TOPIC:

People who read my "stuff" know I'm not a supporter of commercial fishing - especially when they are in competition for the fish recreational anglers try to catch. Very few (if any) commercially fished stocks fare well in either the long or short run. It's too bad the Alaska DFG has to play the good for one, good for all game with their salmon. Shut it all down for recreational as well as commercials. Why? Don't want to admit their "management" allowed the commercial to over harvest. Remember, the commercials will still be making money when there are so few fish in the ocean the recreational anglers will switch to playing golf.

Read below:


The Alaska Department of Fish & Game made a bold decision shutting down all commercial and sport fishing harvest for king salmon in southeast Alaska.

According to KCAW, as of 12:01 a.m. on August 10, 2017, all commercial fishing boats, guided charters, and even resident recreational anglers must release any king salmon unharmed.

With a focus on protecting future production of this species, Deputy Commissioner of ADF&G Charlie Swanton said, “It is imperative that Alaska offer relief now for these stocks.”

It’s been reported that commercial fishermen were able to wrap up the first summer opener in just 4 days, landing 66,000 kings back in July.

That left 31,000 kings to be caught during a second opener, which was set to run sometime in August.

However, Swanton has cited poor ocean survival and record-low returns to home river systems as a great concern for the health of this year’s chinook run.

“Since a large number of kings that we get in the second opener are feeder kings, we felt compelled to do as much as we could to look toward the future in terms of those stocks. Ocean conditions don’t look all that promising in 2018, and we want to do whatever we can to turn around and try to not replicate 2017 moving into 2018 and beyond.”

The department has said that it will reevaluate the order at the end of September, when they could either extend it, or lift it altogether.

Thanks for that nature. I'm curious to know what determines ocean conditions good or bad for kings there?

Some comments to the article had to do with increase of sea temperatures by a degree or two. Other's linked a miniscule increase in CO-2 in the water affecting sea shells which somehow affected salmon. I think in reality it's the zillion miles of gill nets deployed when the fish stage off the river mouths to feed or ready themselves for their runs.

Ever see the reality shows on NatGeo about the Alaska Fish Wars when squadrons of netters string nets across each other, around each other, along and across "management" lines with Fish and Game choppers whirling overhead for crowd control? Interesting.