Jesse Leman, 20, mends the nets in his family’s yard in preparation for the commercial fishing season, which begins in late June. Leman grew up in the small fishing village of Ninilchik, Alaska. His family has fished the waters of Cook Inlet for 4 generations.

Amanda Matson, 23, and her Father Larry George take the skiff in after picking the nets they had set earlier that day. Amanda was raised in Ninilchik where her family has been fishing for three generations.

Jesse Leman perches on the bow of his family’s beach skiff as his dad drives between sets to pick more fish. Leman spends his summers helping his family fish at their beach site.

Amanda Matson, 23, holds up the fish she picked from one of the nets as tide goes out. She grew up spending summers fishing her family’s beach site.

Larry George Matson steers his beach skiff between sets during one of the open fishing periods in Cook Inlet. Matson has been a commercial fisherman since he was a kid even though the fish population continues to decline and regulations surrounding the resource and industry increase.

Amanda Matson turns one of the nets as tide goes out so it will be facing the right way during high tide.

Amanda Matson carries salmon to the skiff after picking them from a beached net at low tide.

The Leman’s pull their boat in after a day of fishing. In Cook Inlet fishing periods last 12 hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Monday and Thursday.

A beached net comes out of the water at low tide at the Matson’s beach site. If the tides are extreme enough they can pick the fish without having to take the boat out.

Jefferson Klapak, 18, hangs a net out after a day of fishing on the Johnson’s beach site.

John McCombs carrying an anchor and other fishing gear back to his truck at the end of halibut fishing season. McCombs fishes for Halibut in May and switches to Salmon in June. As a gillnetter the change of fish means a change in fishing gear.

Butch Leman and his son Jesse take a short break between sets. It is physically demanding to pick salmon, but even more strenuous when there are no fish. Leman’s primary income is from commercial fishing and he and his family depend on the money they make during the summer to sustain them during the winter.

One of the Leman’s beach skiffs filled with nets between sets.

Ninilchik’s harbor get so filled with boats at the peak of fishing season that at low tide some are left beached.

Jesse Leman gets ready to pluck the net out of the water so they can pick another set. As captain his dad steers and as deckhand Leman is in charge of handling the net.

Matson’s catch for the day sits in their skiff before Amanda pitches the fish into some fresh ice and delivers it to the fish processor.

The Lemans team up to carry the net in from the skiff at the end of the day.

Amanda and Larry George Matson help each other pick a net at low tide. Fishing is usually a family operation. Amanda and her dad work the nets, and her mom looks after fish camps and cooks all the meals.

Jesse Leman and his cousin straighten out the gear in preparation for the next set.

A gillnetter got their boat stuck at the mouth of the Ninilchik River on his way back to the harbor after a day of fishing. On small tides there is a short amount of time that the boats can make it in the river. The channel is also narrow and twisty and it is easy for a boat to get stuck and then left dry when the tide goes all the way out.

A gillnet is straightened out at the Johnsons beach site for storage and easy accessibility.

John McCombs scans the beach as he maneuvers his boat, The Katydid, back into the harbor.

Butch Leman and his fishing crew observe one of their nets between sets. Sometimes they can see the salmon strike it as they swim through.

A dead salmon dries out on the beach. The seagulls picked out its eyes and entrails.