Holly Carroll

Holly Carroll joined the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Branch as the Yukon River Federal Subsistence Fisheries Manager in November 2020. Holly previously worked for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, as the Yukon River Summer Season Manager since 2016. She managed the commercial and subsistence Chinook and summer Chum Salmon fisheries, working closely with the Federal management team. Prior to being the manager, she held a variety of positions with ADF&G that gave her a good understanding of fisheries assessment and management and the importance of working closely with fishermen.

Holly’s professional background includes using run forecast and in-season projection methods and working at various sonar projects in Aniak (Kuskokwim drainage), Eagle and Pilot Station (Yukon River). Holly also has three years of experience running the door-to-door subsistence harvest sampling program for the Kuskokwim River drainage and feels most at home when working directly with fishermen and communities. She has worked (and conducted test fisheries) in most areas of the river, often working alongside local fishermen which has given her a good working knowledge of the unique topography, fishing gears, and other environmental factors that affect fishing success differently in each area. Holly has visited many of the Yukon River communities to discuss salmon with local fishermen and elders. She learns much from these encounters and incorporates local knowledge into daily management decisions. When making management decisions, Holly recognizes that fishing is essential to sustaining traditional practices and cultures of the Indigenous People from the coast all the way into the Canadian headwaters and she balances this with the need to conserve salmon for future generations’ fishing traditions.