Board Sets Fish Wheel Rules, Recovery Goals for Yukon Salmon

The Alaska Board of Fisheries voted Friday to establish fish-friendly fish wheel construction standards and recovery benchmarks for Yukon River king and fall chum salmon, creating the state's first formal plans to guide management of the depleted stocks.

The board passed Proposals 189, 190 and 191 during a special online meeting. Proposal 189, which defines traditional knowledge and local knowledge in regulation, passed 6-0. Proposals 190 and 191, establishing fish wheel standards and stock recovery criteria, each passed 7-0.

The regulations codify specifications for fish wheels used in subsistence fisheries and set criteria for when the stocks could be removed from concern status. Fish wheels must now use soft mesh baskets similar to seine web and slider chutes with smooth bottoms and closed-cell foam-lined sides to minimize injury to salmon that must be released alive.

Alaska News previously reported that the board adopted conservation-focused regulations for Yukon River salmon in 2023, including a 6-inch maximum mesh size for personal-use fishing after August 15 and live-release requirements from dip nets and fish wheels.

Under the new plans, king and fall chum salmon would need to meet escapement goals for five consecutive years before being considered for delisting from stock of concern status. If annual harvests remain below historic ranges even after escapement goals are met, the department may recommend downgrading the designation to stock of yield concern rather than removing protections entirely.

The delisting criteria drew questions from board members about potential conflicts with the seven-year Canada-Alaska agreement on Yukon salmon management. Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang cautioned that state recovery goals could create public confusion about when fishing can resume if they differ from treaty requirements.

Board member Olivia Erwin asked whether having recovery goals in a management plan involving a treaty species was a policy issue or a public education issue. Vincent-Lang said it was neither, but rather a concern that people reading regulations might not know about treaty obligations and assume they can fish once state goals are met.

Board Chair Marit Carlson-Van Dort responded that meeting the regulatory criteria would not automatically delist a stock. "There's another step in that process where the department comes back before the board with a recommendation to delist, and the board may or may not accept that recommendation," she said.

Board member Mike Wood raised concerns that the fish-friendly specifications adopted by the board may not go far enough to prevent fish injury. Wood said he consulted with fish wheel expert Stan Zarey, who has extensively studied methods to reduce damage to salmon.