Yup'ik People

The Yup’ik people and other Alaskan Indigenous cultures consider salmon as sentient, familial beings who give themselves to people. In return, salmon demand reciprocal respect. Reflecting personal and cultural values, this worldview underlies Alaska Natives’ relationship with salmon and their stewardship.   

Bristol Bay in Alaska encompasses 27.5 million acres of land and 12 million acres of marine ecosystem, including major river systems with hundreds of connected lakes, rivers, and streams that feed into a saltwater bay of the Bering Sea. Here is where the Yup’ik community participates in the subsistence salmon harvest that provides a significant amount of food to its members. The harvest is critical to the health and well-being of communities in the region, to individual and community identities, and to cultural connectedness and continuity.

Recently, the U.S. government, through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has been working to ensure that the natural integrity of Bristol Bay is preserved, and the fishing rights of Indigenous people are protected.