Alaska 2007—Kake

Kake, which sprawls along the shoreline of Kupreanof Island, is a Tlingit community that has fallen on hard times. Locals say that the town once had 800 people but is now down to 350. For decades the island was heavily logged, and now that wood is mostly gone. Tourists stop by now and then to see the salmon run and fishing black bears in the center of town, but otherwise  there are few jobs.

 

"Downtown" Kake.

A floatplane stops by Kake for supplies.

  

Pink salmon finish their lives at a hatchery in Kake. Note the little Dolly Varden tagging along.

This energetic woman was filleting fish in preparation for canning. She said she was soon planning to visit family in Oregon and help then pick and can peaches. A fair trade!

  

Expertly filleted fish in Kake.

This well-fed bear was snacking on salmon near the hatchery in Kake. He stopped to gaze at the photographer. Bears, famous for their keen sense of smell, have visual acuity similar to that found in humans.

  

Our captain, Rich, ferries passengers back to the Delphinus, anchored near Kake.

More than a mouthful. A black bear hauls this huge chum salmon into the brush for a sumptuous feast.