Southeast Alaska Chinook Salmon Fishery Mitigation Program
Pacific Salmon Treaty

The Southeast Alaska Chinook Salmon Fishery Mitigation Program (program) was initially established in 2009 as part of the Pacific Salmon Treaty (Treaty) negotiations and was designed to alleviate economic impacts resulting from a 15% reduction in Chinook salmon harvest levels under the 2009 revision to the Treaty (see Background). This program continues to be necessary due to an additional 7.5% reduction in Chinook harvest levels under the 2019 revision of the Treaty. Alaska's willingness to accept another loss to Chinook fisheries was predicated, in part, on a mitigation package designed to offset economic consequences. With the signing of the 2019 Treaty Agreement, the U.S. negotiators agreed to a $22.4 million1 mitigation package for Southeast Alaska.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is the State entity that is administering the program and is advised by a Stakeholder Panel. The Stakeholder Panel includes representatives from the commercial troll fishery, sport fishery, hatchery operators, and Southeast Alaska community interests.

The Stakeholder Panel identified actions that would provide economic benefits to offset the losses to Treaty harvest shares. Projects to increase salmon production ranked in highest priority. The contributions of hatchery raised Chinook and coho salmon are important to the "hook and line fisheries," which include commercial troll and sport fisheries, which are most affected by the reduction in Treaty harvests. Alaska hatchery-produced Chinook provide significant benefits because they may be harvested in addition to the annual Chinook harvest limit set under the Treaty.

Program components include the following:

  • Hatchery fish marking, tagging, and evaluation — Alaska is held accountable for gaps in its information by what is known as the risk factor. In short, the risk factor considers potential errors in Alaska's data and reduces Chinook harvest levels accordingly. Alaska is interested in reducing the annual risk factor and improving access to hatchery-produced fish by expanding marking and tagging rates at Alaska hatcheries.
  • Hatchery enhancement projects — Alaska is interested in replacing as much of the 7.5% reduction taken in the 2019 Treaty Agreement as possible with increased hatchery production. Hatchery production will be expanded across seven locations for an increase of up to 2.5 million yearling releases per year.
  • Hatchery Research — Funds may also be used to develop brood stocks and to conduct critical hatchery-related research into marine survival, alternate life history traits, migration, and other information that can increase fishing opportunities.

This website provides information about the current program and the previous program implemented under the 2009 Treaty Agreement (see 2009 Agreement Mitigation Program).

1 Includes NOAA Fisheries administrative costs.