Friday June 24, 2022
Alaska Public Media —
Chum salmon counts are lower than ever this year in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced on June 21 that this summer has seen the lowest ever summer chum runs as of this date on the Yukon River. That’s according to a sonar at Pilot Station. The sonar has counted 843 summer chum salmon, compared to a median of 1,737 fish as of June 21.
The department said that chinook counts are well below average too.
On the Kuskokwim, Fish and Game said this year’s chum run is tracking nearly identically to last year’s record lows.
On June 21, residents along the Yukon River gathered on a weekly teleconference where residents and managers discuss salmon. Basil Larson, a fisherman in Russian Mission, said that fish camps are looking even more neglected this year than last year.