In Cordova, the standard greeting among locals is ‘Been fishing?’ Unsurprisingly, the harbor is the community’s heart, humming throughout the season as fishers frantically try to meet their quota before the runs are closed. Watching over the hubbub is the Cordova Fisherman’s Memorial , a quiet place dominated by artist Joan Bugbee Jackson’s sculpture The Southeasterly (1985), and spotted with flower bouquets.
The fishing fleet is composed primarily of seiners and gill-netters, with the method used by the fishers determining the species of salmon they pursue. The former primarily target pink salmon, while the latter, generally one-person operations, go for kings and reds early in the season and silvers later on.
