Table 6. — Estimates of total salmon caught for personal use in the Yukon River by- 

 districts in 1958 



Source: Knapp, 1958. 



there was no definite trend. The fathoms of 

 gill nets increased in later years (table 5). 

 These data do not include Canadian catches of 

 salmon, which are unknown for this period. 



A recent estimate of the Yukon River salmon 

 catches was made by Knapp (1958) (table 6). 

 (The table does not include 63,666 king salmon, 

 which were taken in the Yukon River com- 

 mercial fishery.) Chum salmon, with an esti- 

 mated catch of 334,382 in that year, are the 

 most important species in the extensive per- 

 sonal-use fishery of this river system. The 

 natives, who depend upon salmon for their 

 livelihood, agree that there has been a gradual 

 decrease in the catches of chum salmon. 



The amount of fishing gear may be used as 

 an index of fishing effort. The average number 

 of fish wheels used during the period 1924-41 

 was 212, while in 1956 there were 115 and in 

 1958, 127. Within the past 2 decades the num- 

 bers of fish wheels used annually has been 

 reduced roughly by one-half. On the other hand, 

 the number of gill nets has increased sharply. 

 The 1924-41 average was only 1,391 fathoms, 



while Knapp' s studies recorded a total of 

 1 5,475 fathoms. This was the amount registered 

 for gill netting of king salmon during the com- 

 mercial fishing period, and only 50 fathoms 

 of the total was recorded from the river above 

 Anvik. No report was made of the later use of 

 this gear for chum salmon fishing, but pre- 

 sumably some of it was used. 



The fishing effort in Canadian waters of the 

 Yukon River and tributaries is much less than 

 in Alaska. The Branch of River Basin Studies 

 reported the 1955 and 1956 salmon catches of 

 the upper Yukon River (table 7). King salmon 

 outnumbered chum salmon in this region in 

 both years. Interviews with local residents of 

 the Canadian territories definitely indicated 

 a much wider distribution of king than chum 

 salmon. Chum salmon apparently are limited 

 mainly to the main stem of the Yukon River, 

 to the mouth of the Teslin River, and up the 

 Teslin to Teslin Crossing, Yukon Territory, 

 Canada. They also have been reported up the 

 White River to the Donjek River and within 

 the lower Donjek (fig. 1). 



18 



