The Alaska salmon industry enters the 2026 season after a year marked by heavy industry consolidation, especially in the processing sector.

Today, summers mean less time on the river, empty smokehouses and fish camps, and no intergenerational learning.

For many years, I had the privilege to live and work in the community of Sitaisaq (Brevig Mission). I loved learning about the Inupiaq community’s subsistence lifestyle there, and learning how to ...