F/V NERKA
Welcome aboard the FV Nerka! Joel, a second-generation fisherman, and Tele, a seasoned fisherman since the age of seven, are the heart and soul of this operation, embodying the spirit of sustainable fishing. They provide Whidbey Seafoods with top-quality wild King and Coho Salmon (hello, best sellers)! Their story is one of family tradition, love for the ocean, and a relentless commitment to quality over quantity.
Our Typical Catch:
Coho Salmon
80%King Salmon
20%Nerka Salmon
The F/V Nerka crew spends their summers trolling Southeast Alaska’s pristine outer coast, open-water fishermen harvesting ocean-run salmon, wild as their surroundings. They chase king salmon through the shadows of glaciers, forty miles offshore in the Gulf of Alaska’s iconic Fairweather Grounds.
For Coho Salmon, the crew moves inland, where the cold, clean North Pacific pounds a rocky shoreline crowned with a spruce-scented, seemingly endless green: the Tongass, the world’s largest remaining temperate rainforest, “America’s Salmon Forest.”
The forty-three-foot F/V Nerka is a troller, meaning that all King and Coho Salmon are all hook-and-line caught, harvested, and handled one at a time. Driven by quality rather than quantity and with minimal bycatch, trolling is a beautifully inefficient fishery. That’s what they love about it.
Shop Nerka's catchTypes of Gear
Trolling Single Hook
Single hook trolling is a method where individual hooks are rigged with lures and dragged behind the boat. This technique allows each salmon to be caught one at a time, ensuring minimal stress and high quality. Trolling is a low-impact, sustainable fishing method that protects the marine environment and supports the health of fish populations. It’s not the fastest way, but it is the best way!
