Rooted By The Sea

Foggy, rain-soaked Kodiak—a small town on a big island in the Gulf of Alaska—is vibrant green in summer and icy brown in the winter. It’s where fish-scale-covered Xtra Tuff boots are more common than middle names and the best gossip spreads on the docks. Whose grandfather runs that boat? Whose dad mends nets? Whose parents met at the cannery? Who serves early morning coffee? Whose best friend is in the Coast Guard? Sometimes it feels like we are characters in a Steinbeck novel. For the people of Kodiak, everyone is connected by the sea in some way.

Despite living on a bountiful island with deep ties to the ocean, finding local seafood in Kodiak can be challenging. Coming from a commercial fishing family, this was not obvious to us growing up. Seafood was a staple of our diets because it was accessible. This challenge became more obvious after a couple small seafood markets closed shop in town, leaving very limited options for procuring local seafood.

We were inspired to bridge this gap in availability by selling the seasonal species our family harvests around Kodiak Island through a new venture, Ivanoff Seafood. We sell with the seasons, starting the year pot fishing for tanner crab and Pacific gray cod, then longlining for halibut, and seining salmon in the summer.

Ivanoff Seafood is available locally at two Kodiak grocery stores and the farmers market, and it’s available nationwide by mail. We are thrilled to share our family’s catch, and motivated to grow by connecting with people in our community and afar who share our desire to eat the best food this earth has to offer: sustainable, wild Alaska seafood. Wherever you are, source your next dinner from us, and taste the love.

A family that fishes together, sticks together. Pictured is the Ivanoff Family with siblings Clifton, Chloe, and Reuben along with Clifton’s wife, Hailey. All were raised on the back deck of fishing boats and took their turns brushing scales off their boots. Nowadays, you’ll find Clifton in the wheelhouse, Chloe on deck stacking leads, and Reuben on the flying bridge of his own boat. While mostly retired from the boat life nowadays, Hailey puts her muscles into the team’s shore power, sending fresh fish to customers and cupcakes to the crew! Family and sesame ginger salmon photos by Tyler Jackson.

ivanoffseafood.com
541-286-6223
Kodiak, Alaska