You're
serious.
You really are.
It was in our way.
You really are cutting
it down, dude.
Let's make a fire!
Let's make a fire, man.
In Washington, salmon
is a culinary staple.
You can't really
do food in Seattle
without salmon.
Salmon, salmon, salmon.
Salmon for sure.
But for the native tribes
of the Pacific Northwest,
it's even more than that.
It's a way of life.
It's something that the
modern tribes are working
hard to protect.
The spawning grounds
throughout the state have
been threatened by
decades of logging and
overfishing.
So salmon hatcheries
have cropped up
to help combat
this problem.
I'm headed to a hatchery
run by the Suquamish
people, a tribe
that's been
present in this state for
more than 10,000 years.
Suquamish means people
of the clear salt water.
And I'm down to get
my feet wet and
my hands dirty to help
them out in their cause.
Grovers Creek Salmon
Hatcher Poulsbo,
Washington.
Ben Purser, Grovers
Creek Salmon Hatchery.
You ready?
Yeah.
Okay.
Well,
your gear is right here
if you want to get it on.
We are a salmon
hatchery and
we're not killing these
fish for consumption.
Why do you do this?
We do it to enhance
the numbers,
in a while they are left
into their own.
Survival rate is
only ten to 15%.
When we start doing it
our survival percentage
rate is 95 to 98.
So we do fairly
well here.
So basically like
To a degree.
Yeah.
We call it bucket
six here but.
I'm about to get in
that water right now.
Oh boy.
Oh!
It's definitely chilly.
I'm going to
give this a try.
Whoa, whoa!
Oh man,
look at the size
of the thing!
Holy smoke.
Set it down.
Look at that big guy.
A lot of people would
consider it a lower-grade
meat, but tribal people
around here like chum for
smoking more than
anything else,
because they
preserve better.
Look at the teeth
on that guy.
You can tell he's a boy
because he's got long
nose and he's got
the really gnarly teeth.
Now if you want to hold
so you can feel him.
You just hold him by
the tail and hold him up.
Hold him up?
All right.
Holy smokes man.
And then it's done right?
You floor right?
On the floor okay.
Whoa.
Kiss him.
Go in.
Oh that's a big
cohoel girl.
If you just put your
hand right here,
you can literally feel,
it's packed with eggs.
If you want to check and
see if she's ready,
further on in the season
once they start losing
rock
You can tell that
the eggs are but they'll
just come shooting out of
there if she was ready..
Fairly easy.
Females go over there.
What we do with
the carcasses
after we harvest the eggs
in the we actually sell
it to the public for
a dollar a fish, so
everything gets used.
I like that, man.
I like that.
We're gonna start
egging these fish.
All right.
Use a knife, its got
a rounded, coated tip, so
we don't mess
the eggs up.
Yep.
There you go.
And take the knife.
There you go.
Let her rip.
Yeah, there's.
Whoa!
There you go.
Yeah.
And you rub like this.
Right.
We call that a shaker.
After harvesting
thousands of eggs from
the females, it's time to
move on to the homies.
Give him a squeeze.
Squeeze and bend.
I can't get no drip
of water in there or
nothing because it won't
be viable anymore.
That little bit
there will fertilize
a good four quart muppet.
And how many fish you
think that probably
could be?
6,000.
6,000.
That's a population
right here.
I wanna give this a try.
All right
just like that watch
them teeth though okay.
Oh, just wipe
his junk off.
Pull that fin back,
you gotta stroke
him right, okay?
You gotta stroke
him right guys,
you gotta get
your stroke on.
There ya go.
I'm about to
have 6,000 kids.
Oh man.
So we're gonna take
them inside and
to the incubation room.
And that's where we start
with the bucket sex.
Bucket sex guys.
What we do is divide
these evenly.
Two males per one bucket,
or one female.
We're gonna fertilize
these eggs.
Alright.
You dump yours?
You ready?
One, two, three, go.
Dump it.
So we have the water
to activate the sperm.
All right, here's where
the cool part is.
Put your hand in there.
Stir.
Is it frothy?
And you're good.
So, that's done.
I just made 6,000 babies.
With just a hand job.
Oh, man.
After we drain them.
We put the eggs in a
iodine bath for an hour.
What does that do?
The iodine kills
any bugs, viruses,
and it actually helps
water harden the eggs.
So it seals itself.
Once they sit in
there for an hour,
they go in these troughs.
How many salmon you
think we have in
here right now?
2.4 million.
And there's 2.4 million?
This is a massive
operation.
Next thing we do,
we transfer them out
here to the trays.
They sit in here for
another 30 to 45 days,
depending on the water
temperature.
And that's when we
transfer them out
to the rearing pond.
And then we release them.
They go out in
the ocean and
they do their own thing,
in three to five years,
they come back and
we repeat the process.
Thanks a lot,
I appreciate that man.
That was a big
lesson learned.
How do I get out of this.
Jus strip them off and
we'll get to
the boot room.
So right now we're
headed to go visit
John Edward Smith.
He's an artist, and
a fisherman, and a member
of the Skokomish Tribe
talk about his connection
with salmon, and why the
relation with salmon and
his tribe is so close.
I'm a full-time fisherman
that gets to carve.
I got my first carving
set when I was seven.
I carved a canoe
in a windowsill
that I got my butt just
beat for doing, but
I did it, and
I didn't care,
because I grew up to
be a canoe builder.
You have a lot of
connections to
the elements, but
specifically, the salmon.
I'm sorry, but main
Staple that's what.
The food source.
Yeah, Skokomish
is basically
people of the river.
We hold the salmon up
real high because it's
probably what preserved
our existence.
What's the possibilities
of seeing the team?
We can go look
at the shop.
I got a fish stick
that's just about done.
We can go out there.
Oh work.
Yeah you make a couple of
cuts on it then you'll
be ready to use it.
All right cool.
Let's check that out man.
John's showing me how to
make traditional salmon
sticks that are used to
smoke salmon over an open
fire the way people have
for thousands was a gift.
Yeah.
We're using a few
modern tools.
But at the end
of the day,
the result's
still the same.
That's fish stick ready.
Fish stick ready.
Dude this is cool man.
Okay, you know I had
to just, I saw that.
This is actually,
it's a cougar.
This is a cougar?
Yeah, it;s a cougar hide.
It dies of
natural causes.
Yeah, it's my shop
poster, my cougar and
my Johnny Cash man,
I gotta have that.
So the type of wood that
we use matters correct?
Yeah, yeah,
it's got to be alder and
a little bit of maple for
flavoring.
Basically dig
a little hole.
These are the kitchen
tools for the day.
Bang to the bang bang.
Bang chitty bang bang,
and yeah.
Is there anything
form of a ceremony
like this at all?
Oh, there can be.
There's some things that
we just kind of keep
out of the public eye.
Like that.
I totally respect
that dude.
See I won't rub the
sticks together cuz that,
we're not allowed to
show that to you.
Fire it up.
Fire it up.
While we waited for
the fire we were
joined by a neighbor
bearing a gift of his
homemade smoked salmon.
Look at that dude.
My name is Tarik.
Kevin.
Kevin, how are you
doing Sir?
This is smoked salmon
that we got here?
Yeah.
Look at that color.
We got that on fire
three days constantly.
Wos, still has
that nice salmon.
Jake put that nice,
that subtle smoke
that's so good.
I'm going to have to try
to take me this whole
thing home.
So it looks
like that fire,
it looks like it's
starting to go.
So the next step
is the fish,
getting the fish
ready correct?
Yeah.
All right.
Cave man you be good.
So what kind of
fish are we doing?
We have silver coho.
All cut like last week.
We're going to turn
it into a butterfly.
Man, look at that color,
man.
What do we do with that?
Usually, if
the smoker was going,
you would head that,
gut it, head it and
then just smoke that,
and then eat it.
Little snack.
Private stash.
Okay so you want me to
grab the fish stick?
Yeah I need to to
grab both of them.
Okay.
Take one.
Actually need
to wire these.
Use a straight
up coat hanger.
Heck yeah.
Everybody
thinks this stuff
went away and
it just all got
shipped to the res.
This just wrap around
it basically, so
it don't split.
Split, yeah.
Take your fish.
Mm-hm,
Lay it tail towards you.
Right, okay.
And you open.
Open it up.
Yeah, probably a couple
fingers or whatever.
Okay.
And you put, underneath,
We're just
sandwiching it together.
Yeah, yeah.
That's what we're doing.
See, we gotta put
some in here.
Right over the top.
Okay.
How's that look brother?
If it don't
look good bro.
You need some practice.
You're getting there.
A young padawan.
There we go.
That is that.
Holy smokes, man.
Just going to go with
plain old salt and
pepper.
Work.
Lot of people season
up salmon, and it's.
Eighty million
ingredients?
Yeah, and
it kind of ruins it.
Salt and pepper, right?
It's the best way.
All right, so.
The fun part.
We could take
this over now?
All right.
We've got some
people coming
over to help eat it.
Why we doing the wall
there brother?
To keep the heat.
Keep the heat, okay.
Not losing it.
Okay.
You just making a little.
Pilot hole.
Pilot hole.
Okay, get the stake
in there.
Alrighty.
There it goes.
And that's pretty much,
that's it's yeah?
Yup.
And so how long we
gonna let this go for?
About three hours
to bake it.
That's it.
Awe man.
I think I want to try
this in my house.
Yeah, it's the cheapest
barbequer I ever seen.
Right.
Heavenly Father,
I ask you, Lord,
to have mercy upon
us on this day.
That you strengthen
each heart and mind,
Lord God,
that comes to you and
looks to you,
Heavenly Father.
Each one that walks
in this home,
Heavenly Father,
will have your guidance
and your protection.
The food will give the
strength, the courage,
the understanding we need
to carry on our lives
in the best way.
I ask you my God to have
mercy upon each and
everyone of us look to
you, thanking you for
all things that
you do for us.
And I ask this prayer
in your holy and
blessed name.
[FOREIGN Thank you lord.
All right.
Time to eat.
Oh yeah.
What we got
going on here?
There's some beans and
ham.
Were the beans cooked
on the fire too?
Yeah.
I barbecued them.
I barbecued them
individually.
This salmon's on point,
brother.
When it really comes down
to it, there's nothing
like good old fashioned
salt and pepper.
Yep, that just.
That's all it needs.
And that way you
just taste fish.
Taste just fish, right?
How intricate is the
salmon with your tribe?
According to our culture,
it saved us.
Our creator gifted
us with the salmon.
We hold it dearly
to our heart.
Every day,
it's always been here.
We used to have salmon
year-round that we'd
always go after.
But nowadays it's getting
so bad that we're losing.
As we ate John and
his family started
talking about how
their way of life has
been under attack.
Over the years, increased
land development has
impacted local salmon
populations, and
restricted their
access to the river.
This has led to conflict
between these natives and
the new neighbors.
I've had my net cut in
pieces, boat shot up,
boat cut loose.
be fishing in the river,
you hear a car go by,
you hear, river niggers,
river rat.
What?
We're not gonna go away.
We're not gonna stop
doing what we're
doing just cause
they don't like us.
Then you've got all
the logging and
everything ruining
the salmon beds.
We try to watch the river
and see what we can do.
We fish out of
the canoes now and
we're bringing some old
tradition back while we
still have
the opportunity.
Eating at the house is
a family ordeal where we
all just get together.
It's part of a tribal,
because if we have a meal
and a person should
happen to walk in,
they're more than
welcome to stay.
Especially when
Yeah so, sit down and
eat and you gotta
sit down and eat or
you can run out the door.
What exactly is an elder?
An elder is
an earned position.
It's a position that
when you do become one,
it's somebody that
you look for help.
Being old doesn't
mean you're an elder.
Right.
So
some people
are just old folks.
Can you guess which
ointment it is?
That was amazing.
I got like history,
life lesson,
a ridiculous meal.
My brother man.
Thank you man.
This is just one fraction
of how beautiful
Washington is.
Yes, there's
nothing in here.
This is pure juice.
It's funny, like some of
the smells of some of
these are just.
Woo!
This is what you would
call a hand mixer on
steroids.
I need Elk,
I need Elk in my life.
When you get done with
your shift you get to hit
the slopes.
Oh man.
That stopping
thing is crazy.
