A presentation of new survey data by the United Fishermen of Alaska at the 2016 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, Washington, revealed Alaskan salmon fishermen have surprisingly high rates of engagement on environmental issues.
The survey, which asked more than 500 Alaskan fishermen about their relationships to salmon habitat, was completed this summer. It was presented at PME by the UFA’s Aurah Landau and Lindsey Bloom.
The results showed 93 percent of the 513 salmon fishermen surveyed took action on behalf of salmon habitat in last year. Those actions included donating money or time to a cause, signing petitions, calling or writing politicians and other decision-makers, or talking to other fishermen about conservation or environmental issues.
“Fishermen are highly willing to act on behalf of habitat. These numbers are super-high,” Landau said. “Even if people are over-reporting their good actions, that is still an incredibly high rate of engagement.”
Of those surveyed, 91 percent ranked fisheries management as very important to them, especially in preserving product quality and fish habitat. The habitat issues that most concerned the fishermen surveyed include mining, climate change and pollution, with the Pebble Mine and transboundary mines in Canada being the most prominent specific issues mentioned in the survey.
Judging from the responses, Bloom said that Alaskan fishermen are “A pretty significant political force to be reckoned with.”
Commercial fisherwoman Melanie Brown, who also took part in the presentation, said fishermen in Alaska feel deep, personal connections to both the profession of fishing and to the preservation of the salmon fishery.
“Salmon and the environment are wrapped up in our identity,” she said. “We believe it’s essential to maintain health of salmon and preserve the fishery for the generations to come.”
