DAY 52 JULY 8 FISH AND MOOSE

Day 52. Today is the last day that the native Alaskans can run fish wheels for the next ten days. The United States has a treaty with Canada which provides for 50,000 king salmon to migrate into Canada. This is necessary to protect Canadian fish populations because the Yukon must travel 1,000 miles through Alaska before entering Canada. Unfortunately, the king salmon counts are down this year so fewer fish are being caught, and that's true also in Fort Yukon. Native Alaskans rely on king salmon and moose as the staple in their diet. Salmon shortage is a significant concern. On top of this problem, the moose population is down due to an increase in the number of bears. There is encouragement to shoot bears in hopes of boosting the moose population. In Alaska, where many of the people live pretty close to the earth, these inbalances in nature come pretty close to home. The people in Fort Yukon always have Fairbanks to fall back on, but money for many is scarce and transportation costs are signficant. What is needed, said one woman at our weekly Bible study Wednesday night, is an increase in the Athabascan tradition of giving to those in need from those who have more than enough. I hear echoes of St. Paul in those words. Wednesday was thankfully cooler than Tuesday with some hint of rain in the air. We have begun to make a list of things to do next week in Fairbanks before we begin our trip home on Thursday, July 16.