Advancing Inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and Co-Stewardship of Kuskokwim River Salmon in Federal Marine Fishery Management

The 700-mile-long Kuskokwim River has historically supported some of the largest subsistence salmon harvest levels in Alaska. Since 2009, however, subsistence-dependent communities in the Kuskokwim River drainage have experienced precipitous declines in salmon populations. Multi-year, multi-species salmon declines not only threaten food security for the 33 subsistence-dependent Tribes and communities living in the Kuskokwim region, but also threaten the cultural, spiritual, and economic wellness and security of these communities. While Indigenous communities in the Kuskokwim watershed are among those most impacted by salmon declines, they lack equity to access and engage in the development and implementation of marine fisheries management policies that directly impact their well-being and way of life. Furthermore, Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is not equitably considered nor included in reference materials, such as discussion papers, analyses, and publications, all of which inform fishery management decisions. Given this, there exists a critical and pressing need to implement innovative approaches that both enable Indigenous communities to have a seat at the table and incorporate IK in decision-making processes to advance equitable solutions to restore salmon abundance in the Kuskokwim River.

To address this need, the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (KRITFC), in collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Tamamta Program and Ocean Conservancy (OC), will host a series of in-person workshops and interviews with Knowledge holders to facilitate critical dialogue about Kuskokwim salmon, Salmon People, and salmon management. In these workshops, they will identify and document: (a) IK and modern science of Kuskokwim River salmon life cycles and potential causes driving salmon population declines (b) perceived strengths of the role of Indigenous communities in regional, in-river salmon co-stewardship, and (c) recommendations for enhancing equity in federal marine fishery management systems. Oral and written IK and recommendations stemming from these workshop conversations will be synthesized, mapped, and shared (with permission) with Kuskokwim and western Alaska Tribes and communities, fishery managers and agencies, and researchers, and through a variety of outlets, including written reports (e.g., Kuskokwim River Situation Reports), ongoing initiatives (e.g., Gravel-to-Gravel Initiative), existing fisheries co-management partnerships (e.g., KRITFC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)), and discussions with fishery management bodies (e.g., North Pacific Fishery Management Council).

Project Team

• Terese Vicente - Programs Manager, KRITFC
• Kevin Whitworth (McGrath Native Village) - Executive Director, KRITFC
• Youth Knowledge Steward/Intern (to be hired), KRITFC
• Justin Leon - Biologist & UAF Tamamta Fellow, KRITFC
• Courtney Carothers, Ph.D. - Professor, UAF Tamamta Program
• Henry Huntington Ph.D. - Director of Arctic Science, Ocean Conservancy Arctic Program
• Megan Williams Ph.D. - Fisheries Scientist, Ocean Conservancy Arctic Program
• Jon Ross - Director of Indigenous-Led Programs, Ocean Conservancy Arctic Program
• Nick Jacuk - Indigenous Stewardship Fellow & Tamamta Fellow, Ocean Conservancy Arctic Program
• Patty Chambers - Digital Manager, Ocean Conservancy Arctic Program
• Jeremy Davies – GIS Specialist, Ocean Conservancy Arctic Program
• Kristen Maxie - Youth Knowledge Steward intern, KRITFC