Who We Are

The Northwest Setnetters Association organized in the spring of 1989 amidst the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

When the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound March 24 and spilled 11 million gallons of oil, emergency cleanup equipment was not in place to contain the spill. Oil soon spread throughout PWS and beyond, following ocean currents into the Gulf of Alaska, the Shelikof Strait, and further south.

A few weeks later, Kodiak setnetters began migrating as usual to their fish camps on the west side of Kodiak Island. Arriving with crews, fishing gear and supplies for the summer, they came to get ready for fishing salmon. But when they found globs of oil pooled on rocky shores and seeped into sandy beaches near their camps open to the Shelikof Strait, they began to fear the worst – a possible shutdown of Kodiak’s salmon fishery.

Meanwhile in the city of Kodiak, Exxon oil spill officials held daily oil spill briefings for the public during which it increasingly became clear that Exxon had no intention of launching oil spill cleanups on Kodiak. Outraged, many setnetters, including Ann Barker, spoke up during the briefings, demanding that Exxon clean up their spill.

As Exxon continued to resist, west side setnet fisherman Roger Benney initiated a protest march, inspiring 500-some people to join in and march from the Kodiak High School to Oscar’s Dock on the harbor spit in downtown Kodiak. Only then did Exxon agree to put a Kodiak cleanup plan in place.

However, west side setnetters immediately saw major logistical flaws in Exxon’s cleanup plan. Exxon intended to hire workers unfamiliar with the rough sea conditions offshore of their setnet sites to operate small skiffs carrying cleanup crews and offload them onto remote beaches where emergency communication systems were not available at the time.

At this point, setnetters realized they needed to form a group to effectively communicate with the multinational corporation. Led by setnet fisherman Dan Ogg, the west side setnetters organized as the Northwest Setnetters Association (NWSA), negotiated a clean up plan with Exxon, and spent the rest of the summer of 1989 mopping up oil instead of salmon fishing.

NWSA, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, has remained active since. The membership elects board members annually to research issues of mutual interest. Over the years, NWSA has addressed matters such as implementation of new US Coast Guard safety regulations; collaboration with the Kodiak Salmon Workgroup to advocate for Kodiak’s salmon fishing industry; consideration of proposed fishing regulations affecting NWSA members; and preparation of NWSA proposals to present to the State of Alaska Board of Fisheries.