. Read Profile Alina Fairbanks Deck Hand on F/V Sumo. Fishing for 6 years Alina Fairbanks was three-years-old when her father John was packing to go fish for Pollock in the Bering Sea. He looked away for a moment and Alina jumped in his duffel bag, hiding in hopes of joining him on the water. “He would pretend that he didn’t see me,” she says. “He’d carry me downstairs in the bag and say, ‘Alright, I’m going to Alaska!’ And I thought, ‘I’m going to Alaska too!’” 15 years later Alina made it to Alaska. She worked two seasons in the packing department of a salmon processing plant, and then spent a third season in HR. “I fell in love with the industry so much that I transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to the College of Fisheries and Sciences, and got my BA in Fisheries and Minor in marketing.” Read Profile John Fairbanks Owner/Operator of F/V Sumo. Fishing for 44 years A Lifetime of Fishing John Fairbanks grew up in Bellingham, WA, and felt the pull towards fishing when he was a little boy. “I always wanted to fish when I was young,” he says. “I would see all the boats heading across the bay in the summer, and wonder where they were going.” John landed his first fishing job out of Bellingham in 1977 when he was 16, and was hooked right from the start. “When the fish hit the net, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s just an adrenaline rush.” Read Profile PRODUCTS PROCESS COMMUNITY ABOUT GET IN TOUCH