The state’s restrictions on red salmon fishing in the Chilkoot and Lutak Inlets have been lifted.
The Department of Fish and Game announced last Thursday that subsistence salmon fishing in the Haines area will continue under the normal management plans and permit conditions.
The sockeye have been slow to return and Fish and Game biologist Nicole Zeiser has been incrementally relaxing fishing restrictions as more show up at the Chilkoot Lake Weir.
For example, on July 27 – she opened net fishing to just past the White Rock line.
“Which is a ways back from the mouth, still providing harvest opportunities, but yet not letting them fish with the nets clear up to the mouth of the river,” she said.
As the numbers increased Zeiser said she still wanted to be conservative.
As of August 7, more than 55,000 sockeye had been counted passing the Chilkoot Lake Weir. That’s well into the area’s sustainable escapement goal range of 38,000 – 86,000 fish.
“ I reopened it with no area restrictions, and it’s been great. I think everybody’s appreciative to be able to harvest these fish,” Zeiser said. “It’s kind of an easy way to get subsistence. It’s a little harder to get sockeye on the Chilkat side.”
Zeiser also reopened the commercial fishery on the eastern side of the Upper Lynn Canal. “Whereas before, I had area and time restrictions in order to conserve the Chilkoot River salmon stocks.”
Subsistence and commercial fishing are opening in 15A– that’s Chilkoot and Lutak Inlets north of White Rock and the Chilkat Inlet north of Kochu Island – this weekend. The subsistence fishery starts on Saturday while the commercial fishery opens on Sunday.
“The subsistence fishery gets to fish as long as the commercial fishery does, but they get a head start, starting Saturday, and the commercial fishery starts on Sunday,” Zeiser said.
The reopening is a relief for people who depend on fishing – both commercial and subsistence. Zeiser said she opened up more area on the Chilkat side to make up for restrictions on the Chilkoot side, but “There were a lot of disgruntled community members… It’s a popular area.”
Zeiser said that overall people understood why it happened. “It was the first time in the history of Haines management where we did close subsistence,” she said, “It wasn’t any easy choice, but it was deemed necessary at the time.”
The recent surge in the sockeye run has also reopened the sport fishery.
Area management scientist Alex Tugaw said that the sport bag and possession limit for reds in the Chilkoot River and Lake returned to six fish per angler of 16 inches or greater for sockeye effective Wednesday, August 7.
“I think most people in town are really excited that it’s opening back up. The sport fishery here for sockeye and for coho and other salmon species, as well as, like halibut in the salt water, are a pretty big economic driver for the community.”
It’s not clear why the runs are so late.
“There’s so many variables you know that come into play,” said Zeiser. “It could be water temperatures, you know, marine survival, freshwater survival, mortality, predation, but I think the big factor is just temperature related.”
In recent years, according to Zeiser, this particular stock run is starting later and later. For this year, it’s about three to four weeks late. “Historically, there was an early run and then a late run; now that early run just seems to be gone. Whether or not we overfished that segment of the run back in the day, could be one answer to that, but just the run we have now comes in quick and then peaks and then tapers off.”
She said it’s a little alarming.
“We’re sitting as far as sockeye harvest goes, we’re well below the 10 year average, and that was because we put restrictions for Chilkoot River sockeye salmon conservation, and so our total sockeye harvest is below average at this time, which is influenced by those restrictions. But as far as chum salmon go, we’re well beyond what we harvested last year, and well above the 10 year average.”
But now, two coho went through the Chilkoot Lake weir on Monday, August 5 said Tugaw. “It’s a little early, but usually it’s during October, is the big coho fishery, mid September till late October.”
Tugaw wants to remind anglers the increase of sockeye will attract more predators.
“There are lots of bears that like to hang out on that river. And there are lots of sport fishing anglers that like to target fish on that river.”
Tugaw said that if anglers have fish on the line, be prepared to cut it if the bear is coming towards you.
“It’s really important for people to just be aware of what’s going on around them and pay attention to those bears and give them their space.”