Decline in King Salmon This Year in Alaska (Kenai, Kodiak: 2013, earthquakes)

[ShipOfFools42]

"Something in the ocean has been death to Alaska's king salmon.


The state's iconic fish, treasured for food, sport and cash, should now be swimming in droves up rivers from the Southeast rain forests to the populated Railbelt and the Western Alaska tundra.

But they're not."


Decline in king salmon is rooted in the sea, Alaska state biologists say - Environment wire - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington news, weather and sports



Well, I'm about to run to the market to get some Copper River Kings to cook tonight, so we'll see how that goes. Hate to hear about stuff like this. A bit worrisome. Or maybe it's not. I'd love to hear what you fish-mongering folk have to say about it, though.

[Metlakatla]

These things go in cycles. I thought this might be a lean year for Kings.

[RedJacket]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

These things go in cycles. I thought this might be a lean year for Kings.

I'm afraid that might not be the right answer. Look deeper. Look at ObamaCare and his 'death panels'. We were warned by that lady sitting in a rocking chair on her front porch keeping an eye on Putin.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by RedJacket

I'm afraid that might not be the right answer. Look deeper. Look at ObamaCare and his 'death panels'. We were warned by that lady sitting in a rocking chair on her front porch keeping an eye on Putin.

That's different! Bush is the one usually blamed for everything (Katrina, the economy, the collapse of the housing market, the bailouts, all wars around the globe, and so on)

[Metlakatla]

What a shame that a potentially interesting thread has to devolve into the usual politically driven BS that infests this place.

Several years ago, vandalism at the hatchery on POW resulted in the death of about 10,000 King salmon fry. I think that this year would have been the first that they'd begin returning, which is one of the reasons we thought it would be a lean year for Kings. Although we don't depend much on hatchery fish, they impact the numbers.

I suppose that some may theorize that disaster related occurrences in Japan have something to do with it, but because salmon mature in deep waters and spend at least two years doing so, we won't know much until the first sockeye runs of 2013. They'll be the first of returning runs likely to be impacted by environmental conditions created by the earthquakes in Japan. Again, because salmon mature in deep waters and radiation doesn't move well through water, it's likely that that particular sky won't fall.

Last year was a record year in SE, and a dismal run usually follows a record year. It often goes like this: if there's an unusual number of high-weight money fish, the next year sucks. By money fish, I mean Kings and sockeye.

[Rance]

Fortunately they've closed King fishing on the Kenai. I saw a picture today of a mass amount of Kings in a slough (slew) in the upper Kenai River. I think King fishing opens up tomorrow. But it was nice to see some fish make it up the river.

[RayinAK]

There were lots of Kings on the Copper when I was there at the beginning of the subsistence season on June 1st. But about a week later the water rose quite high and the fishing slowed down to a standstill.

Off the subject (kings), it seems that we also have a problem with the halibut around the Kenai Peninsula. Scientists are trying to figure the reasons for the halibut having mushy flesh. A few reports have come in from Kodiak, but not as many at from the Kenai Peninsula.

[wildchild_to]

Could it be due to the nuclear melt down in Japan? It seems in the last few years crab, halibut and now salmon are in decline. Do all of them run in the same decline cycles together. Have the hearing numbers been down?

[warptman]

Originally Posted by wildchild_to

Have the hearing numbers been down?

Lots of people are going deaf, yes the numbers are down...

[wildchild_to]

Originally Posted by warptman

Lots of people are going deaf, yes the numbers are down...

OK, I looked an didn't see anything...Sounds like they will be cutting way back on all the quota's for a while till all sea creature's numbers are up. That will hurt some of the villages and some of AK the economy. That is not good..