Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee Recommends Moratorium on Chum Fishing

Friday, 18 September 2020 14:01

The in-season counts from Pilot Sonar, located in Alaska near the mouth, indicate that it is highly unlikely that the lower end of the fall chum spawning escapement goals will be met this year. Pilot sonar has estimated 189,000 fall chum this season compared to an average of almost 895,000.

The Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee is recommending a moratorium on chum salmon fishing this season.

The in-season counts from Pilot Sonar, located in Alaska near the mouth, indicate that it is highly unlikely that the lower end of the fall chum spawning escapement goals will be met this year.

Pilot sonar has estimated 189,000 fall chum this season compared to an average of almost 895,000.

As such, the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee has recommended that First Nation Governments request their citizens to cease fishing fall chum on the Yukon River and its tributaries in 2020.

Elizabeth MacDonald, Executive Director of the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee says that there is simply not enough Chum Salmon moving up river to spawn this year and noted that Alaska has already imposed a moratorium on Chum Salmon fishing this year.

Al von Finster, Chair of the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee said in a statement, "We have been fortunate for the last decade that the fall chum numbers have allowed for a harvest share on both sides of the border. Fall chum have been an important substitute in redirecting harvest from Yukon River Chinook stocks, especially in Alaska. In 2020 the Alaskans closed their fall chum fisheries due to low numbers of returning adults. We share their concern."

The projections for mainstem Canadian-origin adult fall chum this year are 47,000 and 7,500 for Fishing Branch.

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