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Narrator: On this episode of "Alaska Fish Wars."
On the first day of the season,
Captain Gavin Keohane and deckhand Chris fight
to get their season on its way.
Chris Cotter: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Narrator: Captain Wes Humbyrd's good day.
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah, right on, I love it!
Narrator: Quickly heads south.
Wes Humbyrd: I'm gonna,
you're *** me off really bad.
Narrator: Veteran Captain Dino Sutherland of the
Night Hawk is back on the water but
his comeback may be cut short.
Lance Alldrin: Oh, my gosh.
Dino Sutherland: Son of a (bleep)!
Narrator: Young Captain Taylor Evenson and
his deckhand mother push the legal limits.
Taylor Evenson: Come on, quick.
Son of a gun.
Narrator: Cook Inlet is located
1,475 miles North West of Seattle.
Once a year, salmon swim from the Pacific Ocean
through the inlet and up more than 100 rivers
and streams to spawn.
It's an epic migration and waiting for
them at the end of their journey are
the fisherman of Alaska.
Wes Humbyrd: Stress level coming up,
fishing season is here.
Narrator: With a reputation of being a tough
but successful fisherman, Captain Wes Humbyrd has
fished the inlet for over 40 years.
He knows that the key to good fishing is preparation.
Wes Humbyrd: You have to have good rest because if a
run comes on, there's going to be
some huge numbers made.
So we're resting up to get ready for Monday
which will be a full opener.
Narrator: Both Wes and Bonnie,
his girlfriend of 19 years,
know the importance of a successful season.
Bonnie Boisvert: I could not stay up here and
pay all my bills and live if I didn't fish in the summer.
So I need these fish.
Narrator: About 70 miles to the North of Homer
is the town of Kenai.
With a population of just over 7,000 people,
it's still a major fishing hub on the Inlet.
Gavin Keohane: Too easy.
Narrator: With a slow boat and with the salmon still
reportedly 45 miles away,
Captain Gavin Keohane decides to leave Kenai
the day before the start of the
fishing season to get a jump on the competition.
Gavin Keohane: I learned some lessons last year.
We have to be very well prepared for
every single instance.
It's a 6 hour drive to where we want to go so
we're going to try to knock some of it out tonight.
You never know what's going to happen out there
and to be unprepared is foolish.
Narrator: Gavin once again brings back
second year deckhand Chris who's gambling
on a huge season.
Chris Cotter: I drove up here basically with
my entire life's belongings with me.
There really isn't too much work back home in
Detroit so I did what I had to do,
came back out here hoping to finally make it up here
for the rest of my life.
Gavin Keohane: Roger that,
we'll tie right up next to you.
Alright let's dock on this side.
If this season turns out to be a bust for me personally,
oh, it'd be a really hard one to take.
Narrator: With the pressure of the season only
hours away, Captain Gavin knows this is the
calm before the storm for the North Crow.
Chris Cotter: See you in the morning.
Gavin Keohane: See you in the morning.
Taylor Evenson: A little bit of a late start.
Narrator: It's opening day of commercial salmon season
and local 3rd generation fisherman
Captain Taylor Evenson
is ready to make a name for himself.
Taylor Evenson: A lot of old timers are saying
seeing big fish moving hard this early in
the season is a telltale sign of a really big run.
Narrator: The 24 year old comes from a long line
of successful fishermen on the Inlet
and carrying this family legacy rests
heavy on his shoulders.
Taylor Evenson: It could be burdensome to think
about living up to the legacy that my grandfather
and my father have left because they were
both great fisherman.
But I will be as good a fisherman as my dad and
my intention is to be better.
Narrator: This year, he's keeping his crew
all in the family including his mom Liz.
Liz Holmgren: I love coming out here to fish,
but it definitely makes it much more fun
and special to be with my family particularly my kids.
Narrator: And his little sister, Raquel.
Raquel Holmgren: I am out here definitely
to help my brother.
Trying to catch as many fish as we can this season.
Dino Sutherland: No, that's ok, we're good.
Narrator: With a 7:00 AM start approaching,
former fishing legend Captain Dino Sutherland
prepares to break in a new boat, the Night Hawk.
Dino Sutherland: What we're doing now is just checking
all the through hulls that we put in
again on this boat.
Everything on it's brand new; all new sealant.
So we're just making sure while we're right here
before we get any farther that we're not taking
or leaking on any water.
Make sure everything's watertight.
Go ahead and dock off on that cleat right there.
There you go.
Narrator: Dino has been out of the game for 2 years
and to get back on the water he had to take the
unconventional role as the captain
of another man's boat.
Dino Sutherland: Due to health reasons finances
required me to, uh, get out of fishing, sell the permit.
So I'm just glad to be back.
I love it.
Um, the sink light on.
[engine stalls]
For crying out loud.
[engine stalls]
Come on, baby.
(bleep) won't start.
Wes Humbyrd: We're gonna have a little
southerly breeze today.
Tia Pietsch: It's not supposed to be bad though huh?
Wes Humbyrd: No, I don't think so.
It's, all over the state of Alaska the
sockeye salmon runs have been huge this year.
Prices are up 80 cents more than last year.
It's looking like it could be really a good one.
My goal is 100,000 pounds.
It'd be a real nice pay check.
Narrator: Not only is Wes looking to improve his
numbers from last year, but he's also looking to
make some personal improvements.
Wes Humbyrd: I'm gonna be working on trying to
clean up my language a little bit.
So we're gonna try and improve.
They got a cuss jar in there and every time I swear
I got to put money in it.
I hope I don't have to pay for Reni's
college education just with my mouth.
I might have to bring a lot of dollar bills
with me before the season's over with.
I better catch lots of fish.
Narrator: To regulate the salmon population
and maintain a sustainable fishery,
the captains must fish within
certain designated boundaries.
Enforcing these rules, are the ever watching
Alaska Wildlife Troopers who make sure everyone
is playing by the rules and legally fishing.
With only minutes until the season begins,
each captain decides where to drop his first net.
Taylor Evenson: I'm trying to kind of position myself
based upon where these other boats are right now.
I'm gonna try to get underneath these boats so
I get a clear shot and they don't get
as clear of a shot.
Narrator: Each one of the over 400 salmon boats
contains a net, which is designed to entangle
the salmon as they swim through the open water.
End to end the net stretches as long
as 3 football fields.
Lead weights along the bottom allow the net to hang
approximately 20 feet under the surface of the water.
Along the top, the net is suspended by floating corks
that run the entire length.
This so called cork line is similar to a bobber on
a traditional rod and reel.
If the captain sees movement on the cork line,
they know their net has landed the salmon.
Gavin Keohane: It's getting close to 7.
One minute away and there's a line starting
to form on the edge of our boundary.
Chris Cotter: Woo, freezing cold gloves.
Another day in the neighborhood.
Wes Humbyrd: Get it ready Reni, 30 seconds!
Woohoo!
Reni Robbin: I'm very excited for the first
toss of the season.
Taylor Evenson: Turn the hydraulics on.
Liz Holmgren: Ok.
Gavin Keohane: Here comes our move.
Everybody's making their moves.
Wes Humbyrd: Throw it off Reni, throw it off!
Gavin Keohane: Putting it out for the first time.
Toss her.
Oh yeah.
Taylor Evenson: Throw the ball mom.
Wes Humbyrd: Every chance you get.
Taylor Evenson: Mom, get it out.
Liz Holmgren: Here it comes.
Taylor Evenson: Pop it.
Gavin Keohane: Ho, ho, ho, show me something.
Wes Humbyrd: Come on Reni.
God damn, you're slow as (bleep).
Dino Sutherland: We could pull it back out
if we can't get it started here shortly.
Narrator: As the other fishermen get their
seasons off the ground, back on land,
Captain Dino Sutherland
is still trying to get on the water.
Lance Alldrin: I just primed through the fuel filters.
Dino Sutherland: Okay, we got fuel.
Lance Alldrin: It's like it's a electrical issue with
the fuel cell anode.
Narrator: Captain Dino spent 2 years fighting cancer
and although he won, it cost him his career.
In an effort to get back on the water,
he's teamed up with Lance,
a new boat owner who finds himself in desperate
need of a captain.
Lance Alldrin: Dino and I worked out a deal
where he's basically going to be calling
the shots this summer.
I own the boat, I own the permit,
but I don't have any experience.
Crank it again.
Narrator: It's a partnership that seems
to be off to a rocky start.
[engine stalls]
Dino Sutherland: Son of a (bleep).
Lance Alldrin: Oh my gosh.
Narrator: On the southern border of the fishing zone,
it's only minutes into the season and demanding
Captain Taylor Evenson is already in overdrive.
Taylor Evenson: Move it.
You got to pull it.
There's a big shrimping boat.
Raquel Holmgren: Oh wait, hold up.
Wait, hold up, hold up.
Liz Holmgren: Whoa.
Narrator: 50 miles southwest of Kenai,
at the southern end of the fishing zone,
Captain Taylor Evenson rushes his crew to drop the
first net of the season.
Taylor Evenson: Move it.
You got to pull it.
Raquel Holmgren: Oh, wait, hold up.
Wait, hold up, hold up.
Liz Holmgren: Whoa, ow.
Taylor Evenson: Are you hurt bad?
What's going on?
Liz Holmgren: My shoulder's sore.
Taylor Evenson: Those buttons are
dangerous up there.
You better do something with those.
Liz Holmgren: Give me some slack.
Narrator: After years of raising Taylor to fish,
the roles have been reversed and now Liz must
learn how to be Taylor's deckhand.
Back on land, Captain Dino Sutherland
and boat owner Lance's season has yet to begin.
Lance Alldrin: Oh my gosh.
What has changed from yesterday to today?
Dino Sutherland: Brand new $30,000 engine won't start.
It's allergic to water right now.
Narrator: Joined by Lance's son Luke and
his friend Andrew.
Dino is saddled with an entirely inexperienced crew.
Lance Alldrin: Go ahead and try it again.
Come on Lord, we need this to work.
[engine stalls]
[engine starts].
Dino Sutherland: Yes.
Lance Alldrin: That is music to my ears, all right.
Andrew Puser: Nice, after 10 days worth of work
on the boat we can finally go fishing.
Dino Sutherland: Luke, we're in the water.
Lance Alldrin: She's floating.
Narrator: 50 miles south of Kenai in the south east
corner of the fishing zone, Captain Wes Humbyrd prepares
to pull in his first net of the year.
Wes Humbyrd: Go ahead.
Pick it up, pick, pick, pick.
Narrator: The speedy Night's Edge can burn fuel
at a rate of $1,000 a day.
So Wes and his deckhands Bonnie,
Tia and Reni need every net to be filled with fish.
Wes Humbyrd: What is this coming?
Ho!
Mamma Mia!
Tia Pietsch: Woohoo, yeah!
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah!
Right on!
Woohoo, I love it!
Narrator: With his season underway,
Wes offers the coveted first fish tradition to
his deckhand and college student, Reni.
Tia Pietsch: A lil' tongue, Reni.
Woo-oo.
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah, you're smacking
it to 'em there, buddy.
Reni Robbin: My epiphany was I get more
action from fish then I do actual girls.
Wes Humbyrd: Oh.
Another fish, some more.
There's one hanging over the front with his
tail in the air.
It's a tail flopper.
Holy moly.
Narrator: At more than $2 a pound and averaging
about 6 pounds per salmon.
Wes Humbyrd: Here comes the fish.
Narrator: Every fish caught is worth approximately $12.
Tia Pietsch: Oh yeah, right there.
Wes Humbyrd: This, right here, stop, stop, stop.
Plunge, Reni.
Plunge, plunge, plunge.
Here, come on.
Let some, let the net out.
Let the net out, let the net out.
Let it out.
Tia Pietsch: Oh go on, I see him, I see 'em.
Wes Humbyrd: Let's go.
It's trying to, hurry up we got a big blast.
Look.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Narrator: Before Wes can finish picking his
first net, he spies a massive school of salmon.
Wes Humbyrd: Man, oh man,
all along the net they were coming.
Narrator: With dollar signs in his eyes,
Wes drops his net back in the water before
he loses the big catch.
12 miles to the north east, Captain Taylor's
first net is in the water, but in salmon
fishing you're only as good as your crew.
And with one member hampered by injury.
Liz Holmgren: I'm putting a little ice on my hand.
Narrator: He needs to lean on Raquel now
more than ever.
Raquel Holmgren: I don't really feel that great.
I feel a little seasick.
Liz Holmgren: I'm sure glad I don't get seasick.
It's miserable.
She's the only one in the family that gets seasick
but hopefully she'll outgrow it.
Taylor never got seasick.
Taylor Evenson: The only thing that makes me sick
is not catching fish.
Ok mom, doesn't matter, we'll just pick this.
Narrator: A fisherman's first net sets the tone for
the rest of the year and with a sick and an injured
deckhand he needs a full net of salmon to right the ship.
Taylor Evenson: Yeah we need to make a move
because there's, uh, no fish here.
None at all, big donut.
Dino Sutherland: Alright Lance, are you ready?
Lance Alldrin: Yup.
Dino Sutherland: Let's untie.
Put the line on the bow.
Ugh, Andrew coil that line up in your hand.
Oh boy.
It's all good, they're just kids.
It's going to be nice fishing.
I haven't felt any vibrations yet.
Lance Alldrin: No, no.
It seems like it's running fine.
Narrator: With the new $30,000 engine finally working,
Night Hawk, Captain Dino and his new crew
are finally on their way.
Lance Alldrin: We were down at the boatyard at
4:00 AM this morning.
Got it launched by probably 4:30 or so and
we couldn't get the engine running.
And then I just got a, uh, $800 bill for the
first fuel fill up for the season.
So here it is a little after 7:00 AM and
I'm already uh $1,000 in the hole this morning.
So we need to do catch 600 to 700 pounds
of fish today just to break even.
Narrator: Hours behind the rest of the fleet,
Captain Dino finally heads out to sea
on an untested vessel.
Dino Sutherland: We want to keep an eye on
the exhaust temperature today.
It could be something we missed in the exhaust
and that could start a fire.
Lance Alldrin: Right.
Dino Sutherland: Be safe,
come back with all our arms and legs.
Lance Alldrin: Yup, how far do you
anticipate travelling today?
Dino Sutherland: Well, if things go good I want
to try and get down as far as I can.
Narrator: To get a head start on the day,
Captain Gavin Keohane travelled to the fishing
zone a day early but all the time in the world won't
matter if he doesn't find the fish.
Gavin Keohane: This is our first day and it'll set the
precedence for how we try to do the rest of the season.
If we don't get everything we can in that short amount
of time then our window is up and we won't be
able to make any money this year.
Gavin Keohane: We don't get any re-tries, no mulligan's.
Chris Cotter: Oh, ho.
Alright, look at this guy.
Gavin Keohane: Oh yeah, this is a nice group.
First group of the season,
first red of the year.
Chris Cotter: It's good to be picking some fish.
It's nice.
It's the way I like to make my money.
Gavin Keohane: There's a few fish here.
It's always nice to get fish on the boat
on the first day.
Dino Sutherland: It seems to be handling quite well
and I have a feeling the old Night Hawk
is going to fly on the water here.
Well, I'm going to bump it up a little more.
Lance Alldrin: Yeah.
Narrator: 3 hours after the rest of the fleet,
Captain Dino is finally making his way towards
the fishing grounds and his comeback.
Dino Sutherland: So Lance, I'm trying to get to the
bottom of the, uh, or the southern end
of the open district, uh, where I think that's
where the fish are going to be.
We're under the gun here right now because we've
spent so much time getting ready that we haven't got a
single fish and our families are depending on us
so I've got to push this out there.
[alarm beeping]
Lance?
Lance Alldrin: Yeah?
Dino Sutherland: Did you check the oil in it
before we left?
Lance Alldrin: Oh yeah, yeah it was fine.
Dino Sutherland: WTF?
She's not sounding right.
Lance Alldrin: Oh, God almighty.
Narrator: It's the first day of salmon fishing season and
6 hours into the session, over 400 boats
are bringing up their first nets.
On the Night Hawk, Captain Dino Sutherland
finally gets his engine started and races
to the south end of the fishing grounds.
[alarm beeping]
Dino Sutherland: Lance?
Lance Alldrin: Yeah?
Dino Sutherland: Did you check the oil
in it before we left?
Lance Alldrin: Oh yeah, yeah it was fine.
Dino Sutherland: WTF?
Lance Alldrin: Trouble?
Dino Sutherland: She's not sounding right.
Problem is.
Lance Alldrin: Oh God almighty.
What is that?
Dino Sutherland: I don't like that at all.
Lance Alldrin: Oh my gosh.
Narrator: Captain Taylor Evenson has yet to
find the fish and with his injured mother
and seasick sister he's on the move in hopes of
turning his day and his season around.
Taylor Evenson: We're moving because we didn't
catch any fish on the last set.
There's no point in waiting there for
a long time on nothing.
We gotta fish up some fish.
That's what you do.
You keep moving until you find something.
What was that right there?
There's a jumper right there!
Liz Holmgren: Oh, fish here.
Taylor Evenson: Come on, quick, let's go!
Narrator: A jumper can indicate a school of
salmon and the quicker the net is set,
the better the chance of catching them.
Taylor Evenson: Drop it, mom.
Liz Holmgren: You want it right here?
Taylor Evenson: Throw it!
Come on, come on!
Liz Holmgren: Ow.
Taylor Evenson: Roll it out, yeah.
Liz Holmgren: Go ahead.
Whoa, whoa!
Taylor Evenson: Pull it out.
Come on, let's go!
Get it out!
Liz Holmgren: Go slowly, I can't even reach it.
Narrator: With no fish in the boat and a crew working
at half strength, the young Captain Taylor needs
to get his boat and his crew in line before
he misses out on an entire day of profits.
Wes Humbyrd: Let's go, let's go.
Narrator: 14 miles south east,
Captain Wes Humbyrd and his crew are firing
on all cylinders and having a much different
opening day experience.
Wes Humbyrd: Here comes the fish.
Wow.
Ha-ha, ha-ha!
Ho, a lot of fish in that net.
Them are hot potatoes there.
Come on hurry, bud.
Come on.
Ho.
Ok, stop.
Boy, a lot of crap in here.
Tia Pietsch: Jellyfish, beautiful in the water not
so beautiful when they're stinging your face.
Wes Humbyrd: They burn you bad.
Just seeing them makes me feel bad.
Come on, Ren, let's go.
Wes Humbyrd: Come on, Reni.
God.
Oh, whoa, I don't like what I see coming.
A big kelp island coming right there and
we don't want it.
There's a bunch of kelp coming in the middle
of the net right there.
We get that in there we'll be picking (bleep)
with the chickens for a month.
Look at it!
Big as my boat.
Let's go.
Look at that coming.
You guys want to pick kelp all day that's fine.
I don't.
That is nasty, nasty.
That stuff gets in the net and gets in there
and you gotta pull it out and you can't catch any fish.
It takes hours to pick it though.
So, we're going to pick up and get outta the way here
although we had some fish.
Narrator: Today Mother Nature wins
and chases Wes off the fish,
forcing him to look for another location.
Chris Cotter: Oh alright, look at this guy!
Narrator: The start of the season for the North Crow
is a promising one and Captain Gavin's decision
to travel to the fishing zone a day early is paying off.
Chris Cotter: Gavin's got a lot more experience
at this than I do.
I'm just starting to get my bearings straight.
So 10 years from now we can have a pick off
and I'll show him who's the man.
Narrator: They saved hours this morning and
the faster they can pick the fish the sooner
they can get the net back on the water catching salmon.
Gavin Keohane: 10 years.
I'm telling you, in 10 years we'll have a pick off.
Chris Cotter: Yeah.
Gavin Keohane: I'll be there, I'll be there.
Chris Cotter: Ha-ha.
Gavin Keohane: For sure.
All good, let's roll.
Ready?
Narrator: With fish in the area,
Gavin is hungry for more and orders the net
out for another set.
Remember, take it slow.
Chris Cotter: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Narrator: It's the opening day of Salmon season
on the icy waters of Alaska's Cook inlet.
Over 400 boats are on the hunt for over $95 million
worth of salmon swimming beneath their boats.
Chris Cotter: No, gotta unlock it.
Narrator: The crew of the North Crow hurries
to release their net and continue their strong start.
Chris Cotter: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Gavin Keohane: Catch it?
Chris Cotter: No.
Gavin Keohane: Uh, I don't see a tear.
All good, let's roll.
So if it's wound over itself,
it will singe and tear the net.
We call it a backlash.
If you catch it fast enough you can stop it,
it doesn't tear the net instantly.
It would make for a lot of mending to do and
it would definitely decrease our ability to catch fish.
We caught it though as a benefit of having an
experienced crew and a little bit of preparation,
we were ready for something like that.
Wes Humbyrd: Go, go, go.
Come on, lets go.
Narrator: After starting the season on the fish,
a debris field forces Captain Wes Humbyrd
to leave the fish behind.
Wes Humbyrd: Let's go Reni,
what are you waiting for?
Come on.
Throw it off, throw it off, get it off.
I hope the crew can go home with at least
$15,000 in their pocket by the end of the summer here.
Reni's got to pay for college and Tia's
got 3 young children.
That's one of my goals to make sure that they make
at least $10,000, $15,000 for the month of July.
Yeah, that's good money for 20 days worth of work so.
Yeah, I ain't seeing much on there.
God damn it.
We had some, no, I don't know.
Narrator: Out of desperation,
Captain Wes reaches out to other fishermen for advice.
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah, somebody give me a fish report,
mine's dried up down here.
Man on Radio: I just had a couple more all
throughout the location.
[Wes stammers inaudibly]
Man on Radio: I think you need to head further West.
Wes Humbyrd: I'm not getting them.
I don't know, guys, I'm west of you and
I'm not seeing what you guys are talking about.
Man on Radio: I just got another one.
4 or 5 hit right behind the boat.
Wes Humbyrd: Geez, they are hammering them.
Yeah you're right below me.
I'll be damned, huh, I missed 'em.
Put it on the reel, put it on the reel.
We're going to wind it up.
Ok, I'm going to try and find the other spot guys.
I might go out west.
I'll let you know what I find.
Narrator: Captain Wes' patience is wearing thin
because he knows that every minute that he's not on the
fish is potentially costing him thousands of dollars.
Wes Humbyrd: God damn it!
Did you put mustard on all of them, Bonnie?
Did you put mustard, plea.
Bonnie Boisvert: I didn't put mustard on yours.
Wes Humbyrd: Would you quit yelling at me?
I'm gonna, you're *** me off really bad.
Bonnie Boisvert: Well I, there was one
I didn't put mustard on.
Wes Humbyrd: Quit yelling at me.
Will you quit yelling at me?
I don't yell at you.
Bonnie Boisvert: You do!
Wes Humbyrd: Oh boy, I've about had it.
Dino Sutherland: We're drifting.
Narrator: 47 miles to the North,
the Night Hawk is adrift at sea with smoke
pouring from the engine room.
Dino Sutherland: Hey Luke,
I need a pair of blue gloves out of the gear box.
That's really hot.
I'm burning the (bleep) out of my hands here.
Right hand, thumb goes there.
Thank you.
All right, I think I got the leak stopped.
Lance Alldrin: Ok.
Dino Sutherland: We're going to have to watch that.
It all went down.
Lance Alldrin: And you know what?
I got, I got one on this side too.
Dino Sutherland: Opened up the floorboards and
there's our coolant leaking all over the place.
Lance Alldrin: It's a little disappointing.
Dino Sutherland: Yup.
Well, that just makes me worried
about everything else.
All right, let's see if we can't get it fired up again.
Let's see here what am I going to do.
[engine stalls]
Come on, baby.
Lance Alldrin: Son of a gun.
Narrator: With over $95 million at stake in
Alaska's Cook Inlet,
over 400 boats drop their nets to
try to cash in on the massive salmon run.
But the Night Hawk is dead in the water and
still has yet to drop its first net of the season.
Dino Sutherland: Let's see if we can't get
it fired up again.
[engine stalls]
[engine starts]
Alright, I'm ready to go fishing.
Narrator: After missing half the fishing day due to
engine troubles, the Night Hawk is back on the hunt.
Man on Radio: Yeah, they're lighting this
thing up right now man.
Whoa, look at that!
Wes Humbyrd: Yeah, is it in the clear water or what?
Narrator: 50 miles south,
the Night's Edge has relocated to avoid
dangerous debris.
Wes Humbyrd: God damn it.
Narrator: And Captain Wes Humbyrd is
still in search of salmon as the end of the
fishing day approaches.
Wes Humbyrd: (bleep), (bleep)!
Tia Pietsch: Come on Reni, do the fish dance.
Reni Robbin: Alright.
Tia Pietsch: Fish dance.
Lucky fish dance.
Reni Robbin: When we're not really catching anything,
they call upon me to do it and next thing
you know we've got 100 fish in the boat.
Anything that makes money I guess at this
point of the season.
Tia Pietsch: I'm watching for fish.
Reni Robbin: Oh, hit.
Hit, hit!
Wes Humbyrd: Alright, yeah.
Ha-ha, holy moly.
Kick her off there, let's take a little pass.
Tia Pietsch: Good one, Reni.
Wes Humbyrd: Reni likes that act.
Narrator: Wes drives the Night's Edge alongside
the length of the net to see how many salmon
Reni's fish dance has brought them on this set.
Wes Humbyrd: Let's see how many's in there
because they were hitting it pretty good down here.
Tia Pietsch: 3, 4, 5, 6.
Bonnie Boisvert: A bunch there.
Tia Pietsch: 7, 8.
Wes Humbyrd: See any?
Tia Pietsch: Yeah, 9.
Lots and lots.
Wes Humbyrd: Huh?
Tia Pietsch: Lots and lots.
All over.
Wes Humbyrd: Oh, wow.
Tia Pietsch: 10.
Wes Humbyrd: There's some more.
Sheesh, there's a lot of fish in there.
There must be 25 or so in there, huh?
Tia Pietsch: Yep.
Wes Humbyrd: Put it on the cleat, Ren.
We're just going to back up a little bit here
and get ready to pick this and go home.
Narrator: Further to the south west of the
fishing zone Captain Gavin Keohane hopes
to continue the strong start of the season.
Gavin Keohane: Uh, there's a few boats around here.
That is a little bit of a mist.
Chris Cotter: Oh yeah, the sea mist.
Gavin Keohane: Well, we've been sitting on this set,
our 3rd set for a little over an hour now.
Um, maybe an hour and a half.
It's time to pick it up and clean the fish out,
see what we got.
I think we got a few fish in it.
Chris Cotter: We're doing it.
I'm not even going to put my jacket on.
Gavin Keohane: Oh really?
Chris Cotter: Not happening.
Gavin Keohane: Bold.
Narrator: As Captain Gavin prepares to reel in his
3rd set, he can't help but wonder if his
luck has run out.
Gavin Keohane: Really chilling.
Right here.
This isn't really going so well.
I'm starting to feel a shred of doubt.
I was hoping there'd be a few more.
Narrator: 45 miles northeast just inside the
fishing zone Captain Dino Sutherland has
finally dropped his net with only an hour left in the day.
Dino Sutherland: Sometimes you can feel, feel the fish.
Feel them tugging.
Life is good right now.
First opening for me this year,
first opening for me for a few years.
Feels really good because I'm going to call the crew
out and we go ahead and haul this gear and
see what we got.
Lance Alldrin: We're now gonna pull the net in,
the first time for the day.
It'd be nice if there was about 100 fish in there.
I might be optimistic by a factor of 10 but
we'll find out here.
Narrator: Two long seasons have passed since Dino
was out on the water, but neither financial hardship
nor a bout with cancer could keep him away.
And all this perseverance leads him
to this very moment.
Dino Sutherland: Oh, ho!
Finally!
Woo!
Narrator: Being a fisherman on the Inlet is
a lifestyle and no one appreciates it more than Dino.
Dino Sutherland: Whoo.
Narrator: A boat must have a captain and with
these first fish, Dino is back.
Dino Sutherland: I'm having fun!
That's what it's all about.
Taylor Evenson: Ready to pick some serious fish, mom?
Liz Holmgren: I guess so.
Taylor Evenson: Raquel, you better get back here
and pick fish like a mad dog.
Liz Holmgren: Look alive, Raquel, come on.
Taylor Evenson: Let's go!
Narrator: Captain Taylor Evenson believes
he's finally on the fish and desperate to salvage
his day, he leaves his net in the water
dangerously close to the 7:00 PM legal cut off.
Taylor Evenson: Come on, mom, you've got to pick it.
Let's go, come on.
Liz Holmgren: My shoulder still does not feel good.
I am nowhere near 100%.
Man, that's tight.
Taylor Evenson: Get it out!
Narrator: Taking as long as 30 minutes to reel in
and pick the net of fish with a healthy crew,
Taylor gambles that his injured mother.
Liz Holmgren: Wait!
Narrator: Can do the job.
Liz Holmgren: Wait!
Narrator: And not get fined for illegal fishing.
Taylor Evenson: If I get fined a bunch of money
I'm not going to be happy.
Liz Holmgren: I know, honey.
Woo, there's a beauty.
Taylor Evenson: There's a lot of fish.
It's been a pretty good set.
Might catch as many in this one set as we have all day.
Might double the entire day.
We needed something at the end of the day to
make us more respectable.
Damn it!
Liz Holmgren: I see them.
Taylor Evenson: Oh (bleep).
Narrator: With the Alaska State Troopers
patrolling from above, Captain Taylor risks a
$3,000 fine if he cannot get his net out
of the water by the 7:00 PM deadline.
Taylor Evenson: Come on.
Mom, you seriously got to pick up the pace.
Liz Holmgren: I know, honey, I know.
Taylor Evenson: Come over on this side Raquel
and throw them down the middle.
Raquel Holmgren: Ok.
Taylor Evenson: Quick.
You've got to pick it, mom.
Snap the gear or whatever.
Liz Holmgren: Hey, hold on, hold on.
Taylor Evenson: Get it out!
This is the kind of (bleep) that costs time.
Come on mom, don't slow down.
Ok, we're almost done.
Come on, come on.
Liz Holmgren: I can't.
Taylor Evenson: Pop it!
Liz Holmgren: Ow, I don't have the strength
to pull it.
Taylor Evenson: Son of a gun.
Taylor Evenson: Come on mom, don't slow down.
We're almost done.
Come on.
Mom, you seriously got to pick up the pace.
Narrator: Less than one minute remains in
Cook Inlet's first day of commercial salmon fishing.
Hovering overhead, an Alaska State Trooper
helicopter closely monitors the 7:00 PM
deadline of the fishing day.
Liz Holmgren: This thing is stuck, someone help me.
Narrator: If the nets are not completely out of
the water by 7:00 PM, Captain Taylor Evenson
risks a $3,000 fine.
Taylor Evenson: Come on, pop it!
Narrator: And the seizure of his boat.
Taylor Evenson: Son of a.
Raquel Holmgren: Got it!
Taylor Evenson: Woo, just in time!
Good job mom, good job.
Are you exhausted?
Liz Holmgren: Time for a facilities break.
Narrator: Captain Wes and the crew of the
Night's Edge return from a solid first day of fishing.
Wes Humbyrd: How am I doing on my cuss jar?
Bonnie Boisvert: Ah, you're doing ok.
Narrator: Which puts Wes in a rare good mood.
Wes Humbyrd: Reni don't be grabbing a hold of
that money and trying to pay for college.
Reni Robbin: Hands in my pockets.
Wes Humbyrd: Ho-ho, oh my goodness.
From all the fishermen I know talking about sounds
like it's gonna be just a massive run.
It's just gonna be a, one hell of a year.
It's looking really, really good.
Narrator: After one day of fishing,
Captain Wes Humbyrd and his superstitious crew
hauled in 1,523 pounds of fish.
Crystal Fite: Thank you very much.
Wes Humbyrd: God bless, see you later.
Narrator: Worth $3,122.
Taylor Evenson: Tie us there, Raquel.
Narrator: Having fished to the last possible second,
young Captain Taylor Evenson still returns
with lower numbers than expected.
Taylor Evenson: We kind of considered that we were
going to have a higher number than what ended up
being the final tally.
That's just how it is sometimes.
Ho!
We had a rough go of it because people were injured.
Liz Holmgren: I thought I was up to the task
and I planned to be up to the task,
but today I was pathetic.
It was really disappointing to be out there
and not be able to pull my weight.
I have to get it worked out or I will be a gimpy,
not very useful deckhand.
I might have to be replaced.
Narrator: The crew of the Nedra E.
ends their day with 1,530 pounds of salmon
worth $2,839.
Captain Dino Sutherland and his crew struggled all day
just to get the net in the water,
but Dino takes comfort in knowing that the boat
is now fully operational.
Dino Sutherland: Ah, I'm lovin it.
We're in great shape.
I'm in great spirits.
This is, this is what it's all about.
You know, I think we gained ground as a boat.
Um, not so much on the fish ticket,
but on a boat level.
We'll catch up.
We're strong, we're the Night Hawk.
Narrator: The Night Hawk's total is low on count
but high in spirits.
For the day, it's 37 pounds of fish worth $83.
Captain Gavin's strategy to leave
the night before paid off.
But the extra hours are already taking their toll.
Gavin Keohane: The very first day was a long day.
We had a 7 hour drive home.
Ended up with a few more fish than I thought though
which is a really good thing.
We're out there early and we're going to be out
there early tomorrow.
And we're catching fish so we're following the plan.
It's good, so I'm optimistic.
Narrator: The North Crow ends the day with
1,237 pounds of salmon, worth $1,992.
Wes takes the lead but with a fuel bill toping
$1,000 a day, he will have to do even
better to stay on top.