I was perplexed that your article on the disappearance of king salmon from the Kelsall was so focused on past logging. A recent government report showing 59,000 king salmon inadvertently caught by pollock trawlers this fall has the rest of coastal Alaska up in arms. Another study by Kate Myers, of the University of Washington’s High Seas Salmon Research Program, found that 450,000 king salmon have been discarded by trawlers over a five year period. Thirteen percent (58,500) of those were destined for Southeast, British Columbia or the Kamchatka. While we don’t know how many of those fish were heading for the Kelsall, the numbers shouldn’t be ignored.
The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council is meeting in Anchorage this week. Salmon bycatch is once again on their agenda. While news coverage of the Council can be sketchy, there are a few blogs out there (Tholepin, NoTrawlZone, Alaska Café, GroundswellAlaska) that shed light on these issues.
Kristine Harder