It’s the last week of June and it's time to start the fishing season.  My old aluminum boat, the Chulyen, is ready to splash.  Last season was the best the old girl had ever had and by far the best season I have ever had as well. 
 
Built in 1970 by Matsumoto, the F/V Chulyen was the first aluminium boat that made it to the bay.  When fishermen saw her for the first time they questioned the integrity of the "tin" boat, like it would never last.  Now most of the fleet is made out of aluminum.  She was made for Jack Vantrese, a preacher who lived in Illiamna.  He fished her and leased her for 30 years. I’ll have owned and fished her for 10 years after this season. 
 
Even though I have fished every season since I was seven years old, when I first got the Chulyen there was quiet a learning curve.  I didn't make a 100,000 pounds for a few years but always strived to get there.  Even my bad seasons were still good though.  Slowly but surely I reached that 100,000 pound goal.  Last year I reached another goal: over 200,000 pounds! 
 
Getting the old boat ready every spring is a labor of love.  Routine maintenance is a must -- preventative maintenance.  Oil, filters, hydraulic lines, oil lines, stern bearings, new welds or fixing old welds.  A lot must get done to ensure I can be out on the water for over a month trying to make a profit.
 
This year I installed a new hydraulic system to replace my old belt driven ones.  This old boat can compete with the other boats easier now.  This year I also installed power steering since my last system was starting to leak at all the helms and since the old equipment was so old they didn't make parts or gaskets for it any more.  I literally had to cut the boat apart to put some of this equipment in. I cut into the folks hole to put in new six cubes driven off the main and cut out the floor to put in a bigger hydraulic tank.  It seemed as soon as I cut some out, I had to cut more. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into but it all came out in the end, welded back together, and got me ready to splash!  I did all the work myself for the most part. It saved money and I got to understand the system better too. There was a little help from my friends.  I haven't calculated the bill yet but I won't be surprised if it cost me upward of $20,000.  I should just say $30,000 so then when I get the bill I won’t be so surprised.
 
We ice all fish caught on board, and last year we bled a good percentage of them as well.  We treat our harvest with respect.  We love our salmon and we feed the world with them.  I am hoping for a good season this summer.  My crew is too.  All these years, all this effort, all these dreams, all these fish: I can't help but feel threatened by the proposed Pebble mine.  My family has been fishing here for over a hundred years.  My nine-year-old daughter is coming out with us this season again to learn the ropes.  I would like to think 100 years is just a start to the history of a healthy fishery.   
 
I live in Naknek.  I fish, I hunt.  I subsist.  I care about our region.