America’s Stay-at-Home Seafood Binge Now Faces Virus Threat
- Consumers turned to shrimp, crab after meat industry’s crisis
- Seasonal fisherman head to Alaska, bringing risk of infection
Bristol Bay boat captain Katherine Carscallen mends her fishing nets.
Photographer: Katherine Carscallen
Every summer, the vast watershed of winding streams and rivers that flow into the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea become a magnet for homing salmon. And for the scores of daring men and women -- more than 10,000 in all -- who pour into the remote region of Bristol Bay, Alaska, to take their shot at scoring big paydays as seasonal fishermen and industry workers.
This year’s rush, wedged in the middle of a pandemic, will be more dangerous than ever, though. The bunkhouses and boats that house the fishermen are tightly packed -- just the sort of environment where the coronavirus thrives. The seasonal workers will face a mandatory 14-day quarantine when they enter the state, but locals fear that won’t be enough to keep the virus in check.