The Alagnak Lodge did not operate during the 2020 season, but we were able to obtain the relevant information to write this report.

The winter on our watershed was unusually cold and wet.  The ice broke in early May, but then we had a hot spell that led to high runoff throughout June.  The weather then became typical with temperatures often in the 40s and 50s and the water remained cool and just a little on the low side.  Basically, the water conditions were favorable for sports fishing for the salmonoids throughout the entire season.

The commercial fishery for sockeye operated as usual.  The runs were about a week late and were pretty evenly distributed throughout all of Bristol Bay.  The openings for commercial sockeye fishing were delayed for our river and were for only one tide a day.  This was a benefit both to our fish and the entire watershed. 

Our sockeye escapement was more than double last year's and was spread over a longer period.  The king run was so-so by today's standards.  The fact is the kings are in decline everywhere and fishery management is ineffective in arresting that decline.  By all reports, the chum fishing was poor at best.  This was both unexpected and unexplained.  The pink run was also below normal, but the silver run continued to be strong.  I really wish we could have been there fishing.

Our wilderness watershed continues to be in great overall condition and the place to call home if you are a salmonoid.  With all that is happening throughout all of North America, the Alagnak River remains a much-needed success story.

Yesterday #realDonaldTrump tweeted "Don't worry, wonderful & beautiful Alaska, there will be NO POLITICS in the Pebble Mine Review Process.  I will do what is right for Alaska and our great Country!!!"

The science and public opinion was overwhelmingly against allowing the mine.  Now the head ruling politician has come out against the mine approval.  Given today's political environment and the 90-day appeal process currently underway,  it appears the current effort for approval is defeated. 

Now it is up to the residents of Western Alaska to take the local actions necessary to protect their lands from such efforts in the future. 

ON 8/24 20 Meghan Barker, of the Alaska office of Trout Unlimited, sent a longer communication containing the following good news.

Today, the Army Corps of Engineers delivered a major blow to the proposed Pebble mine by finding that the project fails to meet Clean Water Act standards and that it will not issue a permit for the current mine plan. 

As we applaud this announcement by the Army Corps, we recognize our work is not done. We still need you to help make sure we defeat the proposed Pebble Mine for good. 

1. We have always had two goals with respect to Bristol Bay: Stop the proposed Pebble Mine, then 
   1.  Secure up-front, permanent protections so the Bristol Bay region can remain as pristine and productive as it is now, forever.  

Today, we celebrate as we are getting closer. Tomorrow, we come back to work so that the people and fish of Bristol Bay never have to worry about the proposed Pebble mine (or projects like it) again.  

We hope you’ll stay with us as we work toward permanent protections for Bristol Bay. 

Thank you again for everything you’ve done to help us achieve this immense victory. We look forward to working with you in the next chapter of our work for Bristol Bay. Together we can keep this special place thriving for generations to come.  

Today Ravn Air Group gave us all an update on their status.  It seems they are making progress on getting some of the government aid they need.  They are continuing to progress through the bankruptcy proceedings.  The optimistic statement in the announcement was "there is a new path forward by which Ravn could resume operations later this summer”.  Here is a link to the official company announcement.  https://ravn.cmail19.com/t/y-l-udhtjdl-tklyhldjhk-r/> 

It looks like Alaska Air will make daily flights with a 737 from ANC to AKN at 10:00 then return about 12:00 the do it again at 14:30 and return at 16:30.  This is presently scheduled only through mid-August. 

The bottom line is The Alagnak Lodge will not operate in the summer of 2020.

We have shared with you the journey to this decision, but, as stated on our web site blog last Friday, the decisive factor is the need to keep outsiders from carrying COVID-19 into Western Alaska.  This disease is not there now. The residents of Western Alaska need to minimize their possibility of exposure to COVID-19 as they do not have adequate medical facilities to stop it if it is introduced in any meaningful numbers.  At the bottom of this message, we have a link to a recent document setting forth their position on all this.  We acknowledge and support the right of the people in Western Alaska to protect their lives.

We still think all the lodges in Western Alaska will reach the same conclusion we have, and these closures will be announced over the next month.  I have been in communication with a few of these lodges and it seems we are all planning to roll over to 2021 the reservations we have for 2020.  Everyone keeps their time slots with the dates adjusted by one day back for the calendar difference.  So if your reservation was for Sunday 2 Aug 2020 it would be for Sunday, 1 Aug 2021.  This basic plan can be modified to accommodate individual client's needs within the context of the first-come-first-served reservation system under which this year's reservations were made.

We all wish none of this was necessary.  We all need to play the hand we have been dealt.  We think this timely decision will remove this uncertainty to assist all of us in dealing with our remaining issues. We look forward to fishing with all of you next year.

We will be continuing to respond to each of you individually.  We will also continue to communicate through the blog on the web site as well as on the social media platforms we are now in the process of upgrading.   We would hope you will utilize and participate in this digital outreach.  

Here is a link to the letter from the Bristol Bay Native Corporation setting forth their thoughts and concerns:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/100OK8f0Dk0NK7jA5IhXYMsvdkbGqhgt7/view 

As we were monitoring the events and developments material to making our decision on the 2020 season, we became more aware of a very important consideration.  Recently the native corporations in southwestern Alaska made strong public statements to the effect that they did not want any outsiders to endanger their lives by coming into their communities this summer.  They noted that a century ago 40% of rural Alaskans died in the Spanish influenza and the inadequate medical facilities were a major contributing factor.  Those medical facilities are still inadequate and the only preventive measure they trust is to keep out all outsiders.  They want to shut down the entire Bristol Bay fishery, both commercial and sport, to all outsiders. As a minimum, they are likely to insist on a 14 day quarantine period for anyone coming into their communities.

We have placed calls to these native corporations asking if they really want us to shut down for the season.  The people we spoke to said they would check on the official position as they are responding to the governor on the same question.  We expect an answer in a few days.  If they do not want us there, we will not open in 2020.  We see their point and we have to respect it.

We consider it unlikely that any of the lodges in Southwest Alaska are going to be able to operate in 2020 given the present trajectory of events.  Following the wishes of our native friends and neighbors just allows us to make the decision quicker.

We wish we were able to give a definitive answer as to whether the lodge will operate in 2020, but there are too many issues yet to be resolved to make the call today.

Congress has taken some bold initiatives, but the implementation of this legislation is proving to be difficult.  It appears the aid programs intended to keep the economy and individuals financially sound are going to be a clear case of too little too late. What good is a plan if it is not implemented?  We do not want to be overly political here, but we are very concerned about the governments’ ability to deliver in a timely manner what has been promised.  We will note there is very little help in these programs for our seasonal business which has no payroll at this time.

Our main concern still centers on our ability to travel to the lodge.  The airlines throughout the world are basically still closed down.  The major airlines will get their support payments first and are keeping their planes maintained so they can start up quickly once the demand is allowed to return.  The dominate airline on the Anchorage to King Salmon route, RAVN Air, has fired all employees, parked their aircraft and filed for bankruptcy protection. (See our blog posting of 5 Apr 20.) Will they be able to restart and how long will it take?  Will they get an aid package that allows them to do this?  Will another airline fill the void?  So many questions and concerns, so few answers.

Obviously there is very extreme uncertainty about almost everything concerning COVID-19.  Just a handful of countries have handled this well, and the USA is certainly not one of them.  "Flatten the curve" may well also mean "expand the impact time."  Time is not our friend right now.  

The successful operation of a fishing lodge in Alaska requires a considerable amount of careful planning and logistics.  It also involves substantial upfront expenditures.  Nothing appears magically or instantly.  We cannot delay the decision to proceed or not proceed with the 2020 season too much longer.  If we do, we will not be adequately prepared and unable to perform to our or our clients’ standards.  We also owe it to our clients and staff to make the decision as early as possible.

So here we are, waiting for a little more clarification before making the go or no-go decision.  We know from the feedback on our previous communication that our clients are supportive of the program to defer existing reservations to 2021.  Still, we would all prefer to fish this year if it is feasible and safe.

You may have noticed we have substantially revamped our website.  We believe it has an improved flow. We now have far greater control of the content and a greatly enhanced ability to make updates to the whole site.  It is now realistic to make this website, and particularly this blog section, our main means of communication. We will issue an update on our status in this blog section each weekend until the go or no-go decision has been made.  We will also issue an e-mail to every client and staff member once the decision has been made.

To retain any chance of operating this summer, RAVN Air has parked all its planes and terminated all its employees.  Reading between the lines, it has lost 90% of its business due to the government-mandated lockdown of Alaska.  This move allows its employees to draw unemployment benefits while the company waits to find out what the government assistance package will be.  They have declared bankruptcy to help them hang in there.  Will they be there for us this summer as the primary airline serving King Salmon?  Will Alaska Airlines step into the void?  The answer my friends is blowing in the wind.   

• We will do everything prudent to operate the lodge this season and keep to our schedule.
• Our main concern is the availability of the flights to and from Anchorage and King Salmon.
• If we are not able to operate, or if a client is not able to travel to and from the lodge, then the clients' deposits will carry over to a subsequent year.  There will be no fee for this carryover and the present price will be honored.
• We will suspend the due date for the final payments for 2020 until we greater certainty as to our scheduling.