The Yukon River has been a majestic icon of power, beauty, and for generations, a sustainable source of food. Salmon reliably returned to the Yukon to provide a stable source of healthy, wild food for communities along its length. But in recent years, those reliable runs have been beleaguered by warming waters, food scarcity and disease, causing closures that have halted long standing traditions for many families. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Gabe Canfield, policy coordinator for the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, and Holly Carroll, in-season manager for the Yukon River for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to discuss the outlook for the years to come, and the steps that can be taken to protect this vital resource.
This Week’s Headlines:
- The wait for food stamps in Alaska is improving, but applicants still face long delays
- New temporary homeless shelter in Anchorage to open by Nov. 1
- FEMA under investigation after ‘unintelligible’ Merbok relief information was sent to Alaska Native communities
Related:
- On the Yukon, Alaska and Canada are bound together by salmon – and their collapse
- Amid Western Alaska salmon crisis, data-driven strategies could reduce chinook bycatch
- Federal manager for Yukon River highlights resiliency in the face of salmon crashes
- ‘Too hot’ for salmon: How climate change is contributing to the Yukon salmon collapse
- Four years into the Yukon salmon collapse, an Interior Alaska village wonders if it will ever fish again
Madilyn Rose is the program producer at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at mrose@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Madilyn here.
