Amazing Mom: Stevie Wilbur Is Balancing the Two Toughest Jobs on the Planet

Stevie Wilbur may be well deserving of praise, but she’s not the kind of mom who goes fishing for compliments. That’s partly because she’s way too busy fishing for actual fish. 

Born and raised in the small fishing village of Togiak, Alaska (population 817), Stevie has been fishing these waters for sockeye salmon for as long as she can remember. 

“I’ve never seen another way of life or known a summer outside of Togiak and commercial fishing,” Stevie says. “This is life, this is what we’ve always done.” 

Now, she’s navigating those same waters with her two sons, Phoenix and Eddie, teaching them the lessons passed on from her mom and dad and their parents before them. 

“I've always wanted to be a mom and I knew I was still going to go fishing. I mean, I was pregnant and still on one of our boats — you couldn't get me away! And I just knew I wanted to bring my boys into the fishing industry. I want to be able to teach them our culture. Where they come from.”

Since salmon season runs from the end of June through early August, school and fishing season don’t coincide, Stevie is able to bring her kids out on the boat. Phoenix, 12, is her oldest, and is out there with her 24/7 during the season, while Eddie, 7, only comes out because “during the busy season it’s too complicated to try and manage fishing and keep him from going overboard,” she says. 

The trio spends much of their time on the frigid Alaskan waters fishing for red salmon AKA sockeye salmon. Her work is often an all-day affair, sometimes starting at 5:30 in the morning and not ending until midnight. But that doesn’t mean it’s all work and no play.  

“The boys are doing funny dances and joking around with each other, or we play bat together, where we wad up seaweed grass, grab our oars, and act like that’s our bat. Seeing them be little goofballs on the boat, I absolutely love that.”

While Stevie knows how to have fun, it all comes down to finding the fish, and as her older sister, Leilani, said, when it comes to fishing, Stevie has a sixth sense. “Stevie’s the kind of commercial fisherwoman who can feel the fish coming before it happens. Her connection to the water is instinctual, almost like it’s in her blood.” 

It’s that connection to the water that’s allowed her to catch over 10,000 pounds of fish in one day, a remarkable amount. Just as remarkable is how she balances family and fishing — and deals with loss — on Alaska’s wild coast. 

Loss at sea

Nearly 20 years have passed since Stevie experienced one of the most devastating days of her life — the day she lost her father to the sea.

She was just a child when it happened. What began as a calm morning out on the water quickly turned dangerous. The wind picked up, the waves grew stronger, and the boat started taking on water. In the chaos, Stevie’s father tried to maneuver the vessel, but an anchor line became entangled with the motor. He told Stevie and her sister to jump, and they did.

“After a few hours, my sister and I got rescued by other family members but my dad wasn’t there. A couple hours later, thankfully, his body was found," she remembers.

Now a mother herself, Stevie carries the weight of that memory while building a life on the same waters that took her dad. She sometimes worries about her own children choosing the same path, but she also finds strength and purpose in passing on the life she knows best. Fishing isn’t just a job for Stevie — it’s a legacy, woven into her identity.

Leilani puts it best: “Stevie brings the same love and intention to motherhood that she brings to fishing. She leads with her heart, and you can feel that in every moment with her kids. It’s not about choosing one over the other for Stevie, it’s about weaving both into the fabric of who she is. She doesn’t stop being a mom when she’s on the water, and she doesn’t stop being a fisherwoman when she’s at home. That’s her magic.”

Just a smalltown girl living in a fishing world

Fishing in Togiak is the main source of income for most residents. “It’s kind of our way of life,” says Stevie, whose family has been fishing these waters for generations. “I love the thrill of it, the smell of the ocean, going back home, seeing everyone, the stories that we get to tell and experience and see. It also gives you a different perspective on life, too. You can do what your heart wants, whenever you want if you choose to work for it. And that's how I grew up and how I'm teaching my kids.”

It’s not always an easy life. The constant changes and having to go, go, go, go can take its toll. “I have to get ready with my kids, drive hours where our boats are, and pack up the boats. We're stuck in a car together for days and, man, they can be troopers, but sometimes I am hanging on by a thread.” 

But all of that stress goes away once Stevie and her kids are out on the open water. “Once we get to where we need to be, it's a breath of fresh air, the weight is lifted.”

Forming a bond

During fishing season, Stevie and her boys are stuck in closer quarters than most families. They sleep on the tundra in a “cabin” which is really just a few pieces of plywood in the middle of nowhere. A far cry from camping, Stevie will tell you that it’s the hardest moments that create the closest bonds. “I can't even describe how connected we feel and how different it is from when we're in our everyday home life. When we get out there, everything changes. It’s a bond that we have and it's just learning each other and I get to feel that with my sons.” 

With every new challenge, Stevie and her boys have to figure out a solution, together, as a family. It's that teamwork that creates an incredible sense of trust. “There are two other ‘cabins’ on the tundra and seeing bears during fishing season is almost an every-day-of-the-week occurrence. I’ve had to shoot a couple rounds off to warn the other people that there are bears around. Seeing bears is so frequent.

“So it's learning to trust each other. You have the eldest who's over the smallest.” 

Motherhood and fishing

There’s no doubt that commercial fishing in Alaskan waters is one of the toughest jobs out there — but motherhood is every bit as demanding, requiring constant focus, strength, and patience. 

“Being a mother has been one of the hardest jobs I have ever done and am still doing. My boys are in different stages of their life — it’s navigating an almost 13-year-old’s emotions as he grows up, and then seeing my younger one, Eddie, who’s a wild one. It’s an adjustment every day trying to figure out what’s next. With fishing, you at least know what to do even if the fish don’t come. Motherhood, you never know what’s going to happen the next day or five minutes from now.”

Despite the challenges, Stevie has never spent a summer away from Togiak or commercial fishing, because it’s the way her family has always lived. Her motto is “Everything will be fine, you always figure it out” and that motto has come in handy more than once. “It's gonna be hard, but if you truly want both, you can make it happen. You have to be okay with every challenge that is thrown your way. But you'll figure it out.”