Canada and the United States suspend fishing for Canadian-origin Chinook salmon from the Yukon River

WHITEHORSE – Canada and the United States are suspending fishing for Canadian-origin Chinook salmon from the Yukon River for seven years to protect the declining species.

The agreement covers the life cycle of the fish and recognizes that the “ongoing decline of Chinook salmon” has resulted in the failure to achieve conservation goals in both countries.

Dennis Zimmermann, chairman of the Yukon Salmon Subcommittee, an advisory body that deals with salmon, said the agreement took a year to develop and means there is a long-term plan to protect the fish, rather than deciding each year how much fishing is allowed.

“(Chinooks are) the lifeblood of the Yukon River. They’re part of the woven cultural fabric that has brought people together. I mean, communities live on rivers because there were so many of these big, mature, protein-rich Chinook salmon,” he said.

Zimmermann said people on the water have watched as the once large and meaty fish that travel thousands of miles to spawn in the Yukon and northern British Columbia rivers have become smaller and sicker and have returned in ever-decreasing numbers.

A statement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the Chinook salmon population has declined since the 1980s to less than 10 percent of its historical average of 150,000 adult salmon in the Canadian part of the basin.

It was reported that in recent years less than a third of the minimum number of adult Chinook salmon needed to maintain the population have returned to their spawning grounds in Canada.

The agreement covers all commercial, recreational and home fishing and runs from April 2024 to 2030. The aim is to increase the stock of Canadian-origin king salmon to 71,000 individuals.

The governments have agreed to work on habitat and stock restoration activities and to support research to better understand the decline of Chinook salmon.

The statement said the declines were due to “a combination of historical overfishing, increasing disease prevalence and climate change and the resulting impacts on survival in marine and freshwater environments.”

The agreement also mentions factors such as habitat degradation caused by resource use and hydropower, as well as competition from fish farming.

Zimmermann said he is confident the changes to protect the species will not come too late.

“Ultimately we have to give hope. We need to keep salmon in people’s hearts and minds, otherwise they are less likely to care. And then we’re really in trouble,” he said.

The statement said the commitment was necessary to support the long-term recovery and rebuilding of Chinook in the Yukon River.

“Chinook salmon are an integral part of the environment, culture and fabric of the Yukon and Interior/Western Alaska,” said Diane Lebouthillier, federal minister of Fisheries and Oceans, in the statement.

“To ensure that we all work together to protect and restore this vital species for future generations, both Canada and the United States must cooperate internationally.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press