Sushihunter
Active Member
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/aug/10/mixed-blessings/
Mixed blessings
King salmon escape to Canada, but too few caught in Alaska
Published Monday, August 10, 2009
The story of Yukon River king salmon returns this year follows a plot line first described by Charles Dickens — “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
For the first time in several years, enough fish returned to Canada to sustain the run and provide subsistence fishermen in the Yukon Territory with a few to eat.
So much for the best of times.
To secure those fish for Canada during a summer that saw far fewer king salmon return than normal, the state had to eliminate commercial harvest and severely limit subsistence fishing in the Alaska section of the river. The result was one of the worst summers on record for the Alaska catch.
Even with the extreme curtailment, the escapement to Canada wasn’t anything spectacular. It met the minimum comfortably and should provide a good base to rebuild the population — seven or eight years in the future when the fish that hatch from this summer’s eggs return as adults. Even if the state ignored its obligations to Canada under the treaty that governs Yukon River kings, fishermen this year wouldn’t have found many king salmon in the river in comparison to past years.
The population needs help. The projected total run this year is 140,000 fish. The most recent five-year average is about 200,000. That average is low compared to the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, when fishermen were catching about 125,000 annually and leaving plenty to escape and spawn.
Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday asked the federal government to declare a fishery disaster on the Yukon.
A disaster is a good way to describe what has happened. Last year’s poor season created severe problems in the lower Yukon villages that depend upon commercial fishing for some small amount of income. But last year at least had some fishing. There was none allowed on the main part of the run this year.
Fish managers are trying to figure out what is causing the problem. The pollock factory ships in the Bering Sea are often blamed for catching too many king salmon. A tremendous spike in the 2007 king bycatch rightly drew much attention and outrage. But the bycatch fell to very low levels in 2008 and probably will do the same this year; in any case, it’s far below the cap set by federal regulators. Keeping the bycatch low will require diligence, but it doesn’t appear to be the primary problem.
Curiously, the Tanana River branch of the Yukon king run did relatively well this summer. That’s why Fairbanksans could see fish nets and wheels out on the Tanana and anglers on the Chena River, even amid dire news about the overall run.
In the face of these mysteries and the continued low returns on the main stem, the state is right to manage Yukon king fishing conservatively. We must preserve the fish needed to rebuild the run in future years.
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Mixed blessings
King salmon escape to Canada, but too few caught in Alaska
Published Monday, August 10, 2009
The story of Yukon River king salmon returns this year follows a plot line first described by Charles Dickens — “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
For the first time in several years, enough fish returned to Canada to sustain the run and provide subsistence fishermen in the Yukon Territory with a few to eat.
So much for the best of times.
To secure those fish for Canada during a summer that saw far fewer king salmon return than normal, the state had to eliminate commercial harvest and severely limit subsistence fishing in the Alaska section of the river. The result was one of the worst summers on record for the Alaska catch.
Even with the extreme curtailment, the escapement to Canada wasn’t anything spectacular. It met the minimum comfortably and should provide a good base to rebuild the population — seven or eight years in the future when the fish that hatch from this summer’s eggs return as adults. Even if the state ignored its obligations to Canada under the treaty that governs Yukon River kings, fishermen this year wouldn’t have found many king salmon in the river in comparison to past years.
The population needs help. The projected total run this year is 140,000 fish. The most recent five-year average is about 200,000. That average is low compared to the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, when fishermen were catching about 125,000 annually and leaving plenty to escape and spawn.
Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday asked the federal government to declare a fishery disaster on the Yukon.
A disaster is a good way to describe what has happened. Last year’s poor season created severe problems in the lower Yukon villages that depend upon commercial fishing for some small amount of income. But last year at least had some fishing. There was none allowed on the main part of the run this year.
Fish managers are trying to figure out what is causing the problem. The pollock factory ships in the Bering Sea are often blamed for catching too many king salmon. A tremendous spike in the 2007 king bycatch rightly drew much attention and outrage. But the bycatch fell to very low levels in 2008 and probably will do the same this year; in any case, it’s far below the cap set by federal regulators. Keeping the bycatch low will require diligence, but it doesn’t appear to be the primary problem.
Curiously, the Tanana River branch of the Yukon king run did relatively well this summer. That’s why Fairbanksans could see fish nets and wheels out on the Tanana and anglers on the Chena River, even amid dire news about the overall run.
In the face of these mysteries and the continued low returns on the main stem, the state is right to manage Yukon king fishing conservatively. We must preserve the fish needed to rebuild the run in future years.
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
