Beyond the Breakwater: Gulf of Alaska Small-Boat Fishermen
The Alaska Marine Conservation Council in Homer, Alaska, received a 2021 Archie Green Fellowship for “Beyond the Breakwater: Gulf of Alaska Small-Boat Fishermen,” a documentation project recording in-depth oral history interviews and photographic portraits of 20 small-scale commercial fishermen based in four fishing communities across the Gulf of Alaska: Sitka, Homer, Seldovia, and Kodiak. Led by project director, anthropologist and fisherman Josh Wisniewski, the project documented occupational histories and knowledge used to harvest different fish species by the small-boat fleet, including gill netting and purse seining, trolling, long lining, and jigging. The project also documented related trades and the changing environmental challenges faced by contemporary Alaskan fisherfolk.