Alaskan fishers intercepting B.C. salmon at 'jarring' rate

Alaskan fishers intercepting B.C. salmon at 'jarring' rate

By Stefan Labbé

Source: delta-optimist

1/11/2022

A new report says the majority of 800,000 sockeye salmon caught in southern Alaska in 2021 were headed to B.C. rivers. The preliminary data comes as Pacific salmon face major declines and B.C. fishers are severely restricted from fishing in their own waters.

Alaskan fishing fleets are catching a large proportion of the salmon bound for B.C. waters at a time many local fishers have been shut out of the industry, says a new study.

Of the almost 800,000 sockeye salmon caught in southern Alaskan waters in 2021, the majority came from Canadian rivers and streams, according to the technical study, Alaskan Interceptions of BC Salmon: State of Knowledge, commissioned by Watershed Watch Salmon Society and SkeenaWild Conservation Trust.