There are many theories about why salmon runs are crashing in the Y-K Delta. One of them: 'They’re being slaughtered out at sea,” said subsistence fisherman Fritz Charles. He and others are concerned about one part of Alaska waters in particular: Area M.
July 12, 2022
Kuskokwim fisherman Fritz Charles grew up in Tuntutuliak, on the lower river. There were so many fish then that his parents would put away literal barrels of them. His job as a child was to pack the dry fish tight in the barrels using a special method. Chinook runs have been low in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region for a long time. And chum runs had been faltering as well, but they were still dependable until 2021.
In June, oceangoing vessels there scoop up fish bound for coastal western Alaska. The fishermen primarily target sockeye, but they also catch and sell chum and chinook salmon. Area M fishing is different from bycatch, where commercial fishermen targeting non-salmon species discard incidental salmon catches. The battle over Area M heated up after the chum crashes began.
“I’m fishing in the Ilnik section, near Stroganoff Point. Today looks like the sun’s out,” said Kusnetsov. “They came to Alaska mostly because it was a lot like Russia. A lot of culture and heritage is still very Russian here. They felt connected to that. And they were looking for a similar climate to grow traditional foods and someplace with the ability to live off the land,” said Kusnetsov.
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