Absence of Tomcods

Observation by Janet Mitchell:

The temperatures and ice conditions have been so erratic, the tom cods did not come into the Kivalina Lagoon. We did not get to fish at all save for a few who fished at the mouth of the river and barely caught any. We normally get them by the 100's. It is very concerning. It is our food.

LEO Says:

There have been numerous observations posted into the LEO Network over the years in regards to Tomcod harvests. In November 2021 an observation came in from Konginak that the tomcod harvest had failed. Observations also came in from Chevak, and Chefornak in 2021. Like 2021 it would be interesting to see if Kivalina's harvest indicated other poor harvests throughout the West coast of Alaska. Tomcods are an important subsistence resource all around coastal Alaska, the Pacific Rim and Northwestern Canada. LEO Network has shared this observation with other communities to learn more about their harvests in 2023. We have attached a fun read/interview in the sidebar on Tomcod from Jimmy Evak from back in 2021. Great insight on a lifetime of catching Tomcod.