The Shumagin Current was built because the place we call home deserves to be documented by people who live here, work here, raise families here, and understand what is at stake when the weather shifts, the fish move, a school event happens, or a community needs to be heard.

Sand Point, the Shumagin Islands, Area M, King Cove, False Pass, and the Alaska Peninsula are more than dots on a map. They are working places shaped by fishing, family, culture, resilience, and Native communities that have carried knowledge, responsibility, and connection to this region for generations.

Too often, the stories that matter most to our region are scattered across agency reports, social media pages, meeting packets, dock talk, and conversations that never make it farther than the harbor. Important information can be hard to find. Local accomplishments can be overlooked. The people most affected by decisions about our waters, fisheries, schools, and communities are not always the people being heard.

The Shumagin Current is meant to help close that gap.

What this site is for

This is a place for fisheries data that is easier to understand, weather and opening information that is easier to find, local events worth knowing about, school and community updates, regional news, culture, and the stories of the people who keep this part of Alaska moving.

A voice for Area M

It is also meant to be a stronger voice for Area M.

Area M is often discussed from far away and reduced to numbers, arguments, or headlines that do not always reflect the fishermen, families, processors, crews, and Native communities who live with the consequences of management decisions. This publication will advocate for accurate information, fair context, local representation, and a fisheries future that recognizes both conservation and the people whose livelihoods depend on these waters.

What I believe

I also want this space to be honest about what I believe.

I believe our region deserves informed representation in the decisions that affect us. I believe the people who live and work here should have a meaningful voice in fisheries management. I believe conservation and opportunity do not have to be enemies when decisions are made with accurate information, local knowledge, and respect for the communities living with the outcome.

I believe our young people deserve more preparation, support, and confidence as they get ready for life after high school. Too many students from rural Alaska are expected to leave home, enter college or training programs, and figure everything out on their own. I want to advocate for better college preparation, stronger mentorship, help with applications and financial aid, opportunities to visit campuses, and support systems that help Native students succeed after they leave home.

I believe cultural pride matters too.

Our history should not only be something people read about in a book or hear about once in school. It should be something our youth can feel connected to. The stories of our Native communities, our Unangax history, the people who came before us, our language, our values, and the way our families have survived and adapted all deserve to be carried forward with pride.

I want The Shumagin Current to make room for that. I want it to share history, recognize culture bearers, highlight Native organizations and opportunities, celebrate local accomplishments, and remind our youth that where they come from is something to carry with them, not something they have to leave behind to succeed.

This publication will share verified information and show its sources. It will correct mistakes openly. It will also make clear when something is reporting and when something is my personal view or editorial opinion. I do not want to pretend that I have no beliefs about the future of our people or our region. I do. But I want to express them honestly, respectfully, and in a way that invites real conversation.

Built by Shumagin Supply Co.

The Shumagin Current is being built by Shumagin Supply Co.

Shumagin Supply Co. is more than a shop or a logo. It is a growing local brand built around fishing life, deckhand skills, community pride, hard work, cultural pride, and creating things that reflect where we come from.

The goal is to build a business that can grow beyond apparel. That means creating fishing tools and resources, helping new deckhands learn the basics, building practical boat and settlement tools, highlighting local artists, supporting Native communities, sharing our history, and creating products that people across Alaska can wear with pride.

Making fishing finances clearer

A major part of that vision is making the financial side of fishing less confusing.

Too many fishermen work long seasons, receive complicated settlements, and then get left trying to figure out taxes on their own after the money is already gone. Some do not know what they truly earned after expenses. Some are unsure what they can write off. Some fall behind, feel overwhelmed by what they may owe, or do not know where to begin fixing it.

Shumagin Supply Co. wants to help change that.

The goal is to create simple settlement tools that help fishermen understand their tickets, crew shares, deductions, expenses, and real earnings throughout the season instead of months later when tax time arrives. It means giving people one place to organize settlements, receipts, fishing expenses, personal charges, advances, and other documents that are usually spread across papers, photos, and old messages.

It also means helping fishermen understand tax recovery.

Tax recovery is not about pretending a problem does not exist. It is about helping someone clearly see where they stand. What years may be behind. What they may owe. What records they have. What expenses may matter. What a realistic recovery plan could look like.

For some people, that may mean getting organized. For others, it may mean estimating what they owe, understanding payment options, preparing questions for a tax professional, or taking one practical step at a time instead of avoiding the problem until it gets worse.

The purpose is not to replace accountants, tax professionals, or legal advice. It is to give working fishermen a clearer starting point, better records, more confidence, and a realistic path forward.

Carrying the name forward

I want Shumagin Supply Co. apparel to be seen statewide, not because a shirt or hat is the final goal, but because it can carry the name, pride, and story of our region farther than it usually gets to go.

I want someone in Anchorage, Bristol Bay, Kodiak, Southeast, or anywhere else in Alaska to see the name and understand that it represents working people, fishing families, Native communities, cultural pride, and a part of the state that deserves to be recognized.

It also means building toward something real in Sand Point. A local shop. Local jobs. A business that gives people another way to create, earn, learn, and contribute without having to leave home to find every opportunity.

The purpose stays the same

Whether it means helping a young person prepare for college, teaching deckhand skills, selling locally made art, building tools for fishermen, helping fishermen get organized financially, sharing cultural history, creating local jobs, supporting community events, speaking up for Area M, or sharing information people can actually use, the purpose stays the same.

Build something useful. Build something local. Build something that gives back. Build something our people can be proud of.

The Shumagin Current is one part of that work.

It is built from here, not just written about from somewhere else.

Colten Mack