Galley Stories®

Taylor Evenson is a third generation commercial drift fisherman in Cook Inlet, AK where his family lived and homesteaded since 1956. His first commercial fishing trip was in 1989, the year of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, when he was 3 months old, because of the spill this would ironically be a halibut trip. Taylor, though fishing some other areas and gear types, would salmon fish in Cook Inlet for all but 1 of the next 29 years. Taylor did not love fishing growing up but through college, his work at several desk jobs in the realm of politics led him to desire fishing above all else. Salmon and Salmon fishing are his connection to family, place, and spirituality. He believes that salmon and fishing have the power to bring people together from diverse backgrounds, to share common experiences, and make lasting positive change.