ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska's governor asked the Obama administration on Saturday to declare a fisheries disaster for parts of the state where weak salmon runs are taking a toll on Native Alaskan villagers who rely on wild fish for food and as one of their few income sources.
Governor Sean Parnell made the request to acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank in a move that could free up some financial aid for impoverished residents of villages that depend on salmon from the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers in western Alaska.
"Residents in the Yukon and Kuskokwim regions experience some of the highest poverty rates in the country. Earnings from even small commercial fisheries are critical to make it through Alaska's winters," Parnell said in a statement.
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