Our morning was spent hiking in a beautiful and interesting series of bogs near Petersburg. We first set out on a long crunching trek across the intertidal flats making new habitat for barnacles to colonize. Then we made our way into a verdant forest, dripping with life-giving rain. The trail led up into a sphagnum bog complete with numerous sections of world famous mud. It isn't the low-quality, sticky stuff that makes your shoes heavy as it builds up. This is thick, yet runny enough to leave your walking gear squeaky clean. If you stand in it long enough it may decide to keep your boots. Only a shuffling back and forth will set you free. We all had a great time being careful not to leave our boots for the next person in line. There were delightful noises to accompany our companions' laughter. These sounds remind me of loudly finishing the last of a drink with a straw but a lower pitch, louder, and compressed to less than 2 seconds.
During lunch we entered the Petersburg harbor. Tourism has not found this unique place so has not left its mark. This town of about 3,400 people is a better place to buy rubber boots than T-shirts. Even at that, many or our guests found an item or two for those back home.
Purse seining is the fishing method used for half the total salmon catch and 85% of the pink salmon caught in Alaska. Salmon migrate in tight schools. When a captain or his crew see fins and jumping fish at the surface, he orders out his seine skiff to pull out the net and surround the catch. Once the net encircles the fish, the lead line at the bottom of the net is drawn closed like a purse. Between 250 and 1500 fish are brought in by each set. An experienced crew can make a set in less than an hour. This photo shows fishermen stacking the white floats that keep the net at the surface. These sturdy purse seine boats are a maximum size of 58 feet and have a 5 to 7 person crew. Openings for the legal time that boats can go out are limited to only a few days per season. There is a 24-hour opening this Sunday and possibly Wednesday or Thursday. These young men are in the Petersburg harbor, repairing nets that will soon be in use.
During lunch we entered the Petersburg harbor. Tourism has not found this unique place so has not left its mark. This town of about 3,400 people is a better place to buy rubber boots than T-shirts. Even at that, many or our guests found an item or two for those back home.
Purse seining is the fishing method used for half the total salmon catch and 85% of the pink salmon caught in Alaska. Salmon migrate in tight schools. When a captain or his crew see fins and jumping fish at the surface, he orders out his seine skiff to pull out the net and surround the catch. Once the net encircles the fish, the lead line at the bottom of the net is drawn closed like a purse. Between 250 and 1500 fish are brought in by each set. An experienced crew can make a set in less than an hour. This photo shows fishermen stacking the white floats that keep the net at the surface. These sturdy purse seine boats are a maximum size of 58 feet and have a 5 to 7 person crew. Openings for the legal time that boats can go out are limited to only a few days per season. There is a 24-hour opening this Sunday and possibly Wednesday or Thursday. These young men are in the Petersburg harbor, repairing nets that will soon be in use.
