Mission Statement
Katfish Salmon Co. provides Pacific Northwest Communities with high quality, traceable seafood direct, from the fisherman to the consumer.
July 2021. Kat aboard the F/V Grace running the gurdies, the piece of equipment used to catch your coho salmon shares.
*photo credit: Natalie R Berger
The Story
I first saw the F/V Grace December of 2018. There was a wreath made of cedar boughs pinned to her cabin side, inviting me in, and I found myself scrambling to purchase her in May of that same year and leaving for Alaska to fish in June. After only one season of commercial fishing as a deckhand under my belt, transitioning to skipper was a difficult journey, but one I have not regretted. In 2020 I realized I could not rely on the corporate cannery structure to make a living solely as a troller. Rather than continue to look for winter work, I started Katfish Salmon Co. with the goal of providing high quality, traceable seafood direct, from the fisherman to the consumer.
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In 2024 I met my now husband, Luke. I was fishing alone, and had just finished delivering my catch to the plant that morning. I went to pull into my friends slip and managed to miss the landing twice, (in my defense, it’s a tricky stall). On the third attempt Luke saw me struggling, and walked over to catch my docklines...and that was that.
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We now own the F/V Aloma together and run the boat as co-captains. I formerly prided myself on being a Women Owned and Operated business. Now I’m equally proud to say that this business is Woman Founded and Family Operated.
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We utilize a traditional hook and line fishing method called power trolling, that allows us to catch fish one-at-a-time, ensuring sustainability and quality. Each fish is then cleaned, bled, and iced on board. This process produces the highest quality fish on the market. We currently catch all of your coho salmon and lingcod shares. Since we are not able to catch every species we offer aboard our boat, know that it is thoughtfully sourced from ethically run local Alaska processors and small boat fishermen like ourselves. We take traceability seriously. Each of our products we sell comes with a detailed description of where and how it was caught.
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We are a choice that people make when they buy their fish, and we feel privileged to be able to provide our local community and communities throughout the Pacific Northwest region with that choice. It’s hard to describe the joy I feel of handing fish I’ve caught and carefully sourced into my communities hands. Thank you for supporting sustainable fisheries and small business resiliency!
A piece of fishing history.
Photo of the Grace in the 1980s trolling for salmon. I was the caretaker/owner/operator of this boat from 2018-2024. It’s been an honor to be included as one of the many stories of this boats long and illustrious commercial fishing history. A 38ft wooden power troller built in 1946 by Treutle Marine in Seattle, WA. She is a testament to the shipwrights who built her and the long list of caretakers throughout her many working years on the water.
The Next Chapter.
Photo of the Aloma, on the fishing grounds, winter 2025. A 48ft Wooden Power Troller, built by Norman Mills in 1943 in Friday Harbor, WA. It’s rare to see a double-ender this large. We originally thought Norman Mills had commissioned Jensen’s Shipyard to build the boat. However a good friend of mine found the Master Carpenter Certificate for the Aloma, signed by Norman Mills, certifying that he in fact built the Aloma himself! Luke and I are only the 5th set of owners to fish Aloma since the time the boat was built, as Aloma spent the last 40 plus years being run by the same family. Luke and I take the caretaker role of this piece of living history seriously, and look forward to making memories aboard her decks for many years to come.
