KRSA calling for Board of Fish to stop pink salmon stockings
FishingGovernment September 22, 2018 Lee Leschper
The Kenai River Sportfishing Association is leading a number of Alaska outdoor groups in calling for public comment to urge the Alaska Board of Fish to not approve additional pink salmon hatchery stockings in Prince William Sound.
In an era of struggling salmon runs across Alaska–most king salmon runs and even the usually massive Kenai and Copper River sockeye runs were closed entirely for much of 2018–there’s vast evidence that hatchery pink salmon–now the single largest component of Alaska salmon populations–are eating forage that other salmon species rely on. Literally the pinks are eating the other salmon out of house and home.
Commercial fishing groups are distributing a list of perceived benefits to more hatchery stockings, all tied back to improving the economics for commercial fishermen, without addressing the impact of stockings on other salmon species.
The Board of Fish meets in Anchorage in mid-October, but deadline for comments is Oct. 3.
KRSA has created an online form to simplify commenting for anglers who to express their opinion directly to the Board:
Comment to BOF on pink salmon stocking
Here are the Proposals before the Board for this meeting:
The first two of those proposals call for cutting or capping of hatchery pink stockings:
For the complete BofF schedule and more information, see the board homepage at:
