Multi-level salmon governance and adaptation to institutional change in Indigenous fishing communities in Kamchatka, Russia

Discussions around salmon governance and management systems in the Pacific remain to be the source of debate and tension between recreational fishers, commercial fishing industry, Indigenous communities, government agencies, as well as the scientists (Chalifour et al., 2022; Day, 2023; Reid et al., 2022). While decades were spent on developing the “correct” salmon governance regimes, these systems still fail to respond to the needs of salmon-dependent communities and salmon populations (Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, n.d.; Connors, 2023). In multiple contexts multi-level governance is enforced top-down and is imposed with the pretext of achieving “better” management of resources, yet increasing gaps and oscillation in salmon population suggest a fragile and potentially ineffective system.