24 



out to get the same number of fish. You know, there is just not as 

 many fish in the water. 



The Chairman. Right. 



Mr. McGill. Like I say, kind of a crude example, but, I mean, 

 it is the kind of logic they use. 



The Chairman. How many years you been into this? 



Mr. McGill. Let us see, since 1948^5 years I have fished. I 

 have fished here since we had the sailboats right on up to where 



we are now. !,■,!/. 



The Chairman. That is the first year I got elected and took of- 

 fice, 1948. Like you, I am still fishing. 



Well, this is an outstanding panel. We appreciate it very, very 

 much, and the record will stay open for questions, particularly by 

 Senator Stevens. We have a final panel before lunch, and we will 

 ask them to come, please. That is Dan Albrecht, Robin Samuelsen, 

 Bob Morgan, and Ed Wolfe. 



Daniel Albrecht, we would be delighted to hear from you first, 



sir. 



STATEMENT OF DANIEL ALBRECHT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

 YUKON RIVER DRAINAGE FISHERIES ASSOCIATION 



Mr. Albrecht. Thank you, Senator Hollings. 



For the record, my name is Dan Albrecht, executive director of 

 the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association. The association is 

 a relatively new organization and basically has two goals. One- — 



The Chairman. Let me apologize for saying so, but I am fairly 

 adept in politics. Why do you not call yourselves Yukon River Fish- 

 eries Association? It sounds like you are draining the fish. I mean, 

 that is what we have all been talking against. 



Mr. Albrecht. Well, because the Yukon River has several large 



tributaries. 

 The Chairman. But you could handle tributaries as well as the 



Yukon River fishery. 



Mr. Albrecht. If I say Yukon River, my Tanana River fishermen 

 will be upset at me. If I say Yukon River — 



The Chakman. They like that word, "drainage"? 



Mr. Albrecht. Yes, they do. And it also covers more territory, 

 which means more issues to cover. 



The Chairman. Very good, sir. 



Mr. Albrecht. Basically, the association unites downriver fisher- 

 men and upriver fishermen, including Yupik Eskimo, Athabaskan 

 Indian, as well as white homesteaders and trappers and other resi- 

 dents. And the basic goals are to get the different fishermen co- 

 operating amongst each other. They often, as fishermen will do, 

 compete over the same resource and argue with each other and file 

 lawsuits, so we try to bring fishermen together to solve manage- 

 ment conflicts. 



And then, second, we are there to work united to protect the 

 shared salmon resource, which all the fishermen along the Yukon 

 River use, about 50 villages along the Yukon River and its tribu- 

 taries, 15,000 people, about 1,000 commercial salmon permits and 

 both commercial and subsistence salmon fisheries, chinook salmon, 

 summer chum, fall chum, and coho. 



