Yukon River King Salmon Stock Status, Action Plan and Summer Chum Salmon Fishery, 2012; a Report to the Alaska Board of Fisheries

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Special Publication No. 12-30, Anchorage

In response to the guidelines established in the Policy for the Management of Sustainable Salmon Fisheries (SSFP; 5 AAC 39.222), the Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) classified the Yukon River king salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha stock as a stock of yield concern at its September 2000 work session.  An action plan was developed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) and acted upon by the board in January 2001.  The stock of concern status for a yield concern was continued at the January 2004, 2007, and 2010 board meetings.  King salmon escapement goals were generally met throughout the Alaska portion of the Yukon River drainage the past 5 years (2008–2012).  Inseason management actions have contributed to success in achieving escapement goals.  Subsequently, commercial and subsistence harvests show a substantial decrease in king salmon yield from the historical 10‑year period (1989–1998) to the recent 5-year (2007–2011) average.  There has been no directed commercial fishery for king salmon since 2007.  While king salmon run sizes showed a modest increase during the years 2003–2006, lower returns have occurred since that time despite continued conservative management strategies.  Based on guidelines established in the SSFP(5 AAC 39.222), the department recommends continued classification of Yukon River king salmon as a stock of yield concern.  Yukon River summer chum salmon (O. keta) runs have had large surpluses available for harvest the past 5 years.  However, summer chum and king salmon runs greatly overlap in run timing which greatly impacts fishery management of these 2 species.