On Wednesday of this week, subsistence fishermen up and down the Lower Kuskokwim River defied the law and began fishing the river to meet subsistence needs despite the closure to subsistence fishing.

Village Elders urged the villagers onto the river to begin fishing. The villages involved with Wednesday’s fisheries lead subsistence lifestyles and need to gather as much as they can during the short salmon season in order to sustain themselves and their families throughout the bleak winter months.

Many on the river were fishing not only for themselves and their immediate families, but for ill and aged members of the village that cannot get out to fend for themselves. Many times, a dozen or so people are dependent on a single person to fill their subsistence needs.

While some managed to catch a few salmon and get back home, many found their defiance met with citations and had their nets and salmon seized.

According to Alaska State Trooper reports, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted a joint effort on the river to shut down the illegal fishing taking place Wednesday.

Their enforcement efforts began at 11 am, and by the time they were finished, the officers had written 33 citations, and had seized 21 subsistence nets. Also seized were salmon caught by the defiant subsistence fishermen. Fish and Game estimates that 1,100 pounds of salmon were confiscated and donated to local Lower Kuskokwim charities.

Officers point out that all of the contacts made on the river on Wednesday were non-confrontational. The fish seized came from nets and the officers did not seize any salmon that was already on racks.

There is no word on the seized nets. Myron Naneng said of the fishermen that had their nets seized, “When they open on Monday, the people whose nets were confiscated may not have an opportunity to fish at all.”

The Bethel-based Association of Village Council Presidents plans to meet next week and ask the state to issue a disaster declaration in the region.