Contact:
Tom Taube
Regional Management Biologist
Phone: 907-459-7225
July 18, 2012
Effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21, 2012 retention of king salmon in all flowing waters of the Tanana River drainage is prohibited. King salmon caught may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. In addition the use of bait is prohibited in all tributaries of the Tanana River drainage (including the Chena, Salcha, Chatanika, Nenana and Goodpaster rivers).
Monitoring projects in the Yukon and Tanana rivers suggest that the 2012 king salmon run to the Tanana River is low. All king salmon escapement monitoring projects in the Yukon River drainage have estimated fish passage below the historical average for this date. The current cumulative passage estimate of 104,000 king salmon is well below the historical average for late run timing and the projected total run will likely be at the lower end of the preseason estimate of 109,000 or lower.
As of July 15, only 183 king salmon have passed the counting tower on the Chena River, and the Salcha River and Goodpaster River counting towers are not operational due to high and turbid water conditions. The Chena River king salmon counts are the second lowest for this date since 1993. The escapement projection, based on current counts, indicate the lower end of the escapement goal (2,800 – 5,700 king salmon) may not be achieved.
This action closing the Tanana River king salmon sport fisheries to retention is consistent with measures that have been taken throughout the Yukon and Tanana river drainages to conserve king salmon and is necessary to meet the escapement goal for king salmon in the Chena and Salcha rivers.
For additional information contact Tom Taube, Regional Management Biologist, 907-459-7225 or Audra Brase, Tanana Area Management Biologist, 907-459-7244.