PHOTOS: Nurturing a life connected to Southeast Alaska fishing

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The Sitka Conservation Society went to visit F/V Cloud Nine, a commercial fishing that helps to provide local schools with locally-caught fish in Sitka, Alaska. March 10, 2014

Sitka Conservation Society is one of the oldest conservation groups in Alaska, dedicated to protecting the natural environment in the Tongass National Forest, while developing sustainable communities in Southeast Alaska. The SCS is based in Sitka and one of the organization's many efforts is the Fish to School program, where local fisheries provide schools with locally-caught fish. To promote the program, officials with the society visited with Karen Johnson of the fishing vessel F/V Cloud Nine to document her reflections on a life of fishing.

"I started fishing when I was 6. There are different kinds of fishermen, as there are with any type of job I suppose. My perception of fishing is I love it. I love the life, I love the ocean, I love the excitement, I love the peacefulness, I love the hard work. I can be sea sick, look up, and still be amazed by my surroundings. I can be working hard, dead tired, and still take in what's around me. It's beautiful out there. It's part of living here, I guess, never getting tired of seeing the amazing things that go on around us every day -- even if it's just a daily morning walk at Totem Park.

"There's always something to notice. Our family fished together for a long time and I'm thankful for that and for the fact that my brother and I still get to fish together some. Our bond to the ocean, the coast, the Inside Passage is very strong and commercial fishing gave us a better opportunity to experience it on a wider scale than some might get. You can think of commercial fishing as a way to make money, as a job, but to some, it is so much more."

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