Tag Archives: Yupik fishermen
Kings of the wild frontier
In 2013, I sat in a courtroom in Bethel, Alaska, and watched the trial of 23 Yup’ik fishermen, accused of flouting a ban on the fishing of king salmon the previous summer. The ban had been implemented by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as king salmon numbers plummeted, unexpectedly and inexplicably. The fishermen pleaded not guilty. They were justified in fishing, they said, because the taking of king salmon was part of their spiritual practice, their cultural heritage. First amendment. Mike Williams, then chief of the Yup’ik nation, pulled me to one side during a recess. “Gandhi had his salt, we have our salmon,” he said. For the Yup’ik, getting arrested was no accident. They had issued a press release about their intention to fish before setting out. >click to read< 14:46
Attorney: Yup’ik Fishermen Wrongfully Convicted
Attorneys argued before the Alaska Court of Appeals in downtown Anchorage today about whether Yup’ik fishermen, who fished for Chinook or king Salmon during a closure on the Kuskokwim River in 2012, were wrongfully convicted. Listen, and Read more here 07:52
Alaska files cross-appeal in fishing case it won against 13 subsistence fishermen
About two dozen fishermen were found guilty in May after trials before a judge in Bethel. Those who decided to contest their convictions filed appeals in June, launching a process that could last months before formal arguments are made. The Yup’ik fishermen were cited last year during a poor king salmon run. continued@adn
Alaskans debate whether religion of Native Alaskans is more important than state salmon fishing rules
GodDiscussion.com – A hot debate is going on in Alaska over whether the religious rights of Native Alaskans are more important than state salmon fishing rules in light of a recent case in which a judge ruled that the needs of salmon 
trumps everyone’s and anyone’s religious rights. continued
