91 



As vet. we have not received a formal Canadian reply to the chinook proposals. The lack 

 c)t a formal response appears due. at least to a large extent, to the Canadian perception that 

 we have not made sufficient progress on the equity issue. 



SOUTHEAST ALASKA 



The Pacific Salmon Treaty includes a provision which states the "desirability in most cases 

 of reducing interceptions." While this is not a hard-and-fast rule, it is often used by Canada 

 to take issue with the purse seine and gillnet fisheries in the northern boundary area 

 between Alaska and British Columbia. 



Some 60% of the harvest in Alaska's northern boundary fishery is by Washington-based 

 commercial fishers who travel to Alaska to participate in this fishery. 



U.S. interception of Canadian sockeye and coho in southeast Alaska has risen dramatically 

 since the Treaty was signed in 1985. Sockeye interceptions have increased from 

 approximately 400.000 pri'or to the Treaty to an estimated 1.2 million in 1993. Coho 

 interceptions have increased rapidly from a low of 125,000 in 1988 to more than 800,000 in 

 1991 (the last year for which data is available). 



Even though Canada annually has raised concern about these increasing interceptions, the 

 requirement of consensus by U.S. commissioners has caused little or no substantive 

 discussions about Canada's concern. 



Canada, which already believes it will be "owed" fish through resolution of the equity issue, 

 sees the northern boundary fisheries further exacerbating the equity picture. 



Alaska responds by indicating that most of these increased interceptions are due to 

 increased production of salmon by Canada - the "flooding" of Alaska's fishery by Canadian 

 stocks - and that no action by Alaska is necessary. Canada also expresses conservation 

 concerns for some of the stocks intercepted by Alaska, but has failed to respond to U.S. 

 requests for the specifics of these conservation concerns. 



Canada's response to the failure of the U.S. to address its concerns in Alaska directly affects 

 Washington-bound coho stocks on the west coast of Vancouver Island - the very stocks for 

 which we have a grave conservation concern, if Alaska continues to intercept Canadian 

 stocks. Canada will continue to intercept Washington and Oregon salmon stocks off of the 

 WCVI. In fact, in February, Canada formally linked a proposed reduction of coho harvests 

 between Alaska and WCVI. limiting both to 1.4 million. 



83-564 0-94-4 



