In Response
Dear Editor: I read Mr. Longstreth’s letter concerning the Pacific Salmon Treaty with interest, in part because I was the troll fishery representative prior to Mr. Longstreth, from 1994 to 1999. His conclusions confounded me. Were you reassured by his explanation that Southeast Alaskans are catching the same average number of king salmon that we always have?
Something is fishy here. Salmon abundance was estimated at 1 in the base period years 1979-1982. That base period, as a reference point for abundance, was agreed to when the 1985 Treaty was signed. No cherries are picked when referencing that timeframe. A whitepaper by Alaska Trollers Association of March 2018 placed that average Chinook catch at 332,583 for the same period of time, so let’s go with that number.
The 2018 pre-season estimate of abundance is 1.07. The ADFG April 3, 2018, press release revealed that this level of abundance would allow an all-gear harvest limit of 144,500 Treaty Chinook. The Southeast Alaska fisheries have lost the right to harvest 188,083 Treaty Chinook. This is a simple and straightforward comparison. Salmon abundance is similar now (1.07) to then (1). Our current Chinook harvest is not in proportion with our historical harvest, in a time of similar abundance. This is a straight up comparison of what we harvested then to what we are harvesting now. It’s king salmon to king salmon, not apples to oranges. Harvest has been reduced in Alaska and Canada and harvest share has increased in Washington and Oregon, a fact first put forth in a Chinook Technical Committee report and documented by Alaska’s Congressional Delegation.
The 2018 Chinook fisheries are being managed by ADF&G to achieve a total harvest of 130,000 Treaty Chinook. Commissioner Swanton, in a mysterious sleight of negotiating strategy, decided to subtract an additional 10 percent from the 2018 all-gear quota, 14,500 fish. The total King Salmon loss is 202,583 fish and roughly 69 percent of those fish would have been harvested in the Troll fishery. Our visiting sports fishermen and local residents would have prized the opportunity to catch at least 40,000 of those beautiful fish. The Seiners and Gillnetters would have gotten their slice of the pie, too.
These Chinook are worth $8.25 lb. according to price offered by SPC today. Do the math. Yes… (202,583 x .69) x11 lb. per fish @ $8.25 per pound equals $12,685,241 in revenue lost to the troll fishery. No wondering fishermen are marching in the streets and burning their loan papers!
Mr. Longstreth confirms the fact that the National Marine Fisheries set the terms of the negotiation from the outset. This Treaty team has accepted the National Marine Fisheries Service threat to take management from the State, as valid, and has agreed to reduce Alaska’s historical harvest share even further. It is wrong that the state of Alaska should be treated like this. Our fishing communities are being stripped of a resource the state has an historical and federally recognized right to harvest. This behavior by NMFS is a blatant misuse of authority and a misapplication of the Endangered Species Act. We have a broken federal treaty and a broken federal agency. This problem can only be fixed in Washington, D.C.
The Chinook Futures Coalition, the Alaska Trollers Association and the Seafood Producers Cooperative are all appealing to Governor Walker and the Congressional delegation to ask for a review of the Pacific Salmon Treaty under the authority of the Secretary of Commerce. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you wish to help our efforts.
Deborah Lyons, Executive Director
Chinook Futures Coalition
