Chinook salmon numbers in the Canadian section of the Yukon River have been low in recent years, which has precluded non-First Nation Yukoners from fishing Chinook and resulted in reductions in the First Nation fishery. While Chinook numbers are low, mainstem chum have been more than sufficient for spawning escapement (70,000 to 104,000) and supporting a harvest. The harvest of chum in the Yukon has been around 3,000 per year since 2009.
The reasons for the small harvest are varied. The chum run is much later in the season (peak in September), which means children are in school, and it can be cold (good for storing chum, hard on boats, gear, and people). Perhaps the largest barrier to the fishery is a perception that chum salmon are dog food and not good for humans. This project is designed to change that perception and show anglers how to catch them. In addition to changing the perception that chum is not for humans, anglers need to be encouraged to catch chum in the Yukon River. The angling fishery on the Yukon River has essentially been closed since 2007 (with limited opportunities until 2011) resulting in Yukoners going to Haines, Alaska to fish. This project will showcase the Chum salmon angling opportunities here on the Yukon River to get Yukoners thinking about fishing for salmon here at home.
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Porcupine River Chum Harvest Guideline Community Signage
Many citizens in Old Crow and VGFN have advocated for self-regulation and voluntary restrictions with the understanding that harvest management options are best implemented with increased communication, education and outreach. The goal of this project is to improve those key factors with the installation of two signs which will be updated regularly during the Chum run. The signs will serve to communicate to the community the pre-season forecasts, in-season counts from Porcupine Sonar and Fishing Branch weir & sonar, and the Chum Harvest guideline based on the information at hand.
Restoration and Enhancement Fund 2021 Call for Proposals
2020 Pre-Season Yukon River Panel International Joint Statement
The Yukon River Panel Co-Chairs have released a Joint Statement to communicate information on 2019 and 2020 salmon runs, to provide management recommendations for the coming season, and to convey decisions on 2020 Restoration and Enhancement Fund project funding selections.
The Yukon River Joint Technical Committee’s 2019 Season Summary and 2020 Season Outlook has also been published on the Yukon River Joint Technical Committee Reports page.
2020 Pre-Season Yukon River Panel bilateral and public meeting cancellation
NOTICE – Due to the emerging and rapidly changing situation surrounding COVID-19, and informed by both guidance and direction from local, regional and federal health authorities, the 2020 Pre-Season Yukon River Panel bilateral and public meetings are cancelled. Although this is not an easy decision, it is the right decision given the current circumstances and it is being made in the best interest of the health of Panel members, advisors, agency representatives, members of the public and their families and communities.
We recognize the importance of information sharing, international cooperation and coordination of fishery management, and the interests of project proponents who have submitted applications to the Yukon River Restoration and Enhancement Fund for consideration in the current cycle. In this regard we will be issuing a joint-statement in the coming weeks which will communicate details on these and other aspects pertaining to the conservation and management of Canadian-origin salmon stocks and the disbursement of Yukon River Restoration and Enhancement Fund.
We encourage you to periodically visit the Yukon River Panel’s website for updates and additional information at:
https://www.yukonriverpanel.com/publications/news-and-announcements/ or
https://www.yukonriverpanel.com/meetings/.
| John Linderman | Steve Gotch | |
| U.S. Co-Chair | Canadian Co-Chair | |
| Yukon River Panel | Yukon River Panel |
Yukon River Panel Press Release for December 2019
Yukon River Panel Press Release for December 2019. The Yukon River Panel held their 2019 Post-Season Meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory between December 6th and 10th, 2019. Highlights of the meeting may be found in the Press Release. Meeting minutes are under development and will be made available in due course.
Restoration and Enhancement Fund 2020: Call for Public Comments
Members of the public are invited to provide their comments on project proposals received by the Yukon River Panel for projects starting in 2020. Project proposal backgrounders for your review and the public review form for your feedback can be found here:
Yukon River Panel Press Release for April 2019
Yukon River Panel Press Release for April 2019. The Yukon River Panel held their 2019 Pre-Season Meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon between April 8th and 10th, 2019. Highlights of the meeting may be found in the Press Release. Meeting minutes are under development and will be made available in due course.
The Yukon River Panel 2019 Pre-Season Meeting
The Yukon River Panel will be holding their 2019 Pre-Season Meeting between April 6th and April 10th 2019 at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse, Yukon. Meetings are open to the public on Tuesday April 9th and Wednesday April 10th. A bilateral closed session will be held on Monday April 8th. Meeting details and the agenda will be made available on the Meetings page in due course. For those that cannot attend in person, a live webcast will be available. The webcast link will also be available on the Meetings page in due course.
Yukon River Panel Press Release for December 2018
Yukon River Panel Press Release for December 2018. The Yukon River Panel held their 2018 Post-Season Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska between December 8th and 12th, 2018. Highlights of the meeting may be found in the Press Release. Meeting minutes are under development and will be made available in due course.