Fishing is the dominant economy of the community of Yakutat and
has been for more than a century. This independent lifestyle has
been passed down from generation to
generation; with today’s young people now learning the newest
techniques in fish care and handling. For our people, fishing is
a way of life we consider salmon to play an integral role in
their well-being.
Home to the world's only "fish railroad", the
Yakutat-Southern Railroad began operating and transporting
salmon from the Situk River in the early 1900's up until 1951.
Today’s Yakutat commercial fishing industry harvests salmon
through the utilization of
three gear types: set gillnet, hand
trolling, and power trolling.
According to the
world renowned Marine Stewardship Council
(MSC) the Alaska salmon are among the best managed
seafood industries in the world. Yakutat’s two
largest processing facilities, the Borough’s Ocean Cape facility
and the YKI Fisheries facility, are certified suppliers by the
Marine Stewardship Council.
Our local Tlingit culture has had and continues to have a strong
cultural and emotional attachment to the salmon and to the areas
in which they are harvested.
We are connected to the land, the sea, and spirituality of the
salmon. The Tlingit people viewed the salmon rivers and streams
as a measure of great wealth. It is these rivers that make up
the lifeblood of the Yakutat people. Alaskan natives occupied
these lands and prospered from these rivers since time
immemorial. It is this wealth that has sustained the people of
Yakutat for countless generations…it is through the responsible
development of these resources which will ensure that our
children and grandchildren can enjoy and participate in our
beloved way of life.
Through the development of the YakutatWildTM brand, our
fisherman, our processors, and our community have merged the
tenets of our culture-to preserve and protect our salmon streams
and environment, with those of today’s health conscience
consumer-quality and wild organic salmon products.
generation; with today’s young people now learning the newest
techniques in fish care and handling. For our people, fishing is
a way of life we consider salmon to play an integral role in
their well-being.
three gear types: set gillnet, hand
trolling, and power trolling.