SITKA - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced April 10 that under Chinook salmon management provisions of the Pacific Salmon Treaty the 2017 abundance index for Southeast Alaska has been calculated to be 1.27, which results in an all-gear harvest limit of 209,700 treaty Chinook (non-Alaska hatchery-produced Chinook). The preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for 2017 is 154,880 Chinook or 108,320 fish lower than the preseason limit available in 2016.
While there is no ceiling on the number of Chinook salmon harvested in the spring fisheries, the take of treaty Chinook salmon is limited according to guideline percentages of the Alaska hatchery fish taken in each fishery. Spring fisheries are managed to limit the harvest of treaty Chinook; non-Alaska hatchery fish are counted towards the annual treaty harvest limit of Chinook salmon while most of the Alaska hatchery fish are not. Spring fisheries are also managed pursuant to the Policy for the management of sustainable salmon fisheries (5 AAC 39.222) to achieve escapement goals and ensure sustained yield of Alaska’s salmon stocks. Since spring fisheries will be in progress through June 30, preliminary harvest estimates for treaty Chinook in the spring fisheries will not be determined until late June.
The summer commercial troll quota is calculated by subtracting the treaty Chinook salmon harvested in the winter and spring troll fisheries from the annual troll treaty allocation. The winter fishery is managed to not exceed the guideline harvest level of 45,000 treaty Chinook.
The summer fishery will be managed to harvest 70% of the remaining fish on the troll allocation in the first summer Chinook salmon opening in July, with the remainder available for harvest in a second opening, which typically takes place in August. The decision as to whether the first summer opening will be managed inseason rather than for a fixed number of days will be announced just prior to the July 1 opening.
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