Tidelines: Tales of Alaska Fishing Communities Celebrates Nels Ure

We feel pretty grateful that we have the remarkable Nels Ure serving on our board at the moment. A second generation commercial fisherman, Nels is also the Deputy Director at Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay (CFBB) AND currently in graduate school working toward a Masters of Environmental Management at the Yale School of the Environment. Along with being a father and starring in many CFBB videos and posts (if you’re not following @fishermen4bristolbay on Instagram yet, it’s worth doing so right this second), Nels is an advocate, leader, and storyteller. With an impressively busy schedule, we’re especially grateful he took the time to share a few reflections with us recently.

More Like Gilled

Growing up in Kodiak, Ure’s first memory of commercial fishing was in 2010. 

“After a winter repowering our family boat, we traveled around the peninsula from Kodiak to Naknek. This trip was beautiful and led to my first season in Bristol Bay. After that first summer I was hooked (more like gilled) into the industry, culture, and community of fishing.” 

It is clear the fishing community continues to define Nels’ life and work. Spending most of the time on the water with his father, his extended family of uncles, friends, and in-laws has given him an “incredible foundation to work from”. 

His work at CFBB reflects that same rootedness in his own working waterfront community. Now based in Naknek, a village of about 500 residents, Nels and his family embrace the fishing culture daily. As you likely know, Naknek sits at the heart of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, and CFBB works to ensure the long-term sustainability of this fishery through habitat protection, education, and advocacy.

Eat Like A Fish

Nels is not afraid to speak up. Much like one of his favored authors, Bren Smith —whose book Eat Like a Fish explores how ocean-based food systems intersect with climate change—he’s quick to point out that Alaska’s fisheries are governed by fragmented and outdated policy structures. He sees firsthand how hard it can be for fisheries to adapt quickly to changing realities, especially as climate change reshapes marine ecosystems. 

“Climate change and habitat degradation impact our marine environments and have direct effects on the levels of our harvests,” he says. “Low harvest prices and high overhead costs pose a challenge to the sustainability and viability of businesses.”

Clad in Grundens adorned with No Pebble Mine! stickers and Xtratufs (he estimates he’s on at least his 12th pair), Nels is a familiar face in CFBB videos, challenging fellow fishermen and neighbors to take action. Whether advocating on behalf of Bristol Bay’s fishing grounds or fighting against a Canadian mining company’s ongoing quest to develop Pebble Mine, he stays engaged at the forefront, and grounded in hope. “My hope for the future is that fishermen realize their ability to organize and enact change. Small-scale fisheries in Alaska are made up of thousands of fishermen who feed the world. Recognizing that we are not only harvesters but stewards of marine environments and species is important. Beyond our bottom dollar, our livelihoods are directly tied to healthy ecosystems, communities, and each other.”

We’re proud to work alongside Nels and CFBB. They are our colleagues, our neighbors, and our friends. Thank you Nels—we look forward to a mug up on behalf of small-scale harvesters and our working waterfront communities in Bristol Bay sooner than later. Be sure to follow Nels (@nelzure) and CFBB (@fishermen4bristolbay) to stay informed on the ongoing fight to protect Bristol Bay.