Late Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Observation: During a fall Klawock River clean-up in mid- December, along a trail system and river banks we observed Coho salmon in the stream going up to spawn. On the river the temperatures was at 52° degrees Fahrenheit, clear skies and no winds; eagles, ravens and sea gulls could be observed feeding on salmon carcasses on a sunny day. Traditional advertised runs for Coho per Alaska Fish and Game are late August into September on Prince of Wales Island. During July, 2014 when ADF&G allows for subsistence (Traditional Gathering) fishing in Klawock Bay, very little fish were caught limiting the availability of fish normally provide to the community. We observed an increase run on our Sockeye in August vs customary run of July. We are only allowed fishing of Sockeye in July under current Fish & Game subsistence regulations. We may not even be able to fish July 2015 because of the low count of sockeye observed by Klawock River hatchery run by Fish & Game. Could the sockeye be adapting to climate change and coming in to spawn later waiting for river flow to be up? We need to adapt and maybe change current regulation governing subsistence fishing timeline from July to August for local community members. What would it take to start the regulatory process if ever needed?

Consult: This post has been shared with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Fish, Subsistence Division.

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