The Dunleavy administration has directed the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to coordinate salmon deliveries to Yukon River communities.
Kwik’Pak Fisheries General Manager Jack Schultheis said that 8,000 pounds of salmon arrived at the Emmonak processing plant last week. The company is preparing to distribute the fish to lower Yukon River communities. The delivery is the first in what is expected to be a string of salmon shipments along the river.
Low runs have meant no subsistence fishing for king or chum salmon on the Yukon River this summer. On July 22, the state did open subsistence fishing there for other salmon species, including pink, red, and coho, for the first time this season.
To help put some meat on fish racks and in freezers, the Dunleavy administration is coordinating deliveries of salmon donations from Alaska-based processors to Yukon River communities. It is working with nonprofits, including SeaShare, and shippers to make it happen.
Dunleavy Administration Deputy Director of Communications Jeff Turner said that the administration has also allocated $75,000 to purchase king and chum salmon from Alaska processors to add to what is being donated to these communities. Turner said that the administration is asking the Tanana Chiefs Conference to match those funds.
The Tanana Chiefs Conference is helping distribute the fish to communities along the middle Yukon River near Fairbanks. On the lower Yukon River, the Association of Village Council Presidents and Kwik’Pak are helping distribute the fish.
The amount of salmon that will be sent to Yukon River communities has not been confirmed. “We are still collecting quotes from seafood processors,” Turner said. “The governor’s goal is to maximize the amount of fish that can be donated.”
