Credit Craig Springer, UFWS / Flickr Creative Commons Yukon River Chinook and summer chum salmon are both coming in near or below the lower end of the preseason forecast. There’s concern about escapement, and fishing closures have left river residents without a staple of their diet.
The Yukon River Fisheries Drainage Association hosts weekly teleconferences where river residents, fishery organization leaders, and government resource managers talk about what’s happening with salmon up and down the river. There wasn't much positive news during the June 29 teleconference. Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission chair Brooke Woods shared a dismal Chinook count from the Pilot Station sonar near the river’s mouth.