Amid Closures, Klamath Festival Decides To Not Serve Salmon

As California anglers cope with the closures of salmon fisheries throughout the statehttps://www.cnn.com/2023/08/20/us/california-salmon-klamath-river-yurok/index.html, one longtime salmon festival made the difficult if practical decision to not serve salmon at this year’s event. Here’s CNN on the Klamath Salmon Festival’s rationale:

But for only the second time in the 59-year history of the celebration, salmon is not being served.

“The smell of salmon should be in the air,” said Gerogianna Gensaw, a Yurok member whose husband is a salmon fisherman, and who feeds her kids salmon nearly every day in life. “It feels like having a party, but your favorite person isn’t there.” …

“The word ney-puey, the word for salmon, the literal translation is, ‘what we eat,’” said Frankie Myers, co-chair of the tribe. “That gets to the heart of it.”

The Yurok have stopped fishing for salmon, hoping it will help the devastated population bounce back. Hence, the lack of salmon to eat at the festival.