Local Politics · Kwethluk, AK
Salmon Bycatch Central to Alaska Senate Race in Kuskokwim River Villages
Declining salmon returns to the Kuskokwim River have led government agencies to close fishing, including subsistence fishing relied upon by Indigenous families in Western Alaska villages like Kwethluk. The issue has become central to the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, a Kuskokwim-area Indigenous candidate. Sullivan introduced legislation to reduce bycatch from pollock trawlers that accidentally catch king salmon, while Peltola advocates banning factory trawlers outright. Trawler industry representative Heather Mann says eliminating the pollock fishery would have minimal impact on salmon recovery.