Rhonda discusses her history in the fishery, environmental changes she's witnessed, as well as family bonds that are created through fishing. This interview is part of the Alaska Native Fisherwomen of Bristol Bay oral history project, a partnership between NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Bristol Bay Native Association.

Esther Ilutsik is the Director for Yup’ik Studies for the Southwest Region Schools in Dillingham, Alaska. She learned to set net fish as a child and commercial fished throughout her life at her family’s fish camp in Ekuk. In this interview Esther recounts her experiences of fishing with her mother and the social and environmental changes she has observed in Ekuk.

Joanne Nelson has been a resident of Dillingham, Alaska, since 1952. She wrote Guide to the Birds of Southwest Alaska and has taught courses on home canning and smoking salmon through the Marine Advisory Program.  In this interview Joanne recounts her memories of moving from Idaho to Alaska as a young woman to work in a hand-pack cannery on Nushagak Bay. She also shares some of her knowledge of local medicinal plants and talks about her family’s experiences practicing subsistence.

Annette Caruso is a retired fisherwoman who has participated in both the drift and set net commercial fishery. In this interview Annette talks about environmental changes she’s witnessed, including tundra fires, increased bear activity and increased tundra cotton. She also discusses her personal history in the area, including how her grandparents and mother grew up, as well as how she got started drift netting with her father.

Lindsay Layland is a commercial fisher based in Dillingham, Alaska, and also works as the Deputy Director at United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB).

Apayu is an artist based out of Aleknagik, Alaska, who grew up subsistence fishing. Apayu recounts her memories of fishing with her father as a child and her return to subsistence fishing after college. Apayu addresses complex questions, such as the meaning of a subsistence lifestyle and what it means to her to be Yup’ik.

Wassiliisa (Deedee) lives in Dillingham, Alaska and is the Chief Administrative Officer at Bristol Bay Native Association, where she has worked for over forty years. In this interview Deedee describes how she grew up fishing with her father, who was a commercial fisherman, and how she values family engagement in the fishery.