Akiak

YourAlaskaLink.com: Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Holds Annual Forum, Bethel

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.

KYUK: Kuskokwim Tribes Commit To King Salmon Conservation This Summer

On the Kuskokwim River, it’s not an easy decision to travel during breakup. There are chores to be done to prepare for summer, and flooding is a constant risk that keeps people close to their homes, standing guard. But on Monday and Tuesday, a group traveled to Bethel from nearly every village along the river to discuss how to protect the fish that swim by.

Thirty-three tribes live along the Kuskokwim and share all the fish within it. Four years ago, the tribes came together to form the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. It was a historic agreement that allowed tribes to co-manage the Lower Kuskokwim salmon under federal jurisdiction alongside federal managers at the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

KYUK: Building community fish harvest monitors to create ‘change on the Kusko’

Increased control over natural resources, like fish, is a top priority for Kuskokwim tribes. One way to move in that direction is through collecting harvest data during fishing season, which helps with the difficult job of in-season management.

KYUK: Kuskokwim Residents Tell The Feds What They Want For Salmon Management

Conservation and stock rebuilding will once again be the path forward this summer for salmon management, with managers making decisions during the season, based on how many fish show up.  

KUAC: Feds, Intertribal Group OK Comanagement Agreement for Kuskokwim River King Salmon

Mike Williams heads a western Alaska Native organization, and he says last month’s historic agreement with federal fish and wildlife regulators will ensure there’ll be enough king salmon for subsistence users on the Kuskokwim River now and in the future.

“I’m really excited … to work formally with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission, to make sure that our people have enough to eat,” he said.

KYUK: KRITFC Signs an MOU With USFWS

The Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission signed a historic memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agreement is the first formalization of co-management between the Alaska tribes along the Kuskokwim River and the federal government.