Alaska
At NCAI Mid Year Convention, Alaska Native Leaders Call for United Front to Protect Salmon and Tribal Lifeways
Alaska Native leaders used the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid Year Convention in Memphis, Tennessee, to spotlight the continuing collapse of salmon populations across Alaska and to urge Tribal Nations from across Indian Country to stand together in defense of Indigenous food systems, cultural traditions, and Tribal stewardship.
During a panel discussion titled “One People, One Voice: Standing Up for Alaska’s Salmon & Our Way of Life,” representatives from the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), Craig Tribal Association, the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), and The Tatitlek Corporation described the devastating impacts of declining Chinook and chum salmon runs throughout Alaska’s Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim river systems.
Speakers emphasized that salmon are central not only to subsistence but also to the cultural identity and survival of Alaska Native communities that have relied on the fish for thousands of years.
“Salmon are not simply a resource to our people—they are part of who we are,” said Angela Totemoff, AFN Board Member (Chugach Villages) and Subsistence Chair and Vice President of Community and Shareholder Relations for The Tatitlek Corporation. “When our communities lose access to salmon, we lose far more than food. We lose opportunities to teach our children, to gather as families, and to pass on the knowledge and values that have sustained our people for generations. The response to this crisis must reflect the importance of salmon to our cultures and our future.”
Panelists said years of historically low salmon returns have led to severe restrictions and closures of subsistence fisheries, placing additional strain on rural communities already grappling with high food costs, climate-related challenges, and population decline.
“Across Alaska, families have made extraordinary sacrifices in the name of conservation,” said Sharon Hildebrand, AFN Board Member (Interior) and Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference. “Many of our communities have gone years without the opportunity to harvest the salmon that have sustained them for generations. Yet the burden of conservation continues to fall disproportionately on subsistence users. We must ensure that management decisions prioritize the people who depend on these fish for their food security, cultural wellbeing, and way of life.”
The discussion also examined the complex patchwork of state and federal salmon management systems and highlighted the need for stronger Tribal participation in fisheries decision-making, including recognition of subsistence as a primary management priority.
“Tribal Nations have stewarded these resources since time immemorial,” said Clinton Cook, AFN Subsistence Committee Member and President of Craig Tribal Association. “Our traditional knowledge, our stewardship values, and our lived experiences must be part of the decisions affecting salmon and the communities that rely on them. Protecting salmon is not only about conservation—it is about protecting Tribal sovereignty, food sovereignty, and the ability of future generations to continue living our cultures.”
Vivian Korthuis, AFN Board Member (Yukon Kuskokwim) and President and CEO of the Association of Village Council Presidents, said the current situation underscores the importance of incorporating Tribal knowledge and leadership into resource management.
“Alaska Native people have cared for salmon since time immemorial, guided by values of stewardship, reciprocity, and responsibility to future generations,” Korthuis said. “The current crisis demonstrates the need for management systems that recognize Tribal knowledge, respect Tribal leadership, and prioritize the long-term health of our salmon and communities. We cannot continue asking our people to shoulder the burden of conservation while decisions are made without meaningful Tribal partnership. The path forward must include stronger Tribal co-management and a commitment to protecting the resources that sustain our cultures and way of life.”
The panel concluded by calling for expanded collaboration among Tribal Nations, stronger support for Tribal co-management, reforms to federal fisheries policy, and management approaches that emphasize long-term sustainability and ecosystem health.
In a visible show of solidarity, Alaska Native leaders and representatives attending the convention asked members of the Alaska Caucus to stand in support of the panel’s message. The group rose together, signaling a shared commitment to protecting salmon, defending subsistence traditions, and advancing Tribal stewardship and self-determination.
AFN leaders also encouraged Tribal Nations across the country to recognize Alaska’s salmon crisis as part of a broader Indigenous struggle to preserve traditional foods, cultural practices, and Tribal sovereignty.
“What is happening in Alaska is a reminder that when Indigenous voices are not fully included in resource management decisions, communities bear the consequences,” Totemoff said. “The support and solidarity shown by Tribal leaders from across Indian Country reinforces that protecting our traditional foods and ways of life is a shared responsibility.”
Related
The end of the legislative session last month brought a major milestone for Alaska’s workforce and the families who keep our state running. We passed a bill to better support Alaskans navigating work transitions and unavoidable seasonal insecurity in important industries such as fishing, tourism, construction and mining.
As freshman legislators, we joined forces this session with a shared conviction: to modernize and update Alaska’s fraying economic safety net and put our workers first. The state unemployment program is that safety net. It helps catch workers so they can stay in Alaska while they look for new jobs or look forward to their next work season.
Before this session’s historic reform, the weekly unemployment insurance benefit had not been adjusted since 2009.
While the cost of essentials such as housing, fuel and groceries skyrocketed, the maximum weekly benefit remained frozen at $370. The dependent allowance was stuck at $24 for those who depend on them. For a state that relies heavily on a highly skilled, seasonal workforce, letting unemployment insurance benefits wither wasn’t just a gross legislative oversight; it threatened our state’s economy.
Unemployment benefits are a critical bridge to keep families afloat during temporary, seasonal shutdowns or routine layoffs between major projects. They keep workers from falling into severe financial hardship and protect employers from permanently losing a trained workforce. Workers who can’t afford to feed their children or pay their bills leave the state in search of greater stability elsewhere.
The bill we passed this session ensures that Alaska retains its local talent, stabilizes our workforce, keeps our construction and natural resource sectors competitive and helps Alaskans stay in the communities they love.
This victory took collaboration and mutual support in the Legislature. Last year, Rep. Ted Eischeid introduced an unemployment reform bill, House Bill 192, to update and then inflation-proof unemployment benefits and modernize the system. That bill proposed increasing the dependent benefit and adjusting the unemployment benefit each year. Rep. Carolyn Hall introduced House Bill 193, Paid Parental Leave, which, in addition to updating unemployment benefits, sought to create a first-ever paid parental leave program for Alaskans.
Recognizing our shared goals of strengthening working families, Rep. Eischeid’s unemployment provisions were merged into Rep. Hall’s paid parental leave proposal, HB 193. Robust policy debates refined the final package and earned bipartisan support.
The final hours of a legislative session demand swift, coordinated action to move bills across the finish line. On the final night of the legislative session, Rep. Hall worked closely with Sen. Jesse Kiehl, who moved a critical amendment to attach the core unemployment insurance reforms to a fast-moving, related vehicle: another Rep. Hall bill, House Bill 302. Thanks to this collaborative, multichamber strategy, the unemployment components of our bill passed. We prevailed, increasing the maximum weekly unemployment benefit 27% to $470 and tripling the dependent allowance to $72.
HB 302 will soon be sent to Gov. Mike Dunleavy. If he lets it become law, Alaskans will get direct, meaningful relief. In addition to the benefit increases, we’ll ensure Alaska doesn’t fall behind again by tying annual benefit adjustments to Alaskans’ average weekly wage.
Best of all, these changes don’t affect the state’s general fund. The benefits are paid out of Alaska’s Federal Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, restricted dollars that are heavily overcapitalized with hundreds of millions of excess dollars while workers struggle to pay their bills and feed their families.
The nonpartisan, cross-chamber collaboration is a blueprint for how we can, and should, work together. Economic resilience and common-sense adaptability aren’t built and maintained through partisan gridlock or House-versus-Senate silos. They’re forged when lawmakers listen to working families, work together and build practical, cost-effective solutions.
Rep. Ted Eischeid represents House District 22, North Muldoon, in the Alaska House of Representatives.
Rep. Carolyn Hall represents House District 16, West Anchorage, in the Alaska House of Representatives.
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Dear Alaskans,
As the state with more coastline than the rest of the country combined, Alaska has a direct stake in the health of our oceans, fisheries, marine ecosystems, and coastal communities. For this reason, I have supported numerous federal programs and legislative efforts that strengthen ocean research, improve marine debris response, protect coastal communities, and support the Alaskans whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans.
A critical issue that has been a particular focus of my work in this space is marine debris. Marine debris—especially plastics and other forms of ocean pollution—poses a serious threat to coastal ecosystems, marine life, and our coastal communities that depend on healthy oceans. To address this challenge, I authored the Save Our Seas Act, signed into law in 2018, and the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, signed into law in 2020. SOS 2.0, which I worked closely on with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, is the most comprehensive ocean debris legislation ever passed by Congress. SOS 2.0 also established the congressionally chartered Marine Debris Foundation, which is now headquartered in Juneau.
Building on this work, my SOS 2.0 Amendments Act was signed into law in December 2025, strengthening the Marine Debris Foundation and reauthorizing NOAA’s Marine Debris Program. I am also working to pass my Save Our Seas 2.0 Marine Debris Infrastructure Programs Reauthorization Act, which would reauthorize proven Environmental Protection Agency grant programs that combat plastic waste and microplastics. At the same time, I am developing SOS 3.0 to build on the success of the first two Save Our Seas laws.
Another serious threat to Alaska’s coastal resources is harmful algal blooms. HABs can endanger marine life, damage coastal ecosystems, threaten commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries, and put the health and well-being of Alaskans at risk. That is why I introduced the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act to reauthorize and strengthen the original 1998 law. This legislation will help ensure communities have access to HABs observation data, monitoring and mitigation training, and testing for HABs toxins. The bill passed the Senate in September 2025.
To build on these specific issues, as well as support additional oceanographic programs in our state, I continue to support the NOAA Sea Grant Program and the Integrated Ocean Observing System, two important programs that strengthen ocean research, coordination, and public-private partnerships. I am a cosponsor of legislation to reauthorize these programs, and I support robust funding for both programs every year.
There is more work to do to address plastic pollution, marine debris, and harmful algal blooms in Alaska and around the world. I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance practical, lasting solutions. The health of our oceans, fisheries, and marine life should never be a partisan issue—it is a responsibility we all share.
Sincerely,
Dan Sullivan
United States Senator
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