Spirits in the Wilderness raw: #13 Salmon Original

Raw footage for a documentary commissioned for the opening of the Shedd Aquarium's Oceanarium. Producer, director, and editor Judy Hoffman documents an aboriginal fisherman, Roy Cranmer, fighting to preserve the 'Namgis band's historic fishing grounds and land of origin while protecting the vibrant ecosystems and salmon populations that have sustained the Pacific Northwest Coast region for centuries. Also known by the anglicized name Nimpkish, the 'Namgis are part of the Kwakwaka'wakw (initially named the Kwakiut'l by Franz Boas) First Nation and have their homeland in what is now British Columbia, on the northern end of Vancouver Island. Hoffman has maintained a long relationship with the ‘Namgis band, having been adopted into the Cranmer family at the Cranmer potlatch in November 2017.

00:00Copy video clip URL Color bars. Camera operator says the take and date.

00:26Copy video clip URL Open to dead trees and scenes from a forested wetland.

04:48Copy video clip URL Roy Cranmer, eating a sandwich, speaks with two fisherman from another boat.

07:18Copy video clip URL The fisherman talk about the expenses of buying another drum to hold their netting. They talk about the going market prices for fish, growing expenses, and the chase for money of other competitors.

10:23Copy video clip URL One fisherman describes himself as a “greenhorn,” describing his troubled luck to catch fish. He hopes for larger catch in the future and observes the movement of sockeye salmon in the area. They discuss current policies that regulate the days allowed for fishing and the difficulty of competing with larger fishing boats.

15:10Copy video clip URL “I’m finished,” says the fisherman unloading his net from the boat drum. Camera operator Judy Hoffman interviews the two fisherman about their catch and troubles finding fish. One fisherman explains being forced to travel to a different location, away from their usual fishing grounds.

16:30Copy video clip URL Cranmer explains to Hoffman why some fisherman have been forced to fish other waters. Management of the fisheries and a lack of openings for fishing have caused his change, Cranmer says. He explains the delays made to seasonal fishing openings recently made.

18:05Copy video clip URL Observational shots of Cranmer on the dock and in his fishing boat, the Kitgora. A view of houses, boats, and the dock from the water.

22:55Copy video clip URL A pipe vents exhaust from the fishing boat. Traveling on the Nimpkish lake. The documentary makers discuss framing. A communications radio sounds in the background. A cargo ship passes by.