Fisheries

Salmon

G̱aat — sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) — is a prized traditional food of our people. Our Tribal research program monitors the health of sockeye populations across our traditional territory, with special attention to understanding the impacts of climate change.  

For information on federal subsistence management on the Tongass and in-season weir counts at Redoubt Lake and Klag Bay, visit the USFS subsistence dashboard. This link displays daily G̱aat (sockeye salmon) weir counts at Ḵunáa and Chaas’ G̱eeyí. This page started as a 2023 pilot project between STA and USFS.

Klag Lake (Chaas’ G̱eeyí)

Klag Lake, located approximately 50 miles north of Sitka on Chichagof Island, has a population of g̱aat that have sustained our people since pre-colonial times. STA operates a seasonal fish weir that monitors escapement of sockeye during the summer. STA Resource Protection staff conduct seasonal creel surveys to estimate harvest, as well as limnological and temperature monitoring to understand freshwater productivity and climate change vulnerability. Sitka Tribe of Alaska is collaborating with the US Forest Service on several other sockeye research projects in our traditional territory. 

Read more about Klag Bay Salmon Research here. 

Redoubt Bay (Ḵunáa)

The Redoubt Bay Village site has a rich history documented through both archaeological evidence and Tlingit oral traditions. Known as Ḵunáa in Tlingit, the village was a seasonal settlement associated with sockeye salmon harvesting, with its name derived from a legend about a clan member who turned to stone while looking down at the village from a nearby mountain.

On July 16, 2025, Sealaska and Sitka Tribe of Alaska (“STA”) signed the Interim Ḵunáa Historic Site Management Agreement. This agreement empowers STA to manage the 10.54 acres above mean high tide at Ḵunáa. Back in 1975, Sealaska applied for the 10.54 acres of uplands at Ḵunáa pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Section 14(h)(1) (“ANCSA 14(h)(1)”) – a provision of federal law which allows Alaska Native Corporations to claim ownership over historic and cemetery sites. Fifty years later, Sealaska finally received the deed for Ḵunáa.
In 2013, in anticipation of one day receiving the deed, Sealaska, Sealaska Heritage, and Sitka Tribe of Alaska entered into a Memorandum of Agreement, wherein Sealaska agreed that, should the land ever be conveyed to Sealaska, Sitka Tribe of Alaska should be the property manager for Ḵunáa. The MOA stated that “the Parties agree that Sitka Tribe’s tribal citizens shall have continual access to the cemetery sites, historical places, and sacred sites located within the traditional territory of the Sitka Tribe; and … the Corporation and the Institute recognize the inherent cultural responsibilities of the Tribe to manage the land and resources within the traditional territory of the Sitka Tribe and Clans”.

Visitors are reminded that they enter Ḵunáa at their own risk. The land is unimproved and open for recreational use at no charge. Under Alaska law, the owner is not liable for injuries or death resulting from natural or inherent hazards—including but not limited to the examples of hazards listed below—unless the owner acts with gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct. By entering this property, you:

• Assume all inherent risks of outdoor recreation.

• Acknowledge that the owner has no duty to maintain or warn about natural conditions under Alaska law (AS 09.65.202).

• Confirm understanding that no compensation is required for recreational use, and no implied status (e.g., invitee) is granted.

Known hazards may include, for example: slippery and hidden rocks; strong currents; steep drop-offs; unstable logs; flash‐flood zones; bears and other predators; and other wildlife. Users should take care to recognize and avoid these areas, and to always be alert for other hazards.

Abide by the rules below to protect cultural resources and ensure this property is open to the public for years to come. Failure to follow the rules may result in denial a lack of access to the property, and/or or legal action.

RULES FOR RECREATIONAL USE OF ḴUNÁA
Please Respect Our Land

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

1. No commercial use of the Property.*
2. No dogs.
3. No hazardous materials. **
4. No littering or dumping – pack out all trash.***
5. No camping.
6. No tying up boats to trees.
7. No touching or disturbing archaeological sites or artifacts.
8. No fires, fireworks, or open flames.

REPORT HAZARDS OR INJURIES

Please report any serious hazards or injuries to Sealaska.

Your access to this land is provided as-is, with no guarantee of safety. You enter at your own risk. By using this property, you accept all risks and agree to follow posted rules. Failure to follow these rules may result in removal, denial of future access to the property, and/or or legal action.

* Commercial use is defined as guided tours, guided hunting, and charter sport fishing provided in exchange for compensation.

** Hazardous materials are any hazardous or toxic substance, material, or waste, which is or becomes regulated by any local governmental authority, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, the State of Alaska, or the United States government.

*** Visitors may be fined for littering pursuant to Alaska Statute 46.06.080.

Herring

Yaaw – the Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) – is a keystone species in Sheet’ká Ḵwáan, supporting a large and complex food web that sustains many other species.Tlingit oral history is rich with stories of the abundance and importance of herring. Yaaw provide sustenance in many ways.

Historic and contemporary commercial fisheries have severely depleted yaaw in Sitka Sound and across Southeast Alaska. Sitka Tribe collaborates with other agencies and researchers to document changes in the health and abundance of yaaw. 

In 2018, after nearly 20 years of advocating for meaningful rights to subsistence harvest of herring eggs in Sitka Sound, Sitka Tribe of Alaska sued the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Board of Fish to assert this right under the Alaska Constitution, and change the way the state manages the commercial sac roe herring fishery.

In decisions issued in 2020 and 2021, the trial court found in favor of the Tribe’s assertion that subsistence harvesters must have reasonable opportunity to meet their subsistence needs, and required that the State consider both the quality and quantity of the subsistence harvest of herring eggs when making decisions about managing the commercial fishery. The trial court ruled against the Tribe’s assertion that the Sustained Yield clause of the Alaska Constitution requires the State to use the best available information in managing the commercial herring fishery.  

Shellfish

Gáal’ — clams —  Shell middens and clam gardens are physical evidence of the historic importance of clams as a subsistence food for the Tlingit people. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game manages clams in the intertidal zone, but the harvest of Gáal — butter clams (Saxidomus gigantea), Tl’ildaaskeit – littleneck clams (Protothaca stamineais), and Yalooleit — cockles (Cerastoderma edule) is not regulated in Southeast Alaska. 

Sitka Tribe of Alaska recently collaborated with the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) network and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor the abundance, biomass, distribution, and growth of these species on subsistence beaches in the region and on Kodiak Island. The project provided important baseline data and supported Tribal resource management capacity. 

Clams, mussels and other bivalves are filter feeders that can ingest toxins from harmful algal blooms. These toxins can be harmful or deadly to humans. STA conducts research on harmful algal blooms, and tests shellfish for toxins.  

Learn more about research on harmful algal blooms and the shellfish testing program within STA’s Environmental Research Lab.