As in other parts of Alaska, the Yup'ik have witnessed dramatic lifestyle changes in the last 50 years. One of the most visible is the huge rise in the use of snowmobiles and motorized boats, which help to make their subsistence living a bit easier in this harsh locale. Click this link to learn more about the Yup'ik culture of Alaska.
The Yup'ik have also noticed extreme changes in their environment. Less overall precipitation has resulted in lower lake and river levels, diminishing salmon habitat. At the same time, the melting of the permafrost - on which many villages are built - has caused serious flooding, erosion, and the rippling of the landscape, which damages village infrascructure. In fact, numerous Yup'ik villages may be forced to relocate because of severe coastal erosion. Click this link to learn more about Alaska's disappearing salmon.
Overfishing is the depletion of a stock of fish (in a body of water) by too much fishing. Many people are unaware of the scary facts behind the fish we eat. This animation creates much needed awareness about the ocean's most solvable problem while reminding us that we all have a role to play in fixing it.

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