Episode list

Bristol Bay Alaska is home to the last great run of red Sockeye salmon in North America. These salmon spawn up rivers into lakes and in the process nurture the entire ecosystem, from the trees, to bears, and people. We were invited here (as we often are) by a conservation group, this time The Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska to see and profile this amazing wild region of North America. We profile the proposed copper and gold mines, especially the infamous Pebble Mine. We explore the wilderness by land, air, and boat. While we fly fish for rainbows among the sockeye and giant brown bears, we also hear from Native Americans, senators, commercial fishermen (in this case fisherwoman and boat captain), and fly fishing guides about the prosed mine and how it will devastate Bristol Bay. We learn that the mine owners are not even American, how Alaskan's will be ripped off, it would be built on a giant earthquake fault with a veritable sea of tons of highly toxic waste being held by a mere earthen dam. Just as insane is the value of temporary mining jobs pales in comparison to sustainable local jobs that generate over $400,000,000 annually and in perpetuity. The senator makes clear he has supported other mines in Alaska but this proposed mine is a nightmare on steroids and will ruin Bristol Bay Alaska, the United States' last remaining frontier holding the last great run of wild salmon that sustains the entire ecosystem and local economy.

The Great Gaspe sticks out as part of the Easternmost part of Canada and North America. She is home to some of the last great runs of Atlantic Salmon. We were invited here by the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Mic Mac Indians to profile the Restigouche and Cascapedia rivers. We profile the remarkable efforts to restore and protect these fantastic rivers and fly fish for what many consider to be the greatest game fish to be hooked on a fly. On the Cascapedia, Chief Guy Condo was the first to help lift First Nation nets and restore runs of salmon on the Cascapedia river. It is a stunning step forward for First Nations, fly fishers, and wild salmon and sustainable economies. The efforts there are a template for the rest of Canada and the entire world.

The Abacos of The Caribbean are relatively undeveloped. The mostly still intact reefs and mangroves are crucial for fish reproduction. The Abacos still offer a wild, authentic and native Caribbean experience. Nassau for example has been developed, and her once great fisheries have been all but destroyed. We travel to Abacos to learn about a great development for tourists and locals that help promote sustainable economies and reefs and mangroves and fish. We explore the island by air, land and sea while fly fishing for bone fish that are still numerous and large. We interview legendary artist and fly fishing guide Vaughn Cochran and his Black Fly operation, as well as conservationist, guide, chef, minister and raconteur "Clint", and we interview the visionary developer/architect of what amounts to a whole new village practicing sustainable economies in Abaco. This "village" should become a template for all future development in the fragile Caribbean and elsewhere.