“As salmon make their epic voyages from the sea to upriver spawning grounds, Alaskans crowd shorelines to catch enough fish to put up for the winter,” Miranda Weiss writes in FERN’s latest story. But the activity has taken on a new urgency this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and fears of food shortages.
In March, panic shoppers stripped food store shelves bare, Weiss says, which prompted a lot of Alaskans to put up as many fish as they could for the coming winter. One retired wildlife biologist said he aimed to catch 40 or 50 salmon this season, doubling his typical harvest. “I think having a lot of stuff in your freezer or canned on your shelves is a good thing.”
Restricted to Alaska residents, these “personal use fisheries” are regulated fishing opportunities managed by the state. All you need is a $29 fishing license — $5 for residents whose income meets federal poverty guidelines — and, in most cases, a free permit. On the Kasilof River, the harvest limit is 25 fish for the head of the household, plus an additional 10 salmon for every other family member, whether they’re also on the fishing grounds or not.
You can read the full story at FERN.