Kodiak in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Kodiak’s Native Fishermen

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 26, 2026

1. Kodiak’s Native Fishermen Marker

Inscription.
“Fishing isn’t the same as it used to be, because we used to have to use oars to move the skiffs, now we have powerful engines to do all of the work. Before, we would always go out and fish, all the time, but now we spend more time learning about the new fishing laws than we actually spend out in the water.”- JOHN REFT, Elwani Magazine, 1981, Volume 10
For thousands of years Kodiak’s Native people – the Alutiiq – have been adapting new techniques to harvest the island’s rich salmon runs for food, for clothing, for trade, and in the modern era, to feed and sustain themselves in a global economy.

Kodiak’s first fishermen used slate-tipped spears to take individual salmon in rivers. Around 4,000 years ago Alutiiq families began using beach seines to target schools of fish in rivers, and utilized new cutting tools and wood smoke to preserve these larger catches for winter. About 500 years ago they began building stone weirs to channel salmon into pens for harpooning. These increasingly efficient techniques fed a growing population and provided a surplus for trade and annual celebrations.

After Russian colonization of Alaska in

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

the late 1700s, Alutiiq people were conscripted to catch salmon for local consumption and Russian export, and many starved because they were unable to catch fish for their own use. In the decades following the U.S. purchase of Alaska in 1867, as newly constructed canneries at Kodiak and other places on Kodiak processed millions of fish a season, the number of fish available for Alutiiq communities diminished. Overfishing led to Federal restrictions on in-river fishing, which further reduced Alutiiq access to fish.

In the 20th century, as Kodiak’s commercial salmon fishery evolved from beach seining at river mouths to ocean seining from boats and set gillnetting from skiffs, the Alutiiq adapted, became expert boat operators, and thrived as commercial fishermen.

Alutiiq fishermen continue to harvest salmon with a deep understanding of the fish, land and waters of Kodiak Island. Salmon still feed Alutiiq families, and Alutiiq fishermen help feed the world.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1981.

Location. 57° 47.173′ N,

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 26, 2026

2. Kodiak’s Native Fishermen Marker

152° 24.416′ W. Marker is in Kodiak, Alaska, in Kodiak Island Borough. It can be reached from Mission Road south of W Marine Way, on the left when traveling south. Marker is located at Oscar’s Spit in St. Paul Harbor. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kodiak AK 99615, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) Region

and on Kodiak Island.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Community (Re)Built This Boat (here, next to this marker); This Boat was Built For Salmon (a few steps from this marker); This Boat Was Built For Kodiak (a few steps from this marker); Construction of the Thelma C (a few steps from this marker); An Earthquake Built This Boat (a few steps from this marker); Revolutionary War Patriots (within shouting

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 26, 2026

3. Kodiak’s Native Fishermen Marker

The marker can be seen at the far left.

distance of this marker); Good Friday Quake (within shouting distance of this marker); Erskine House (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kodiak.

More about this marker. Photographs along the marker depict several different Kodiak native fishermen.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 12, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.