Opinion: How can we reverse the decline of Alaska’s king salmon?

Has been updated: 8 by the time release date: 9 by the time

In mid-May, not too long ago, I was thinking about fishing for king salmon, gearing up, and getting really excited. I spent Memorial Day weekend fishing for kings on my favorite river that I call the center of the universe. I met friends I had known for the past 48 years and people I recognized but didn’t know their names. We fished and chatted about the past and the people we no longer see because they have been washed away by the Salmon River, the King of the Sky. We all moan about the hell and pain of getting older. When people ask me if I go to church, I absolutely say yes. I go to King Salmon Church. After a long winter, just being on a beautiful little river with the sun shining on the mountains beyond sparkling Cook Inlet in spring is a very spiritual experience.

In mid-May, people from all over the state would normally have the opportunity to visit with friends and begin preparing for king season with an obligation to carry on fishing traditions and values. Some of us eat sport fish, some commercial fish, some subsistence fish, but we love the chance to go outside after a long winter and enjoy some fresh king salmon from the grill. I cherish it.

King salmon is Alaska’s signature salmon. Since around 2008, the number of kings has been declining rapidly across Alaska. why? I don’t think anyone really knows. Many people want to focus on one potential decline factor. As a former Alaska Department of Fish and Game and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service habitat biologist with nearly 40 years of experience, I believe the answer is likely complex and likely due to multiple synergistic factors, including bycatch from the trawl industry, overgrazing of fish, etc. It can be said that there are factors involved. Reduced water quality associated with oceans from raven salmon hatcheries, metal contamination from brake linings, orca predation, and annual hydrological changes in rivers.

In my opinion, climate change and associated changes in both instream and ocean conditions, and the resulting reduction in juvenile and adult survival, are probably the most important factors in the decline and the best to address. I think this is a difficult factor. . There may also be factors that we don’t know about. In my view, habitat loss and hydroelectric dams, even though they are local factors, are not significant factors in Alaska’s overall decline.

Subsistence, sport, and commercial fisheries have been closed due to the decline in king salmon escapements across Alaska. This had significant economic and social consequences. Whatever the cause of the king’s decline, people want a solution, and we want it soon. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll recover in the near future, and I’m afraid it won’t happen in my lifetime.

What can we, and the local, state and federal governments that work for us, do to reverse the decline of king salmon? Start with the factors most likely to cause declines, such as commercial and subsistence fisheries, and take immediate and drastic action to prevent further declines related to these factors. can. The Department of Fish and Game has already closed most king salmon fisheries across the state. The time has come to limit stocking of pink trout in hatcheries and eliminate bycatch from trawl fishing. For other factors, measures should be considered and implemented to reduce or eliminate negative impacts, even if only at the local or state level. Ideally, action should be taken at the North Pacific level, and some, such as slowing climate change, may require global action. Finally, Fish and Game and Board of Fish tend to lower the optimal escapement goal as the fish’s escapement deteriorates, further exacerbating the problem. In fact, dehydration goals need to be increased to ensure that all fish have a chance to return to the river and spawn. The Fish and Game Service must take the initiative to take actions within its authority to reduce the factors contributing to king salmon decline. Without action, king salmon will eventually be listed under the Endangered Species Act and the federal government will be responsible for their restoration. This is not welcomed by many people in Alaska.

Phil Bruna He is a retired wildlife biologist based in Anchorage.

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