October 22, 2026 — A fognak Lake sits in the middle of the forested expanse of Afognak Island, north of Kodiak. Normally it would be eerily quiet, but not one sunny day in late August. The Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association was conducting its annual egg take for the strain of sockeye that returns here.
The dozen or so technicians and volunteers gathered at the lake have been waiting for this day for weeks.
“It’s shaping up to be pretty sweet, except for the bugs,” said Peter Weinzierl, a technician with the aquaculture association. “Didn’t expect this many bugs.”
The team blasted pop music as technicians pulled skeins of eggs out of sockeye salmon and emptied them into plastic bowls. Taking eggs from wild fish is a way that aquaculture associations maintain genetic diversity in their broodstock and prevent domestication.