Nelly & Michael Hand

Nelly & Michael Hand, a husband and wife team of fisherfolk, are the founders of Drifters Fish bringing sustainably harvested salmon from the sea, to your table.

Nelly grew up in a fishing family and spent summers throughout high school and college working on the family boat in Alaska. Her love for a good meal and the story behind it has inspired her to continue living and working close to wild fisheries. Off the water, you can usually find her outside foraging for wild foods or exploring new places in their Volkswagen van. 

Michael began commercial fishing in 2006 as a crew member on his cousin’s fishing boat. This experience on the water led him to a gillnetting season on his very own boat in 2012. After meeting Nelly, he began spending time between fishing seasons adventuring around the globe with her. These days when he’s not on the boat, you can usually find him working on VW vans or camping somewhere in the mountains.