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Fishing Restrictions Reach Further Up Yukon River

Katie Basile

The king salmon on the Yukon this year were late and low. Genetic data indicates that the king salmon stocks spawning in the U.S. are coming in lower numbers than those headed to Canada.  

While there have been enough kings to meet the drainage-wide escapement goal, the low number of U.S. stocks have prompted managers to close the subsistence and personal use harvest in the Tanana River drainage. Only selective gear is being used there so that fishermen can release all kings alive, while targeting chums.

The summer chum run on the Yukon River was also low this year, and the fall chum run is looking the same. The projection is for a run of 450,000 fall chums.