The Juneau Assembly voted this week to formally oppose an Alaska Board of Fisheries proposition that would limit Southeast Alaska hatchery production of pink and chum salmon by 25%.
The proposition is intended to address the effects of hatchery salmon on wild salmon. Studies show that hatchery fish that return to other spawning areas may be competing for resources with wild fish.
The Assembly’s resolution says that more than half of Southeast Alaska’s 2024 commercial harvest value came from hatcheries, and a reduction would negatively impact the region’s economy.
Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs objected to the resolution, saying she felt the city lacks the scientific expertise to weigh in on this issue, and that she would rather the Board of Fisheries use their knowledge to rule on the proposition.
“I care about our wild stock tremendously, and I want to make sure fish are going to be here,” she said. “And if there’s any question that the hatchery fish are impacting wild fish and affecting genetic diversity, then I wouldn’t want to jump in and say, ‘Don’t do that.’ I would want them to review the data and make an informed decision, which I can’t do with this.”
The head of Juneau’s local hatchery attended the meeting to answer questions about the resolution. When asked about the impact of the Assembly not adopting it, Douglas Island Pink and Chum (DIPAC) Executive Director Katie Harms said the city would be out of alignment with other Southeast communities whose municipal governments already opposed the resolution.
“And then if this proposal at the Board of Fish were to pass, it would lead to significant economic harm in the Juneau community,” she said. “A 25% reduction in chum salmon production would lead to a likelihood of potential for the two seafood processors in town to be unable to operate year round.”
Harms said that a reduction in hatchery fish would impact DIPAC’s future, and a “worst case scenario” would be DIPAC closing.
The Assembly passed the resolution seven to one, with Hughes-Skandijs opposing.
