Jim Seida / msnbc.com

A passenger aboard the Alaska Ferry "Columbia" passes the time beneath a massive king salmon on July 26. The plaque beneath the salmon reads, “State of Alaska Department of Economic Development, King Salmon, (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), 102 pounds, Caught August 10, 1969, at Tebenkof Bay, Alaska, donated by Dignon Co. Inc and Petersburg Cold Storage Company.

Enormous king salmon hangs out on Alaska ferry

This 102-pound salmon, likely caught with a net, is three pounds heavier than the current sport-caught world record king, a 99-pounder caught in the Skeena River in British Columbia in 2001. It’s also far short of the commercial catch record of 126 pounds caught near River Inlet near BC in the late 1970s.

I shot this picture while aboard the Columbia with my family about a month ago. When I first heard that you could pitch a tent on the deck of ship as it traveled through the Inside Passage, north to Alaska, I couldn’t wait experience it for myself. The trip was fantastic. You can see a slideshow of images from our adventure here.

Discuss this post

You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.