Madden Mischief

Sure, if you want to cool off from impressive heat, one of the coolest places on this stewing planet is Alaska.  But if you’re looking to go fishing for freshwater salmon there, you’re going to have to wait in some areas for certain species such as Yukon River Chinook (king) salmon to regenerate.  Right now, there’s a ban in place until the species of salmon recovers and becomes deliciously plentiful again. 

Currently, I was reading in The Alaskan Shepherd, a publication of the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska, about temporary restrictions on fishing for the king of salmon there extending until the supply of his highness’s succulent species is royally replenished.  This might take some time and is not going to be easy in a state so dependent on fresh salmon as both a lively food and livelihood for many, alas resulting from this temporary fresh salmon scarcity.

Chinook salmon is called the “king of salmon” because it is the largest species of Pacific salmon, often growing over 30 pounds and reaching record weights above 120 pounds.  Its massive size combined with rich, oily flesh and incredible fighting strength when hooked have earned Chinook its royal title.

For Alaskan natives, losing access to any salmon can be devastating.  Some families there today are forced to buy more expensive imported groceries, two or three times what they cost in urban areas due to the added cost of freight.

Fishing commercially for salmon also provides many Native Alaskan families with a much-needed additional source of income. That too has gone temporarily down the drain in some areas, which is too bad as Individuals could sell extra salmon they caught to processing plants along the Yukon, netting extra seasonal income.  Now that has swum away from them, at least for the time being.

For many years in Alaska there was plenty of fish and lots of work to go around, but today canneries are closed and some families have had to choose between buying food or medicine or heating oil and other things they need to live.    

Many Native families I’m reading about are deeply worried about how the ongoing salmon crash will impact their communities, and not just economically but therapeutically since fishing is one of the most effective ways to pass on traditional values and skills happily to the next generation.

So, at such a crucial time during this curtailment on fishing for certain freshwater salmon species, I’ve been supporting the Diocese of Fairbanks sending donations to “CBNA,” the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska, a charitable organization qualified as exempt under IRS 501©3.  Their address: 1316 Peger Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709, www.dioceseoffairbanks.org.  And I hope you will consider helping too!

Tom Madden is the CEO of TransMedia Group, the PR firm he started when he left NBC in New York City.  His daughter Adrienne Mazzone today is the firm’s president.  Madden is an author of six books and countless articles published in media throughout the country and for many years has supported charities throughout the world, especially those feeding poor hungry children.