Valdez C

Touring Alaska

Valdez, Alaska - Part C

July 4 - 7

Taking a Cruise to the Columbia Glaicer

The Alaskan Adventure - 43 Days - 5,066 Miles

Eagle's Rest RV Park

We had a very interesting time while on the cruise.
We saw whales and sea otters, but did not get good pictures.

While on the way to the glacier we passed many commercial fishing boats who were fishing for salmon. We also watched their catches being unloaded at the pier. The boats keep the fish in a hold filled with water. There is a vacuum system on the dock which extends down into the hold and sucks the water and fish out and up into the processing plant. The fish are sorted and weighed after they get into the plant.

To catch the fish, the fishing boat lets out a huge net which is pulled by a smaller boat in a streight line to the shore. The net is very long but only about 20 feet deep. The smaller boat then anchors its self to the shore. The larger boat then starts to circle toward the smaller boat which captures the salmon in the center. When the two boats meet, the smaller boat transfers it's end of the net to the bigger boat and the net is then pulled in.

You can see how long the net is. The smaller boat is at the shore line and the larger boat is now closing the loop.

The net is being pulled in by the larger boat. The smaller one keeps the larger boat from moving sideways into the net. The catch is still in the water. The salmon do not know enough to dive under the shallow net and escape.

The net is almost completely lifted out of the water. You can see the salmon in the bottom of the net.

The fish were really jumping and trying to get back into the water.

We were searching for Puffins who were nested in the cave.
We saw many Puffins and also alot of sea lions.

One of the many iceburgs which broke off of the Columbia Glaicer.

At the Columbia Glaicer.

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