The King run on the Yukon River is weak. State Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim Regional Management Supervisor Dan Bergstrum says the Department of Fish and Game has been assessing the early run since the first pulse of kings began moving upriver a week ago.
The situation has resulted in fishing restrictions. The state pulled the first subsistence fishing period to allow the early Canada-bound kings upstream in an attempt to meet escapement goals and international salmon treaty stipulations. The state has also halved the length of a subsequent lower river fishing period from 36 to 18 hours. Bergstrum says the number of kings making it upstream will determine if the time restriction is also implemented in upriver fishing districts.
While the Yukon king run is weak, Bergstrum says summer chums are coming in strong. He says the chum run could total around two million fish, the strongest in four years.
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Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
