KRITFC Speaks at U.S. Senate Field Hearing on Salmon, Health, & Well-Being

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Last Friday, November 10, our Chair Jonathan Samuelson (Native Village of Georgetown) shared a testimony with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Tribal leaders, and members of the public on an Expert Witness panel for a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs field hearing in Bethel, titled “The Impact of the Historic Salmon Declines on the Health and Well-Being of Alaska Native Communities Along Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers.”

One of 7 panelists, Chair Samuelson spoke to the interrelated linkages between the health of Kuskokwim salmon populations and the physical, cultural, spiritual economic, and ecosystem health of our region. Without salmon, he said, our Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Dené values and protocols, especially those related to sharing salmon, are rupturing with huge impacts for community health and wellness. Additionally, Chair Samuelson shared the successes of KRITFC’s salmon co-stewardship work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as ways for it to grow, and emphasized the need for federal support for Tribal/Federal co-stewardship and Tribal representation in management.

Left: Jonathan Samuelson speaks on the field hearing panel (credit Nikki Pollock/KRITFC). Right: Nikki Pollock testifies on health impacts of salmon declines (credit Gabby Salgado/KYUK).

Our Operations Manager, Nikki Pollock, also provided public testimony about the health consequences our communities face directly related to salmon declines and the lack of protein, nutrients, and vitamins we normally receive from salmon. Our reliance on traditional foods – and especially on salmon – means we are at disproportionately higher risk for diet-related diseases than other Americans when we do no longer have access to them. KRITFC Commissioners Henry Hunter Sr. (Orutsararmiut Native Council) and Martin Andrew (Organized Village of Kwethluk) also testified, speaking to the need to address impacts of Area M fishery intercept of Kuskokwim and other Western and Interior Alaska chum salmon.

Quyana, Tsen’anh to Sen. Murkowski for holding this historic and important hearing in our region – in the homelands of our people and our fish – and to our partners at the Association of Village Council Presidents for working with the Committee’s staff to organize this event. We also thank the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation for hosting us in the hospital’s Gathering Place, and the KYUK News and Multimedia team for covering and broadcasting this hearing.

The hearing record is still open if you would like to provide comments to Sen. Murkowski and the Committee. Email them to testimony@indian.senate.gov by November 24 (two weeks after the hearing).