Native America Calling: The fight to bring Yukon River salmon back

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Native America Calling: The fight to bring Yukon River salmon back

Thursday, September 4, 2025

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The fight to bring Yukon River salmon back

Once plentiful, salmon that return to Alaska’s Yukon River are struggling to survive.

The fishery is in the sixth straight year of restrictions, affecting commercial, sport, and subsistence salmon harvests. The reasons for the major decline in fish populations are complex.

There’s little agreement on which path to take from here. Alaska Native residents along the Yukon are working to have their voices heard along with the many entities weighing in trying to develop solutions.

The Yukon River and its tributaries drain an area of approximately 220,000 square miles within Alaska, making it the largest river system in the state. Photo: MikoFox

Guests on Native America Calling

Jazmyn Vent (Iñupiaq and Koyukon from the Village of Husila), Indigenous communications director & acting administrative assistant for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission in Alaska

Janessa Newman (Rampart Village Council), Indigenous stewardship director for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission in Alaska

Holly Carroll, Yukon River Federal in-season salmon manager for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska

Serena Alstrom (Yup’ik and Yupiit of Andreafski Tribal Member from St. Mary’s, Alaska), executive director of Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association