Sailing for Salmon: The Early Years of Commercial Fishing in Alaska’s Bristol Bay 1884-1951 (2011)
by Tim Troll
When I started fishing in the early ‘70s there were still numerous double-enders being fished. These were old Bristol Bay sailboats retrofitted with engines. Purpose built powerboats have a square stern and look as if they have a bow on both ends. For political reasons Alaska banned powerboats from the Bristol Bay fishery until 1952. The fishery changed quickly once power was allowed. It is easy to forget how hard fishing was on these sailboats. Troll does a great job covering the design of the boats and the sailing specific skills the fishers needed as well as the fishing skills needed to make up for lack of hydraulic power to help get heavy fish nets into the boat. He also covers the politics of how canneries worked and controlled the fishers of various nationalities, that came north for the season.
