Subsistence

The Alaska Board of Fisheries is tasked with balancing conservation of king salmon with the livelihood of fishermen. Dwindling king salmon runs have triggered it as a “stock of concern” in several major Southeast river systems and major closures are being considered.

“Currently we don’t have any studies specifically looking at what factors are affecting those demographics,” said Jason Caikoski, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Now that Congress has OK’d oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain, opponents are preparing for the next phase in their decades-long struggle to protect the environmentally sensitive area.

The tribe has fished in the Pacific Northwest’s Klamath River for centuries, but the Chinook have been devastated by drought, disease, dams, and a long history of habitat destruction.

“Experiential learning” in high school takes on a whole new meaning when the subject is subsistence. At Pacific High in Sitka the students already understand that they’re going to experience a lot of hands-on activities.

Bear baiting on federal lands in Southeast may be allowed next year if a proposal by a regional subsistence advisory council is approved. The council also recommended ending a requirement that traps be marked with identifying numbers.