the Yukon Fishermen

Those who harvest the finest Yukon King salmon fish from small, open skiffs averaging 20 feet in length. Nets are pulled in by hand. The residents of the Lower Yukon have lived in the area for hundreds of generations and fish the river as they have for thousands of years.

Commercial fishing in the river started in the early 1900's and has become a major economic force in the area. Before the commercial fishing season begins, people head to their fish camps where they set up for subsistence fishing. Most fish is dried and put away for the long winters. Fish is caught and dried in a fashion similar to that used for thousands of generations.

There are over 700 fishermen in the Lower Yukon River area. Of these, over 90 percent live in the villages found along the river close to the mouth. Only 6 harvesters live outside of the State of Alaska. Almost all fishermen are Yup'ik Eskimo whose families have fished the Yukon for hundreds of generations. The fisheries in the Arctic areas of Alaska are the only ones fished predominately by local, native residents.