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King Salmon Restrictions Cause TensionRelated Content
ANCHORAGE - King salmon fishing is being restricted all across the state and that is causing tensions to rise in some areas. Things got particularly hot along the Kuskokwim river two weeks ago after biologists extended a seven-day ban on subsistence king fishing into 12 days. On June 20, protesting fishermen illegally put their nets in the water and forced a confrontation with troopers. “We wrote 28 citations, we seized 21 nets and probably 11 hundred pounds worth of salmon during that protest fishery,“ said Bethel Fish and Wildlife Trooper Ken Acton. The number of people who participated in the protest was low but many people in the region say they support the message the fishermen were trying to send. “I think it is wrong for us not to be able to fish for our Kings because that’s what me and my family mostly eat is dried King Salmon,” said Phillip Ahillikbrik. Ahillikbrik says as an Alaska Native, he has depended on the fishery for generations. He resents state biologists putting restrictions on the catch. But biologists say they have no choice if the king runs are to continue into the future. They are keeping a close eye on the fish count all along the Kuskokwim, hoping that enough fish will escape fishermen’s nets and make it to their spawning grounds upriver. |
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1sayeroftruth said on Monday, Jul 2 at 6:40 PM
And taking something from people who already have nothing makes a great deal of sense.Big government needs to go after people like the operators of long liners.Leave the people who need the fish for survival alone. If My wife or children are going to go hungry no government is going to stop me from feeding them. It is time for a change for the people for once.
95326891ourjungle said on Monday, Jul 2 at 8:30 PM
I have tried to get the past three Alaska Governorships off their duffs,to deal with the decling king salmon returns through out Alaska,and in particular at the Interior Alaska Rivers.My suggestion was to transplant salmon smolt purchased from a Alaska Hatchery,and transplant these to small rivers,and sloughs near the Inerior villages. This would solve the subsistance problem,and allow more to escape to Canada. Got a lot of push back from Fish & Game,that this type of salmon enhancement would weaken the wild salmon gene pool...this answer always struck me wierdly...as the supposed strong gene pool was not returning?? My understanding is that if King salmon,Chum smolt were added to the Interior rivers every third year,any gene pool change would not be noticable...the "highly entrenched" Fish & Game scientist are still resisting...all of their years of studies did not put one salmon of the table.
95332251way cool said on Monday, Jul 2 at 9:37 PM
Yes my first thought with declining salmon is. heck with the future, I want to feed my dogs for free but say I'm eating it, 2 kill off all the kings left then blame Pebble mine or who ever, wasn't over fishing, 3 say I have been doing this for decades and I don't care about the future I will be dead anyhow.
95334976justwondering said on Tuesday, Jul 3 at 3:06 PM
What happened to the 1,100 pounds of fish that was seized? Hopefully it was given to feed somebody that was hungry.
95396416Anonymous said on Thursday, Jul 12 at 9:35 AM
Their fish count was inaccurate due to high water level, and they didn't have the weirs up to count fish due to high water. But hey more fish in 3 years, "God provides the fish".
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