Alaska Board of Fisheries to Consider Proposal That Would Impact Hatchery Production
A proposal to reduce hatchery production of pink and chum salmon by 25% is expected to be considered at the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting taking place Dec. 1-16 in Cordova, Alaska.
The effort is led by the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. (PWSAC) and the Valdez Fisheries Development Association (VFDA).
Proposal 78, by former Alaska Board of Fisheries member Virgil Umphenour of Fairbanks, argues that there’s significant evidence that there’s an ocean carrying capacity that is exacerbated by the proliferation of Alaskan and Asian hatchery releases into the North Pacific Ocean.
The proposal contends that this is of particular importance to Chinook salmon as stocks have declined dramatically all over Alaska, including the Yukon River drainage, where they are critical to ...