Salmon

by The Associated Press Friday, January 8, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- A Fairbanks Superior Court judge directed the Alaska Board of Fisheries to revisit a 2003 decision in which it reclassified dip netting salmon in the Copper River at Chitina as personal-use fishing, not subsistence fishing. Judge Mike MacDonald told the board to better define the term "subsistence way of life" before deciding whether dip netting at Chitina qualifies. Fishing for subsistence has a higher priority under state law than that of commercial, sport or personal-use fishing.

Sunday, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council established the first-ever limit on Chinook salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska Pollock fishery. The council voted for a 25,000-fish cap on the bycatch. If the Pollock fleet in the Gulf of Alaska bypasses the 25,000-fish bycatch limit, the fishery will be shut down. The 2010 fleet caught more than 51,000 Chinook salmon, an all-time high. The board considered bycatch limits between 15,000 and 30,000, selecting 25,000 because it is higher than the fleet’s 10-year bycatch average.

An emergency order from Fish and Game will be closing the waters of the Little Susitna River to bait use in the sport fishery starting this Saturday and lasting through the end of September, and also placing restrictions on where fish can be caught from. The Department says the bait restriction will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 6 through 11:59 p.m. September 30. Only unbaited, artificial lures may be used. Also put into effect with the order is that any angler who takes a bag limit of salmon 16 inches or longer from the Little Su may not fish for any species of fish in the Little Su downstream of the Parks Highway on the same day. The Little Su king salmon achievement goal has not been reached, and was not reached in 2010.

by Jason Lamb Wednesday, May 12, 2010 CORDOVA, Alaska -- A salmon fishing frenzy began Thursday in the Copper River Delta as the first salmon of the season return to Alaska's waters. The opener draws hundreds of fishermen to the town of Cordova every year. Fishermen spent all day Wednesday getting ready. On all of their minds is the dismal salmon season from last year. They're hoping for better results this time around. Thursday, Pip Fillingham will get to do what he loves.

During AFN week, when Alaska Natives from all over the state converge on downtown Anchorage for a weeklong conference, the contents of Laura Stepanoff and Jenny Sam's blue-and-white coolers draw a small crowd outside the doors of the Dena'ina Center. “Oh, I wish you took credit cards!” says one woman in a kuspuk, holding hands with her husband. “We don't, but there's an ATM machine right inside,” says Sam. She hurries in while her husband stays put, surveying ziplock baggies of ruby-red smoked salmon for sale.

by Megan Baldino and Channel 2 News staff Wednesday, June 16, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska – One day after a biker was attacked by a protective brown bear near Rover's Run Trail, Mayor Dan Sullivan questioned the rehabilitation of salmon streams in Anchorage. The most recent project is at Westchester Lagoon, to restore what was once a natural run of salmon in Chester Creek. Sullivan says he's concerned about people's safety in what should be an urban environment.

by The Associated Press Wednesday, July 14, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- State and federal fisheries managers have asked subsistence fishermen on the middle and upper Yukon River to voluntarily cut back on the number of king salmon they catch. Department of Fish and Game biologist Steve Hayes told fishermen that restrictions might be necessary if it appears that not enough fish will reach Canadian spawning grounds. The request did not please fishermen who have been plagued by high water and debris for the past week and are just beginning to put their nets back in the water.

The Fairbanks community welcomed the Alaska Federation of Natives Wednesday night with a traditional Athabascan potlatch at the Big Dipper Ice Arena. It was the first of its kind and welcomed all conference attendees and the public. Thousands were in attendance at the dinner, where about 150 high school students from Effie Kokrine charter school served the food. The service-style was in the traditional Athabascan way. Effie Kokrine student Elizabeth Jerue, who is originally from Anvik, said the food should be served in a clockwise direction, the same way that the sun moves around the sky. “That’s something that I knew already,” she said of the tradition.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is issuing catch-and-release restrictions on Kenai River king salmon sport fishing, due to estimates that rank this year's preseason run as the lowest measured over the past 28 years. Fish and Game officials say the preseason estimate for 2013 indicates a total run of 5,300 kings -- a number which pales in comparison to runs from 1986 through 2012, which measured an average run of 14,000 fish, according to an ADFG report. “We're forecasting a well-below-average run for king salmon on the Kenai River," said Fish and Game biologist Tom Vania.

The first commercial opener on the Copper River resulted in a good catch for fishermen brave enough to face strong winds, rain and fifteen foot swells. Processors took in more than seventy five thousand sockeye salmon or about half of last year's catch on the first day of the season, according to Fish and Game. Shortly after arriving at processors in Cordova, the salmon were boxed and sent out for a global market eager to serve up the wild Alaska fish. On Friday, Copper River seafoods delivered fresh salmon to several stores including Costco, Sam's Club and Fred Meyer as well as several restaurants in town.