Federal Subsistence Board News

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, has been revised to a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. After an extended summer chum salmon run, the number of fall chum salmon entering the Yukon River has increased substantially this past week.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, has been revised to a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. Both summer chum and fall chum salmon have been entering the Yukon River since July 16. Chum salmon harvested during this period will likely be a mixture of both stocks.

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon AreaMost of the chum salmon that have entered the Yukon River to date have been summer chum salmon. The 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, has been revised to 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. Given this projected run size, the subsistence schedule is being relaxed to seven days per week in District 4 to provide more fishing opportunity.

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon AreaThe Canadian-origin Chinook salmon run appears to be about 2 to 3 days later than normal. Therefore, the approximately 40,000 Chinook counted at the Eagle sonar likely represents 80%- 85% of the expected total passage at the project.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the relationship between summer chum to fall chum salmon run sizes, is for a run size of 625,000 fall chum salmon with a range of 500,000 to 750,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement and subsistence use needs. In accordance with the Yukon River Drainage Fall Chum Salmon Management Plan, a threshold run size of 550,000 fish is necessary to open a fall chum salmon directed commercial fishery. Commercial fishing is allowed on the surplus above that level.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Manager, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, has established a harvest cap of eight (8) cow moose for Federal public lands within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Game Management Unit 15C. The cap is effective for the 2019 Federal subsistence moose season, which runs August 10-September 20, by Federal registration permit only. The season will be closed to the harvest of cow moose once the cap is met. The harvest of spike-fork bull moose or bull moose with 50-inch antlers, or with 3 or more brow tines on either antler, will still be allowed. 

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) will hold a work session August 15 – 16, 2019, beginning at 9:00 a.m. each day. The work session will be held at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Regional Office building, Gordon Watson Conference Room, at 1011 East Tudor Road in Anchorage.  

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon AreaWith passage at Pilot Station sonar of nearly 1.4 million summer chum salmon, a commercial surplus of summer chum is available for harvest. Despite low summer chum counts at the escapement projects on the Chena and Salcha Rivers, the late arrival of large groups of Tanana-bound fish indicates chum will be arriving through the month of August. Therefore, the commercial fishery is being reopened on the Tanana River. 

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon AreaThe summer chum passage at Pilot Station sonar was estimated to be nearly 1.4 million fish. However, escapements into the Tanana River, while much later than normal, appear lower than expected for a drainage-wide run of this size. As of July 28, less than 1,000 summer chum salmon have been counted at the Salcha River Tower project and less than 700 summer chum salmon have been counted at the Chena River Tower project. These counts are well below the respective median counts of 9,600 and 4,600 fish for this date. Due to concern for a low return of summer chum salmon in the Tanana River, commercial fishing in District 6 will close.

Districts Affected: Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason run projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, is for a run size of 625,000 fall chum salmon with a range of 500,000 to 750,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement and subsistence use needs. The estimated fall chum salmon run size through July 28 is 273,000 fish, which is above the historical median of 146,000 fish for that date. The front of the fall season chum salmon migration is expected to be near Nulato August 2, Ruby around August 5, and Tanana/Huslia around August 9, Rampart around August 8, Fort Yukon around August 16 and the Canadian border around August 26.