Biologists blame the Blob of warm water in the Gulf of Alaska for poor sockeye returns that also led to the second lowest commercial harvest in 50 years.
A First Nation near Bellingham, Wash., has declared a state of emergency after thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped a U.S. fish farm in the San Juan Islands near Victoria, B.C.
The Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams don’t include fish ladders, and so in August the Colville Tribes released 100 salmon 35 miles upstream of the two dams in an attempt to see if they would survive and spawn.
Ferocious fish, not native to Canada, was netted and released in Alberni Inlet
If Alaska expands how many pink salmon its hatcheries — such as the one in Tutka Bay — produce, will there be unintended consequences that harm Kachemak Bay?
Since Les Anderson landed a 97-pound Kenai king in 1985, the prized fish has been harder to find and smaller. Is there something we all can do to help reverse the trend?
Tim Sands, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game area management biologist, said he is hopeful the strong run throughout Bristol Bay will continue next year.
Two popular rivers are being closed to fishing because almost no cohos are making it upstream.
The fish, likely former aquarium pets, have attracted the attention of invasive-species managers.
Weak returns forced the latest restriction. Good news: Sockeye fishing at the Russian River is forecast to be good.
Warm water threatens marine habitats off the coast of BC
The bad news was announced by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which sets the catches for more than 25 species in waters from 3 to 200 miles from shore in the Gulf and the Bering Sea. The cod decline is blamed on younger fish not surviving warm ocean temperatures that began in 2014.
So far, the department has counted just under 37,000 fish at the Chilkat weir, well below the 10-year average of 80,000 fish. Zeiser said at this point in the season, it’s doubtful the run will hit the escapement range of 70,000 to 150,000 fish.
Residents who have long depended on chinook salmon to fill drying racks and smokehouses are worried about their food for next winter.
As of Friday afternoon, the sockeye escapement in the Chignik salmon fishery was less than half of what it usually is this time of the year.
A poor return of king salmon on the Anchor River will shut down all sport fishing on the Anchor and Ninilchik rivers and Deep Creek drainages beginning Saturday morning, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game announced Thursday.
As of July 21, fishermen in Bristol Bay’s five districts had harvested just more than 42 million salmon.
Village wildlife observers worry that the unusual warmth of oceans off Alaska is causing problems throughout the ecosystem.
Some local officials suspect water pollution killed the fish, but state officials offered an alternative explanation.
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