The Golden North Salmon Derby is an annual salmon fishing competition held in Juneau, Alaska in August. The object of the event is to catch the largest Chinook or Coho salmon over a period of three days; pink and chum salmon are not accepted.
The area appropriate for fishing is known as the derby grounds. Its northern, eastern, southern and western limits are Point Bridget, Greely Point, Twin Point, and Point Couverton, respectively. Contestants may anchor their vessels overnight in Swanson Harbor, southwest of Point Couverton, but this area is not allowed for fishing.
Prizes are awarded to the top hundred finishers, including cash and gift certificates. Fish can be weighed at any of four stations at Shelter Island, Amalga Harbor, Auke Bay, or Douglas Island. Additionally, the organizers release twelve specially-tagged salmon into the derby ground. One of these is chosen as a special prize which earns $100,000 if it is caught. Competitors must purchase tickets to compete in the derby.
The proceeds from the sale of the turned-in fish are given to the Territorial Sportsmen Scholarship Foundation, which awards academic scholarships to local students. This has been a part of the derby since 1953.
Read more about Golden North Salmon Derby: History
Famous quotes containing the words golden, north and/or salmon:
“They think how one life hums, revolves and toils,
One cog in a golden singing hive:”
—Stephen Spender (1909–1995)
“Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South, come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?”
—John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)
“The first man to discover Chinook salmon in the Columbia, caught 264 in a day and carried them across the river by walking on the backs of other fish. His greatest feat, however, was learning the Chinook jargon in 15 minutes from listening to salmon talk.”
—State of Oregon, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)