Some Alaska towns court visitors with gift shops and staged salmon bakes. Petersburg keeps it real. This is a working fishing town of about 3,000 people, where the harbor smells like honest work, boats head out before dawn, and the fish on your plate was likely swimming very recently.
I came to Alaska for work and stayed for Jim, and for this community. Jim was born and raised here and started commercial fishing at 12. He’s spent more than 40 years on these waters. For decades he seined for salmon, and he has fished halibut and black cod too. He still heads out for a black cod trip every year, and every winter you’ll find him in an open skiff chasing winter kings.
More Than a Pretty Harbor
Petersburg was founded by Norwegian fisherman Peter Buschmann in 1897, and the town has never forgotten it. You’ll see it in the Sons of Norway Hall, the Viking ship in the harbor and the rosemaling on the storefronts. The town was built on one simple truth: these waters produce some of the finest seafood in the world, and somebody’s got to go get it.
What the fleet brings home
- Halibut and black cod: Deep, cold water produces big Pacific halibut and buttery black cod (sablefish), prized by chefs everywhere.
- Salmon: All five species (king, silver, sockeye, pink and chum) return to Southeast Alaska.
- Rockfish: Lean, flaky and clean-tasting. Ask most Alaskans, and many will tell you they prefer it to halibut.
- Dungeness and king crab: Sweet, meaty crab from the waters around Petersburg.
- Spot prawns and shrimp: Cold, clean water makes shellfish so sweet they’re almost candy.
Captain Jim’s Insider Advantage
Jim learned these waters as a crew member working alongside some amazing skippers, as he calls them. Those mentors taught him every part of fishing and how to navigate Southeast Alaska’s complicated waterways, and along the way they taught him a good deal about life itself. He still calls them before heading somewhere unfamiliar. “Local knowledge matters,” he says. “It always has.”
People ask him what’s different about sharing these waters with guests. “Commercial fishing, you’re racing the clock and the weather,” he says. “With our guests, I get to slow down and actually enjoy what I’ve been doing my whole life.”
He’s pulled up some real “barn doors” in his day, fishermen’s slang for halibut so big they make even seasoned hands shake their heads. And like every good fisherman, he’ll happily teach you how to think about fish. “What we won’t do,” he says, “is put X’s on a map.”
A Taste of the Fishing Life
Fishing aboard the Dauntless is about getting a real feel for this way of life:
- Try your hand at salmon and rockfish fishing
- Set crab and shrimp pots the way local families have for generations
- Learn how weather, tides and seasons shape the whole fishing community
- See how sustainable practices keep these waters productive year after year
- Understand where your seafood really comes from
Halibut fishing requires special permits, and we can certainly help accommodate it. If it’s on your wish list, tell us early. We also know some of Southeast Alaska’s best certified halibut guides. And when halibut shows up on your plate, I’ve sourced it from fish caught locally.
What you catch comes straight to my galley. Jim gets the food, I cook it. That’s how it works. Petersburg doesn’t have many restaurants, but it does have a lot of incredible cooks, and many of them have shared seafood recipes passed down through generations of fishing families. You won’t find those in any cookbook… except maybe mine, Dauntless: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Alaska. You can follow along at dauntlesscooking.com.
Understanding Alaska’s Lifeblood
In Petersburg, fishing isn’t quaint. It’s survival, and it’s the lifeblood of this town. When you see the fleet in the harbor, you’re looking at families whose livelihoods still depend on the sea.
Jim can tell a seiner from a gillnetter at a glance, explain why some boats are heading out while others stay tied up, and decode the radio chatter that keeps the fleet connected and safe. It’s a bit like having a backstage pass to Alaska’s most important industry.
That said, fishing is just one ingredient in a week aboard the Dauntless. We’re not about filling coolers. We want you to get a real taste of the fishing life, understand where your seafood comes from, and spend the rest of your time on what makes Southeast Alaska unforgettable: glaciers, wildlife, quiet coves and plenty of good food.LeConte Glacier: Petersburg’s Best-Kept Secret
Your Southeast Alaska Adventure
If you’d like to fish, pull pots or simply learn how this town works, tell us when you reach out about your 8-day charter, and we’ll fold it into a trip built around your group.
Questions about fishing aboard, or about Petersburg? Send me a note. I’m always happy to talk fish.
Quick answers
Can we fish on a Dauntless charter?
Yes. You can try your hand at salmon and rockfish fishing and set crab and shrimp pots. What you catch comes straight to my galley.
Can we fish for halibut?
Halibut fishing requires special permits, and we can certainly help accommodate it. Tell us early if it’s on your wish list.
What seafood comes out of Petersburg?
Halibut and black cod, all five species of salmon, rockfish, Dungeness and king crab, and spot prawns and shrimp.
Chef Alisa Jestel is the chef and co-owner of M/Y Dauntless, with over 20 years of culinary experience. She and Captain Jim, a lifelong Alaskan, run Alaska Bound Charters from Petersburg, Alaska.
