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While grocery shopping in New York, Buffalo-based landscape photographer Scott Gable noticed a sign touting “hand caught wild Alaskan salmon.” He got an idea, and two weeks later, Scott was stepping off a floatplane in Cordova, Alaska—an isolated town with no roads in or out. What Cordova does have is a rich history of fishing, and is often called a “salmon hot spot.”
After arriving, Scott wandered through Cordova’s vast docks, asking captains if they would allow him to tag along on their boats. He was met with dozens of no’s, and many no ways. He kept at it, and his persistence paid off, as he finally secured a ride on The Ace with a four-man seiner crew. He was given access to the entire boat, including the 25-foot high crows nest, and for the next four days, Scott documented the daily dragnet fishing activities of these hardworking fishermen. This meant waking at 3am with the sun, and continuing until they could no longer haul anymore nets for the day. Sometimes this lasted up to twelve hours, through bitter cold, rain and snow, and the constant stings of windswept jellyfish venom.
By the end of each day, Scott’s lips and eyes were burning, and everyone was tired—but he was happy to have the opportunity to be there and says that he was treated like a member of the crew.
I ate with them and joked with them and ended up thinking I wanted to come back next summer to haul nets instead of shooting photos.
He adds that the highlight of his trip was the rush of shooting while perched atop the crows nest, with the wind howling and boat rocking.
Once back on dry land, Scott decided to document the processing side of the salmon fishing industry, to complete his story. He was turned away from several plants before finally deciding to simply act as if he was supposed to be there. Walking right into the last plant, he began shooting—and continued for three hours, until the smell overwhelmed him.
I had to throw out the clothes I was wearing because the smell and chunks of salmon stuck to me.
Scott now plans on using the project in promos, including a booklet that he’s bringing as a leave behind to portfolio meetings. He also sent several copies to the captain he worked with, who “loved the books.” Next, Scott plans on tackling rice cultivation in China!