Since the first time I saw the blustering commotion that is Bristol Bay, from the north shore of the Naknek River, I felt there was something special about this Alaskan body of water, perhaps because of one of its primary species of fish — sockeye salmon, the fish of our family, which, for three generations of Kallenbergs, has been nothing short of a guiding light.
That’s why each week this month, we’re celebrating the Summer of Sockeye — which also happens to be the first fish we offered to WAC members in their boxes — and proudly basking in the red beauty that is a keystone species of Alaska and the jewel of Bristol Bay.
And to kick off this celebration, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Melanie Brown — Native Alaskan, salmon storyteller and sockeye freedom fighter. She’s been fishing and advocating for the fish her entire life, as have her ancestors. Her connection to Arron (WAC founder + CEO) and the Kallenberg family goes back three generations. I hope that in reading her story, you feel the same deep reverence that is innate to the Kallenbergs and the Alaskan people’s relationship to sockeye.
***
The Wild Hope of Sockeye
by Melanie Brown
When wild salmon reach the point in their ocean lives where they recognize that it is time to return home to spawn, they begin to group up and travel together en masse. As fisherpeople it is as if the collective energy of the salmon pulls our minds toward the river terminus that they are drawn to. Sockeye season is an expression of that energy.
As a fisherperson who has returned to the Naknek River, where my mother was born, every summer of my life, this connection and pull from the salmon feels especially strong. My children also participate in this annual migration. Even now, we continue to fish the very site that my great grandfather Paul Chukan staked out.
Wild salmon have shaped the lives of my people and I would go so far as to say that the first people of Bristol Bay exist because of salmon. My great grandfather was born in the village of Naknek, named for the river that flows into Bristol Bay. He was orphaned by the great pandemic known as the Spanish Influenza, but he knew that his people were Unangax̂ from the Aleutian Island chain that stretches far to the West. I cannot help but think that his ancestors followed the sockeye to Bristol Bay because they knew that the salmon would provide for them.
Even when it isn’t sockeye season, my life revolves around the salmon. When I am not in Bristol Bay catching salmon, my winter life is centered around advocating for wild salmon and their habitat. Sometimes I work to engage fisherpeople before or after they head out on the water for their fishing seasons. It is because of this drive to protect wild salmon that I met the Kallenbergs.
One summer during the annual Fishtival celebration in Bristol Bay of 2012, I threw a Happy Hour party for fishermen to organize against the proposed Pebble Mine. This proposed mine has posed a huge threat to spawning habitat in Bristol Bay for some time. While there I had the pleasure of meeting Walter Kallenberg, a longtime Bristol Bay drift fisherman. I learned that Walter had a special connection to Levelock where my great grandmother Anna was orphaned during the pandemic of 1918 after being stranded there with her family because of the Katmai volcanic eruption. Her family had come over from Kodiak Island to work at the salmon processing plant in Levelock. When she grew to a marriageable age she was sent to marry my great grandfather in Naknek. Walter’s father had been a teacher in Levelock and Walter’s brothers were also up at the University in Fairbanks when my parents were going to school there.
At one point in my conversation with Walt at the Fishtival, he mentioned his son Arron Kallenberg (now founder and CEO of Wild Alaskan Company), who at the time had dreams of hosting a salmon party in New York City to raise awareness for Bristol Bay salmon and the threat to sockeye salmon’s existence because of Pebble Mine.
After the Fishtival, I brought up to my mother that I had met Walter Kallenberg. She recalled that he was the guy who had what she called the “push me, pull you” boat. And I could picture a memory of seeing his unique boat (the family vessel the Mary K) out on the water, which he had designed himself to be worked from the bow or stern.
Putting these connections together makes it clear how small this lovely world can be, even in a place as vast and wild as Alaska, especially if you participate in a line of work where salmon drive you and connect you to others with their vibrancy.
The hope of sockeye invokes thoughts of what the season will bring to us; the things that we miss when the cold of winter sets in. But wild salmon and the energy of their vibrant lives bring a potency that centers what the season of summer brings. It is wonderful that Wild Alaskan Company is able to bring this to you sourced from Alaska delivered straight to your door. You are eating something truly wild that supplies nutrition to families all across the country and has been managed for sustainability since the late 1800s.
I love to know that my food not only tastes good but is responsibly sourced — but a good story can make food taste even better. I am looking forward to sharing stories that will hopefully enhance your tasting experience.
***
Thank you Melanie, and stay tuned to celebrate the Summer of Sockeye with us through a month of sockeye-themed live events!
Please join us by registering below via Zoom, which all take place on a Wednesday at 3pm ET / 12pm PT:
-
Wednesday, July 12th: Upgrade Your Favorites with Ground Sockeye Salmon
-
Wednesday, July 19th: Sockeye vs. Coho, and All the Basics Tips You Need to Cook Salmon
-
Wednesday, July 26th: How to Turn Sockeye Salmon Strips Into a Bacon-like Flavor Bomb
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: Melanie Brown with daughter Mariana, son Oliver, and former crew member Andres Camacho.
