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.
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.
We are launching a drone educational program to provide training for local Kuskokwim community members to obtain a commercial drone license for fisheries research purposes.
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.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are hosting in-region and virtual Tribal Consultations in Bethel (October 5), Nome (October 6), and Fairbanks (October 7) to consult with Tribes and subsistence users on fisheries protections, restoration, and subsistence policy.
From KYUK: On Dec. 8 and 9, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young held a Zoom meeting between salmon researchers, tribes, and managers. Their goal was to unite these groups’ efforts to determine the cause of the ongoing Chinook declines and the sudden chum crash in Western Alaska. After two days of meetings, the groups are still at odds over what’s causing the declines, and what the best way to move forward is.
The National Marine Fisheries Service with NOAA Alaska Region is hosting two engagement sessions with Alaska Native Tribal governments, organizations, and corporations regarding halibut (November 29) and salmon bycatch (January 11) in Alaska marine fisheries. These engagement sessions are NMFS’s response to dozens of public testimonies about bycatch during the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in October 2021. Any Alaska Native entity is invited to call in.
