2019 Yukon River Fall Salmon Fishery News Release #44 Fall Update # 8, Yukon Area Salmon Fishery

The primary parent year for this year’s coho salmon run is 2015. The coho salmon run, based on inseason assessment and using late run timing is estimated to be 185,000 fish, which is below average.

Fall Assessment Projects

Lower Yukon River Cooperative Fall Drift Test Fishing / ADF&G, YDFDA

The cumulative CPUE through September 8 was 1,738.60 for chum salmon, which is above the historical median of 1,599.20 for this date. The cumulative CPUE for coho salmon was 196.06 which is well below the median of 434.40 as of September 8.

Mountain Village Drift Test Fishing / Asacarsarmiut Traditional Council

The cumulative CPUE through September 8 was 2,856.89 for chum salmon, which is above the historical median of 2058.51 for this date. The cumulative CPUE for coho salmon was 513.04 which is well below the historical median of 1,068.35 as of September 8.

Sonar Project near Pilot Station / ADF&G

The project concluded on August 31. The preliminary cumulative chum salmon passage estimate from July 19 through August 31 was 843,464 fish, which is above the median passage of approximately 718,000 fish for this date. The cumulative coho salmon passage was 85,884 fish, which is below the median of 135,000 through August 31.

Teedriinjik (Chandalar) River Sonar / USFWS

The cumulative passage of fall chum salmon is 28,712 fish as of September 8 which is below the median passage of 87,700 for this date. This level of passage is not unexpected due to the late arrival of fall chum salmon.

Porcupine River Sonar / DFO

The Porcupine River sonar transitioned to counting fall chum salmon on August 18. The cumulative count through September 7 is 3,810 fall chum salmon, which is below the median passage of 11,972 for this date.

Age Composition Fall Season / ADF&G

The preliminary chum salmon age composition from the LYTF 6-inch drift gillnets indicates the run is dominated by age-4 fish. The 2019 preliminary proportions of age-4 is 77%, above the average of 66% and age-5 is 22% which is below average (33%), as of August 18. Females represent 53% of the fish sampled (n=1,055), which is below the average of 58%, as of August 30.

Chum Salmon Stock Identification

Genetic mixed stock analysis on fall season chum salmon for the strata from August 21–31 that passed the mainstem Yukon River sonar contained 99% fall chum salmon. The fall chum salmon stocks in the sample consisted of 18% Border/US ((Teedriinjik/Sheenjek/Draanjik), 23% Canadian and 58% Tanana Fall stocks. These proportions reflect that stocks bound for the Tanana River were dominating this portion of the run. The upper stock components of Border/US (Teedriinjik/Sheenjek/Draanjik) dropped off substantially, with slightly higher proportions of Canadian stocks remaining in the upper Yukon River in the last stratum.

Fall Season Management Strategy:

All Yukon River Districts 1-6 are under fall season management. Subsistence fishing on the mainstem Yukon River is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets. The fall commercial salmon fishing season remains open in Districts 5 and 6.

The abundance of fall chum salmon in the upper Porcupine River has been low in recent years when compared to other stocks in the Yukon River drainage. Fall chum salmon escapements into the Canadian Fishing Branch River, a tributary of the Porcupine River, have frequently fallen short of meeting the interim management escapement goal (IMEG) of 22,000 to 49,000 fish agreed upon by U.S. and Canadian representatives despite strong escapements in neighboring tributaries. Based on the drainage-wide inseason run size near 850,000 fall chum salmon, it is unlikely the lower end of the Fishing Branch River IMEG will be achieved in 2019. As in recent years, to improve fall chum salmon escapement to the Porcupine River spawning grounds in Canada, subsistence salmon fishing in the Alaska portion of the mainstem Porcupine River is closed.

As a reminder to subsistence fishermen, dip nets are a legal gear type for subsistence salmon fishing. Subsistence salmon fishermen may continue using gillnets, dip nets, and fish wheels. Personal use fishermen in Subdistrict 6-C of the Tanana River may only use set gillnets and fish wheels.

Subsistence Fishing Schedule:

Coastal District (Naskonat Peninsula to 1 mile south of Black River, including the marine waters near Hooper Bay and Scammon Bay):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets.

District 1 (Black River, Nunam Iqua, Alakanuk, Kotlik and Emmonak):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets.

District 2 (Mountain Village, Pitkas Point, St. Mary’s, Pilot Station and Marshall):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets.

District 3 (Russian Mission and Holy Cross):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets, fish wheels, and dip nets.

District 4 (Anvik, Grayling, Kaltag, Nulato, Koyukuk, Galena, and Ruby):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets, fish wheels, and dip nets.

As a reminder, fishermen in District 4 may drift gillnet for all salmon; there are no longer dates when drifting is discontinued, and there is no longer a gillnet mesh depth restriction in state or federal waters.

District 5 (including the Porcupine River, other adjacent tributaries, and communities of Tanana, Rampart Stevens Village, Beaver, Venetie, Chalkyitsik, Fort Yukon, Circle, and Eagle):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets, fish wheels, and dip nets.

A subsistence permit is required to fish for all species in portions of Subdistricts 5-C and 5-D from the western most tip of Garnet Island upstream to the mouth of Dall River (Dalton Highway bridge area) and from the upstream mouth of 22 Mile Slough to the U.S./Canada border.

Porcupine River:

Subsistence salmon fishing in the Porcupine River, including those portions of the mainstem Yukon River around the 3 mouths of the Porcupine River, is closed until further notice. During the closures, fishermen may fish for non-salmon species using gillnet gear with a mesh size of 4 inches or less. Subsistence salmon fishing in tributaries such as the Sheenjek, Black, Coleen, and Salmon Trout rivers will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

Innoko, Koyukuk and Kantishna rivers:

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels.

Subdistricts 6-A and 6-B (from the mouth of the Tanana River upstream to the Wood River, including Manley, Minto, and Nenana):

Subsistence fishing is open with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels on the regulatory schedule of two 42-hour periods per week from:

• 6 p.m. Fridays to noon Sundays
• 6 p.m. Mondays to noon Wednesdays

Old Minto Area:

Subsistence fishing is open with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels on the regulatory schedule of five days per week from:

• 6 p.m. Fridays until 6 p.m. Wednesdays

Upper Tanana Area (from the mouth of Volkmar River on the north bank, and the mouth of the Johnson River on the south bank, upstream to the Tanana River headwaters, including Dot Lake, Tok, Tanacross, Northway):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh size gillnets and fish wheels.

Subdistrict 6-C Personal Use Salmon (from the Wood River upstream to the Salcha River, including Fairbanks, North Pole, and Salcha):

Personal Use salmon fishing is open with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels on the regulatory schedule of two 42-hour periods per week from:

• 6 p.m. Fridays to noon Sundays
• 6 p.m. Mondays to noon Wednesdays

Fishermen may only use set gillnets and fish wheels in the Personal Use salmon fishery.

In the Tanana River up to the Wood River (Subdistrict 6-A and 6-B), and in the Upper Tanana River Area, a subsistence permit is required for salmon fishing. A personal use permit is required to fish for salmon and other species from the mouth of the Wood River upstream to the mouth of the Salcha River (Subdistrict 6-C).

A subsistence permit is required for northern pike in the Tolovana River drainage, including Minto Flats. Subsistence harvest calendars and subsistence fishing permits are available from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Fairbanks office or online at www.adfg.alaska.gov/store/.

Commercial Fishing:

In the Lower Yukon Area, commercial fishery the preliminary cumulative harvest through August 31 in District 1 is 147,756 fall chum salmon and 40,695 coho salmon; District 2 is 106,141 fall chum salmon and 15,550 coho salmon. The department does not anticipate any more commercial openings in Districts 1 or 2 for the remainder of the 2019 season. Commercial salmon fishing can occur in early September in Districts 1 and 2 if inseason run assessment indicates there is a surplus of coho salmon and fall chum salmon available for harvest. At this time the coho salmon run appears to be well below average at assessment projects. There does not appear to be any surplus of coho salmon available above the commercial harvest that has already occurred.

In the Upper Yukon Area, commercial fishing for is open concurrent with subsistence fishing in District 6 and Subdistricts 5-B and 5-C. Commercial fishermen should coordinate with their buyer. Preliminary commercial harvest in Subdistricts 5-B and 5-C is 900 fall chum salmon.

Commercial Fishing:

Districts 1 and 2:

The department does not anticipate any more commercial openings in Districts 1 or 2 for the remainder of the 2019 season.

Subdistricts 5-B and 5-C:

Fishermen should standby for announcements regarding further commercial openings.

District 6:

Commercial fishermen should confirm their markets prior to fishing. Commercial fishing is open for two 42-hour periods per week with 6-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels from:

• 6 p.m. Fridays to 12 p.m. noon Sundays
• 6 p.m. Mondays to 12 p.m. noon Wednesdays

This is an announcement by the ADF&G in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To reach the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Fairbanks call 455-1849.

News releases, test fish catches, and sonar counts are also available on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/YukonRiverFishingADFG/

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