Kuskokwim River Mainstem Fishing Opportunities

Kuskokwim River Mainstem Fishing Opportunities

Pursuant to authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) Manager, as In-Season Manager, hereby announces five gillnet fishing opportunities for Federally qualified subsistence users within the Federal waters of the YDNWR in the Kuskokwim River mainstem.

Kuskokwim Temporary Special Action: Federal Waters Closed to Gillnets and Chinook, Chum, and Coho Harvests

Kuskokwim Temporary Special Action: Federal Waters Closed to Gillnets and Chinook, Chum, and Coho Harvests

The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) Manager determined that Federal management is necessary for the conservation and the continuation of subsistence uses for Chinook, Chum, and Coho Salmon within the Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage.

Public Hearing for 2024 Federal Salmon Management Announced

Public Hearing for 2024 Federal Salmon Management Announced

The Fisheries Manager at the at Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR), in coordination with the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (KRITFC), proposes to close Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage to the harvest of Chinook, Chum, and Coho Salmon by all users starting June 1, 2024. A public hearing to receive testimony on the proposed special action is scheduled for May 15, 2024.

2024 Annual Meeting Recap

2024 Annual Meeting Recap

On April 2, 3, and 4, Commissioners from 18 of our Member Tribes gathered in Anchorage for our 2024 Annual Meeting and elections. It was powerful and good to meet after the long winter, as it is every year, and to discuss how we can work together in the upcoming year to restore our salmon and our traditional ways of life.

Victory for Subsistence Fishing Rights: US v. Alaska ruling

Victory for Subsistence Fishing Rights: US v. Alaska ruling

On Friday, March 29, 2024, the Federal District Court for the District Court of Alaska took an important step forward in protecting Alaska Native and rural Alaskan subsistence rights by ruling in favor of the United States, KRITFC, and other Alaska Native subsistence rights advocates by rejecting the State of Alaska’s attack on federally-protected subsistence rights. The federal court permanently enjoined the State of Alaska from repeating its recent unlawful actions on the Kuskokwim River.

2023 NOAA Arctic Report Card Features Western Alaska Salmon Crisis

2023 NOAA Arctic Report Card Features Western Alaska Salmon Crisis

The collapses of Western Alaska salmon runs have been among the most consequential climate change impacts in the rapidly warming Arctic over the past two years, according to an annual report assembled by a federal agency.

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

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

Last Friday, November 10, KRITFC shared testimonies 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."