http://www.thetundradrums.com/news/show/6548

Drawing lines in the water

ALEX DeMARBAN

July 09, 2009 at 10:13AM AKST

MARSHALL — Down the dirt road from the boarded-up processing plant, outside a house overlooking a Yukon River slough, Alexander Isaac sat in a chair, a cane hanging from his left arm.

Isaac, at least 88 and the oldest person in Marshall, shook his head as he spoke Yup’ik.

“He has only two fish in his freezer,” said Nick Andrew Jr., interpreting.

That’s far less than he’s ever had in late June.

“If no one gives him anything, he’ll have nothing,” Andrew said.

Andrew and several other men gave two king salmon to Isaac, after fishermen in six boats threw their nets into the water during a closed fishing period in late June.

They said they were protesting unprecedented king fishing restrictions on the lower Yukon. They told reporters they caught 100 kings and gave them to needy residents.

State wildlife troopers are investigating the claims and said they’ll bring charges if they’re true, which would likely bring a $200 fine.

Isaac said he was glad to have the fish.

“Quyana,” he said to Andrew, thanking him.

The fishermen did the right thing, Andrew said.

People in the village of 400 have been catching the smaller chum salmon, but many are worried it won’t last the winter. They’ve caught few of the larger, more nutritious king salmon that villagers have long depended on.

The restrictions are designed to protect the struggling king run.

In good years, about 250,000 kings returned to the river. In each of the past two years, about 160,000 have returned. Fishery managers are predicting this year will be just as bad, or worse.

Andrew blamed the powerful pollock fishing industry. Over the years, factory trawlers have inadvertently scooped up and wasted hundreds of thousands of king salmon on the Bering Sea.

In June, fishery managers closed king fishing for more than a week. When fishing has been allowed, it’s been reduced to two 18-hour periods weekly, half the time given last year. Also, fishermen must use small-mesh nets that target the smaller chums.

AVCP trip
The Association of Village Council Presidents, the Native regional nonprofit providing social services in Marshall and nearby villages, flew reporters to the area on June 30.

AVCP wanted the world to see that villagers aren’t getting enough fish, and that other factors, such as the struggling economy and high prices, is making life extremely difficult, said Timothy Andrew, the group’s natural resources director who grew up in Marshall.

The processing plant went silent in 2006, the victim of economics, the fishing restrictions, and because the local airport is too small for large cargo planes to land, said Andrew.

When it shut down, dozens of people lost their jobs, stores lost business and debts piled up.

“We used to operate 24-7,” said Andrew, chair of the village corporation that owns the facility. “We’d have trucks running, planes flying in and out. Now it’s June 30, but there’s no fishermen on the Yukon River and no economic base to operate this plant.”

Timothy’s brother, Nick, told reporters that the lower Yukon has been hit by the perfect storm.

Gas and heating fuel costs more than $6 a gallon. Spring flooding wiped out fish camps and damaged homes and buildings. Now, while subsistence fishing may be more important than ever, fishermen may not get enough fish to feed their families.

Meanwhile, pollock fishermen can toss aside thousands of kings each year, without facing a ticket.

“That’s the injustice,” Andrew said.

Marshall resident Jack George said he fished illegally with the group because people need kings. Now is the time to dry, smoke and put away fish, before the air turns moist with summer rain.

Was he worried that the illegal fishing could jeopardize the run?

More kings have already headed upriver than last year at this time, so there should be enough for everyone, he said.

“I believe I did right,” he said. “I helped elders and widows and disabled and several other community members.”

King dependence
King salmon has long been the staple food along the lower Yukon, one of the nation’s poorest regions, with many large families often putting away 100 or so kings a year.

For the first time, many will rely almost exclusively on the chums, they said.
Some even had trouble finding those.

In his smokehouse along the water, Andy Boots pointed to about 15 chum steaks that hung from willow poles.

“No kings here,” he said.

He’s put away six kings this year. He normally gets 75 or 80, but doesn’t expect to come close to that.

“This year’s the hardest of all the years,” he said.

In another smokehouse, two women wore long plastic gloves and big trash bags over their clothes. They sliced open chum salmon with a crescent-shaped ulu knife, then hung them on racks overhead to dry, like they were ties at a fancy clothing store.

The fish had been caught during a subsistence opener two days earlier.

Clara Shorty slung a notched salmon over her forearm and took a break.

“Normally, this would be full of kings,” she said.

The chums may not last the year, she said.

“Kings are our staple because they are richer. You get the most nutrients from the kings,” said Shorty.

On the riverbank outside the smokehouse, Fedusia Shorty, 79, sat on an overturned bucket next to another elderly woman.

She spoke in Yup’ik and made an OK sign with her hand to show the king salmon she had for the year.

Just three, another gift from the law-breaking fishermen.

She said it was the first time the village has ever had to rely on chums.

Nancy Oney, 52, stood nearby.

“I’m mad because I have no fish in my fish rack,” she said.

When the river ice melted this spring, she said floodwaters washed away her house and destroyed her smokehouse. Her husband has a swollen leg caused by gout, and her children have been working to repair the damage.

There was a sadness in her eyes as she looked at the water.

“We’re a family of 12 plus a newborn. No public assistance and we have no dried fish. We got three kings and no chums.”

She added: “I’m scared for winter.”

Another Story on the same topic.

http://deltadiscovery.com/villagetelegraph...etelegraph.html

Big Trouble on the big river

7-9-09

by Tommy Wells

Nick P. Andrew Jr. didn’t mince words Wednesday when reporters and television crews arrived in the tiny village of Marshall to cover a small fishing party’s violation of a Yukon River king salmon fishing ban.
The true story, he said, wasn’t what the fishermen did by catching approximately 100 salmon and distributing them to the elderly disabled and widowed members of the village. It’s why they felt fishermen in six boats needed to.
The need to eat and get ready for what could be a tough winter.
“We (the people living on the Yukon) have been hit with what is a perfect storm,” Andrew said. “The economy is down, the floods hit and now the salmon closure. There are few jobs. There’s little money and now we can’t fish. The dilemma we are facing is, we’re trying to harvest our food supply for winter and so far we’ve only been allowed one opportunity to get the food we will need to get through the winter.”
To be sure, he said, hard times are ahead – maybe even harder than last winter – if they aren’t allowed to fish very soon.
“Everyone suffers when the fishing is closed. That’s the bread and butter out here,” he said. “It (fishing for kings) is a way to get cash that can then be used to buy food, clothing and supplies for the next year. If that is gone, it’s going to affect everyone.”
That – in addition to providing fish for the villages’ needy – is what the fishermen that slipped into the boats onto the river last Friday night wanted to highlight.
“According to the state, that was a crime,” said Andrew, the 46-year-old executive director of the Marshall-based Ohogamiut Traditional Council. “There were a lot of them that went out to make a statement, to get a message to the (Gov. Sarah ) Palin Administration that we need to feed our families, our people and those who can’t provide for themselves.”
“We have to eat and survive,” he added. “It wasn’t, in my opinion, an act of civil disobedience. It was an act of desperation.”
The Marshall protest comes on the heels of an Alakanuk elder who was ticketed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife troopers for subsistence fishing.
On June 12, 2009, John Chikigak, 65, was given a ticket for $275 for fishing during the closure of subsistence fishing on the Yukon River.
“I was just trying to feed my family,” said Chikigak. “My wife is 75-years-old, and I am 65. We support three of our grandkids, and we don’t have jobs. We need our dried fish,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, I just want to feed my wife and grandkids,” he said.
Jim Valcarce, a Bethel lawyer, has taken up Chikigak’s case and had vowed to help anyone – at no cost –who has been ticketed for subsistence fishing.
“We all know that any problems with a lack of fish on the Yukon is not due to locals trying to feed their family,” said Valcarce.
“It’s a basic, fundamental right to eat, and I’m proud to represent Mr. Chikigak, who I consider a true hero.”
Chikigak’s ticketing and the Marshall’s protest have brought light to a tough situation for residents of the Yukon River. Many residents say the subsistence fishing closure for kings could have a dramatic impact in the future in a region of the state where there are few jobs, and money is often scarce.
A fact made even worse by the economical difficulties in the United States.
“It’s really hard for everyone,” said Karen Thompson, the assistant administrator of the Pitka’s Point Traditional Council. “Some families are just making ends meet.”
In Marshall, one of the tiny village of 400’s main employers, a fish processing plant closed two years ago due to state regulations on the number of salmon that can be harvested. The plant employed 15-20 people per shift and gave residents an avenue to purchase food items from the local store.
“That was a big loss to the community,” said Tim Andrew, the Association of Village Council Presidents’ Director of Natural Resources. “There are limited employment opportunities in the villages. Most of the villages are cash-strapped, so the ramifications of the salmon closure are even tougher. People have less money for fuel and heating oil, plus they become delinquent of their financial obligations. A times, there are some who have to choose between food or heating their homes.”
Adding to the cost is the high price of fuel in the villages. Gasoline, which is used to power the outboard motors on the fishing boats, sells for approximately $6.29 per gallon in the villages.
To buy gas to fish for food, choices have to be made, Andrew said.
The situation is similar in many of the other villages in the Lower Yukon Delta.
“Here, we kind of have our hands tied behind our back,” said Thompson. “Even if the council told us to do something, we don’t have any money to do anything. It’s been really hard, and now this.”
Area residents have been stepping up their catches of chum salmon as a way to meet their winter needs. Chum is a less desirable salmon that is often used for dog food by many villagers.
“We have been catching more chum to make sure we at least have something,” said Jack George. “But the kings are what we depend on. They have been what we have depended on for hundreds of years.”
Marshall’s protest did raise the ire of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, which banned subsistence fishing due to poor return predictions. ADF&G officials said they were investigating the situation in Marshall.
“If in fact a protest fisher did occur, I am very disappointed,” said Colonel Gary Folger, the director of the wildlife troopers. “We will conduct an investigation and if it discloses criminal behavior occurred, we will present our findings to the district attorney’s office for review.”
The penalty for civil disobedience would be a misdemeanor which can carry a fine as high as $5,000 and/or one year in jail. The state could also seize equipment used in the fishing effort.
Despite the action, Marshall’s decision to fish generated a positive response from other villages on the Yukon. In fact, many supported the effort, including the AVCP, which represents 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
“Other villages that need king salmon should do the same thing,” AVCP President Myron Naneng was quoted as saying.
“The people are not upset,” said Thompson. “They are surprised they did it. Some of the people have called them brave.”
“They shouldn’t be condemned for what they did,” said William Riley, Jr. “I’ve been tempted to do it. They did what they had to do for their people, their families.”
What has raised the concern of fisherman up and down the Yukon is the federal government’s role in a salmon treaty with Canada, and the pollock fishing industry that is granted large by-catch numbers in the Bering Sea.
“The point I understand is the state says these fish belong to the Canadians, and the pollock trawlers can catch so many of them, but we don’t get any,” said Riley, who has harvested kings with his wife, Betty, for more than 30 years. “I don’t understand how our government can say they should get them when we don’t have any.”
“We’re getting double jeopardy,” he said. “We’re caught in the middle of the Canadians and the trawlers It’s like we’re back to living in a Third World country again.”
The Bering Sea pollock fleet catches thousands of king salmon a year as a by-product of their fishing operations. These fish – which can be as many at 120,000 in 2007 – are waste.
In April, the North Pacific Management Council implemented an unprecedented cap on the number of salmon the fleet can waste. That council also voted to create a first-ever cap on wasted salmon in 2011.
As for Canada’s claim to the kings, the state is required to deliver 45,000 Chinook through the Yukon via a treaty that was signed in 2001.
By limiting subsistence fishing on the Yukon, ADF&G officials hoped to make it possible for the first pulse of kings to safely make their way up the river. By doing that, state officials said, the escapement goals for the state and the fish bound for Canada would be met. Reports from ADF&G states that there are over 79,000 kings that have passed the sonar at Pilot Station.
The state has fallen short of the 45,000 goal for Canada in each of the past two years – a fact that played a key role in the state’s decision to halt commercial and limit subsistence fishing.
Riley said normally he and his wife catch approximately 180 kings a season for subsistence needs. This year, the two have put up less than 70 – for two families.
Riley said the two families – 14 people – who share his fish rack this year have harvested mostly chum.
“We’re doing it because we have no other choice,” he said. “I guess we’re going to get used to eating chum this winter.”
“We are struggling out here to get ready for winter,” said Emmonak Tribal Council President Marvin Kelly, noting many in the Emmonak were still struggling to overcome flooding. “People are crying for help.”
Andrew said it is a cry the state is missing.
“There is something wrong with this society when the law enforcement officials cite and confiscate the harvest of salmon from a 65-year-old man from Alakanuk trying to prepare to feed his family for the winter. Additionally, the six boats that participated in a tribally authorized and sanctioned fisher for the benefit of elders, windows and the less fortunate are under the scrutiny for possible legal action,” Andrew wrote while sending an AVCP-backed request that the state to open unrestricted mesh size subsistence Chinook fishing opportunities. “Meanwhile, the continued waste of precious Chinook salmon is occurring in the Bering Sea Pollock Trawl Fishery without citations or force of law.”
According to state figures, the pollock fleet wasted 437,157 Chinook from 2001 to 2007.
The situation on the Yukon River have led to claims that the state and federal governments have not done enough to help the residents of the Lower Yukon, and are actually placing the people, and the future of the villages in the area, in danger.
We have to eat,” said Marshall fisherman Andy Boots. “It’s not something we cannot do. We have to catch fish to eat, and we have to teach the next generation how to catch them. It’s Mother Nature that has taken care of us for centuries, not the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.”
“It’s hard right now,” said commercial fisherman Dewayne Cooper. “The restrictions make it more difficult to get the fish we need. We’re being regulated by the ADF&G state troopers who say we can’t fish. It’s like living in Anchorage and going to Carrs and having a state trooper tell you that you can’t go in and get food for your family.”
“That is where we are at,” he added.
Some in the state have called for the state and federal government to halt pollock operations in the Bering Sea as a way to ensure the Chinook stocks recover. The number of salmon not killed as bycatch would greatly help the salmon returns in the Lower Y-K and Norton Sound regions.
“I believe the state should close the commercial pollock industry,” said Cooper. “They have closed it before because of the sea lion. Now it’s endangering our lifestyle. Surely we are as important to the government as the sea lion?”
“I hope the light comes on pretty quickly,” he added.

I feel for these people. It sucks that an entire way of life will be risked, not to mention the lives themselves, because of industrialized fishing to feed those that can afford to buy different types of fish. Personally, I do eat a lot of fish, but it is usually Tilapia, cat or trout. I.E. farm raised fish. I see this as being no different that a commercial farm taking the land of small landowners that rely on that land to grow crops for their survival. Something should be done about this. Long John Silvers can get their fish some place else. (yes, most of their fish is pollock). I suggest boycotting the customers of these commercial fisheries. You know better who they are. List them and I will boycott them and recommend to all my friends to do so also. No customers, no reason to fish.

Real quickie.... What was Palin casting nets for the other day?

King Salmon in the Bristol Bay.

Interesting story,

Being so far inland, I have never really understood the ocean or seas being a major food source.

I have never been a part of a fishing community.

Thanks for sharing this,

One of these days, I will venture to Alaska and be sparing with what ever I take from nature, (if any at all)



Just curious, is this the same region you are from?

Alaska is big, unless the area it's self was significant to you, or unless you are from a fishing community, I am not sure why you would post this.

Irrelevant of why it was posted, I am glad you did.

No one can blame me.

I eat very little fish,

My meat diet revolves around beef, pork and chicken.

Although, my son eats enough fried shrimp to feed a Orca.

Crawdad's are a delicacy to us both and only a rare occasion thing, which I will only eat when prepared in a coonass fashion. mmm cajun..... The only water dwelling animal I can think of that I will go out of my way to consume is crawdad.

But I hardley, very very rarely eat any salt water fish or crustacean. The rest of my family eats a lot of snow crab and samon though.

I am kind of a beef and mash patatoes guy,




Hey James...

There are plenty of cows to eat in Alaska right??











I didn't realize that was fish any way. I though it was grown produce full of steroids, mercury, and silicone.

I buy lots of shrimp for the boy, but only on the rare occasion do I prepare fish, and that is typically when I caught it my self. (fresh water)

Justin,

You are welcome! The Yukon River is just 70 miles North of us and I have many friends and some family on the River. The people are also Yupik Eskimo and I just thought it would be an interesting read for others.



Yes there are(Moose)!

You are missing out!

I cannot eat salmon from the store makes me sick. I have eaten pickled salmon sent to me by friends from Alaska and its great does not bother me at all.

I feel for these ppl if your guys game counts are anything like ours then they are about as valid as a 3 dollar bill.