Yukon fall chum and coho fishing closes as the Canadian-bound run comes in far below treaty levels

Subsistence fishing for fall chum and coho salmon in Yukon River District 6 closes early Saturday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has ordered — with fishermen required to release any Chinook, chum or coho caught in other gear immediately and alive.

The closure is driven by the Canadian-origin run. While the overall fall chum return is projected above 400,000 fish — enough to meet the drainagewide escapement goal — the portion bound for Canada is projected at just 31,000, far short of the treaty objective of 70,000 to 104,000. That shortfall is why directed harvest stays closed on the mainstem Yukon. On the Tanana, the reason differs: fall chum are only beginning to arrive, too early to gauge the run. The coho return, meanwhile, is projected below its historical average. The Board of Fisheries has designated fall chum a stock of management concern and moved the fall season's start three days earlier than usual.

Some fishing remains open in the meantime. Until the closure, subsistence users can still fish around the clock for non-salmon species and for summer chum, pink and sockeye, using dip nets, beach seines and fish wheels. Non-salmon fishing with smaller-mesh gillnets continues on its weekly schedule, and Lake Minchumina and the Tolovana River drainage, including Minto Flats, stay open for non-salmon fishing.

For the families who depend on the run, the closures are adding up. The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission says repeated closures and gear restrictions are deepening food-security pressure for households that rely on the fishery to fill their freezers for winter.