Salmon meat is enjoyed by millions of people around the world. And now a natural by-product of the fish is becoming a big hit. Anyone need a fishskin wallet?

By taking salmon skins ordinarily dumped on the ocean floor and turning them into striking leather products, an Alaska company is both helping the environment and turning a profit.

Although the art of tanning fishskins has been practiced by the state’s natives for centuries, a handful of Alaskan entrepreneurs have revived and refined the ancient process. It’s fashion gone environmental.

The Juneau-based Alaskins Leather Co. expects to use more than 700,000 fishskins in its products in 1991. That’s more than 150,000 pounds of the previously unwanted material.

Fishskins cause disposal problems for the fishing and canning industry. Typically, the skins are mulched and dumped onto the ocean floor, said Jerry Garner, president of Alaskins.

Unfortunately, the skins are 50 percent pure protein, composed mostly of scales. This protein does not break down, he said, and ends up on the ocean floor, smothering whatever it lands upon.

“We are allowing for complete utilization of the species,” Garner said. “And we’re proud of that.”

An added benefit for Alaskins is its clean tanning process. Because most of the chemicals used in the tanning are absorbed into the fish skin and only small amounts are used, Garner said their tanning by-products are no more toxic than normal household cleaners.

Four partners started the company in 1987 by tinkering with a tanning process using plastic trash cans and wooden paddles. After 18 months of effort, they created a viable commercial-scale tanning process for fishskins.

They produced samples and discovered they would sell at a local trade convention. The first official batch of products sold out at a Juneau craft show during Christmas, 1987.

By the end of 1988, Alaskins products were in more than 100 Alaska stores, including every J.C. Penney outlet in the state. Sales have doubled every year, Garner said, and 1991 figures are projected to top $900,000.

While the products are only scattered across the lower 48 states, he said the company is contacting national retail chains and looking into export opportunities. Alaskins now produces 26 different items from three fish species — salmon, halibut and sea bass.

Products include wallets, checkbook covers, boots, jewelry and business-card holders. Former President Gerald Ford uses a set of salmon-skin golf club covers, given to him last year by the governor of Alaska. And Alaskins fish leather was used for costumes in Columbia Pictures’ Return to the Blue Lagoon.

Garner couldn’t be happier about his firm’s jump into the green side of the fashion world.

“We’ve had very good success with the product,” he said. “The acceptance for it has been tremendous.”

(Tip/Stat) Reduce your junk mail by writing: Mail Preference Service, Direct Mail Marketing Association, P.O. Box 3861, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-3861. Or call (212) 689-4977.

Technorati Tags: fishskins, eco-fashion, Alaska, earth news, earth news media, environmental fashion eco-friendly fashion, green business, green ideas

Source: green business

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This is a quote from Joan Salvato Wulff the famous president of the Wulff Casting School and Royal Wulff, Inc. It is as true today as it was back then. The concern about weather delays is very applicable to Alaskan fishing conditions.

Always be prepared for the worst to happen. You should always have reading material. One paperback book is as much as I want to carry. I don’t want to carry heavy books, or lots of them, on a trip when I’m going fishing. And then if things go bad you just make the best of it. I’ve been in Boca Paila for six days of wind, when the fishing just wasn’t any good. So you enjoy the company and you play cards or you read or you walk the beaches. You know, the places that we go to fly fish are usually wonderful places, so just because you can’t fish or the fishing is not so good, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.We have too many people coming in who think you can buy fly-fishing. That’s the whole thing that’s happening with this explosion. We’re going to get lots of people in there who don’t belong. And so they do get their noses out to joint.You so need to know that where you’re going will produce the services that they say they will. You should always have a recommendation, one way or another. Either from your travel agent, who should know, or from someone who’s been there. Ask for a previous client’s name and number, so you can get firsthand information. 

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From its discovery and colonization by the Russians, through its purchase by Seward in the Johnson administration, and even through the modern era, Alaska has lived up to its billing as the Last Frontier.

Alaska has 20% of the land mass of the United States, and has more than half of the coastal land; this results in great swathes of barely touched wilderness, ranging from the Kuskokwim Delta up past the Alaska range, the Interior (where Fairbanks is), then the Brooks Range and the North Slope. 

Alaska is dominated by a resource extraction economy; most of the state budget comes from leasing fees for North Slope oil, and Alaska has a unique investment strategy – they took the proceeds of the North Slope and invested them in a financial structure called the Permanent Fund, which pays every Alaskan resident a dividend check.  Contrast this with the usual results of a government having a surplus, and you’ll see that the “frontier mentality” still exists in this state.

That being said, Alaska is rapidly approaching its tricentennial as a place inhabited by Europeans, and its history is as colorful as the landscape.

Fairbanks, Alaska’s second largest city, was founded by E.T. Barnette, on the banks of the Chena and Tanana Rivers, as a gold mining camp.  Barnette, a former river boat gambler, was eventually run out of town as a cheat.  Even so, Fairbanks reveres its Klondike days as a tourist attraction.

Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, was founded as the northernmost place with an acceptable harbor on Cook Inlet; surrounded by beautiful mountains, Anchorage is one of the most “conventional” cities in the state…and is perhaps most known for the 1964 earthquake and resulting tsunami!

Near Anchorage are several active volcanoes, and one of them exploded – mount Katmai, became the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, in 1912.

The oldest permanently inhabited town in Alaska is Sitka, which has been permanently inhabited since the 18th century, and still has a lot of its original colonial architecture.

The only US territory that was ever captured by Japanese forces in World War II was Kiska and Adak, the last two islands on the Aleutian chain.  If you’re into open boat cold water spear fishing, the Aleutians are a good place to try it out – there are still native guides who will teach you to hunt in a kayak with a spear.

While Alaska has the largest bear population in the United States, and the Kodiak Grizzly is the largest bear in the world, it also has the lowest per capita incidence of bear attacks in the Western US – in part, this is because Alaska’s population is concentrated in four urban areas, and more than 90% of the state is held in trust by the Federal government as state parks and forests.  It’s been joked that bears outnumber registered Democrats in the state, and that when that changes, they’ll issue hunting permits for politicians to keep the numbers in check.

Alaska also has the highest incidence of private pilots licenses per capita (and the fourth highest total of any state).  This is because many villages are inaccessible without a small plane, and bush pilots can entertain you for days (and lots of liquor) talking about narrow escapes, and not-quite escapes.  Most have stories about how a bear family decided their plane was a neat Gymboree for bear cubs while the hunters were away.

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Here are the current weather conditions in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. You can find the conditions for any city by using the search function at the top of one of these frames.



Anchorage

Fairbanks

Juneau

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Is fishing in Alaska only for the experienced and seasoned angler? Certainly not. The adventure and exploration of new territory is what really makes the trip. The catching fish part is the icing on the cake and in some cases the required justification. As I have often said at least for me the most enjoyable part of going fishing is the going.

Even beginning anglers will get a thrill from their experience. A fantastic way to double the bang for your buck is to take a class to improve your fishing while you are on your Alaskan adventure. There are lots of fly fishing schools in Alaska that can show you the ropes at the same time as you are experiencing the unique Alaskan environment. There is no need to be a professional before trying your luck. In most cases guides will ensure that you catch fish no matter what your skill level.

For the more experienced there is no reason not to take advantage of the experience of your guide and their facility. One of the appealing aspects of fishing is the fact that perfection is a goal that will never be reached. We can all learn something. It should not be a matter of swallowing your pride to see that there are new tactics and techniques to be mastered. If you think of yourself as an expert in at least some aspects of the sport consider how you got there. It was through a long process of observation, practice and learning. That process should never end.

There is a lot of accumulated knowledge residing at Alaskan fishing lodges when you consider the owners, guides and even other guests are all there because they have gone through the same learning process that has honed your skills.

Don’t think that these schools are only for the fly fishers of the world. Many if not most of the lodges have instruction in bait casting as well. Some lodges will specialize in the instructional aspects of your stay and identify themselves as a fly-fishing or fishing “school”. If you are looking to improve your skills extensively look for a lodge that considers itself a “school”.
Some facilities focus more on the fishing experience, but even they will incorporate instruction on the water. They often will play it by ear and offer as much or as little instruction as they feel the guest desires. Make it clear that you are open to learning as much as possible and you will gain something that can be used the rest of your life.

Everybody can learn something each time they go out. It may be how to fish, how to fish better or how to fish better in Alaska. As a friend of mine often said “If you aren’t learning something every day, you are not paying attention.

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