The Federal Subsistence Board announced Monday that the Stikine River Chinook salmon subsistence fishery has been closed.
Emergency Special Action Request FSA17-02 was approved, and delegation of authority given to the in-season manager to rescind the closure if an updated in-season abundance estimate is large enough to produce an allowable catch.
Scheduled to run from May 15 to June 20, the subsistence fishery fell afoul of a low pre-season abundance forecast of the terminal area. The 2017 forecast is at 18,300 large Chinook salmon, measuring greater than 30 inches of length. Under stipulations of the Pacific Salmon Treaty between the United States and Canada, a directed Chinook subsistence fishery is not allowed if the pre-season run estimate is less than 28,100 large salmon.
The treaty does allow for the season to be reopened if the weekly in-season abundance exceeds 24,500 large Chinook. The Wrangell District Ranger has been authorized to reopen the season in that event. This particular closure does not affect other federal subsistence fisheries on the Stikine River starting on June 21.
For more information, contact Ranger Bob Dalrymple at the Wrangell US Forest Service office, P.O. Box 51. Also, consult the Federal Subsistence Management Program site online at http://www.doi.gov/subsistence.
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