YRDFA 2014 Resolutions, 24th Annual Meeting: Fort Yukon, Alaska, February 10-13, 2014
01 – Gratefully thanking the people of Fort Yukon for their generosity and hospitality: Therefore be it resolved that the YRDFA Board Members, delegates and staff of YRDFA gratefully thank the various organizations and the people of Fort Yukon, including the Native Village of Fort Yukon, the cooks, the drivers, the hosts, the school.
02 – Open summer chum salmon fishing when Chinook salmon fishing is closed: Therefore be it resolved that YRDFA supports allowing the harvest of Yukon River summer chum salmon during the Yukon River Chinook salmon run, regardless of Chinook salmon run strength, if the means and methods of harvesting summer chum do not add additional pressure on the Chinook salmon stocks.
03 – Approving the Submission of a proposal to the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) for development of a language immersion fish camp program: Therefore be it resolved that the YRDFA Board of Directors unanimously supports the submission of a proposal for funding to the Administration for Native Americans (Native Language Preservation and Maintenance) under funding opportunity numberHHS-2014-ACF-ANA-NL-0778with a due date of4/15/2014 and subsequent years of 2015, 2016, 2017.
04 – International Cooperation: Therefore be it resolved that YRDFA will continue its efforts to work with Canadian First Nations, the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Yukon Salmon Sub Committee, state and federal fisheries management agencies and Alaska’s tribes for international cooperation and understanding between the United States and Canada for the good of the Chinook salmon and fishers of the Yukon River and its tributaries.
05 – Equality of fishing time for Chinook salmon: Therefore be it resolved that YRDFA will work with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and communities along the Yukon River to determine how to equitably reduce fishing time for Chinook salmon during times of low Chinook salmon returns to the Yukon River.
06 – Magnuson Stevens Act Reauthorization: Therefore be it resolved that YRDFA supports the following changes to the Magnuson Stevens Act:
- Provide for subsistence/tribal representation on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) by:
- Adding a voting member to the NPFMC under 16 USC §1852(b). This member will be nominated directly by Alaska’s tribes and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.
- Include tribal subsistence in the list of user groups amongst whom the Secretary must maintain a balanced apportionment under 16 USC §1852(b)(2)(B).
- Amend the MSA to include subsistence, along with commercial and recreational fisheries and fishing communities, throughout.
- Mandate reductions in bycatch by strengthening National Standard 9, which currently only requires bycatch reduction “to the extent practicable.”
- Remove the $25,000 annual limit on bycatch fines for North Pacific fisheries conservation (16 USC §1862(g)).
- Amend disaster relief provisions to include subsistence fishery failures and allow Tribes to request and receive disaster relief directly (16 USC §1861(a)).
- Extend the CDQ program to provide economic development opportunity for all Yukon River communities.