1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Landings 

 (X 1,000 t) 



400 



Landings 

 |x 1.000,000 

 individuals) 



- 260 



1970 1975 



Figure 13-1 



Commercial landings of 

 Alaska salmon, all species, 

 1970-97, by metric tons (t) 

 and individual fish. 



Landings bv total individuals 



_L_ 



Landings by total weight 



_L_ 



1980 1985 1990 1995 

 Year 



eries by state and Federal agencies, 4) elimination 

 of high-seas drih-net fisheries bv foreign nations, 

 5) hatchery production, and 6) reduction of 

 bycatch in fisheries for other species. 



Quality spawning and nursery habitat, favor- 

 able oceanic conditions, and sufficient numbers 

 of spawning fish are likely the paramount issues 

 affecting current abimdance. Alaska salmon man- 

 agement continues to focus on maintaining pris- 

 tine habitats and ensuring adequate escapements. 

 However, ocean conditions that have favored high 

 marine survivals in recent years, fluctuate due to 

 interdecada! climate oscillations (Mantua et al., 

 1997). There is recent evidence that a change in 

 ocean conditions in the North Pacific Ocean and 

 Gulf of Alaska may be undcrwav, possibly reflect- 

 ing the downturn in abundance of Alaska salmon 

 runs in 1996 and 1997. 



FISHERY MANAGEMENT 



Alaska's 34,0()()-mile coast is nearly two-thirds 

 the length of the coastline of the conterminous 

 48 states. Along this coastline, over 14,000 inte- 

 rior water bodies support populations of five 

 salmon species. Salmon management over such a 

 vast area requires a complex mix of domestic and 

 international bodies, treaties, regulations, and 

 other agreements. Federal and state agencies co- 

 operate in managing salmon fisheries. I'he Alaska 



Department of Fish and Came (ADFG) manages 

 salmon fisheries within state jurisdictional waters 

 where the majority of catches occurs. Management 

 in the Federal Exclusive Fxonomic Zone (3-200 

 miles offshore) is the responsibility of the North 

 Pacific Fishery Management Council, which has 

 deferred specific regulations to the state. Manage- 

 ment of Alaska salmon fisheries is based primarily 

 on regional stock groups of each species and on 

 time and area harvesting by specific types of fish- 

 ing gear. 



Over 25 different commercial salmon fisher- 

 ies are managed with a special limited-entry per- 

 mit system that specifies when and what type of 

 fishing gear can be used in each area of the state. 

 These fisheries, extending from I^ixon Entrance 

 in southeastern Alaska to Norton Sound in the 

 Bering Sea, are allowed to catch salmon in differ- 

 ent fisheries employing drift gillnets, set gillnets, 

 beach seines, purse seines, hand troll, power troll 

 or flshwheel harvest gear (Commercial Fisheries 

 Entry Commission, 1997). Sport fishing is lim- 

 ited to hook and line, while the subsistence fish- 

 ery may use gillnets, dipnets, or hook and line. 

 Additional subsistence harvesting is also regulated 

 by special permits. 



Management of the fisheries is also negoti- 

 ated with (Canada under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. 

 Recent negotiations for most fisheries, however, 

 have stalled since agreements between the two 

 countries were not reached on catch allocations 

 for certain fisheries and species. Major disagree- 

 ments exist over several issues including: 1) 

 chinook salmon catches in southeastern Alaska 

 where Canadian salmon are caught along with 

 other U.S. stocks, 2) fisheries in the Dixon En- 

 trance area where each country catches salmon 

 originating in the other nation, and 3) Canadian 

 fisheries off the west coast of Vancouver Island that 

 catch salmon bound for Washington, (Oregon, and 

 the Columbia River. A current bright spot in ne- 

 gotiations with C'anada involves salmon fisheries 

 in the Yukon River where joint research and man- 

 agement programs in that large transboundary 

 river system are nearing final agreement. 



On a bro.ider international scope, the man- 

 agement of salmon harvest in the high seas of the 

 North Pacific Ocean from 1957 to 1992 was au- 

 thorized b\- the International North Pacific Fish- 



1 58 



