by Guy Hand
When I first met Cynthia and George of C&G’s Wild Alaska Salmon, they seemed—a little too literally—like fish out of water. The couple were selling Alaskan salmon at the oh-so-local Boise Farmers Market and when I asked them why, Cynthia sighed and said “A lot of people ask that question.”
Then she asked me a question: Would I consider coming up to Petersburg, Alaska, if they covered my travel expenses, and film their story? She wanted a way to help explain why this fishing couple decided to go against the commercial fishing grain by processing their own catch and selling it themselves to locally-focused businesses like Bittercreek Alehouse.
Of course, I said yes. And along the way learned a lot about the commercial fishing business, about the hard work and long hours, why small-scale, artisanal fishermen can put more care into their catch, and why people like Cynthia and George really do have a lot in common with the farmers they share space with at the Boise Farmers Market. Now I understand why they belong—and hope this little video helps you understand too.
