Welcome to Egegik Bay, Alaska

In Egegik Bay, the salmon season doesn’t kick off in a harbor – it starts on a remote 12-mile stretch of beach at the edge of the Alaskan wilderness. No roads. No stores. Not even a single phone pole. Just sand, sea, and salmon.

One of the fishing families in Egegik Bay is the Neal family. They hold permits for four spots along the twelve-mile stretch of beach. At low tide, they set their nets by hand directly on the sand. As the tide comes in, the net tightens — ready to catch the incoming sockeye salmon. In small inflatable boats, Tony and his family check the nets, hand-picking the salmon one by one. Once the fish are collected, they’re hauled by quad bike straight to the landing station.

All the fishermen in Egegik Bay bring their fresh catch to the small processing station at the end of the beach. There, a compact facility processes the salmon — usually within just a few hours — and gets it ready to ship around the world. Fast, efficient, and with minimal waste.