OPINION: Alaska’s salmon crisis continues to be ignored

“If we ignore the problem, we won’t have to deal with it” — that is the mindset of far too many federal agency decision-makers and government leaders in Alaska.

The state Board of Fisheries chose to ignore the devastating impacts of the ongoing salmon crisis at its February meeting. During the legislative session, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the Legislature failed to protect Native communities from the devastating effects of this crisis. Now, as the June North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting is underway in Sitka, we wait to see if Western Alaska will be ignored — again.

Recently our two Tribal organizations, represented by Earthjustice, sued the federal government to protect subsistence fishing. The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) and Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) are working collectively on behalf of close to 100 Tribes and communities in the Yukon and Kuskokwim regions.

Take note: Those of us who rely on salmon for our subsistence way of life will no longer be ignored or silenced. The tragedy playing out in often-forgotten Western Alaska villages will not remain a secret. The federal lawsuit is a meaningful moment in our fight for our way of life. Litigation has a way of shining light on the dark corners of government, exposing ineffectiveness and behavior which deliberately ignores the law.

Our communication efforts surrounding the lawsuit have been distributed and published in media outlets with readers in more than 50 countries across the globe. Our voices are carrying great distances. First lady Jill Biden was recently in Bethel and heard firsthand the devastating effects of the salmon crisis. We asked the first lady to bring our message back to the White House, a place where environmental issues are a priority. We believe the salmon crisis is a test for the president’s Arctic Strategy.

To everyday, ordinary Alaskans, we ask that you put pressure on the people you voted into public office and those appointed to serve the state. Let them know that the state and federal governments should not turn their back on people in times of crisis. Let them know that ignoring problems solves nothing. Today for our communities the crisis is salmon; perhaps tomorrow, your communities will be impacted by an issue that is not politically expedient. The same people who have turned their backs on us will no doubt turn their backs on you if you are not lucky.

Wake up, Alaska. We are a unique and wonderful state which in many ways is the envy of all who visit. But now, that picturesque view is being replaced by the grotesque side of Alaska — a place exhibiting a deliberate “do nothing” attitude by government while people are suffering.

Vivian Korthuis is the CEO of The Association of Village Council Presidents. AVCP is a regional nonprofit tribal consortium comprised of the 56 federally recognized tribes of the YK Delta. The geographic boundaries of AVCP extend from the Yukon River Village of Russian Mission downstream to the Bering Sea coast, north up through Kotlik and south along the coastline to Platinum and then extending up the Kuskokwim River to Stony River, including Lime Village on the Stony River tributary. The area encompasses approximately 6.5 million acres, or 55,000 square miles, in Western Alaska.

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