Cedric Waska fishes with his grandparents on the Yukon River
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Like many generations before him, Cedric Waska fishes with his grandparents on the Yukon River.

Angela Hunt in Emmonak, Alaska
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Angela Hunt travels with her husband to fish camp every summer. Together they catch, cut, dry, and smoke hundreds of salmon for the winter.

Salmon hangs in a smokehouse at a fish camp near Emmonak.
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Salmon hangs in a smokehouse at a fish camp near Emmonak.

Ray Waska teaches his two grandsons how to set nets in the Yukon River.
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Ray Waska teaches his two grandsons how to set nets in the Yukon River. He has observed that the weather, fish, and waters have been changing drastically in recent years.

Youth employees at Kwik'Pak Fisheries in Emmonak, Alaska
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Youth employees working at Kwik'Pak Fisheries, the only seafood company in the world to attain Fair Trade status. Kwik'Pak employs close to 100 staff members ages 14-17 each summer.

Patrick Tam at Emmonak's first community garden
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With the help of Kwik'Pak Fisheries, Patrick Tam has established the first community garden in Emmonak.

The night watchman at Kwik'Pak Fisheries
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Joseph Francis is the night watchman at Kwik'Pak Fisheries. Photo courtesy of Andrew David Watson.

Kwik'Pak staff member Herman Hootch builds a wooden cross
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Kwik'Pak staff member Herman Hootch builds a wooden cross for a young man who committed suicide. According to the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics, Alaska Natives make up almost 70 percent of teenage suicides in the state.

Youth employee Harvey Stanislaus in the Kwik'Pak break room.
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Youth employee Harvey Stanislaus relaxes in the Kwik'Pak break room.

Children play all night in the streets of Emmonak
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Children play in the streets of Emmonak after midnight. Photo courtesy of Andrew David Watson.

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Emmonak

Emmonak is a Yup'ik Eskimo town on the Western coast of Alaska where families are struggling to maintain the subsistence lifestyle of their ancestors.