Salmon

The Yukon River hosts the longest upstream migrating (Oncorhynchus tshawytsha)

and

(Oncorhynchus keta)

pacific salmon stocks in the world.

Yukon River Drainage

It all begins with the Yukon River ; the river empties the 5th largest drainage in North America – an area more than 330,000 square miles (855,000 square kilometers). The Transboundary River is believed to originate from the Llewellyn Glacier, near Atlin Lake , in northwestern British Columbia , within 30 miles (48 km) of the Gulf of Alaska. It flows in a northwesterly direction, through the central Yukon Territory of Canada and central Alaska of the United States for over 2300 miles (or approximately 3700 km) before reaching the Bering Sea.

Yukon River Salmon Agreement

The men and women along the river brought Yukon Territory and Alaska , Canada and the United States together to protect Yukon River salmon, and a way of life in the North for generations to come. The following is in recognition to the people who through hard work and commitment produced a living document, the “Yukon River Salmon Agreement”.

Yukon River Fisheries

The people of the Yukon River drainage have been utilizing salmon since inhabiting the area; approximately 128,000 people live in the Yukon River drainage today. For nearly all the people who reside in the Yukon River drainage, fish and wildlife resources, provide the foundation for their survival and livelihood. Salmon, the staple food in many communities, is one such resource that has been harvested since time immemorial through traditional subsistence and aboriginal practices. It is unknown when recreational fishing first appeared along the Yukon River , but it may date back to the 1700’s when the first non-North Americans appeared. The commercial fishery began in 1898 the first licence's were issued the following year by the Royal Northwest Mounted Police under authority granted from L.H. Davies, the then Minister of the Federal Department of Marine and Fisheries in Canada.

Yukon River SalmonHarvests

Canadian-origin salmon are a shared resource, and fish spawned in Yukon Territory waters are vulnerable to harvest in Alaskan waters. Therefore, in order for the Yukon River Salmon Agreement to be successful and avoid over-harvesting of the stocks, it was necessary to establish each country’s share of harvestable salmon. It was also important that the harvestable share be flexible enough to allow for management error and fluctuations in salmon populations. The harvest share arrangement established under the Yukon River Salmon Agreement is important for Alaskan and Yukon fishers to understand and support because it allows for the proportionate sharing of harvestable salmon between the two countries.