Fishers in Southeast Alaska intercept and sell millions of salmon and steelhead migrating to British Columbia, Washington and Oregon in non-selective net fisheries that don't adequately report their bycatch. All while our local fisheries are closed in the hopes of rebuilding dwindling stocks. Seafood certification organizations like Marine Stewardship Council have turned a blind eye to much of this, maintaining that Alaska has 'sustainable' certification. But are fisheries that profit by harvesting another country’s endangered fish really sustainable? Consumers want to buy ethically sourced seafood that is right for their families. But, Southeast Alaskan fishers catch more Pacific Northwest Salmon than all the fisheries in BC, Washington, and Oregon combined. That clearly isn't fair, and nowhere near sustainable. Wild salmon are essential to the culture of the Pacific Northwest. When they are absent, our communities suffer and keystone species like Southern Resident Killer Whales, eagles, and Grizzly bears starve. Fisheries in Alaska are scooping up Canadian salmon before they reach their home rivers to spawn. Meanwhile, B.C.'s salmon and steelhead have hit record lows. First Nations are not meeting their food needs, commercial fishers are out of work and hard-working B.C. families can no longer catch a salmon to bring home for dinner. The solution is easy—Alaska needs to move its dirty interception fisheries away from areas where B.C. salmon are returning to spawn, to inside waters where Alaskans can still catch their own fish. In partnership with Watershed Watch Salmon Society SkeenaWilds Fisheries Biologist Kaitlyn Yahle and Watershed Watch’s Fisheries Campaigner David Mills, have been working tirelessly to dig deep on this issue and expose Alaska’s Dirty Secret.
Information
- Show
- FrequencyUpdated Biweekly
- PublishedApril 16, 2024 at 6:32 a.m. UTC
- Length30 min
- RatingClean