We are Michael and Nelly Hand.

We believe the good life is living simply and eating well.

We love each other, wild salmon and our red Volkswagen van.

Nelly has grown up fishing summers in Cordova, AK, with her family.

Michael started fishing summers during college.

Together we now fish the beautiful Copper River and Prince William Sound on our 31-foot gill-netting boat called the Pelican.

When we’re not fishing, we’re living on Guemes Island in the Puget Sound, Washington. 

Nice to meet you.

Follow our adventures on Instagram:

Out catching summer’s solstice sockeye salmon. | #knowyourfisherman
This week, we’ve partnered with @ebbandcompany to donate our catch of fish and 100% of proceeds from salmon meal kits to Black Lives Matter Seattle/King County. We stand in solidarity for justice and equality, for health and safety for the Blac
Hand harvested wild salmon from the Copper River Delta. We fish out where glacial rivers meet the Gulf of Alaska and the fish are at their fattest, most delicious.
It’s a big part of our life to live in uncertainty, working as commercial fishermen onboard a small boat harvesting wild Alaska salmon. The ocean’s an unpredictable place. We feel lucky to be an essential service working to feed families
Today’s catch of big, bright wild Copper River Sockeye salmon fresh from the ocean. | #driftersfish
This week’s catch of Copper River Salmon just arrived to our friends @canlisrestaurant. Their whole team is working so hard to share delicious food from their kitchen to families around Seattle to enjoy at home. We feel really lucky to share a
Back in April, we took the long way home back to Alaska. Through big weather and strong tides, we ran a boat for two weeks up the Inside Passage from Bellingham, WA to Cordova, AK. It was a slow migration back to our fishing grounds with time to expl
Wild fishing grounds, chasing wild fish.
Headed out from the harbor tonight, catching the high tide back to the fishing grounds. We fish again tomorrow morning, there’s another twelve hour fishery for the Copper River Delta. | #knowyourfisherman