Another low salmon forecast means next year there will be no commercial fishing for Southeast kings on a pair of transboundary rivers.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game projects 8,250 king salmon on the Stikine – well below the minimum 14,000 escapement goal for the Southeast river near Wrangell.
The forecast for the Taku River near Juneau isn’t much better: 9,050 fish. That’s nearly 10,000 short of the minimum escapement goal.
But these numbers are better than last year’s, with almost twice as many Taku kings expected.
Fisheries managers said Friday that low forecasts combined with recent poor runs mean other salmon fisheries will see extensive conservation measures in districts 8 and 11 near Petersburg, Wrangell and Juneau.
