ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaskans celebrated the importance of salmon to the state Thursday during a community event hosted by the Alaska Center at Westchester Lagoon.

Those in attendance celebrated the day by honoring the fish, recognizing the importance of healthy salmon habitat while remembering a resource that is vital to the people of Alaska and others around the world.

Since Alaska Wild Salmon Day was officially proclaimed by then-Governor Bill Walker in 2016, people across the state have celebrated salmon every August 10th. The day was enacted with the signing of House Bill 128.

This year’s 9th Alaska Wild Salmon Day also brought into focus some of the concerns surrounding Alaska’s salmon population.

Chantal De Alcuaz, co-executive director of the Alaska Center, said low salmon populations in certain areas are already having a devastating impact on indigenous communities and people living off the road.

“Especially in the Yukon, in the Kuskokwim, but all over Alaska, it’s incredibly scary,” she said, “and it’s an incredibly urgent crisis. And there are many, many, many factors at play, from climate change to commercial trawling.”

De Alcuaz said the sacred relationship between humans and fish requires that people act responsibly to continue to protect the fish.

“Salmon is under threat in many ways. The problem is very complicated and we can do something about it, but it is also important to celebrate success,” said De Alcuaz.

Dustin Slinker, owner of the Bait Shack on Ship Creek in Anchorage, said there are few coho salmon coming through the water there. Apparently the coho salmon haven’t arrived yet – or they’re in other locations in southcentral and southeast Alaska. Early August is usually the peak of the season, he said.

“If there’s no fish there, it’s a problem for a lot of people,” Slinker said. “Not just the stores, the guides up here, the fishing shops, the bait companies, but also the people who want to freeze fish to stock up for the winter months.”

Slinker said fish is the one thing that brings all Alaskans together, although the question of where the fish are or what exactly is happening to them cannot be answered, he said. He encourages people to speak up during the Board of Fish processes to voice concerns about the salmon population.

Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said it’s hard not to think of salmon when you think of Alaska.

“I’m surprised it’s not on our state flag. We have eight gold stars, but one of those stars could very well be salmon,” Vincent-Lang said, “given the importance of salmon to our culture, our food security, our enjoyment of being outdoors, and of course our commercial fisheries, which are an integral part of many of our coastal communities.”

Vincent-Lang said Alaska Wild Salmon Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the heritage of salmon in Alaska because it is embedded in the foundation of our state and economy. For many Alaskans, it is important to food security, cultural identity and the livelihoods of many.

Slinker said Thursday that the 4th annual Coho Rodeo, a one-day event that normally fills the banks of Ship Creek with hundreds of anglers and raises money for local nonprofits, is canceled this year. It was supposed to be held this weekend, on Saturday. The cancellation is due to the lack of fish he has observed in the waterway.

All rights reserved.