RYC has partnered with Baranof & Company to expand the Ketchikan Youth Fishing, Harvesting, and Lifeskills program into the fall, winter, and spring of 2021-2022; beginning November 2021 through May 2022. This program is FREE for youth in the community of Ketchikan and Saxman. The target population is youth aged ten (10) to eighteen (18) years old, although younger youth will not be excluded. With parent or guardian permission, youth will be offered fishing and culinary experiences with Baranof over the course of fall, winter, and spring.
This program will teach youth some valuable life skills like how to fish for different species, how to identify and harvest local edible foods, and how to prepare the foods harvested. Baranof has created two field guides that cover all aspects of edible foods in Southeast, Alaska. We believe that getting youth into the forest, exploring a tide pool, beachcombing, or catching a fish is the best way to educate, go back to basics, and create a sense of well-being.
RYC is confident in Baranof’s ability to inspire youth with the simple pleasures and lifestyle of exploring our wilderness while celebrating our culture of living off the land. Giving youth the opportunity to explore their curiosities and educate them along the way. These experiences will provide lasting social connections, experiences, and education that these youth will remember into adulthood.
Youth will have a chance to learn and identify species, develop skills on the water, and different encounters with marine life like Humpback and Orca Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, rockfish, salmon, halibut, lingcod, crab, shrimp, black cod, and octopus. They will learn fishing techniques like jigging, mooching, trolling, crab and shrimp pots, and bottom fishing, knots, and navigation. On the beach, youth will explore tide pools, beach harvesting, fillet process, outdoor cooking, and chopping wood. At the Fish House, youth will learn about how to prepare and preserve fish, berries, water safety, outboard maintenance, and experience animals living on or around the docks.
All Baranof guides are certified by the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center and carry a Merchant Mariner's Credential (Captain's license). They are also First Aid/CPR certified and enrolled in the Tongass Maritime Consortium, meeting DOT/USCG random drug testing requirements.