.-U > I kON » ISHIRIES 



lablc 20-1 Sp«.>rlfishing Iiccikcs m ^ ukon 



total sales 16,833 



* New licence category introduced in 1982. 

 -Snuixv: N ukon Territorial Government. 



The spH>rt fishetA is dominated by residents of Canada, 

 well over half oi them being residents oC Yukon. They 

 buy almost two-thirds of the licences and account for 

 three-quarters of the estimated 170 thou.sand angler days 

 of fishing in 1980.' Probably 80 percent of their total 

 catch is taken by 20 percent of the fishermen.'' 



Many sport fishermen from other countries are 

 attracted to the territory by the excellent trophy fishing 

 opportunities and remote fishing lodges. But the majority 

 of nonresident fishermen fish casually while visiting 

 Yukon for other reasons. 



Spending of about $4.2 million was attributed directly 

 to sportfishing in the territory in 1980; of this, $1.4 mil- 

 lion was spent by nonresidents.' As Table 20-2 shows, the 

 sport catch is estimated to have been 170 thousand fish in 

 1980," and this probably accounts for more than 95 per- 

 cent of all fish caught (though data on all fisheries is very 

 weak). Grayling accounted for nearly half the total sport 

 catch, and lake trout and northern pike for another third. 

 Salmon and other trout accounted for 12 percent, and the 

 remainder consisted of whitefish, char and other species. 



Table 20-2 Estimated catches in Yukon-' 



sporl 



commercial 



grayling 

 lake trout 

 northern pike 

 whitefish 

 salmon 

 other 



(thousands of fish)'' (thousands of pounds )'^ 



83 



38 10 

 21 



4 17 



14 204" 



JO _[ 



170 232 



' Excluding catches in the Indian and domestic fisheries. These 2 fisher- 

 ies accounted for annual catches of salmon of about 187 thousand 

 pounds and 46 thousand pounds, respectively, in recent years. Catches 

 of other species are believed to be small. 



" Estimates for 1980. 



' Rough estimates of average annual catches dunng the 5-year penod 

 1977'to 1981. 



'' Dres.sed weight. 



Sources: "1980 Survey of Sportfishing in Canada. Preliminary Results." 

 Prepared for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, 1981; 

 Annual Narrative Reports. Department of Fishenes and 

 Oceans. Whitehorse. 



Sportfishing activity shows certain con.spicuous pat- 

 terns that have important implications lor policy. First, it 

 has been growing rapidly. During the I97()s licence sales 

 ainu)sl doubled. Second, sportfishing is heavily concen- 

 trated on the few lakes and streams accessible by road. 

 Third, it is highly seasonal; nearly 80 percent of the 

 fishing takes place during summer months, and winter 

 fishing is limited mainly to ice fishing on lakes by local 

 residents. Fourth, while sportfishing activity has been 

 increasing rapidly, average catches have been declining 

 sharply. A recent study suggests that the rate of harvest- 

 ing has already exceeded sustainable yields in many of 

 the more accessible lakes where fishing is concentrated, 

 and stocks have been declining.' 



Another concern is the increasing pressure on certain 

 remote lakes from fly-in sportfishing operations, which 

 are an important adjunct to the tourist industry pro- 

 moted by the Yukon government. These operators con- 

 centrate pressure on particular stocks in lakes of low pro- 

 ductivity, and when catch rates decline they move on to 

 other lakes, leaving depleted fish stocks. So far, this prob- 

 lem has not been well documented, however. 



Responsibility for managing sportfishing is divided. 

 The Yukon government, through its Department of 

 Renewable Resources, administers sportfishing licences. 

 The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is 

 responsible for designing and enforcing fishing regula- 

 tions, although the enforcement authority is shared with 

 conservation officers of the Territorial Wildlife Branch. 

 The main management tools are gear restrictions and 

 daily and seasonal bag limits, which apply uniformly 

 throughout the territory. Certain limits and closures have 

 been applied to particular areas of special interest or sen- 

 sitivity, though these measures are not authorized by the 

 present regulations. 



With only a small staff in the huge territory, enforce- 

 ment is a difficult task; consequently, the Department 

 relies heavily on undiscriminating regulations for the 

 whole territory. Inevitably, in the divergent circum- 

 stances of Yukon fisheries, these regulations are inade- 

 quate to protect heavily fished stocks in certain areas, 

 and are unnecessarily stringent in other areas, causing 

 irritation among sport fishermen and consequent prob- 

 lems of compliance and enforcement. 



The Conimerdal Fisherj' 



Both anadromous and freshwater species are commer- 

 cially fished in the territory. Chinook and chum salmon 

 are taken in the Yukon River, mainly near Dawson and 

 further downstream. During the 1970s an average of 

 3,800 Chinook and 4,000 chum salmon were taken annu- 

 ally. The salmon are marketed locally, fresh or frozen. 



