Spirits in the Wilderness raw: #8 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.

00:25Copy video clip URL Water footage of fish jumping and other fishing boats on the lake.

01:49Copy video clip URL Crew members of the Kitgora look out on the lake. A glimpse inside the boat’s kitchen. Continued view out on the lake.

04:45Copy video clip URL A steaming cup of coffee.

05:14Copy video clip URL Looking back over the lake. A rowboat glides back from the shore to the fishing boat. The crew works on setting the boat rigging and positioning the fish netting in the lake.

08:52Copy video clip URL The boat drum winch retrieves the fishing netting. The net is pulled over a roller and then passes through a spooling gear with upright rollers. Roy Cranmer, the Kitgora’s captain, untangles kinks and debris caught in the net. Bundles of dogfish sharks soon surface. The crew lifts a snagged tree trunk on board. Net retrieval continues as the boat encircles the net in the water to capture the salmon.

19:52Copy video clip URL Video cuts. Video resumes, as the crew moves the final portion of net by hand, making a small purse where they lift out the salmon with a handheld net. Cranmer cuts up the dead tree on board.

23:01Copy video clip URL Crew members open the boat’s live well.  Using the boat’s mechanic lift, they dip an oversized hand net in the water to retrieve the remaining fish from the impromptu well.

25:59Copy video clip URL Repairs made to the oversized hand net. More net loads of salmon are dumped into the boat’s built-in well. Cranmer operates the mechanical lift using hand levers.