The killer whale coming out of the mouth, is the messenger from the deep. It represents 1 of the 10 Killer whales (‘Naaxł) caught in Alaska trawl bycatch just in 2023 alone - to go along with over a billion pounds of salmon, crab, and halibut every year for the last 10 years.

As a commercial gillnet salmon fisherman myself, I understand that these numbers are detrimental not just to our fisheries; they're detrimental to our way of life. The ocean sustains itself along with our human efforts, which includes responsibly fishing for both financial and traditional purposes. It’s unacceptable to see this careless and irresponsible fishery continue to disregard entire species, fishing guidelines and laws, and all the other fisherman working to responsibly fish for a living.

The killer whale represents 1 of the 4 Tsm’syen main crests, being the Gisbutwada.

I know just like the Tsm’syen, every village on the coast feels connected to killer whales through each of their own oral history’s and clan systems.

This is our message : “Stop Alaskan Trawler Bycatch”.