Chinook and trawling

EyeDoc shared a FB link with a group trying to eliminate the AK "midwater" trawl fishery due to bycatch of, among other things, King Crab, Cod, Halibut, and Chinook; all of which are crashing up there. Today's tidbit was that folks on the Canadian Yukon are calling their Chinook stock functionally extinct. The loss of Chinook up there, along with the declines in the other species, hits especially hard the individuals and communities that depend on the fish for subsistence. We are likely approaching functional extinction for many stocks down here, too.

And ,now for some new news ...

“Columbia salmon managers expect a larger overall return of spring Chinook to the big river and its many tributaries next year, some 307,800 hatchery and wild fish.

That’s up from the 2022 run’s preseason forecast of 197,000 and the actual return of 274,495. If it comes to pass, it would be the most springers entering the Columbia since 2015 and just a hair or two shy of the 2010-14 average return.”

As with all predictions, “fingers crossed” and 2 thumbs up !

02/17/2023




Wouldn't it be nice if there were other river systems that could at least have a "springer fishery"?????/

I still have a problem with the Chehalis system, which has a springer run, but has trouble making escapement...... so year after year, no springer season.

There were springers available in the 1990's, for many years and even a few openings in the 2000+ years..... I lucked out and got 1, and it was nice to only have to drive 7-8 miles to put in.

While I realize that we are all interested in our home rivers or our home fishery when the Chinook up in western AK (and elsewhere) are collapsing we should pay attention as to why.

I see that it looks like there will be no spring chinook fishing Juneau this year. The spring run in the Taku is in the tank. I have friends who live there and fish that run every year. The run has been dropping every year.

From I have been reading most AK Chinook are not doing all that well. It has, though, absolutely nothing to do with fisheries up there (directed and incidental). It's all black-box climate change; nothing needs to change in the fisheries unless ordered by the Court.

“Wouldn't it be nice if there were other river systems that could at least have a "springer fishery"?????/”

“ and it was nice to only have to drive 7-8 miles to put in.”


They played “run makers” with springers on the Green here in king co years back. Got lotsa eager volunteers, sold a lot of punch cards, changed the opening dates of the river putting more pressure on winter kelts, wild rainbow and cutthroat , and then stopped the rule of ”no fishing from boats/transportation only” on the river to let it rip, pull the plugs, and boondoggle from top to bottom. After a few dismal returns, they quietly quit and never looked back, nor returning the river to the original angling rules.


oh I hear ya, I’m only a few hundred yards from the creek, and it caught me, when they began a “local” bring back the springers program, and so did a lot us, back in day...

From 11-16 million to 300k-ish….super

Aw, give 'em a chance. They can get it under 100 easy..

And, if we go back further in time those those 11-16 millions would likely be radically different. Likely a lot less if you go wayyy back...

People still use Facebook?

Just for grins there is a video on that FB page with a (dead) Killer Whale bycatch.

Sad is it not??

Very.

https://wildsalmoncenter.org/campaigns/spring-chinook/

And if you haven't yet seen this video, DW... it features the HomeTeam at 36:55

https://watch.opb.org/show/lost-salmon/

"The worst statistic of all for the Taku is that for nine of the past 12 years, the total return to the river has been less than the parent year escapement. The stock cannot even replace itself, and appears to be on a one-way slide to extirpation, not recovery."

https://www.juneauempire.com/opinion/opinion-a-pessimists-view-of-taku-river-king-salmon

When a stock is no longer capable of replacing its parental brood, the mathematical trajectory does NOT bode well... it's functionally extinct!

But it's all the fault of the ocean!!!!!

No humans are to blame.

Does anyone buy into the hogwash spewed by the retired bio from Alaska as reported in the Juneau paper?

"If you don't kill them they will spawn". Ditto, Ditto, Ditto, ad infinitum.

Let's make t-shirts!

Notice how he ignores completely the pink hatchery releases? If the AK fish are following the lower 48 the causes are many; there is no one single cause that if we stopped doing that the fish would miraculously recover.

Stopping fishing will help a lot, because dead fish (generally-except in hatcheries) spawn. But if the problem is also food supply (overfishing-eve bycatch and/or hatcheries) then that has to stop so they'll have something to eat.

I believe that there are folks out there who put together a comprehensive explanation as to what is occurring and what needs to be done. It is simply too widespread and too economically devastating to be done. And then we add in the climate change/warming of the oceans.

Best hope is that Chinook make it into the Arctic and no fishing fleets follow.

“ Best hope is that Chinook make it into the Arctic and no fishing fleets follow. “

Or/and

Continue to thrive in the South American Antarctic, and the Great Lakes, both of which can act like a sanctuary for Chinook until after this warming cycle changes back and all humans quit eating the Chinook and making salmon based pet foods......

Or, stay out front of the lower 48 like those CA Springers, where we have greater control off our own coasts.

Avoiding having to deal with AK and BC would benefit lower 48-fish. But, remember that CA primarily targets salmon in marine mixed stock fisheries (ocean) and OR is not far behind but they have some terminal fisheries. WA has its own marine fisheries but does have extensive terminal fisheries where one can target strong stocks and protect weak ones.

The success would depend on the commitment of the several states.

See, there are options ! This just needs some true leadership, and salmon management that truly deal with what the salmon , and salmon harvesters really need to make the project happen, vs what they think is the best outcome based on what they want and feel is the only outcome viable.

Sometimes reality deals less than ideal cards to us that force one to realize ”the what you needs” vs what you like or want.

This can only happen with project managers, leaders, and politicians that tell you what Can Be Done vs. Always telling us what cannot happen or be accomplished...

It will also take the fishing community, whether Tribal, commercial, or recreational, accepting that the fish come first. All the fish from the base of the food chain on up.

In some ways it similar to the situation in 80s, especially, that I am reading about right now in the timber industry. Despite laws and policies calling for sustained harvest, cut was set alt levels needed to sustain communities rather than timber.

Same will happen with fish. The fishing communities (certain special ones) are just too important to reign in.