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"The Salmon People" is a documentary about the struggle of Alaska's Natives to survive without chinook salmon while corporations catch their fish and dump them overboard as trash in the quest for fish sticks and the filet-o-fish sandwich.
The Salmon People FilmWhat is the documentary about?"The Salmon People" is a documentary about the struggle of Alaska's Natives to survive without Chinook salmon while corporations catch their fish and dump them overboard as trash in the quest for fish sticks and the filet-o-fish sandwich. Large factory ships trawl Alaska's oceans in search of pollock and catch large numbers (more than half) of the Chinook salmon destined for the Yukon River in their nets. The Native Alaskans living along the river, are no longer able to support their families with salmon for food or sale, after doing so for thousands of years. I want to help them tell their stories. Who will I speak to? Alaskan politicians, Yukon residents, village leaders, factory trawler operators (if they'll speak to me), and McDonalds, the primary recipient of Alaska's pollock. I'll also interview former fisheries observers and hear how factory ships fish "off the clock" in the middle of the night and catch thousands of salmon that go unreported as bycatch and are discarded like garbage. What's my plan? I'm going to travel to eight villages along the Yukon and then head to Canada to film the headwaters of the river at Llewellyn Glacier. I'll be interviewing residents all along the Yukon to hear their stories and ask what they believe is the solution to this problem. I'll also speak to Alaska's politicians and ask them what their plan is to solve this problem. Projected timeline Pre-production is currently in full swing, the goal is to complete the film by September 1st, 2011 in time for submission to the Sundance Film Festival. How the funds will be used Airfare to the Bush is outrageous here in Alaska. A round-trip flight from Los Angeles to London is cheaper than a 400 mile round-trip ticket from Anchorage to Emmonak. Here's a sample of expenses: • Airfare for winter and summer trips along Yukon River villages and British Columbia (Start of Yukon River): $9,400 • Lodging in villages and B.C.: $3,000 • Airfare for flyover of mouth of Yukon: $150 • Location fees, permits: $800 • 3 external hard drives for backing up film footage: $300 • Archival film footage of Yukon fishermen from the State of Alaska: $700 • Equipment rental (car/boat mount, HMI lights, video tap, etc): $850 • Purchases (power inverters, office supplies, black dvd's) $380 • Gels, production expendables, batteries: $400 • Voiceover talent: $700 • Post production (sound mixing, ADR, score and foley recording): $2100 • Entrance fees to film festivals: $1,300 • DVD copies to send to members of Congress, human rights groups, and schools: $300 Your generous contributions will finance the costs of this documentary from principal photography to the final sound mix. I am asking for your help to create this film, which will be distributed through media channels, film festivals throughout the world, and online outlets such as iTunes, Netflix and Amazon. We will also be submitting the project to the Discovery Channel, PBS, and other cable channels. |
Update February 17th, 2011Added Paypal buttonThank you very much for all of your replies to the latest Kickstarter update. A supporter from the Netherlands suggested adding a Paypal button for those who could not send checks. Great idea! I just added one to the right. Update February 15th, 2011Interview with former trawlerI filmed a very informative interview last week with a former pollock trawler that says the numbers of chinook salmon bycatch are only 10% of what are actually being reported. Update February 1st, 2011Interview with former Emmonak residentI filmed a depressing interview a few days ago with a former Emmonak, Alaska resident that moved away from his village to Anchorage because he could no longer support his family due to a lack of salmon. He said a few of his friends are considering moving their families also. Related videos that I filmed for CNN I supplied some of the film for this KTUU Anchorage report |
Bycatch NewsSlumping salmon runs worry subsistence users - 2-04-2011 - "the problem is they're placing the burden of conservation on the people who need it for food." While the council considers measures to mitigate pollock trawl fleet bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska for chinooks and in the Bering Sea for chums, subsistence users around the state will be watching to see if they will continue to bear the burden of conservation when it comes to meeting escapement goals and treaty obligations on the Yukon River. Story Here Observers report high king salmon bycatch - 10-24-2010 - Pollock boats and other commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Alaska have accidentally caught a reported 58,336 king salmon this year, a level of bycatch that could trigger restrictions. In recent years Gulf of Alaska bycatch numbers have hovered around 20,000 fish. Story Here  Bycatch kings upset sport fishermen - 11-09-2010 - "There's a feeling of frustration among most recreational anglers," said Chris Fiala, owner of Kodiak Island Charters and a Kodiak resident since 1985. "The king salmon is huge because it's our wonder fish. It's our, marlin; it's the fish that really signifies Alaska." Story Here Feds OK plan to cap king salmon bycatch - 05-20-2010 - "The limits are meant to prevent trawlers from wasting chinook, or king, salmon that would otherwise return to the Yukon River and other spawning grounds. Western Alaska leaders who had pushed for much tighter restrictions Wednesday blasted Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's decision to accept the plan, which was recommended last year by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council." Story Here In rural Alaska villages, families struggle to survive 02-16-2009 - "Thousands of villagers in rural Alaska are struggling to survive, forced to choose between keeping their families warm and keeping their stomachs full, residents say." Story Here Fewer king salmon returning to Alaska - 08-03-2009 - "Yukon River smokehouses should be filled this summer with oil-rich strips of king salmon - long used by Alaska Natives as a high-energy food to get through the long Alaska winters. But they're mostly empty." Story Here |
| Website links DennisZaki.com Nunamta.org (Nunamta Aulukestai means Caretakers of the Land in Yup'ik) |
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