In response to the decline of wild spring chinook salmon of the Klamath-Trinity Basin and concern regarding the status of green sturgeon, the Yurok Tribal Council has closed the spring fishery for three days per week, according to a press release.
”Closing the fishery is never an easy decision for our council,” Yurok Tribal Chairman Thomas O'Rourke said in the release. “Our people depend upon these fish to feed their families. However, it was decided to make this sacrifice to provide for our great grandchildren and beyond.”
This decision was made after gathering input at five public meetings, the Natural Resource Committee and the Tribal Fisheries Program.
According to the release, the tribe is concerned that natural populations of spring chinook, primarily from the South Fork Trinity and Salmon rivers, are at low levels. Annual abundance of spring chinook from the South Fork Trinity has averaged about 120 fish during each of the past seven years. By comparison, more than 11,000 adult spring chinook returned to the river to spawn in 1964.
Additionally, the tribe also adopted several regulations to protect green sturgeon. While population numbers are not available for this species, there is concern based upon degraded habitat conditions and the vulnerability of this stock to over-exploitation, given that they don't spawn until they are nearly 17 years old.
Another component of the spring regulations requires that the dorsal fin be removed from all harvested spring chinook, so it is obvious that these are subsistence fish. As in past years, the council adopted regulations making it illegal to sell or purchase spring chinook.
For more information and to view the complete
regulation change visit
http://yuroktribe.org/departments/fisheries/fallharvest.htm.