Advocating for the sustainable futures of Eastern Aleutian communities for generations to come.
Supporting THE EAST ALEUTIAN REGION FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
Alaskans have participated in the South Alaska Peninsula Salmon Fishery for generations. But recently, poor salmon runs have pitted communities against each other, with some claiming that the South Alaska Peninsula Salmon Fishery must be shut down to ensure the survival of other fisheries. However, the science doesn’t support this plan of action, and if fisheries close, thousands of Alaskans will lose their livelihoods.
ADVOCATE FOR THE FUTURE.
Recent data does not suggest that the South Alaska Peninsula Salmon Fishery is the primary or even secondary reason for poor chum returns to The Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) Region. Even so, fishermen took voluntary actions last season to minimize any potential for impact, small as it may be, on AYK chums.
Fishermen are committed to taking this issue seriously. Simply put: even if all South Alaska Peninsula Salmon Fishery activity ceased, it would not change the conservation or management outcomes in AYK.
RESEARCH, DATA & MEDIA
Alaska Department of Fish & Game scientists do not believe that catch of chums in the South Alaska Peninsula Salmon Fishery is a major contributor to AYK salmon declines.
According to ADF&G, poor marine smolt survival is likely linked to changing oceanic conditions and lack of available food–not the South Alaska Peninsula Salmon Fishery.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has findings that align with those of ADF&G, showing that several factors combined, due to warm water temperatures, likely contributed to poor AYK returns in recent years.
CONTACT THE EASTERN ALEUTIAN COALITION
Take a stand to protect the livelihoods of thousands of Alaskans.
“[Shutting down area M] is akin to a village being on fire and setting the next village on fire because that’s where the wind is coming from.”
— Nathan McCowan, president & chief executive of the village corporation for St. George in the Bering Sea
“We owe it to both the Area M fishery and the communities — many of them Native — that depend on it as well as the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim communities to work to find a good-faith solution.”
— Glen Gardner, Jr., president of Qagan Tayagungin Tribe; George Gundersen, president of Pauloff Harbor Tribe; and John A. Foster, Jr., president of Unga Tribal Council
“While the decline in AYK salmon stocks is scary and threatening, it makes no sense — not scientifically, not economically, not culturally — to shut down the Area M fishery in an effort to somehow “save” the fisheries in the AYK. To me, this action looks and feels diametrically opposed to our culture and values.”
— Lena (Aloysius) Hoblet serves as the Tribal Administrator for the Native Village of False Pass. She holds a BA in politics and government and a MA in education. She is an experienced ANCSA Corporation Board Member and community advocate.
