Year of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis - Campus Access Only
Degree Type
Master of Science (MS)
Degree Name
Environmental Studies
Other Degree Name/Area of Focus
Writing
Department or School/College
Environmental Studies
Committee Chair
Phil Condon
Commitee Members
Dan Spencer, Judy Blunt
Keywords
Alaska, commercial fishing, extractive industry, salmon
Publisher
University of Montana
Subject Categories
Nonfiction
Abstract
This work traces the narrative arc of the author’s first summer of commercial salmon fishing in the remote seascape of Chignik, Alaska. In the move from inexperienced greenhorn to full-fledged deckhand, themes of competence, belonging, and masculinity are explored against the unique geography of the far-northern coast. Alaska’s title of “the last frontier” is both disputed and affirmed by the distinct characters who inhabit the world of commercial fishing, from lifelong fishermen to seasonal college students to families who live and work together on the same boat. Underlying scene and story is an inquiry into the value of resource extraction that is based in place, that requires both an intimate knowledge of the natural world and a willingness to destroy it. Coming to terms with that fraught space is the narrator’s difficult but ultimately worthy task.
Recommended Citation
Gurche, Peter, "Chignik Summer" (2017). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11023.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11023
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© Copyright 2017 Peter Gurche