(SitNews)- Ketchikan, Alaska - Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Council recently announced that, 'thanks to the strong support of its Tribal members and leaders', the Alaska Board of Fisheries passed Proposal 142 on March 22, 2022, dealing with Ooligan on the Joonax (Unuk) River. The unanimous passage of this proposal removes a major barrier for people living in the City and Borough of Ketchikan to harvest Ooligan on the Joonax (Unuk) River.

In conjunction with this proposal, KIC’s Cultural Resources staff are also conducting an eDNA and baseline water quality study on the Joonax (Unuk) River to get accurate abundance data to better conserve this vital resource for our Tribal citizens.

Quoting a news release, "This builds on the success we had in 2021 with the USFS In-season Manager opening the freshwater portion of the river. While this new regulation does not guarantee an opening every year, we can say with confidence that the potential for this fishery to open for personal-use harvesters is high. KIC Cultural Resources staff will continue to work with Fish & Game staff to make the public aware when the fishery opens in the future."

KIC Cultural Resources will continue its work to removing other traditional harvest impediments. A Tribal and USFS team is currently on the river "thanks" to a $600,000 grant to support a 3-year study on the Joonax (Unuk) River to better assess populations of fish. In addition, they are preparing a petition to have the Ketchikan Area officially declared Rural by the Federal Subsistence Board.

Edited By: Mary Kauffman, SitNews



Source of News:

Ketchikan Indian Community
www.kictribe.org

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