The Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission released its “Kuskokwim River Chinook and Chum Salmon Situation Report” on September 29, 2021.
This situation report documents the current Chinook and chum salmon disasters on the Kuskokwim River and its impacts on the 33 subsistence-dependent communities in its watershed. Our aim in this report is to communicate the magnitude of our subsistence salmon declines and articulate the critical need for new conservation-based and ecosystem- based management regimes, particularly in their marine environment. These catastrophic Chinook and chum salmon declines, threatening food, cultural, spiritual, and economic security in the Kuskokwim drainage, demand attention and immediate action by various federal and state agencies.
The first iteration of our report was sent to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in advance of their October 2021 meeting. KRITFC intends to continue developing this report to track how our salmon returns are affecting our Kuskokwim communities, as well as to encompass a suite of action requests of other fishery management entities.
Quyanaqvaa, Thank you very much to all those who made this possible, including and especially the Kuskokwim fishermen and women who provided honest testimonies of their experiences during this salmon disaster.