Seattle Aquarium To Showcase Alaska Salmon Through Author Amy Gulick’s Book

Author Amy Gulick’s outstanding book, The Salmon Way: An Alaskan State of Mind, is the backdrop to a special Seattle Aquarium photo exhibit that showcases Alaska’s remarkable salmon runs (We had an excerpt and interview with Gulick with her book in our May, 2019 issue). Here’s the Seattle Aquarium with more:

SEATTLE, WA — On April 1, The Seattle Aquarium and Braided River partner to launch an awe-inspiring, curated photo exhibit called, The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind at the Seattle Aquarium through August 2022. The exhibit, based on the book of the same title, features captivating photography and stories celebrating the ways of life in Alaska that wild Pacific salmon make possible.  

The photo exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium will present 15 striking images from the book, The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind (Braided River, 2019) by award-winning photographer Amy Gulick, including photographs of a diversity of Alaskans living a salmon way of life: Alaska Natives, commercial fishing families, and sport fishermen. The photo exhibit will run from late March to August 2022. You can learn more about the photo exhibit at: SeattleAquarium.org/exhibits/salmon-way.

“The Salmon Way exhibit shows us that from Alaska to Northern California we are all one nation under salmon,” says Amy Gulick, Photographer and Author of The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind. “I’m excited for people to see this important connection.” 

“We are excited to work with Braided River to host this inspiring photo exhibit,” says Robert W. Davidson, President and CEO of the Seattle Aquarium. “It will be a great complement to the guest experience at the Seattle Aquarium, and a tremendous support to our mission of Inspiring Conservation of our Marine Environment.”

Amy Gulick spent five years venturing to Alaska to explore the web of human relationships that revolve around wild salmon. Created as part of the 2019-2022 International Year of the Salmon celebrations and in collaboration with Alaska conservation organization, SalmonState, the photographs selected for the exhibit show how Alaskans everywhere share and celebrate the gift of wild salmon with their families, communities, cultures, and with the world—it’s the salmon way. 

“We’re thrilled to share Alaska’s salmon way of life with the world via The Salmon Way exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium. In Alaska, we’re lucky to still have healthy wild salmon runs that support Indigenous and coastal communities, sustainable commercial fisheries, and world-class, world-renowned sport fishing and recreation,” said Tim Bristol, Executive Director of SalmonState. “It’s our hope that people who visit The Salmon Way exhibit leave with an appreciation for what we still have in Alaska – and get involved in our work to ensure that Alaska remains a Salmon State.”

The exhibit also highlights the deep-rooted ties between Alaska and Washington State. Today many salmon populations in California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and southern British Columbia are less than 10 percent of their historical abundance. Some populations have gone extinct. Causes include habitat destruction, hydropower dams, overharvest, and hatcheries. The exhibit showcases Alaska, one of the world’s last places where abundant runs of wild Pacific salmon still exist. 

“Alaska shows us what is possible if we restore wild salmon and their habitat in places where they are threatened and endangered. Where salmon thrive, so do ecosystems, communities, cultures, and economies,” says Amy Gulick. 

“We’re so proud to bring forth this diverse array of images and stories that showcases the connection that so many share with salmon—and also inspires action to preserve them for future generations,” says Helen Cherullo, Executive Director of Braided River.

To see The Salmon Way photo exhibit, plus sea otters, harbor seals, river otters, shorebirds, jellies, fish and more—in person at the Seattle Aquarium, visit SeattleAquarium.org/tickets. Open daily, 9:30am–6pm. Advance ticket purchase recommended.