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From: Shannon Erhart
Date: 9/26/00
Time: 2:20:47 PM
Remote Name: 216.88.216.226
I have been out of town the past five days, and I am behind in the current news. I have just finished reading the Anchorage Daily News (Sat. Sept. 23), and comments raised here on SDC. Being that my father-in-law is mentioned I feel inclined to voice my feelings.
First and formost these people are not asking for FREE handouts. They will accept help if it means keeping their dogs alive.
I think the artical in the paper could have been handled alot better and the comments made put in better context. The artical was written to get attention, and sure enough it did.
This past summer has beeen hard on mushers who do feed their dogs salmon. My husband Curtis and I included, we on the other hand live in town, have a job,and a means to support our dogs,we also have access to store dog food in a walkin freezer.
The people living on the riverways, live a subsistance lifestyle, and most of them do not have a steady income coming in. I will also mention they do not draw welfare. Many of these people have commercial fishing licenses, and they use to make their yearly income from selling fish. This has not happened for the past five years, causing a loss of money in their hand. If feed is sent most people don't have freezer space to accomadate relief food sent, until freeze up.
As for hatchery fish, this is an okay substitue for awhile, but the nutrientional value of the salmon is gone, by the time they are spawned out. In turn causing health problems in dogs that eat them. Boarding of their dogs is not what they want, the logistics and cost of shipping to and from the villages is outrages. Who can afford that?
THE point of these people was to allow them to fish, without restrictions and penalties. There are fish in the rivers, and the amount of mushers tring to feed their animals is small compared to the big fisheries in the ocean, who are catching the salmon.
I hope this answers some peoples questions. Sincerly, Shannon Erhart