By Maria Athens
Credit: Brittany Retherford/KRITFC
Anchorage, AK – Almost every village situated along the Kuskokwim River ventured to Bethel during breakup season this week, to participate in this year’s Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, to examine how to protect its fish population.
Thirty-three tribes reside along the Kuskokwim River and share its fish, who formed the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission four years ago.
The Commission is a historic agreement that authorizes tribes to co-manage Lower Kuskokwim salmon under federal regulations, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This year, a low amount of king salmon have been forecasted from the Kuskokwim River; this year’s forum focused on how to best handle the upcoming season, with a commitment to conservation, that was held at the Bethel Cultural Center.
(Source: KYUK)