Mushers react to 'scary' closure of chum fishery

Northern mushers are facing some tough decisions, as they must find new ways of feeding their dogs.

A poor chum salmon run this year has lead to a suspension of fishing in the Yukon River both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

And it has cut off mushers from the traditional food source.

In Old Crow, Yukon, Paul Josie would usually be setting gill nets this time of year.

"Last year I had about 400 chum salmon and that got me through the winter," he said.

However, this year the Vuntut Gwitchin government is asking citizens to abstain from fishing the fall chum run.

Josie's family has three children and a fourth on the way. The family has relied on salmon to supplement their groceries as do many people in Old Crow.

Now they'll be looking to find another source of food for themselves and 15 dogs.

"It's pretty scary," Josie said. "I have always depended on chum salmon to offset the cost of feeding the dogs. Living in a fly-in remote community everything costs extra."

At the Arctic Co-Op store in Old-Crow, a 10-kilogram bag of kibble costs $24.99.

Mushers typically buy in bulk and have food shipped by the tonne but even this option costs thousands of dollars a season not to mention shipping, said Josie.

In previous years, Josie says community members have donated meat to help his dogs when fish was short.

A public notice from the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation says it will "discuss options to support fishers, especially those with dog teams, in the coming days."

Living in a fly-in remote community everything costs extra.- Paul Josie, musher

Chum salmon have been traditionally used to feed dog teams in Yukon and Alaska. Josie's parents had 30 dogs who they sustained with the fish.

However, these days there are fewer dog teams in Old Crow and what used to be common means of transport has "dwindled down," leaving two kennels in the community, he said.

The Josie family's 11 huskies and four puppies are working dogs. They are a main driver for a tourism business called Josie's Old Crow Adventures. 

The family business offers northern lights tours, mushing alongside the Porcupine River and even ice fishing tours with local elders. 

This year, low chum numbers come as tourism has fallen off due to COVID-19. That means expenses are up and revenues are down.

"I'm still trying to figure it out," Josie said about what comes next.

Commercial fishing closed this year

Chum salmon are caught for sustenance and also for sale. 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada reports that a commercial fishery has accounted for an average of 2,500 fish taken per year in the last decade in Yukon. 

By comparison, the First Nations' fishery in this same decade, has averaged about 1,000 fish a year. 

This year, the number of Canadian-origin fall chum is estimated to be at approximately 65,000 which, before any harvest, is already below the spawning escapement goal of 70,000.  As a result, all commercial and public fishing of chum has been closed. 

It's going to be a significant financial hit, for sure.- Sebastian Jones, Yukoner

Sebastian Jones has lived in Dawson City for 40 years. He is a long-time environmental advocate and has also been fishing since the 1980s. In recent years he has been one of only a handful of Yukoners issued a commercial licence to fish chum.

"It's going to be a significant financial hit, for sure," he said of this year's closure. 

Jones has sold chum locally and also keeps nine huskies in West Dawson. He estimates one husky can eat 100 chum in a year. 

"It's 95 per cent of what they eat in a day," he said of his dogs. "They get a soup for breakfast but most of their meals are salmon. It's a complete food, it's the whole fish and it's extremely nutritious."

While there are other fish in the Yukon River such as whitefish, burbot and the occasional coho salmon, Jones says they aren't there in high enough numbers to fill the gap.

This means mushers will need to buy more meat — if they can afford it — until hopefully chum numbers increase. 

Alaskan village takes 20,000 chum a year, says researcher

A lack of chum is also hurting small riverside communities in Alaska such as Tanana and Fort Yukon.

Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, director of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, says she's been hearing from mushers who are worried.

"It's been very frustrating, it's been very disappointing, it's been very sad. People are used to talking about conservation of king [Chinook] salmon and shifting their focus on harvesting chum salmon instead," said Quinn-Davidson. "To have both runs be so poor this year has been a real hardship."

Quinn-Davidson has been calling out to dog food companies, hoping to arrange a donation, discount or other help. 

"The community of Tanana usually harvests about 20,000 chum salmon to give to their dog teams. So this isn't just a bag of dog food. We need a substantial donation of food to keep these dogs alive," she said.