Salmon Hatcheries Issues Come Before Alaska Board of Fisheries
At the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting taking place in Cordova, Alaska from Dec. 10-16, the agenda includes several proposals to decrease hatchery production of pink and chum salmon in Prince William Sound.
Cordova District Fishermen United and others, including the city of Cordova, oppose Proposition 78 by former long time Board of Fisheries member Virgil Umphenour of Fairbanks.
The proposal calls for a 25% cut in the pink salmon egg take level in hatcheries operated by the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. and Valdez Fisheries Development Association, followed by an evaluation of its impact within five years.
The proposal contends that there’s significant evidence that there is an ocean carrying capacity that’s exacerbated by the proliferation of Alaskan and Asia hatc...