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Districts Affected: Lower Yukon River
Fall Season Assessment

Persistent offshore winds briefly swung this past week and carried a small pulse of chum salmon into the mouth of the Yukon River. Test fishery catch rates at Emmonak and Mountain Village increased moderately as well as increases in subsistence catches were reported. The pulse is currently passing the Pilot Station sonar, therefore the full magnitude of the pulse is not available yet, but may have contained 35,000 to 50,000 fall chum with very few coho salmon.

The cumulative sonar passage estimate through August 2 of approximately 49,700 fall chum is well below the average of 200,000 for this date. The low passage estimate is not uncommon for this time of year which typically experiences a lull between the end of the summer chum salmon run and the beginning of the fall chum salmon run. Low commercial catches these past two weeks support the assessment projects’ accuracy in characterizing the low passage rate of the fall salmon run to date.

Past seasons have demonstrated that there is a good relationship between the summer and fall chum salmon runs within the same year. Based on this performance relationship with the 2009 summer chum run, the current fall chum salmon run size projection is for a total run size near 650,000 fish. Even though some outlook models predict a return failure of the record high 2005 brood year, the preceding summer chum salmon 4-year old age component was slightly above average which provides confidence in a run size larger than 600,000 fall chum salmon. Additionally, a small number of early coho salmon have been observed in the commercial fishery.

Scammon Bay Offshore Test Fishery-drift net project/ADF&G, YDFDA
A total of 15 chum and 0 coho have been caught since August 2.

Lower Yukon Cooperative Drift Test Fishery - 6.0” mesh/ ADF&G, YDFDA
The cumulative fall chum CPUE is 69.02 through August 2 which is below the average of 442.14 for this date. The cumulative coho salmon CPUE is 5.56 which is below the average of 15.35 for this date.

Mountain Village Drift Test Fishery- 5-7/8” mesh/ Asacarasarmiut Traditional Council, BSFA
The cumulative CPUE for fall chum salmon is 291.92 through August 2 which is below the average of 777.02 for this date. One coho salmon has been caught during this same time.

Pilot Station Sonar / ADF&G, YDFDA
The cumulative sonar passage estimate for fall chum salmon through August 2 is 49,666 fish which is below the average of 201,042 for this date. The cumulative passage estimate for coho salmon is 264 which is below the average of 1,940 for this date.

Rapids Test Fish Wheel/Rapids Research Center
The cumulative count for fall chum through August 2 is 409 which is below the historical average of 1,475 fish for this date.

Commercial Harvest

Preliminary harvest information for District Y-1:

Period#2: District Y-1 including the Set Net Only Area, 10 hours; July 29, 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. July 29.
=> 1,623 chum/11,374 lbs. ($0.70/lb); 196 coho/1,293 lbs. ($1.00/lb); 8 Chinook/107 lbs. ($5.00/lb)

Preliminary harvest information for District Y-2:

Period#2: 8 hours; July 27, 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. July 27.
=> 653 chum/4,180 lbs. ($0.70/lb); 43 coho/258 lbs. ($1.00/lb); 7 Chinook/82 lbs. ($5.00/lb)

The preliminary fall season harvest total for Districts Y-1 and Y-2 through August 2 is approximately 12,700 fall chum, 350 coho, and 220 Chinook salmon.

Management Strategies

Based on the fall chum salmon preseason projection and the current appraisal of the summer chum salmon run performance, the fall season will be managed during the first half of the run anticipating a fall chum salmon run size near 650,000 fish. A run of this size should be sufficient to provide for escapement and subsistence uses with an expected small surplus for commercial harvest. Near the mid-point of the run; around August 8 at the Pilot Station sonar project, management will shift to inseason assessment.

During the fall season, subsistence fishing remains open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day in Districts Y-1, Y-2, and Y-3 except for closures 12 hours before, during, and 12 hours after each commercial fishing period. Subsistence fishing in District Y-4 as well as Subdistricts 5A, 5B, and 5C are on a schedule of 5 days a week. Subsistence fishing 5D has been returned to a schedule 7 days a week.

Commercial periods in Districts Y-1 and Y-2 were initially staggered with the intent of spreading harvest because of the predicted small surplus of fall chum salmon available. The fall chum salmon run has past the average first quarter point for run timing and is approaching the average midpoint on August 8. Therefore the assessment is based on late run timing at this time. The latest timing observed at Pilot Station sonar was the first quarter point occurring on August 10 in 1998 and 1990 and August 9 in 2007. There was one commercial fishing period in District Y-2 on Monday, August 3 and one period has been announced for District Y-1 on Wednesday, August 5. If the fall chum salmon run does not significantly improve this week, it will be prudent to suspend additional commercial periods until an adequate amount of salmon are available, consistent with the fall chum salmon management plan.


Current Management

Commercial periods: Y-1 will open for one 10-hour period Wednesday, August 5 from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

The current subsistence fishing schedules in the lower river are as follows:

Coastal District: 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, with unrestricted mesh size gillnets.

Districts Y-1 and Y-2: 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, except 12 hours before, during, and 12 hours after commercial fishing periods with unrestricted mesh size gillnets. For District Y-2 subsistence salmon fishing closed at 10:00 p.m. Sunday, August 2, and will reopen 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 4. For District Y-1 subsistence salmon fishing will close at 10:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, and reopen at 8:00 a.m. Thursday, August 6.

District Y-3: 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, with unrestricted mesh size gillnets.

For subsistence fishing schedules in Districts Y-4, Y-5, and Y-6, consult the Yukon Area Summer Season update.

During the subsistence salmon fishing closures, all gillnets with a mesh size greater than four inches and a length greater than 60 feet must be removed from the water.

Fishermen are encouraged to consult the State of Alaska commercial and subsistence fishing regulations and the federal subsistence fishing regulations before fishing in the Yukon Area.


If you have any questions, please contact the Emmonak ADF&G office at 949-1320. For a 24-hour schedule recording, please call toll-free 1-866-479-7387. Additionally, announcements are available at the following web address: http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region3/yukhome.php