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Dave Rogotzke by Karl Olson '08 A salmon fisherman, maple-syrup producer, and entrepreneur, Dave Rogotzke manages to stay busy for most of the year. Spending part of his summers in Alaska, he casts his first net at 2:00 a.m. into Bristol Bay, an area he calls the “most amazing fishery left on this Good Earth.” For the next several hours, he spends time raising and lowering the nets, bringing in thousands of pounds of King and Sockeye Salmon with his dad and his daughter, Katie ’09. “Fishing with three generations on the boat has been a real gift,” said Rogotzke. Rogotzke loves the outdoors. He has fished the Alaskan waters for more than 25 summers and now spends much of March and April tapping maple trees and making syrup. With more than 4,600 taps, he spends significant amounts of time navigating the Minnesota Northwoods outside his hometown of Duluth. The intense lifestyle at specific times of the year leaves him exhausted and ready for a break by the end. St. Olaf is a special place for Rogotzke, who dropped off Katie as a first year student in 2005 and continues to stay connected in other ways. He now sells some of his salmon to the college’s food service, Bon Appetit, which serves it to students several times each semester. Rich in vitamins and minerals, Rogotzke’s salmon nourishes students as much as the wilderness nourishes him. Rogotzke currently manages his own business, Simple Gifts Syrup and Salmon, which sells the salmon and maple syrup he catches and produces. |
