FAIRBANKS – Delegates to the Tanana Chiefs Conference convention took aim at declining king salmon stocks Wednesday, passing a resolution that would curtail commercial fisheries and give tribes a greater voice in fisheries management.

King salmon runs have declined on the Yukon River in recent years, which has led to limits on subsistence fishing in the state’s largest river. Those cuts have frustrated many village residents, who say commercial fleets should face more limits before subsistence users are affected. 

However, the Interior tribal consortium stopped short of backing a widespread civil disobedience campaign regarding the issue. TCC delegates, who are holding their annual convention in Fairbanks this week, deferred action on a resolution to require tribes to pay fines for fishermen who are cited for “protest fishing” during the king run. 

Read the full story at Fairbanks Daily News-Miner>>