For Yukon River families, chum is particularly important. Chinook salmon have been low for decades, but chum were the fish they could depend on.
Fisheries
Petersburg steam whistle blast a sign of stronger pink salmon harvest
Fish and Game now predicts a total catch of 39 million by the end of the season, which would be an above-average harvest.
As streams warm, cold water inputs could be crucial for salmon
Cook Inlet has some of the warmest measured streams in Alaska. Temperatures are expected to climb as climate change accelerates, which isn’t good for the salmon that traffic those areas.
Good Samaritans help Coast Guard rescue fishing boat captain from ‘communications dead zone’ near Sitka
Crew from the F/V Minke relayed that the 68-year-old captain of another boat, the F/V Lady Cyprus, was experiencing a possible heart attack.
How low chum runs changed the lives of these Western Alaska fisheries workers
With salmon runs low and commercial fishing closed, the Yukon River’s only fish processor is offering few jobs this summer.
With chum runs crashing, Yukon River fish processor pivots to greenhouses
To keep up local employment, Kwik’pak Fisheries pivoted last summer when the chum runs started dropping. If workers couldn’t catch food, they could grow it.