Our buddy Dennis Zaki wants desperately to return to Emmonak and film the circumstances that the people of Emmonak and the Yukon Delta continue to face despite the generous donations from the readers of this blog, Mudlats, and many others.
Below you can read the letter he sent out to all of us asking for our help.
Dear readers,
It is a matter of great urgency that I be in Emmonak ASAP. The Federal Subsistence Board has called a meeting with the Emmonak tribal leaders and residents to discuss the Yukon's king salmon subsistence and commercial fishing crisis. At the State meeting last January, I was not allowed to film. Residents later told me the State did not want that meeting on film.
The people of Emmonak have been prohibited from commercially fishing for early run King Salmon. Alaska, the feds, and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council have chosen the marginal benefit of a few commercial pollock fishermen from Seattle over the livelihood of the villagers of Emmonak, and others of Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
The fact is indisputable that the salmon bycatch of Seattle's pollock fishermen is the direct cause of the steep and devastating decline of king salmon in the waters of Western Alaska. However, few, if any, of our state's government officials have the courage to bring up this topic on the record, presumably due to the fact that they would be championing the "hapless" Natives (not a new concept in our history) over the strong, wealthy, lobbyist-backed (non-Alaskan) pollock industry.
What this intolerable situation needs is to be brought to the attention of the American people, even as it is being swept under Alaska's political rug. A few months ago, when the heating fuel/food crisis in Emmonak first surfaced, I flew there with my camera and interviewed the victims of the crisis. My filming gave their plight national exposure on CNN and other national outlets. I want to follow up the story and do it again. We cannot let this problem just fade away as if our fellow Alaskans mean nothing. This is not just the problem of the villagers of Emmonak. As Alaskans, this is our problem just as much as it is theirs. (See: Lack of King salmon in the Deshka River, Ship Creek, Bird Creek, Kenai River, etc., etc.)
Help me get to Emmonak to do something about it. The trip will cost $1080. That is $720 airfair and 4 nights in the Emmonak hotel.
Dennis Zaki
You can find a donate button for Dennis on his site right here. I know that many of you have already given to help Celtic Diva and we all appreciate that. If you can give thank you, but if you cannot we completely understand as all of us have found ourselves stretched a little thin lately.
I believe that Dennis is going to do an amazing job of bringing the plight of the Yukon Delta people to the rest of the world so that all can see just how poorly our state takes care of those who were here originally. Just like he did last time.
UPDATE!!!
Dennis just called and he has enough money already! Thanks to everybody who donated!
If you did not get a chance you will have to wait until the next time because Dennis pulled his button off of his site already.
Excellent for Dennis - I would have donated but I'll save that bit for the next go round, and I haven't checked on Diva's drive lately. I appreciate knowing that I can find out about these grassy calls for funds here.
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing testament to your community - yay for yall!
ReplyDeleteNot to throw water on your fire Americans, but it's a pretty sad commentary on a society that needs to keep people from starving by depending on charitable donations.
ReplyDeleteIt words differently in Canada but of course we're all a bunch of godless commies who demand that our government step forward and do what is necessary.
Are you saying we are godless with a few charlatans that take us for a ride, SQ? Best we look to our humanity to survive in these trenches. Trust but verify. John McCain is an imbecile that will wish he was back at the Hanoi Hilton where he had it better then most. The Admirals son with a dumb punk attitude.
ReplyDeleteUmm...we agree Sarah Q, we think its reprehensible that it has to happen this way, however we do step up when it was called for and in the meantime try to get the Governor to do step forward and do what is necessary. Perhaps if you looked into the history of the story you'd understand that better...
ReplyDeleteWhy so sharp tongued about Canada? You are trying to be sarcastic but I don't think you've hit the right crowd - I don't think you'll find anyone here calling Canada godless commies :) In fact a lot of us would like to move there!
Not to throw water on your fire Sarah Q but the king salmon that enter the Yukon river are headed towards Whitehorse. If our Alaskan natives are suffering because of lower returns then it only gets worse up the river as it heads towards Canada.
ReplyDeleteI guess that your native population is much luckier than ours because they are protected under your socialized system of medicine and aid and that's a good thing. Our folks attempting to subsist have nothing to fall back on; it's feast or famine, and in this case, another winter of famine if they choose not to break the rules and take what rightfully belongs to them.
I never mind paying 4x as much for gas when I travel thru canada because I know it goes for basic care for the people of your country; apparently nothing fancy as I've met very few canadians sporting overly healthy dental appearances, but at least check ups are covered, eh?
So, will your gov't feed the natives when no salmon return to their spawning grounds? I guess that's a silly question as your country did give Nunavut to the natives. They gave it to them because the rest of Canada wanted "none of it". Here ya go, you get this here land that the white canadians would never dream of living in...it's yours enjoy it.
TEAM CANADA!
ReplyDelete