Yukon River Salmon Decline
Get Involved
The preservation of this precious resource goes beyond the inability to put enough food in our freezers – it’s about being able to practice our traditional activities and being able to share that knowledge with our future generations.
About the Issue: The current fisheries disaster is nothing new to Interior Tribes. Tribes along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers have been experiencing king salmon declines for over 20 years. TCC Tribes have tried to save king salmon runs by implementing a self-imposed moratorium for nearly ten years. Subsistence fishers constantly carry the conservation burden while sport fishers up-river and ocean-based commercial fleets do little.
DAY OF PEACEFUL PROTEST FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE YUKON RIVER SALMON
June 20, 2025
The people of the Yukon River and Tanana River and their tributaries have depended on salmon and other fish species since time immemorial. Current state and federal management systems have failed and continue to fail to protect fish resources. Failure to manage the salmon sustainably has led to multi-year closures of subsistence fishing along the Yukon River watershed and fishing disasters for the Yukon River Salmon Fisheries have been declared in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
These closures have caused hardship, loss of culture, and nutritional deficiencies for our people who have depended on these salmon for generations. We are now asking all allies to stand with the people of the Yukon and fight for the protection of the Yukon River Salmon.
On June 20, 2025, join us in a Day of Peaceful Protest for the Survival of the Yukon River Salmon. This will be a day of prayerful gathering to unite us around the critical cause of saving our salmon and preserving our way of life. TCC has created toolkits for remote communities who would like to join us in this day of prayer and protest, which you can download and print for use in your community below.
FACTS ABOUT THE SALMON DECLINE
Chum salmon returns to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are the lowest on record.
Escapement goals and subsistence needs for Yukon summer and fall chum and Kuskokwim chum salmon stocks have not been met since before 2020.
There has been no subsistence fishing on the Yukon and severely limited fishing on the Kuskokwim for chum salmon since 2020, and no commercial chum salmon openers for years on either river.
Salmon should be monitored and managed throughout their entire life cycle.
We Need Action NOW to Protect Our Salmon!
Become an Advocate
The TCC Tribal Resource Stewardship Program (TRSP) offers opportunities to Tribal members to learn how to be an effective advocate.
Contact TRSP to learn more about upcoming training and opportunities.
Donate
Donate to the TCC Hunting and Fishing Task Force so that we can continue to support our Tribes in advocating for the protection of our ways of life.
Write to Decision-Makers
There are a lot of individuals and groups who have the ability to make big moves that could positively impact subsistence fishing. It is important that we inform our legislators about our concerns.
Stay tuned for more information.
Testify
It is important that our subsistence fisherman attend and participate in meetings that involve the management of our lands and waterways. Each year, there are several opportunities to provide testimony in support of conserving our way of life including:
- Alaska Board of Fisheries Meeting (See Upcoming Meeting)
- North Pacific Fisheries Management Council Meetings (See Upcoming Meetings)
- Yukon River Panel (See Upcoming Meetings)
- Federal Subsistence Board (See Upcoming Meetings)