Commercial fishermen can expect an average sockeye return and a high chum price this season, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game commercial fisheries biologist, Wyatt Rhea-Fournier.

“It’s probably not going to be any surprises this year. Low king salmon, average sockeye salmon,” Rhea-Founier said.

Fish and Game has instituted some of the most restrictive guidelines thus far, after the Chilkat River king salmon were designated as a stock of concern for several Southeast river systems at the 2018 Board of Fisheries meeting in Sitka this spring. In the Chilkat River, kings were well below lower bound escapement goals of 1,750 fish in five of the past six consecutive years. Fish and Game is forecasting a record low return for 2018—1,030 kings compared to the 2,830 average since 2007.

Certain areas will be reduced in size during the king run and other areas will have night closures. Gillnet mesh size is also reduced to 6 inches.

Fisherman Rafe McGuire of the F/V Crown said that the restrictions won’t have much more of an impact than last year, but “next year, if we still don’t meet escapement, they’ll come up with something a little more draconian. I’m not too worried about this year.”

Sockeye returns don’t have a point estimate, but the run is expected to be average in both the Chilkoot and Chilkat water systems. Average sockeye parent returns for Chilkoot Lake was just under 50,000. Zooplankton abundance and strong parent returns of 110,000 in Chilkat Lake suggest an average to above- average return.

Summer harvest for chum salmon should also be average to above average. The commercial harvest is predicted to be 1,454,000 fish, slightly below the 10-year average but well above the long-term historical average.

Fishermen netted around 1.5 million chum salmon last summer, and a record low number of sockeye. The total value of last year’s Lynn Canal fishery was about $4.9 million.

Fisherman Macky Cassidy, F/V Inseine, is excited about whisperings of good chum prices. “We’ve heard that the Copper River isn’t doing that great this year,” she said. “So that might make our prices even better, too, so that’s exciting.”

The Southeast drift gillnet fishery opens Sunday.

This summer’s subsistence restrictions are similar to last season. The entire Chilkat River will be open June 1 through June 14. The river will close from June 15 to July 31, except for the portion of the river between 19 Mile Haines Highway and the Wells Bridge.

That section will be open for only four days a week. The Chilkat Inlet will close to subsistence fishing until July 22.

“Up until last year, the restriction to four days a week had never been implemented,” Rhea-Fournier said.