by Jill KleinThe Yukon River Panel has met two

times since the Yukon River Agreement hasbeen signed. The first meeting took place inAnchorage last fall and the past meeting justtook place this spring in Whitehorse. Inorder to communicate the importance of theYukon River salmon agreement to local fish-ers living in communities of the YukonRiver, the Panel has created a communica-tions committee and work plan.

1. Purpose of the Communications Strategy• To guide the Panel’s communication initia-

tives that will be directed to encouragingeffective participation of Yukoners andAlaskans in all aspects of the Panel’saffairs, and to helping the Panel achieve itsobjectives with the various agencies andinterests that affect the use and conserva-tion of Yukon River Salmon stocks andtheir habitats.

2. Communication Objectives• Explain the origin, purpose and scope of

the USA-Canada Agreement on YukonRiver salmon stocks as a distinct part ofthe Pacific Salmon Treaty

• Communicate how Yukoners and Alaskanscan participate and benefit from theAgreement

• Foster communication amongst Yukonersand Alaskans involved in or affected byYukon River fisheries

• Explain what the objectives and prioritiesof the Restoration & Enhancement (R&E)Fund and how communities can use andbenefit from the Restoration &Enhancement (R&E) fund.

• Share knowledge of Yukon River salmonstocks, habitats and fisheries

• Encourage the development of effectivestewardship initiatives in Yukon Rivercommunities

• Develop effective communication ‘bridges’with industries having an effect on thehabitat of Yukon River salmon stocks

• Educate the public at large on how theycan participate in the Panel’s activities

• Improve communications within thePanel, between the Panel and the manage-ment agencies, and private contractorsparticipating in the management of YukonRiver stocks and habitats

• Support communication from by the Panelas an institution with the Parties to theTreaty and others that effect conservationof Yukon River salmon stocks beyond thedrainage (ex. near and offshore)

Please look forward to the publication of informational materials that will explainthe details of the Yukon River Agreement,the Yukon River Panel, the Joint TechnicalFund, and the Restoration andEnhancement Fund. m

Yukon FisheriesNews

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDAnchorage, AK

Permit #648

m A Publication of the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association WINTER 2002

YUKON RIVER

DRAINAGE

FISHERIES ASSOCIATION

A United Voice for

Downriver and Upriver

Fishermen.

Yukon River Panel Up and Running

Yukon River Panel Members at U.S./CanadaAgreement Signing Ceremony

Inside this issue…

Yukon River Panel Up and Running ..1

Members, Directors & Staff listings ....2

Federal Subsistence Board Adopts New Regulations For Customary Trade of Fish........................................3

Customary Trade Regulations ............3

YRDFA Hosts Traditional EcologicalKnowledge Workshop ........................4

New Staff Members ............................6

2002 Educational Exchange Trip to Emmonak ................................7

The Role of the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association ..........8

Yukon River Fisheries 2002 Chinook Season Summary ..................8

Yukon River Fisheries 2002 Fall Season Summary ........................10

Yukon River Salmon Fisheries 2002 Season Summary ......................12

Yukon Fisheries News Winter 2 0 0 2 w w w. y u k o n s a l m o n . org22

Yukon Fisheries News is published byThe Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association

725 Christensen Drive, Suite 3-BAnchorage, AK 99501

Phone: (907) 272-3141 / Fax: (907) 272-3142TOLL-FREE 1-877-99-YUKON (98566)

Board of Directors

DISTRICT / SEAT # REPRESENTATIVECoastal / Seat 1 Lester WildeY-1 / Seat 1 Ragnar AlstromY-1 / Seat 2 Robert OkitkunY-1 / Seat 3 John LamontY-2 / Seat 1 Gabe EvanY-2 / Seat 2 Matthew Waskey Sr.Y-2 / Seat 3 William AlstromY-3 / Seat 1 Angela DemientieffY-4 / Seat 1 Gilbert HuntingtonY-4 / Seat 2 Richard BurnhamY-5 / Seat 1 Bill FlirisY-5 / Seat 2 Henry WiehlY-6 / Seat 1 Philip TitusY-6 / Seat 2 Victor LordKoyukuk River, Seat 1 Stanley NedYukon Flats/5-D, Seat 1 Clifford Luke

Employee Directory

Lifetime MembersAssociate Members

JILL KLEIN, Executive Director

JOE SULLIVAN, Program Director

EVA GAGE, Grants Administrator

CATHERINE MONCRIEFF, TEK Project Manager

MIKE MCDOUGALL, Fisheries Biologist

ERIN MCLARNON, Communications &Information Coordinator

DION CLARK, TEK Intern

Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association

Maserculiq Fish Processors

Interior Alaska Fish Company

Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association

Yupiit of Andreafski Tribal Council

Alakanuk Native Corporation

AlakanukMax Agayar*Richard P. AgayarAxel W. Alstrom*Frank T. Alstrom, Jr.*Grace C. Alstrom*Latrell AlstromRagnar AlstromRobert S. Alstrom*Johm AyunerakSifton B. Bob*Joe Buster*Louis T. Chikigak*Clifford Damian*Jonathan Damian*Lawrence T. Edmund*John A. Hanson*Kevin A. Joseph*Raymond T. Joseph*Wilfred Joseph*John LamontJohn H. Lamont IIILorraine Murphy*Edward Phillip*Charles C. SmithEmmanuel P. Stanislaus*

AnchorageLarry Lujan

AnvikStephen L. HillRonald Kruger, Sr.

BethelTimothy C. Andrew

FairbanksDonald Robert Moore

Fort YukonRichard Carroll II

GalenaSidney Huntington

GraylingShirley ClarkCarl Walker

Holy CrossMike S. Peters

KaltagRichard BurnhamDarlene Sweat

KotlikPeter Elachik***Rudolph Hootch***Clement Matthias***Joseph P. Mike***Martin P. Okitkun, Sr.*** Robert Okitkun***Michael Prince***Billy Teeluk***

Victor Tonuchuk***Aloysius Unok***Aloysius Wasuli***George Williams***

Manley Hot SpringsLinda JohnsonSteve O’Brien

MarshallAndy BootsAlo CoffeeDavid C. FitkaAndrew P. Tony

Mtn. VillageThomas C. BarclayFred P. BeansRobert BeansMatthew Waskey, Sr.Harry Wilde, Sr.

NulatoVictor Nicholas

Pilot StationJohn Joe EvanAndrew N. Makaily, Jr.Andrew N. Makaily, III

RamparTGeorgianna LincolnDenise C. Newman

RubyFlorence L. EsmailkaHarold Esmailka

St. Mary’sWilliam F. AlstromFrancis BeansErnie ChaseThomas Elia**Gabe EvanLillian JohnsonYupiit of Andreafski

TananaFrank CarruthersLester ErhartBill FlirisStan Zuray

TokBronk JorgensenThor Jorgensen

WasillaErnie Chase

OtherRobert Gibson

* sponsored by Alakanuk Native Corp.** sponsored by Nerkilikmute Native Corp.

*** sponsored by Kotlik Yupik Corp.

w w w. y u k o n s a l m o n . org Winter 2002 Yukon Fisheries News 3

Anchorage —- The Federal Subsistence Board adopted newregulations today clarifying customary trade practices of subsis-tence-caught fish, their parts, and their eggs. The Board’s finalrule sets enforceable regulations that protect the traditional prac-tices of customary trade of subsistence-harvested fish, butreduces the potential for commercializing those fish by prohibit-ing customary trade with any business or re-sale by nonruralindividuals. The new regulations allow customary trade transac-tions between rural subsistence users to continue but limitstransactions between rural residents and others in that the fishsold must be used for personal or family consumption.

Federal Subsistence Board Chairman Mitch Demientieff saidthe Board’s goal is “protecting the resource, to preserve tradition-al customary trade practices, while preventing abuse.”Demientieff emphasized the revised language is a starting pointand the Board plans to address the region-specific concerns fromthe Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils through theannual regulatory process.

Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands ConservationAct [ANILCA], protects subsistence uses for rural Alaskans,including barter, sharing, and customary trade of fish and

wildlife. When the Federal Subsistence Management Programexpanded to include subsistence fisheries on Federal publiclands in Alaska in 1999, Federal regulations were adopted in anattempt to accommodate ongoing customary trade practices. Therevised language replaces the term “significant commercial enter-prise” in existing regulations, which the Board felt was unclearand hampered effective law enforcement. The Board establisheda task force and undertook an extensive public process to assistin clarifing the regulatory language for customary trade. TheBoard received numerous comments and recommendations fromthe customary trade task force, 10 Federal Subsistence RegionalAdvisory Councils, public, Tribal organizations, and Federal andState agencies.

For more information, please contact Pete Probasco at theOffice of Subsistence Management, (800) 478-1456 or (907)786-3375, write the Office of Subsistence Management, 3601 CStreet, Suite 1030, Anchorage, Alaska 99503 or electronically atsubsistence@fws.gov. TTY users may call through the FederalRelay Service (800) 877-8339. Please visit our website,http://alaska.fws.gov/asm/home.html.- FSB -

News Release

For immediate release: January 16, 2003Contact: Barbara Massey (800)478-1456 or (907)786-3392E-mail: barbara_massey@fws.gov

FEDERAL SUBSISTENCE BOARD ADOPTS NEW REGULATIONSFOR CUSTOMARY TRADE OF FISH

The Customary Trade Regulations read asfollows:

(11) Transactions Between RuralResidents. Rural residents may exchange incustomary trade subsistence-harvested fish,their parts, or their eggs, legally taken underthe regulations in this part, for cash from otherrural residents. The Board may recognizeregional differences and define customary tradedifferently for separate regions of the State.

(12) Transactions Between a RuralResident and Others. In customary trade, arural resident may trade fish, their parts, ortheir eggs, legally taken under the regulationsin this part, for cash from individuals otherthan rural residents if the individual who pur-chases the fish, their parts, or their eggs uses

Customary Trade Regulationsthem for personal or family consumption. Ifyou are not a rural resident, you may not sellfish, their parts, or their eggs taken under theregulations in this part. The Board may recog-nize regional differences and define customarytrade differently for separate regions of theState.

(13) No Sale to, nor Purchase By, FisheriesBusinesses. (i) You may not sell fish, theirparts, or their eggs taken under the regulationsin this part to any individual, business, ororganization required to be licensed as a fish-eries business under Alaska Statute, AS43.75.011 or to any other business as definedunder Alaska Statute 43.70.110(1) as part ofits business transactions.

(ii) If you are required to be licensed as a

fisheries business under Alaska Statute, AS43.75.011 or are a business as defined underAlaska Statute 43.70.110(1), you may notpurchase, receive, or sell fish, their parts, ortheir eggs taken under the regulations in thispart as part of your business transactions. m

Yukon Fisheries News Winter 2002 w w w. y u ko n s a l m o n . org44

By Catherine Moncrieff &Henry Huntington

The topic of traditional ecologicalknowledge, or TEK, has received increasingattention in recent years. More and morepeople have come to appreciate the depth ofexperience, information, understanding, andknowledge held by those who live close totheir environment and depend on itsresources for their way of life. How thisinformation can be used to improve man-agement, however, remains a challenge. Totry to address this question in relation tosalmon, the Yukon River Drainage FisheriesAssociation (YRDFA) held a workshopwith the goal:

To develop constructive approaches toutilizing Traditional EcologicalKnowledge with regard to sustainingsalmon harvests in the 21st Century.

The workshop was held January 16thand 17th in Anchorage at the Sheraton.There were approximately 50 people inattendance both days. The Yukon Rivercommunities, fishing districts and tribal gov-ernments were well represented with 21 peo-ple arriving from all over the Yukon River.The Federal and State agencies were alsowell represented with 20 people from variousfunding, managing and related offices.

The workshop began with presentationson three projects that have documentedTEK about salmon or other fish. CatherineMoncrieff of YRDFA described a project in the lower and middle Yukon River. Shealso showed the video produced as part ofthe project. The project was successful inbuilding relationships with the fishing com-munities and in returning the product of the video, which can be used in schools and shown in other communities as well.Less successful was the attempt to buildcapacity for doing this sort of project in the communities.

YRDFA Hosts Traditional EcologicalKnowledge Workshop

Dave Anderson, formerly of theSubsistence Division of the AlaskaDepartment of Fish and Game, described aproject on whitefish and beaver in theYukon Flats. The project documented Nativenames for various species, along with theways people place different species ingroups. The project also looked at whitefishlife history, population status, fishing strate-gies, and interactions with beavers. Climatechange and social changes (such as thedecline in beaver trapping) were identifiedas significant factors in changing the white-fish populations and distribution in the area.

Bill Simeone of the Subsistence Divisionof the Alaska Department of Fish and Gamepresented the results of a project on tradi-tional knowledge of salmon fishing practicesof the Ahtna of Copper River. The study doc-umented information about salmon ecology,self-management practices, harvesting meth-ods and devices, fish camps and processing,and legends referring to salmon. The CopperRiver lacks an organization comparable toYRDFA, which would greatly help promotecooperative management throughout thatwatershed. The project has also invited biol-ogists to the interviews with Ahtna elders, toencourage stronger connections betweenfishers and those who study the fish.

The three studies demonstrate that TEKcan make powerful contributions, but alsothat studying TEK takes considerable timeand effort. Linking TEK with scientificresearch and management is an important

task. One starting point is to use TEK stud-ies to compile the ecology of Yukon Riversalmon, a format that biologists and man-agers would readily recognize.

Following the presentations, a discussionof local interested and needs identified manytopics of importance to people living in theYukon River drainage. They include:• Food web ecology: document the life histo-

ries of salmon and other fishes, especiallywith regard to their position in the entireecosystem

• Hunting and fishing activities: compare his-torical activities, including harvest meth-ods and catch levels, with current practices

• Education about TEK: prepare course onTEK, culture, and local environment foruse in schools, to help students betterunderstand their local area and heritage

• Fish cycles and human responses: Conduct areview of available literature and oral his-tories to document past cycles in fishabundance and the ways in which humansresponded

• Subsistence education: help young peopleunderstand their subsistence heritage andhow to integrate it into life today and inthe future

• Impacts of environmental change: examinechanges to the environment, includingglobal change as well as the implications ofchanges in policies such as fire control, andtheir impacts on species and subsistence

• Impacts of societal and cultural change:examine changes in harvesting, process-ing, lifestyles, and technology and theirimplications for harvests and consumptionof salmon

• Hatcheries and fish farms: examine theimplications for disease, competition withwild stocks, and other potential impacts

• Conservation messages: demonstrate thatpeople throughout the Yukon Riverdrainage depend on the same salmon runsand share responsibility for their healthand future

w w w. y u k o n s a l m o n . org Winter 2002 Yukon Fisheries News 5

• Local values and beliefs: protect and perpet-uate local cultural values, beliefs, and sys-tems of information

• Results from scientific research: develop waysfor getting the results of research in variousprograms back to local residents and otherswho are interested in and can benefit fromthe new information being generated

• The whole Yukon system: take a coordinatedlook at the entire drainage and the associ-ated terrestrial and marine areas to under-stand the full scope of interactions thataffect salmon throughout their life cycle

• Out-migration: examine the dynamics andcharacteristics of the out-migration ofsalmon

Goals of WorkshopA major goal of the workshop was to

develop constructive approaches to usingTEK in management. Fisheries managementdepends on setting appropriate goals and ongathering relevant and accurate informationto help achieve those goals. TEK can con-tribute by helping to provide good informa-tion. In addition, fishers need to participatein setting management goals. Often, theprocess by which information is contributedto and used by managers is not clear tothose who provide TEK. At the same time,public advisory groups and similar commit-tees have a long history of using local per-spectives, although those perspectives havenot been called “TEK.” In-season manage-ment practices, such as the YRDFA confer-ence calls, are one mechanism by whichTEK can be used in management. Exactlyhow those conference calls incorporate TEKand how such information would be a goodtopic for further study.

Future Research IdeasParticipants listed several areas where

future research is important. These broadideas may be a useful starting point forregional discussions about projects. • Salmon ecology and the whole ecosystem:

document salmon ecology and the place ofsalmon in the ecosystem throughout thewhole Yukon River drainage

• Climate and environmental change: examinethe impacts of environmental change onsalmon and salmon habitats

• Harvest patterns: look at the ways that har-vest patterns have changed over time,including the implications of changes inhuman populations

• Population cycles: examine past cycles insalmon populations and how people haveresponded to those cycles, especially withregard to actions that help populationrecovery

• Management practices: analyze changes inmanagement practices and regulations andhow those changes affect fisheries, fishers,and communities

• Information sharing: obtain the results ofstudies of interest from various programs(e.g., the North Pacific Research Board) sothat fishers and others can better under-stand what has been learned

• TEK in management: examine specific casesof how TEK has been used in managementto develop ideas for better approaches

• List of TEK studies: compile a list, or anno-tated bibliography, of existing TEK proj-ects and other relevant sources, such asarchives

• Forecasting: document TEK in relation toprojecting run strength to improve theability of managers to anticipate salmonreturns and plan accordingly

• Legends and stories: examine and preserverecords of legends and stories that helpshow how people used and interacted withsalmon long ago

• Place names: document and map placenames and meanings to understand theirconnection with TEK of salmon and otherspecies and natural phenomena

• Databases: create databases for TEK andother such information, including geo-graphic information systems (GIS), tomake more information more accessible tothose who want to use it

• Assessment of regional interests: hold meet-ings in the various regions of the YukonRiver drainage to assess their needs andinterests with regard to TEK and otherstudies, while making sure that there is acoordinated approach for the wholedrainage

• Record of salmon knowledge: create a com-mon, accessible record of knowledge accu-mulated about salmon and other fish, fromall sources, so that all can use it

• Record of unusual sightings: compile arecord of unusual sightings or events, suchas new fish species in an area or new dis-eases being observed, to keep track ofchanges to the ecosystem over time

Three specific projects were identified atthe workshop:• Regional assessment: hold regional meet-

ings to build on the discussions at thisworkshop, especially to identify TEK stud-ies that could be conducted in one ormore areas (YRDFA was identified as agood organization to do this)

• Post-season management evaluation: review,after the salmon season, the various man-agement activities (e.g., in-season confer-ence calls) and how TEK was or was notused effectively (YRDFA was identified asa good organization to do this)

• Return forecasts and fall, winter, and springconditions: examine the connectionsbetween fall, winter, and spring conditionsin the rivers and salmon returns (Husliaexpressed interest in pursuing this project)

In discussion potential projects, partici-pants noted that it is important for TEK proj-ects to build on successes. This is best doneby starting with smaller goals, then buildingon them to create more ambitious projects.

The workshop was successful, as nearlyall participants indicated in their responseson an evaluation form circulated by YRDFAat the end of the meeting. The long-termimpact of the meeting will depend on whattakes place as a consequence. With this inmind, participants identified three follow-upsteps, in addition to the project ideas listedin the previous section:• Circulate the workshop summary to

Regional Advisory Committees, the YukonRiver Joint Technical Committee (JTC)and other groups and individuals to whomit will be of interest

• Prepare a short summary for newslettersand other publications that are widely cir-culated in the Yukon River drainage oramong salmon fishermen, researchers, ormanagers

• Discuss the workshop at the next YRDFAmeeting and identify actions that YRDFAcan take m

Yukon Fisheries News Winter 2002 w w w. y u ko n s a l m o n . org6

Dion Clark

In October 2002, I began working at theYRDFA as the Traditional EcologicalKnowledge (TEK) intern. My role here hasbeen to assist our TEK Project CoordinatorCatherine Moncrieff, with various compo-nents of the TEK Project. I assisted in thevideo editing process by researching localarchives for useable photos and videofootage of the Yukon River areas included inthe video. I was also responsible for assem-bling and mailing out the finished product.YRDFA sent copies of the video to schoolsand tribal councils in the Yukon watershed,as well as video participants and variousagencies. In addition, I assisted Catherinein travel arrangements and other dutiesrelated to the TEK Forum held inAnchorage on January 16th and 17th.

Originally from Grayling, I am a seniormajoring in Anthropology at the Universityof Alaska Anchorage. Prior moving toAnchorage to continue my education, Iworked for the Grayling Tribal Council asTribal Administrator. Growing up on boththe Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers, I haveyears of experience in both commercial andsubsistence salmon fishing and I am happyfor the opportunity to gain useful workexperience while helping to document tradi-tional knowledge of salmon. m

Joe Sullivan

Mwashabukeni mukwai, bonse(“I hope you slept well, all” inBemba). My name is Joe Sullivan andI am the new Program Manager forYRDFA. I have had a long career infisheries that has carried me fromwhere I grew up in Georgia to Alaskaand then on to Africa and Asia andnow back to Alaska. I have a Ph.D. infisheries and allied aquacultures fromAuburn University in Alabama whereI studied bass parasites. From there Iwent to teach fisheries courses atHumboldt State University in north-

ern California for a couple of years, somepost-graduate work at the University ofIdaho and then to Alaska in 1979. I workedfor the Alaska Department of Fish and Gameas a fish pathologist traveling to many partsof the state inspecting hatcheries, diagnosingfish diseases and looking for the presence ofpathogens in the wild fish and shellfish.

After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, I left myposition as a fish pathologist to get involvedin the damage assessment and restorationwork ADF&G was doing. I managed projectsthat tried to determine what the impacts ofspilled oil had been and then looked to waysto fix what was broken in the environment.Commercial fishing seasons were missed thatfirst year and subsistence users did not knowwhat was safe to eat. ADF&G was one of sixstate and federal agencies making up theExxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council andour views of restoration contrasted in someways and overlapped in others with those ofthe other agencies. Each Trustee Councilmeeting brought members of the public fromevery user group to say what they thoughtwas wrong and how it should be fixed. Ilearned a lot about different people’s pointsof view, commercial fishers, subsistenceusers, recreation advocates and many others.I learned a lot about the resources that sup-ported them, fish, shellfish, marine mam-mals and birds and so forth.

Eventually I left all that behind thoughwhen I was able to retire from ADF&G andpursue my life long goal of joining the

Erin McLarnon

I began working with YRDFA inlate December to assist with the coor-dination of the Annual Meeting,newsletter, website, membership,summer teleconferences and whatev-er else pops us. My official title isCommunications and InformationCoordinator.

I come from a varied background.I was born and raised in Indiana andmoved to Alaska 10 years ago toattend Sheldon Jackson College inSitka. I graduated in 1995 with a B.S.in Aquatic Resources with an empha-sis in Fisheries Science and Marine Biology.I did not get an opportunity to work manyfisheries jobs because my husband and Ihave the same degree and we always endedup competing for the same jobs. So, inorder to keep things peaceful at home Ichose a different path.

I did work as a fisheries technician(under my husband) at Port ArmstrongHatchery, been a National Park ServiceRanger, an Environmental ProgramsTechnician for the Aleutian/Pribilof IslandsAssociation, the Operations Manager for theAlaska Natural History Association and asubstitute teacher for the Mat-Su BoroughSchool District. I was even a jail guard inNondalton for a short time.

Besides working for YRDFA my hus-band, Paul and I own Broken Runner SledDog Kennel & Tours in Willow. Currentlywe have 32 sled dogs that we train for mid-distance and distance racing. We havehopes of competing in the 2004 Iditarod. Itake part in the 800-mile Serum Run andtravel through many of your villages alongthe Yukon River.

If you have any ideas or articles for thenewsletter and/or website or if you just havequestions or comments, please don’t hesitateto contact me.

I am excited about being a part of theYukon River Drainage Fisheries Associationand can’t wait to get to know everyonethroughout the region.

Happy fishing! m

New Staff members

Erin McLarnon, Dion Clark, Joe Sullivan

w w w. y u k o n s a l m o n . o r g Winter 2002 Yukon Fisheries News 7

By Carl SidneyMy name is Carl Sidney, a member of the

Teslin Tlingit Council, and also a member ofthe Yukon Salmon Committee, and a mem-ber of the Yukon River Panel. Myself andthree elders from the Yukon traveled over tothe mouth of the Yukon River (Emmonak)during the last part of the Chinook runbeginning their long journey up to theirrespective spawning areas along the Yukonriver and its confluences. Along on our edu-cational tour were three elders from differ-ent communities in the Yukon. Beginning inDawson City Yukon, from the TrondekHwechin First Nation, Elder John Semple,from the Little Salmon Carmacks FirstNation was Elder Johnny Sam, and from theTeslin Tlingit Council, Elder Pearl Keenan.

This being the first of one of hopefullymany more tours to come in the future, wehad attempted to spread the delegates fromone end of the Yukon Territory to the other,and also attempted to allow Elders to beginthis very lucrative experience. Maybe in thefuture one of the recommendations thatwere thought of was to allow youth to expe-rience this journey. After all, this very pre-cious resource, we as adults refer to are forthese future generations. Our Elders, today

have always heard of where these salmonoriginally come into the mouth of the river,and have only now, after these many genera-tions, experienced this beautiful wonder ofthe world. For generations upon genera-tions, our First Nations have had the luxuryof have this resource as one of their manyvery important food diets. Upon our returnhome, the three Elders revealed to me, “Thiswas one of the exciting trips I have everexperienced, I only wished that I could havedone this earlier in my life.”

Some of the other concerns that camefrom the Elders and myself were the vastamounts of expired salmon fishing nets thatwere just simply left practically everywherewe went. One of the Elders commented, “Iwonder how many are in the water, catchingfish, which were never going to see theirspawning grounds or be utilized.” and alsosome of these nets were just simply left infish camps along the waterways.

We had also the opportunity to visit afew fish camps along the way, and it wassimply beautiful to see the fish camps thatwere so similar to ours. The only exceptionwas that their caches had to be multi sto-ried, because the salmon was so rich in oilthat it took longer to dry, so it had to be

moved up the rack to make room for more.All in all, even though we are several thou-sand miles apart, the technique of cuttingthe salmon was very similar. The other verysignificant difference was that excellent tasteof the salmon - it was just so delicious.

I would like to take this opportunity, onbehalf of the Elders and myself to thank themany people of Emmonak for the wonderfulhospitality that was expressed to us and forthe excellent community dinner and dance.Guyanna.

And to the director of Yukon RiverDrainage Fisheries Association, Jill Klein andher assistant, Tim Patronski that workedvery hard in arranging this very beneficialinformation exchange, Gunal-chish.

And lastly, I would like very much toshow my appreciation to the Members of theYukon River Drainage Fisheries Associationfor being able to fund such a wonderfulexperience, and hopefully, in the future, wetogether can assist in carrying out thisopportunity for other people to experiencethis “Wonder of the fish world”

Gunal-chish,Carl Sidneym

2002 Educational Exchange Trip to Emmonak

Peace Corps. Peace Corps asked me where Iwanted to go and I said any place warmerthan here. They said “Not a problem” and Iwound up teaching small scale farmers inZambia how to grow fish (tilapia) for foodand income generation. Peace Corps taughtfarmers how to build a 300 square meterpond, stock it with fish and raise a crop ofabout 60 pounds every six months. Thatwould give them some fish to eat and getabout $30 from the sale of the extra tilapia.While that might not seem like a lot, itmeant they could send their children toschool for a semester ($2.50 for gradeschool, $10 for high school), buy someclothes and maybe some medicine to fightmalaria. Zambia is one of the poorest coun-tries of the world and $30 meant a lot.

After Peace Corps, I traveled toTajikistan with the US Agency forInternational Development’s Farmer to

Farmer program. They share a thousand-mile border with Afghanistan and a Taliban-supported civil war there had ruined theireconomy and, with that their fish cultureprogram. Like Zambia, they are a land-locked country and must raise the fish theyneed. The war destroyed their carp andtrout hatcheries and the people who knewhow to raise fish were killed or driven away.I was there to help them find a way torestore what they once had.

Later the Farmer to Farmer programsent me back to Zambia to teach fish genet-ics to the same farmers. They learned howto avoid inbreeding and how to raise larger,healthier fish by trading stocks and follow-ing practices that avoided brother-sister mat-ings. With just a little planning and cooper-ation among farmers, they could get 50%larger fish in their six month cycles and $30would become $45.

Shortly after returning from Zambia thesecond time, I began work with YRDFA. Sofar I have been reviewing the projects withwhich we are currently engaged, what wehave done in the past, and now I am work-ing on project proposals for the future. Ihave met a few of the board members so far,but am very much looking forward to theannual meeting in Kotlik at the end ofFebruary to meet many of the rest of youfrom whom I hope to get a better sense ofwhat is important to you, what answers youneed from the research we can do, and sim-ply to get to meet you.

The phrase at the beginning of this arti-cle was in Bemba, the language the peoplespoke in the part of Zambia in which I wasstationed in Peace Corps. Teach me how tosay “Hello” in Yupik and Athabascan. m

Yukon Fisheries News Winter 2002 w w w. y u ko n s a l m o n . org8

The role of theYukon River DrainageFisheries Associationby jill Klein

YRDFA goals are focused on building and sustainingcommunication among various Yukon River fisher groupsand between them and management agencies. We alsowork to ensure continued healthy stocks of fish to sup-port Yukon River drainage fisheries. Meeting these goalscan occur by bringing sufficient numbers of all groupsand regions to the discussions about the fisheries whichsupport their income and way of life. Therefore, ourmembership goals are to increase our membership andrepresentation in local communities and to keep them asinformed as possible. An informed and representativepublic will support management decisions that are bio-logically sound and also support our core values of fairplay, equity and sharing.

We have and hope to continue to have a strong,informed and representative membership base along theYukon, fiscally sound support for our program, a stafffully capable of accomplishing the program goals, and aBoard providing the common, wise voice of the YukonRiver drainage fishers. Because of this, YRDFA will con-tinue to play a key role in ensuring healthy stocks ofYukon River fish for Yukon River fishers for generationsto come.

In specific, YRDFA works in these six core areas:1) communications,2) education and information, 3) Traditional Ecological Knowledge and

cultural resources, 4) salmon life history investigations, 5) fish disease, and6) habitat protection and restoration.

We have many on-going projects in the above cate-gories and we look forward to continued work in theYukon River drainage. We try to build capacity and workwith local, state, federal and Tribal partnerships. Pleasecontact us if you have questions about the work we do orwould like to make suggestions on how we can betterserve local Yukon River communities and the salmonfishery that they depend upon. m

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2002 Outlook and Commercial HarvestChinook Summer Chum Fall Chum

2002 Outlook 0 – 20,000 0 – 150,000 0 – 150,000 2002 Harvest 24,430 13,568 0

Chinook Salmon The total estimated commercial harvest including the estimated harvest

to produce roe sold was 24,430 chinook salmon for the Alaskan portion ofthe Yukon River drainage. The total harvest was comprised of 24,200 chi-nook salmon in the round, and 896 pounds of roe. The chinook salmonharvest was the third lowest commercial harvest since statehood and 75%below the 1990-1999 average harvest of 97,000 fish. No commercial fishingoccurred in 2001.

Summer Chum SalmonDue to the lack of a summer chum salmon market, the summer chum

harvest was taken incidental to fishing directed at chinook salmon, exceptfor two directed chum salmon commercial fishing periods in District 6. Thetotal estimated commercial harvest including the estimated harvest to pro-

duce roe sold was 13,568 summer chum salmon for the Yukon Riverdrainage. The total harvest was comprised of 13,548 summer chum salmonin the round, and 16 pounds of roe. The summer chum salmon harvest wasthe third lowest since 1968 and 97% below the 1990-1999 average harvestof 390,000 fish. No commercial fishing occurred in 2001.

Fall Chum SalmonNo commercial fishing was allowed due to poor run abundance. Severe

subsistence fishing restrictions occurred. There has been no commercialfishing for fall chum salmon in the last three years.

Fishing EffortA record low total of 560 permit holders participated in the chinook

and summer chum salmon fishery, which was 24% below the 1990-1999average of 737 permit holders. The Lower Yukon Area (Districts 1-3) andUpper Yukon Area (Districts 4-6) are separate CFEC permit areas. A totalof 540 permit holders fished in the Lower Yukon Area in 2002, which was16% below the 1990-1999 average of 646 permit holders. In the UpperYukon Area, 20 permit holders fished, which was 80% below the 1990-1999

average of 101 permit holders.

Exvessel ValueYukon River fishermen in Alaska received

an estimated $1.7 million for their chinook andsummer chum salmon harvest in 2002, approxi-mately 71% below the 1990-1999 average of $6.0million. The decrease in exvessel value was dueto the poor chinook and summer chum salmonrun resulting in a low commercial harvest.

Four buyer-processors operated in theLower Yukon Area. Lower Yukon River fishersreceived an estimated average price per pound of$3.37 for chinook and $0.06 for summer chumsalmon. The average price paid for chinooksalmon in the Lower Yukon Area was well abovethe 1990-1999 average of $2.82 per pound.Prices paid for summer chum salmon in theround continued to be low as observed since1995. The exvessel value of the Lower YukonArea fishery of $1,695,447 is 69% below the1990-1999 average of $5,470,697 million. Theaverage income for Lower Yukon Area fishersthat participated in the 2002 fishery was $3,131.

Upper Yukon Area fishers received an esti-mated average price per pound of $0.75 for chi-nook and $0.32 for summer chum salmon. Theaverage price paid for chinook salmon in theUpper Yukon Area was slightly below the 1990-1999 average of $0.90 per pound. The exvesselvalue of the Upper Yukon Area fishery of $26,920is 95% below the 10-year-average (1990-1999) of$533,112. The average income for Upper YukonArea fishers that participated in the 2002 fisherywas $1,346. m

M E M B E R S H I P F O R M

In order to sustain fisheries YRDFA works to:• Solve problems in fisheries management• Sustain wild salmon populations• Keep people informed of current fisheries issues• Restore salmon habitat and depressed runs

Membership is open to subsistence users, commercial fishermen, processors and sport fishermen. Members receive a newsletter on the latest events affecting Yukon Riversalmon fisheries and voting privileges for their District’s representatives.

ANNUAL DUES:Subsistence Only User $ 5

Commercial Permit Holder or Crew Member (1 year) $ 10(You receive a coffee mug)

Sport User/General Public/Student $ 10

Commercial Permit Holder or Crew Member (2 year) $ 20(You receive a Victorinox pocketknife)

Agency (subscription; no voting privileges) $ 20

Lifetime Membership $100(You receive a mug, a knife, and recognition and thanks in the YRDFA newsletter)

Payable by cash, check or money order to: Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association

YUKON RIVER DRAINAGE FISHERIES ASSOCIATION

“A united voice for downriver and upriver fishermen.”

Your membership supports ourcore purpose, which is to sustain

fisheries through cooperativemanagement.

NAME __________________________________________________________________ AMOUNT PAID______________________

ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________ VILLAGE __________________________

STATE ______________ ZIP __________________________ FISHING DISTRICT ______________________________________

Yukon River Salmon Fisheries • 2002 Season Summary✃

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