Tuesday was the last day for public comments on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s plan to control the number of Yukon River Chinook Salmon caught incidentally by the Pollock trawl fleet in the Bering Sea. With even subsistence king fishing on the river shut down this summer to meet the requirements of a treaty with Canada, and a federal fisheries disaster declared, villagers have been campaigning for stronger measures to curtail the bycatch. On Tuesday’s public radio call-in show, Talk of Alaska, Representative Don Young – a Republican – said it might be time to consider enhancing the Yukon River’s salmon runs with hatcheries.
Steve Heimel – APRN, Anchorage
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