Yup'ik Dance & Culture; First Class Salmon

. . . . . . . . . . You This is a film about the commercial salmon fishery on the rivers of southwest Alaska. In recent years, the profits from this industry have increased at a steady, if unspectacular

rate. Yet despite this modest increase, the fact remains that Alaska's Gilnet salmon fishery is an industry that is losing ground in the world market, even as a demand for salmon rapidly increases. The reason for this is not complicated, not bound up in complex economics, not in high-level technology, nor in power politics. The reason that we are losing ground is because Alaskan Gilnet fishermen continue to deliver to an ever more knowledgeable and selective world market, fish of second rate quality, fish that are bruised, fish that are belly-burned, and fish that have been poorly handled. For such a product, the international buyer can only pay second rate prices.

If the problem, as stated, seems simple, the solution is even more so. Correct handling, clean and efficient processing, and quick freezing are the three steps that will restore Alaska's reputation as a first-class salmon fishery. And will result in additional huge profits to all of the industry's participants. The single question that you, the Gilnet River fishermen and processors must ask yourselves is, are you interested in increasing the profits from your commercial salmon fishery? If the answer to that question is yes, then stay with us for the next half hour as we explore ways that you can increase the value of your product and thereby increase the

profits of your neighbors. During the 10-year period between 1965 and 1975, the world market demand for frozen Alaskan salmon more than doubled.

This increase in demand has encouraged the development of an ever-expanding commercial Gilnet salmon fishery on the major rivers of southwest Alaska, the Cuscoquim, the Yukon, and the Nuschagak. At the same time, the expansion of the Gilnet fishery has prompted the growth of many local fish processing plants. The river-based Gilnet fishermen face problems that the high-seize troll netter does not. Salmon caught in open water are fresher than those that have already turned into their home rivers. Other fish have stopped feeding and have begun to lose the edge of freshness because of changes in bodily functions. From the very beginning, therefore, river Gilnetters are dealing with a product that by its

nature is not going to be as fresh as salmon caught in the ocean. Additionally, ocean-caught salmon are more quickly killed, processed, and frozen. Gilnetted river salmon may struggle for long periods in the net, bruising themselves, and it may be several hours before they are processed and frozen. All that time, natural decomposition is occurring, reducing the freshness and ultimately the value of the fish. If competition with the high-seize trolling fleet is not enough to worry about, the problems that Alaska's river fishermen face are made more pressing due to the greater experience of the other nations that compete in the world salmon market. The Canadians, the Scandinavians, and the Japanese all have long traditions and great

expertise in the handling, the processing, and the marketing of their fish products. Because of the extreme care with which their salmon is handled, these nations receive top dollar for their product. Alaskan salmon, on the other hand, has acquired a poor reputation because, all too often, it derives at the market bruised and in generally poor condition, and therefore commands a lower price. The effects of poor quality and lower price are directly and immediately felt at your level, the individual fishermen. Lower prices may mean the difference in whether or not you may be able to buy a new snow machine or replace an outboard engine.

This situation will not change of its own accord, nor will it change simply by wishing it so. It will change only when and if the international fish buyer is presented with a first-class salmon product that has been handled properly and that has arrived at market in the best possible condition. What is the best possible condition? What is proper handling and why is it important? When the salmon hits the net and becomes snared, it will flail about in an energetic effort to free itself. All the time it is doing this, it is damaging the tissue and muscle around the collar or nape and around the base of the dorsal fin. This causes bruising in those areas of the fish's body and will reduce the value of the

product, especially if the salmon is to be sold in a dressed filayed form as it most often is on the foreign market. By making shorter drifts you can lessen the damage that the cut salmon will do to itself in the net. Once the salmon is pulled aboard, it must be stunned immediately. The salmon must only be struck on the head, blows delivered to other parts of the body in an attempt to stun the fish will result in unwanted bruises. As the fisherman removes the salmon from the net, he must handle it only by the gills, as this fisherman is clearly demonstrating here. Any handling by the tail may break the fish's backbone and will rupture the arteries

along the spine, allowing blood to flow into the meat of the fish. This will appear as the bruise, again reducing the value of the product when it reaches market. This fisherman does not realize that the bruises he is causing are taking money out of his pocket. These various bruises do not show up at once, but they may only become visible after

the salmon is frozen and on the way to a foreign market. Because the fisherman or a processor does not see the bruise does not mean it is not there. The bruises develop more slowly in salmon and in all fish because they are cold blooded animals. Fish that are thrown stepped on, handled by the tail or jerked free of the net, are fish that will become bruised and will not be as valuable in dollars and cents as fish handled with care. Once landed and stunned, the salmon should be placed in a clean, cool area out of the

direct rays of the sun. Plastic tubs are ideal and many types are available today. The best being ones with false bottoms so fish do not lie in their own slimen blood. By keeping the fish cool and out of the direct sunlight, you can slow down certain damaging chemical processes that occur to all living things when they die. One of those processes is oxidation, which happens when oxygen begins to attack the fats and oils of the salmon, causing the fish to become rotten and unmarketable. The cooler you can keep the fish and the quicker you can deliver it to the processor, the more valuable the product. Cleanliness is also extremely important because a dirty deck is a place where bacteria

easily breed and fish that are not kept as clean as possible will become rotten much more quickly. The salmon is at the peak of freshness the moment it is netted. After that it is a race between you and the natural decaying processes, speedy delivery therefore to the fish processor is essential to maintaining the salmon's high quality. The fish processor bears an equal response to the fish processor, bears an equal response

ability for preserving the quality of the product. For in order that the efforts of the individual fishermen not go in vain, the processor must do his part. His immediate problem is in loading the fish onto the tenders or onto his processing operation again as quickly as possible.

Loading should be done in such a way as to minimize bruising. Careful brailing techniques must be observed. Obviously the less the fish is handled the better, but in many instances the additional stage of tender boats cannot be avoided. During such a stage an extra few minutes to carefully transfer the catch is time will spent and will help ensure an unboosted fish and a more valuable product. When the salmon finally arrive at the processing plant they should be dealt with at once. This means rapid and thorough gutting of those fish that can be handled by the work crew, fish that cannot be attended to immediately must be packed in ice to slow down the

spoilage rate. Very often fishermen must line up and wait for several hours before their catch can be weighed. While this time the product is deteriorating, if ice could be supplied to those waiting fishermen the salmon could be kept in a much fresher condition. Quick and thorough gutting will prevent bellyburn and undesirable and all too often found condition in Alaskan salmon. Bellyburn is caused when digestive juices inside the fish's stomach begin to attack the inner walls of the belly and penetrate the flesh of the salmon. Bellyburn activity will increase as temperature increases and will decrease by half for each drop of 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Therefore, the sooner the fish is cooled gutted and frozen, the better. During the processing stages, the importance of cleanliness of the work area cannot be stressed too highly. Continual washing down of the entire processing and gutting area is absolutely essential to the preservation of fish quality. Fish guts are loaded with bacteria and must not be allowed to contaminate the healthy flesh of the gutted fish. After gutting, the fish must be taken to be frozen. Freezing will slow down the spoilage rate and will ensure that the product when thought would look as good as it did just before freezing.

Freezing is an important step in the preservation of fish, but the quality of the fish has really already been determined by the manner in which the fishermen and processors have handled it before freezing. If that handling was poor and neglectful, freezing will simply preserve a fish of poor quality whose bruises will begin to show up probably before the fish reaches the market. If the handling was careful, however, top dollar value for the product is assured. Remember, any breakdown in quality control will result in damage to the product, reduction in value and loss of profits. If all of the participants in the fishery venture cooperate in handling and processing

the fish with maximum care and interest, then Alaska's reputation for top quality salmon will be restored and all Delta residents will benefit.