Credit Courtesy of Melvin Andrew
Minista died in early December in Anchorage at 66 years old. His friends and family say he was a kind and positive force in the community.
Mike Minista lived in Manokotak all his life. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, and he also fished commercially for decades.
One of his long-time friends, Jerry Liboff, met Minista 50 years ago at the Ekuk Cannery. Minista was commercial fishing at the time; a storm had kept him at the cannery for several days.
“I tried to stumble around with a few Yup’ik words,” he said. “Once I started mis-saying Yup’ik words, that sort of broke the ice and we became actually very good friends at the beginning.”
The bears enjoyed a peaceful feast at Brooks Falls.Brooks River had its largest salmon run ever at 800,000 fish.
Credit Katmai National Park and Reserve
Hunting, fishing, and practicing subsistence in Bristol Bay were welcome reprieves from being cooped up and isolated this year.
Three moose legs hang inside a garage. Sept. 9, 2020
Credit Brian Venua/KDLG
But the pandemic affected who hunted this year. Ryan Scott, an assistant director for Fish and Game, said some hunters weary of quarantine and travel restrictions were hesitant to visit.
“I think a lot of hunters are having to really think through how to accomplish the hunt that they want to do and do it responsibly,” Scott explains, “I talked to a fair number of them at this point and they are taking it very seriously.