Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee calls for tighter restrictions
No directed harvest in Alaska reinforces need to be conservative in Canada, according to society director
The Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee is calling for tighter restrictions on chinook salmon fishing in Yukon. A complete ban is already in place on the Alaskan side of the river for the second year in a row.
Canadian rules need to be more conservative, according to Dennis Zimmerman, the group's executive director.
"Once the productivity comes back on the Chinook, then you can start to address other things," says Zimmerman. But until they start replacing themselves at a better rate, unfortunately, we are in a fairly conservative regime."
In Canada, commercial and sport fishing is currently restricted until at least 51,000 salmon have crossed into Yukon.
First Nation harvesting is allowed after only 30,000 salmon have crossed.
The Salmon Sub-Committee is recommending those numbers be increased to 55,000 and 42,500 respectively.
International treaty obligations
Alaskans met those obligations last year for just the third time in eight years.
Early estimates for this year's Chinook salmon call for just 60,000 to 70,000 fish — a poor run by historical standards. In the 1990s, 300,000 salmon regularly made their way into the Yukon.
The Salmon Sub-Committee's recommendations are being delivered to the federal Deparment of Fisheries and Oceans for review.