[Alaska] Alaska & Canada agree to salmon moratorium on the Yukon River

Alaska and Canada agree to moratorium on Yukon chinook salmon fishing

Alaska and Canada have agreed to a seven-year moratorium on Yukon River chinook salmon fishing.

According to a release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the in-river closure for one full king salmon life cycle is outlined in an agreement signed April 1 by the state agency and its Canadian counterpart. It halts the harvest of kings on the mainstem of the Yukon, as well as Canadian tributaries, in an attempt to recover the long-depressed stocks.

Click to expand...

The Yukon River is the third longest river on the North American continent, after the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, stretching 1,979 miles. The Yukon River is also the second largest river by volume in North America, after the Mississippi River. The total drainage area of the Yukon River is 833,000 km² (321,500 sq mi), of which 323,800 km² (125,000 sq mi) lies in Canada. That is 25% larger than the State of Texas.

It means that in order for Chinook salmon to reach as far as the Yukon Territory, they have to swim 1,265 miles (2,036 km) just to get through Alaska. Returning salmon stop eating and begin mutating as they start to die the instant they hit freshwater. It would take weeks for salmon to swim 1,265 miles. I'm surprised that any can make it that far, they certainly won't be edible by the time they reach Canada. Normally we don't like our salmon to spend more than three days in freshwater.

Glitch said:

Alaska and Canada agree to moratorium on Yukon chinook salmon fishing

According to a release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the in-river closure for one full king salmon life cycle is outlined in an agreement signed April 1 by the state agency and its Canadian counterpart.

www.kyuk.org

The Yukon River is the third longest river on the North American continent, after the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, stretching 1,979 miles. The Yukon River is also the second largest river by volume in North America, after the Mississippi River. The total drainage area of the Yukon River is 833,000 km² (321,500 sq mi), of which 323,800 km² (125,000 sq mi) lies in Canada. That is 25% larger than the State of Texas.

It means that in order for Chinook salmon to reach as far as the Yukon Territory, they have to swim 1,265 miles (2,036 km) just to get through Alaska. Returning salmon stop eating and begin mutating as they start to die the instant they hit freshwater. It would take weeks for salmon to swim 1,265 miles. I'm surprised that any can make it that far, they certainly won't be edible by the time they reach Canada. Normally we don't like our salmon to spend more than three days in freshwater.

Click to expand...

Fish are good at swimming.

Good.

Good. Salmon is nasty lol.

bomberfox said:

Good. Salmon is nasty lol.

Click to expand...

Any salmon making it as far as the Yukon Territory will be so badly mutated and in such a state of decay as to be inedible. Thankfully the agreement does not apply to the other four species of salmon.

Sea life can repopulate so quickly should probably be a world wide moratorium for a few years. Properly compensated of course

Real blank said:

Sea life can repopulate so quickly should probably be a world wide moratorium for a few years. Properly compensated of course

Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with repopulating the species, and everything to do with allowing salmon to reach Canada. It is a political stunt, nothing more. As I previously mentioned, none of the salmon will be worth anything by the time they reach the Yukon Territory. They will be so mutated and decaying as to be completely inedible. We won't eat salmon that has been in fresh water for more than a week, and we are talking about these Chinook having to spend multiple weeks to swim the 1,265 miles to reach Canada.

The salmon population in Alaska went from ~5 million in 1958 when Alaska originally became a State, to just over 25 million by 2008. All salmon are counted when they return to spawn. If there is not enough salmon returning to a particular river for a given year, the salmon limits are either reduced or they could completely shut down that river to salmon fishing. The exact opposite also happens. Some times too many salmon return to a particular river all at once. In such cases the salmon limits are increased to prevent a mass die off which could harm many other fish species in the river. Decaying salmon depletes the oxygen in the water, and if too many return to spawn at one time, they could kill all the fish in the river.

The point being that Alaska actively manages its salmon population to ensure a sustainable, and increasing, harvest. This moratorium will accomplish nothing, but at least it is only one of the five species of salmon. There are lots of villages along the Yukon River and they are very dependent on the salmon that comes up the river. The majority of those salmon are going to be Silvers, with Reds coming in second, Pinks in third, and Kings a distant fourth. I'm not sure how many Chum/Dog salmon return up the Yukon each year. It is not a species of salmon that I fish.

Glitch said:

This has nothing to do with repopulating the species, and everything to do with allowing salmon to reach Canada. It is a political stunt, nothing more. As I previously mentioned, none of the salmon will be worth anything by the time they reach the Yukon Territory. They will be so mutated and decaying as to be completely inedible. We won't eat salmon that has been in fresh water for more than a week, and we are talking about these Chinook having to spend multiple weeks to swim the 1,265 miles to reach Canada.

The salmon population in Alaska went from ~5 million in 1958 when Alaska originally became a State, to just over 25 million by 2008. All salmon are counted when they return to spawn. If there is not enough salmon returning to a particular river for a given year, the salmon limits are either reduced or they could completely shut down that river to salmon fishing. The exact opposite also happens. Some times too many salmon return to a particular river all at once. In such cases the salmon limits are increased to prevent a mass die off which could harm many other fish species in the river. Decaying salmon depletes the oxygen in the water, and if too many return to spawn at one time, they could kill all the fish in the river.

The point being that Alaska actively manages its salmon population to ensure a sustainable, and increasing, harvest. This moratorium will accomplish nothing, but at least it is only one of the five species of salmon. There are lots of villages along the Yukon River and they are very dependent on the salmon that comes up the river. The majority of those salmon are going to be Silvers, with Reds coming in second, Pinks in third, and Kings a distant fourth. I'm not sure how many Chum/Dog salmon return up the Yukon each year. It is not a species of salmon that I fish.

Click to expand...

That’s not true though, there are fresh water salmon. I used to fish for Kokanee in Lake Cushman, which are just sockeye salmon whos migration to the sea was blocked

Glitch said:

Alaska and Canada agree to moratorium on Yukon chinook salmon fishing

According to a release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the in-river closure for one full king salmon life cycle is outlined in an agreement signed April 1 by the state agency and its Canadian counterpart.

www.kyuk.org

The Yukon River is the third longest river on the North American continent, after the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, stretching 1,979 miles. The Yukon River is also the second largest river by volume in North America, after the Mississippi River. The total drainage area of the Yukon River is 833,000 km² (321,500 sq mi), of which 323,800 km² (125,000 sq mi) lies in Canada. That is 25% larger than the State of Texas.

It means that in order for Chinook salmon to reach as far as the Yukon Territory, they have to swim 1,265 miles (2,036 km) just to get through Alaska. Returning salmon stop eating and begin mutating as they start to die the instant they hit freshwater. It would take weeks for salmon to swim 1,265 miles. I'm surprised that any can make it that far, they certainly won't be edible by the time they reach Canada. Normally we don't like our salmon to spend more than three days in freshwater.

Click to expand...

The spawning population is low so they are restricting any fishing for the Chinook salmon.

Common fishery management

Glitch said:

Any salmon making it as far as the Yukon Territory will be so badly mutated and in such a state of decay as to be inedible. Thankfully the agreement does not apply to the other four species of salmon.

Click to expand...

They show the dead and dying salmon over at Katmai. Very interesting life cycle.

EMNofSeattle said:

That’s not true though, there are fresh water salmon. I used to fish for Kokanee in Lake Cushman, which are just sockeye salmon whos migration to the sea was blocked

Click to expand...

It is true, and you are talking about landlocked salmon. Salmon that have been in the ocean stop eating and start to die the instant they hit freshwater. If they never have been in the ocean then they don't suffer that problem. There are no landlocked salmon in the Yukon River.

BirdinHand said:

The spawning population is low so they are restricting any fishing for the Chinook salmon.

Common fishery management

Click to expand...

It is only low by the time they reach Canada. Which after a journey of 1,265 miles is to be expected. That is the equivalent distance from Los Angeles, California to Omaha, Nebraska. If the numbers returning were not sufficient, then the Alaska Department of Fish & Game would either reduce the limits allowed or close the river entirely. There have been years when the King salmon have not returned in sufficient numbers, but it does not happen very often. The overwhelming majority of salmon caught on the Yukon River are Silvers, followed by Reds, then Pinks. Returning Kings are always small in number, compared to the other four species of salmon.

Lovebug said:

They show the dead and dying salmon over at Katmai. Very interesting life cycle.

Click to expand...

Funny you should mention Katmai. The raffle for tickets to visit McNeal River closes in two days. It costs $30 for each ticket, and if you win the lottery it will cost you another $225 if you are an Alaskan, or $525 if you are not. It takes, on average, five attempts at the lottery before one wins. Although, it is possible to win on your first attempt. You are also only allowed to spend a maximum of 4 days at the camp site.

Very few people know that Katmai National Park & Preserve was created in 1918 after the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The Novarupta eruption of 1912 created "The Valley of Ten Thousands Smokes" which was turned into a national park and game preserve six years later.

Glitch said:

It is true, and you are talking about landlocked salmon. Salmon that have been in the ocean stop eating and start to die the instant they hit freshwater. If they never have been in the ocean then they don't suffer that problem. There are no landlocked salmon in the Yukon River.

Click to expand...

I've caught coho on a fly in the Chilliwack River. My brother favours the Harrison River for fly-fishing. He also does the 'bottom-bumping' technique with lures, including salmon eggs. You might say that the salmon you catch in the river bite lures out of aggressiveness but a salmon taking a fly is feeding.
Steelhead take flies and lures too but they're trout, not salmon, and don't necessarily die after spawning.

Grand Mal said:

I've caught coho on a fly in the Chilliwack River. My brother favours the Harrison River for fly-fishing. He also does the 'bottom-bumping' technique with lures, including salmon eggs. You might say that the salmon you catch in the river bite lures out of aggressiveness but a salmon taking a fly is feeding.
Steelhead take flies and lures too but they're trout, not salmon, and don't necessarily die after spawning.

Click to expand...

Salmon roe is commonly used to catch salmon, and no, you are not feeding them. Salmon are not cannibals.

Salmon will take lures, but as you pointed out, it is because they are pissed-off not because they are hungry.

When salmon see salmon roe floating just off the bottom of the river they pick it up with their mouth and attempt to rebury the eggs back into the gravel of the river bottom, where they should have been laid in the first place. The trick to catching salmon is to set the hook after the salmon pick up the roe and before they can spit it back out again.

It is true that Steelheads do not die after spawning and can return to the sea after spawning, unlike salmon. Trout are among the salmon family. The same thing can be said about Dolly Vardon, which is also in the salmon family. I have also caught Steelheads and Dolly Vardon using salmon roe, only they were attempting to actually eat the roe and not just bury it in the river bottom.

It should be noted that on the Yukon River the most common means of catching salmon is by using fish-wheels.


So the fishing techniques that we use with fishing poles does not really matter in this case.