While growing up in Eastern Washington State, Gregg Jones did not imagine a life as a fisherman. “If you grow up fishing, you know what you don’t want to do,” Gregg jokes as I asked him about his children and why they don’t fish,” I didn’t know any better!” But over 20 years later, he could not imagine himself doing anything else. Gregg first came to Alaska in the early 80’s to work for one of the Marine Aquaculture Associations. He spent summers tagging fish and walking streams looking for the previous years tagged fish. During those summers he would watch the salmon trollers fishing in Clarence Strait and Dixon Entrance and eventually decided it was time to make a change. While walking the docks, Gregg happened on a boat that caught his eye. It turned out that the boat was for sale and the owner and his family were moving to Washington State to an area near Ellensburg, WA. Gregg made an offer the boat owner couldn’t refuse, and he traded his house in Ellensburg for the F/V Jeannie, a 38 ft wood troller. A fisherman cannot just buy a boat and start fishing commercially, they also must buy a permit for the rights to fish. Gregg added in a 4-wheel drive truck at the house and the guy handed over a hand troll permit to go with the boat.

Aside from trolling for salmon, Gregg fished for halibut and black cod and took up scuba diving to harvest abalone and sea cucumbers. Over time Gregg upgraded boats and currently owns and operates the Sea Miner, a 46 ft steel freezer troller. Gregg believes in a quality product and you can tell from the immaculate condition of his vessel and the care taken in the fish he brings to market. The fish caught aboard the Sea Miner is Frozen at Sea which means each fish is cleaned, then undergoes a multi-step process of freezing which creates a product that when thawed, tastes as if it was just pulled from the sea. As Fall approaches, Gregg is setting up the boat for diving and harvesting Sea Cucumber. Gregg has a hunter gatherer mentality, “If there is something to harvest, I want to get my hands on it!” Aside from fishing, Gregg is an avid hunter and loves to combine his time at sea with trips to remote bays and regions where he can be outside and in nature and enjoy the bountiful life that Alaska offers.