Chilkat king smolt that left the river drainage in 2014 was the lowest on record, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates, a dismal sign for a fish population already on the decline.
Between 1999 and 2013, an average of 185,000 smolt left the Chilkat drainage for the ocean. In 2014, biologists estimated only 64,000 smolt from brood year 2012 survived their rearing habitat before leaving for the ocean.
Kings return at different…
