Herring Moratorium
Dear Editor: I would like to raise my voice in support of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camps’ proposal for a five-year moratorium on the herring (Yaaw) sac roe fishery.
The model of development in Alaska has been exploitative and destructive for too long, and it is time to heed the words of those who have used a respectful and broadly focused approach to taking care of the herring, the community, and the wider web of life that makes this glorious place what it is.
The record of the Alaska Native people over 10,000 years tells us all we need to know about sustainable yield, and the record of settler science has also been VERY clear. We should take no chances with the last of the viable herring populations in Southeast Alaska. Suspend the fishery.
Leah Mason, Sitka
Herring Harvest
Dear Editor: Tlingit people have managed the herring fishery in Sitka for thousands and thousands of years. They know how to do it really, really well. And now, the Tlingit leaders in our community are calling for a five-year moratorium on the herring sac roe fishery. These individuals draw upon millennia of knowledge in coming to that conclusion, so I believe we – as a community – should listen.
Herring have been overfished everywhere in Southeast Alaska except Sitka. We must cherish this population now if we want future generations to have herring. Therefore, I support the five-year moratorium recommended by the ANS and the ANB.
Johnny Elliott, Sitka
