Fishing in America: Dipnetting in the Kenai River
A postcard from Alaska

 Listen to Elizabeth Arnold's report.

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A father and son with their dipnet on the banks of the Kenai River. Photo: Elizabeth Arnold, NPR Enlarged View

"It's the most fascinating thing I've ever done. This is only an Alaska thing, it's hard for anybody else to even fathom." Ernest Maxwell, first-time dipnetter

A dipnet and part of someone's catch on the banks of the Kenai River. Photo: Elizabeth Arnold, NPR Enlarged View

A fisherman carries his dipnet along the beach. Photo: Elizabeth Arnold, NPR Enlarged View

Aug. 9, 2002 -- The beach along the Kenai River is a makeshift village of tents, tarps, coolers and folding chairs. In the water, a snaking line of dipnetters, poised like great blue herons, use gigantic butterfly nets to scoop up huge sockeye salmon.

During dipnet season, covering just a few weeks a year in Alaska, residents are allowed to fish with homemade nets attached to long metal poles. As NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports for Morning Edition, they're generally able to wrestle ashore enough salmon to last the winter once its canned, frozen or smoked.

Like his father and grandfather, John Williamson has fished his whole life. He sees it as part of his heritage.

"I see it as a gift," he tells Arnold. "There's no sportsmanship about it, there's no skill involved, it's really kind of a humbling thing and you get out there and say, OK feed me and you wait for food to come along."

Each head of a household in Alaska is allowed to catch 25 fish, and families are allotted an additional 10 fish per family member.

The Kenai is one of the most carefully managed fisheries in the world, Arnold says. Every salmon returning to the river to spawn is calculated and allocated.

But for $20, anyone can make a homemade net and catch dozens of fish.

Arnold also notes that like other types of fishing, dipnetting is a great equalizer. There are many women in the water, as well as people from every race, age and social strata. They are all out on the river for the same reason -- to catch as many fish as they're allowed.

As Patrick Tinsley, a Fairbanks carpenter says, "we don't throw 'em back, we don't play with our food."

Future stories in this series will look at the lure of fishing -- from thousand-dollar-a-day guided trips to bass tournaments.

In Depth

Browse more NPR stories on fishing.

Other Resources

• Visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

• Learn more about fishing in Alaska.

• Read more about dipnetting in Alaska.

• Tips on dipnetting on the Kenai River.

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