Kusko Fish News: August 24, 2018

Happy fall-time!

The summer of 2018 has been a summer of bounty for most people on the Kuskokwim. Many friends and neighbors have enjoyed the plentiful salmon season all along the river and the bumper crop of berries in the middle and lower river. A lot of people are thankful for more time to fish this summer, decent catches and a few stretches of good weather.

Peninsula Clarion: Roundtable discussion focuses on salmon sustainability, culture

Roundtable discussion focuses on salmon sustainability, culture

With participants from a broad swathe of the salmon spectrum, the Kenai River Sportfishing Association’s Classic Roundtable discussion Wednesday focused on new research and management tools to preserve troubled salmon returns in the state.

Click to view the video of the 2018 Classic Roundtable, the agenda, and the biographies of the keynote speaker and panelists.        

Kusko Fish News: July 16, 2018

The 2018 customary fishing season in the lower portion of the Kuskokwim is winding down for most fish camps.

While many families are waiting for the Silver Salmon (Coho) to arrive, the batches of Kings (Chinook), Chums and Reds (Sockeye) that were caught, cut, dried and smoked are either being put away for the winter, or are almost done and on the last few days in the smokehouse.

KUAC: Cottonwood Smoke, Fish Opener and The Polaris Project

Chairman for the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Nick Kameroff Jr. of Aniak told us a bit about his use of cottonwood smoking his fish and he detailed the federal waters Kuskokwim fish opener. Then Sue Natali and Darcy Peter were in the studio to talk about the ongoing Polaris project, which studies climate change while engaging graduate students in practical research in the field. There is a site 45 minutes north of Bethel that has been studied for several years.

KYUK: Kuskokwim Fishermen Request Additional Fishing Hours For Kasigluk Following Recent Deaths

Friday's gillnet opening in the lower Kuskokwim River may not be the last one. The Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group is recommending that the community of Kasigluk receive additional fishing hours this season after recent deaths limited the community’s ability to subsistence fish.

Alaska Native News: Alaskans Provide Testimony During Senate Subsistence Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs this week held an oversight hearing to focus on promoting traditional subsistence in Native communities through testimonies from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Indian tribes regarding tribal subsistence activities and federal regulatory structures or circumstances which impede these activities. During the hearing U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a member of the committee, introduced Alaskan Mary Sattler Peltola, Executive Director of the Kuskokwim Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, to testify in the hearing.

KYUK: Kalskag Negotiating New Subsistence Fishing Regulations With Kuskokwim Fishery Managers

How you fish on the Kuskokwim River depends on where you are. According to local fishermen, how you fish near Upper and Lower Kalskag is unlike anywhere else on the river. Fishermen in these communities claim that their unique situation requires unique fishing regulations and are meeting with tribal, federal, and state managers Tuesday, June 19 to negotiate a solution.

KYUK: With New Kuskokwim King Salmon Data Released, Bering Sea Bycatch Restrictions Come Under Review

New state data reveals that the number of king salmon returning to the Kuskokwim River has been inflated for decades. Now, the state is recommending that the body governing the Bering Sea pollock fishery adopt this new information.  If it does, restrictions on the fleet’s bycatch of king salmon could tighten, and a long-voiced demand from Kuskokwim residents could be met.

Coffee@KYUK: Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and ONC Summer Youth Employment Program

Follow the link to listen to the chat hosted by PETRA HARPAK & S. GRADY DEATON

Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Executive Director Mary Peltola and Employment, Training and Child Care Director Nicholai Joekay. Photo taken on May 30, 2018.

Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Executive Director Mary Peltola and Employment, Training and Child Care Director Nicholai Joekay. Photo taken on May 30, 2018.

KYUK: Kuskokwim Tribes Urge Feds To Take Over Lower River To Block Incidental King Harvest

The number of king salmon predicted to return to the Kuskokwim River this year has taken a dramatic drop. Two tribal groups and one private citizen don’t think the state is doing enough to conserve the kings, and they’ve each submitted paperwork requesting that federal managers immediately take over the lower river to restrict fishing.