Hooked on Anchorage

IN Alaska's Anchorage, there is a fishing spot where city workers can pop down the block on a coffee break to land a large salmon, writes Yereth Rosen.

Up to scale .. an angler hugs an Alaskan king salmon and thinks of dinner

AT ONE of Alaska's hottest sport-fishing spots, the salmon run large, scrap-seeking seagulls and an occasional bald eagle circle overhead, cool marine breezes fan the swaying marsh grasses – and the tall buildings of downtown Anchorage loom just steps away.

Ship Creek, the waterway running through the core of Alaska's biggest city, is home to an unusual downtown salmon fishery. It may be the only urban spot in North America where anglers stand nearly shoulder-to-shoulder on the shoreline in hopes of hooking salmon.

On an overcast July afternoon, with the cresting saltwater tide bringing king and silver salmon into the creek from nearby Cook Inlet, peak fishing coincides happily with workers' quitting times.

About 50 people – downtown workers fresh from their jobs, family groups with children darting in and out of the trees on the bluff above the creek, and tourists – stand on the bank fishing a block-long section between two bridges as windbreaker-clad sightseers watch, some recording the scene on video.

A tour bus rolls by. More anglers, carrying their rods, gear and an occasional folding chair, filter down to the creek. Even though there is much daylight remaining in this mid-summer evening in Alaska, the best time of the day to catch a salmon at Ship Creek is right now.

This is no Alaska wilderness fishing stream.

"OK, you don't have the pristine environment of the Russian River, there aren't bears walking along and you have crowds sometimes, but it's not bad," concedes John Reed, a human resources manager stationed at Fort Richardson Army Base, located just up the hill. Reed, who goes down to the creek often after work, says he enjoys the camaraderie and the atmosphere as much as the salmon.

Proximity to the workplace doesn't always enhance job attendance, suggests Chris Schweigert, who works at a nearby tour company. A couple of years ago, he and a friend called in sick, intending to get an early start on their fishing. Immediately, they caught their limit. Instead of showing up on the job and pretending to have a miraculous recovery, the two spent the day at home cleaning fish.

The calling-in-sick phenomenon is widespread.

The State Department of Fish and Game tried for years to establish salmon runs strong enough to support a downtown sport fishery, but it wasn't until the 1980s that they hit on the right type of stock to support one, says Dan Bosch, assistant management biologist for the Anchorage area.

Now the creek has a sport-fish catch of about 12,000 salmon a year, he says. The only comparable urban fishery might be in Portland, Oregon, where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet, Bosch adds. But anglers there work mostly in boats and are more spread out than here.

Ship Creek fishery has deflected pressure on wild stocks and given city-bound residents the chance to wet a line, Bosch says.

Are the fish good eating? "Absolutely. These are great fish."

And so far, the downtown location hasn't meant any unusual problems. Fishing limits and licence requirements are enforced and local officials have begun a program to protect the stream side from erosion by foot traffic.

Coinciding with the growth of sport fishing is a long-term effort by Anchorage municipal officials to remake Ship Creek from an industrial zone into a tourist destination.

A gradual facelift is in progress. A flower-lined bike path and walkway wend along the creek and shrubbery buffers pedestrians from industry.

Amid the rail yard, warehouses, and port traffic are several new tourist destinations – a hotel, shops and an upscale restaurant called The Bridge. Patrons there gaze out at anglers while enjoying such offerings as crab and mango tempura rolls, grilled asparagus, creme brulee and, of course, all varieties of fresh Alaskan salmon and halibut.

It's common for watching diners to applaud when an angler lands a salmon.

George Petry's family, who run a small fishing-supply shop on the creek bank, has participated in the local beautification effort, painting their shop a cheery red and installing flower pots to make it look homey despite its location beneath a highway overpass. They seem proud of Ship Creek and its growing fishing tradition.

"I'm sure there are other states in the Lower 48 that have the same situation. But I bet you the fish are lousy," George says.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor