Salmon State: Alaska

Alaska has the healthiest wild salmon runs in the world, but all is not well in the Salmon State.

An episode of the The Trail Less Traveled podcast, hosted by Mandela Leola van Eeden, titled "Salmon State: Alaska" was published on July 27, 2025 and runs 48 minutes.

July 27, 2025 ·48m · The Trail Less Traveled

Summary

Together, Tim, Heather, and Lindsey strengthen Salmon State’s mission: defending rivers and salmon through policy advocacy, community engagement, and protection of critical watersheds across Alaska and its transboundary rivers.As Executive Director based in Juneau, Alaska, Tim Bristol is a leading voice in salmon conservation policy. He has testified before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, highlighting the urgent need to curb bycatch from large trawl fleets off Alaska and demanding stronger tribal co-management for rivers like the Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim—calling salmon population crashes “a human rights crisis and an ecological disaster”. Under his leadership, SalmonState champions habitat protection and bycatch reduction, bringing Indigenous stewardship into fisheries management at both local and federal levels.In her role as Salmon Beyond Borders Campaign Advisor, Heather Hardcastle leads cross-jurisdictional efforts to protect salmon ecosystems that transcend political boundaries. Based in Juneau, she coordinates with stakeholders across Alaska and Canada to ensure the health of transboundary rivers—such as the Taku—by advocating science-based policy and Indigenous-led watershed governance. Her work helps strengthen salmon runs that cross national borders, safeguarding migratory pathways essential to species survival.A second-generation gillnet captain from Bristol Bay, Lindsey Bloom brings first-hand fishing experience and a background in sustainable development (M.A.) to her campaign strategy role. After more than a decade fishing, she now organizes Alaskans—particularly young fishermen—and collaborates with tribal, nonprofit, and business communities to protect salmon habitat and influence fisheries policy around rivers and coastal waters. She helped lead the grassroots movement opposing the Pebble mine in Bristol Bay, even addressing its importance during President Obama’s 2015 visit. https://salmonstate.org/Show notes: 00:05:16 - Connecting with Alaska's Natural Heritage00:08:17 - Protecting Transboundary Rivers Together00:11:36 - Impact of Mining on Wild Salmon00:17:30 - Advocating for Wildlife and Wild Places00:20:29 - Understanding Salmon Species00:21:50 - Salmon's Unique Life Cycles00:25:23 - Connection Between Fishing and Family00:28:20 - Protecting Alaska's Salmon Habitat00:31:24 - Protecting Alaska's Salmon Ecosystem00:34:19 - Tim Bristol's Conservation Journey00:36:45 - Protecting Southeast Alaska's Forests00:39:09 - Salmon State: Protecting Alaska's Ecosystem00:42:06 - Transboundary Rivers and Mining Issues00:44:39 - Lessons from Salmon ResiliencePlease help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Description