Southeast Alaska Communities Drop King Salmon Derbies to Protect the Runs
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Peggy Parker - February 8, 2018
At least four Southeast Alaska towns -- Juneau, Petersburg, Ketchikan, and Wrangell -- are canceling their annual King Salmon Derbies this year in hopes that more will escape upriver to spawn.
King, or Chinook, abundance has dropped dramatically in Southeast Alaska in recent years. Each of the communities is near river systems with historically abundant king salmon returns.
But last October, Chinook runs in the Unuk, King Salmon, and Chilkat Rivers were designated stocks of “management concern” by the Alaska Board of Fish, and plans were made to reduce landings.
ADF&G sport fish biologist Kelly Reppert, in an interview with Ketchikan's KRBD radio station, described how dire the situation is.
“The Unuk River king salmon escapement goals were met for the last 35 consecutive years,” Reppert said, “but since 2012 the lower bound of the escapement goal has been missed in five out the past six consecutive years.”...
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