Finding a solution to reverse the trend is not easy. Nature is complicated, and man managing nature can really mess things up. Especially when politics and the dynamics between federal and state agencies are involved.

The most iconic river in all of Alaska, the Kenai, has not met escapement goals for king salmon in four consecutive years. That has earned the Kenai kings the designation of  “stock of yield concern”. What this means is the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) is required to come up with an alternative plan to maintain yields, and harvestable surplus above the stock’s escapement needs. 

Not everyone wants to wait for the State to come up with a new management plan.

Cue the Feds…

Wild Fish Conservancy, a non profit group from Duvall, Washington, has petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to list Alaska king salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Protecting declining Alaska king salmon runs aligns with their mission statement to restore wild fish habitat, reform fisheries, and transition away from fish hatcheries.  

The ESA criteria for a threatened species designation are: 

• the present or threatened destruction of habitat
• overutilization of the species for commercial, recreational or other purposes
• disease or predation
• inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms, and
• other natural or manmade factors affecting the continued existence of the species.

I applaud the Wild Fish Conservancy for taking the initiative to do something. However, the likelihood of their petition being adopted is very low. Instead of an overly ambitious inclusion of all king salmon runs in Alaska as threatened (there is a lack of a clear and consistent downward trend in all runs), specific and distinct king salmon populations should have been designated.

Time will tell if their efforts bear fruit.

Come back next week for Part 2 of Doing Something. This time the focus will be on the state level management of king salmon and a very interesting, comprehensive Board of Fisheries proposal submitted by Dr. Francis “The Keen Eye Physician” Estalilla.

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In the March publication of Fish Alaska magazine, Francis wrote an article titled, “Hens Matter.” In it, he addresses his favorite Kenai River issue; releasing large Kenai female king salmon.

Francis makes the case that releasing mega-hens is critical if we want the world famous Kenai River to remain the world famous Kenai River.  An adult king salmon has faced long odds from egg to adulthood, and the simple act of releasing a fish when it’s near the finish line is paramount in sustaining a healthy fishery. Francis points out that 15,000 eggs deposited on a gravel bar from a single fish is far more important than keeping it for “bait on the next trip.”

I couldn’t agree with Francis more.

I was introduced to fish conservation at a young age. I would like to say it was because of my father, but it wasn’t. He grew up during a time when fish was food and you “don’t let your next meal get away.”  

It was in 1975 that I first read about fish conservation in the cutting-edge fishing magazine, In Fisherman. I had a subscription for nearly 25 years. At the time, most fishing magazines had great stories and pictures about fishing. In Fisherman, on the other hand, taught people how to fish. By letting readers in on the secrets from the professionals on how to catch more fish, it was reasoned that conservation needed to be addressed as well. This is where the term “selective harvest” was first used. It basically means it’s okay to keep a few fish for dinner, but releasing large females was the key to maintaining future fisheries.

Speaking of the future, I know Francis wants everyone to experience what he has on the Kenai River, especially his own grand kids. A small step that every angler can actively take is to practice CPR (catch, photo, release) when catching a female Kenai king.  After all, hens do matter. 

POSTSCRIPT.  Thank you Francis for allowing me to use your photos. Also, there is an organization that promotes catch and release fishing/selective harvest in Alaska. If you want to see the good work they’re doing, and even win some merchandise, click on this link, Fish for the Future.

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