Hi Kent,

First, thanks for the most interesting report on the pollock fisheries.

> Yes, those were pretty tense days in Kodiak.  The town of Kodiak is laid out
> along a long stretch of shoreline on the NE corner of Kodiak Island (the 2nd
> largest Island in the United States after the Big Island of Hawaii by the
> way).
*snip*
> Things were so hot that when the first factory trawler of the
> season docked in Kodiak some of it's crews were assaulted and beat when they
> were wandering around the downtown bars.
*snip*
> After several such incidents the
> factory trawler companies stopped giving their crews shore leave in Kodiak
> and they had armed guards at some of the boats when docked in Kodiak.  It
> was a very tense time.  Kodiak is a very rough town in good times.  It's not
> a place where you want to get crosswise of the local fishermen.

Rough is a good word for Kodiak.  I was visiting the island about 8
years ago during February working on a new facility for Kodiak Public
Radio.  One evening I was invited along by a group of halibut fishermen
on a 'pub crawl', a favorite pastime of the Kodiak locals.  At the bar a
rather noisy group grabbed my attention.  After someone from the group
shouted out a loud 'Arrrrrrggg!' I turned to see a guy holding his head,
the group around him were laughing and good naturedly slapping him on
the back.

I asked what they were doing.  Someone in our group said that they were
doing 'silver bullets'.  Oh, I said, as in the Colorado beer?  No, they
explained, 'its a shot of anything behind the bar that's clear, and you
drink it through a straw...through your nose!'  #$%&! Ouch!  I have
never regretted my decision to decline their kind offer to buy me a
round.  :-)

Yes, Kent, I would agree, it's a rough town even in good times.  :-)  It
is also one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Two of the
people I was staying with were divers and their descriptions of the
diving in Kodiak were amazing.  Some day...

Best regards,
Russ