Scotland is widely regarded as a premier destination for Atlantic salmon fishing. And it’s easy to see why, with its multitude of rivers and lochs (lakes) to choose from when chasing this anadromous fish. From the intimate, small streams of the Scottish Highlands to the larger rivers like the Tay, Tweed and Spey farther south, there’s a body of water for everyone. Scotland is also the birthplace of the famous double-handed Spey cast, originating as the name suggests, on the River Spey.

Scottish Salmon Fishing Seasons

The salmon fishing season in Scotland runs from January until November. During the early part of the season, anglers target “spring” salmon. These fish are known for their size and fighting qualities, ranging from 10 and 30 pounds. Most anglers fish for spring salmon with fly tackle. During the summer months — especially June, July and August — Atlantic salmon are more plentiful, but smaller in size. Toward the end of the season, larger fish show again when the autumn run starts, although fall numbers have diminished in recent years.

Fly Fishing Tackle for Scottish Rivers

In terms of angling, the vast majority of Atlantic salmon fishing in Scotland is fly fishing with a double-handed rod. However, some rivers do allow spinning gear. Each river has its own set of rules. On rivers like the Spey, Tay and Tweed, fishing from a boat is a popular and practical option.

Fly fishing tackle often starts with a 13- to 15-foot double-handed salmon rod. Smaller rivers with shallow water are where anglers can utilize single-handed fly rods. The fly rods are paired with floating or intermediate fly lines, terminating with a 10- to 15-pound-test leader.

For fly selection, anglers have a host of options. A few famous salmon flies in Scotland include the Willie Gunn, Cascade and Stoats Tail. These flies are usually tied on a double or treble hook, or even in a tube fly style. Fly choice and size depends on the water depth, temperature and time of year.

Spin Fishing for Salmon in Scotland

However, fly fishing is not the only option for anglers targeting Scottish silver. Some rivers, mainly located in central and southern Scotland, allow spinning gear. When it comes to spin fishing, a 10- or 11-foot spinning rod is a favorite. For lures, cast a spoon weighing 18 to 30 grams. The weight of the lure depends on the water depth and current strength. Other popular lures for salmon include lipped crankbaits like those from Rapala or Megabass.

Fishing from a Boat in Scotland

Angler can fish from a boat — not just land — on Scotland’s larger rivers. On the River Tay, there’s a specific method of fishing called “harling.” This tactic involves having three or four rods out at ounce with lures behind the boat. The boat then moves from side to side across the river whilst gently floating downstream. Harling is effective, especially when trying to cover expanses of water. There’s also available loch fishing for salmon in Scotland. On many lakes, anglers drift in a boat while fly fishing. On some of the larger lochs, anglers troll along the banks to effectively find fish.

For plenty more about salmon fishing in Scotland, check out a resource and fishing provider such as Salmon Fishing Holidays Scotland. Anglers and tourists traveling to Scotland can really shorten the learning curve by setting up a guided trip.

The post Chasing Scottish Silver appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

This month marks the 39^th anniversary of Les Anderson’s world record king salmon catch on Alaska’s famed Kenai River. On May 17, 1985, Anderson, an auto dealer from nearby Soldotna, hooked the salmon fishing from his boat, then took to shore to land the 97-pound, 4-ounce Kenai king. Though bigger king salmon have reportedly been caught and released by anglers since then, Anderson’s world record stands. It also stands for a magnificent fishery now gone. These days, the fight for kings is to save them.

“We’ve seen a severe decline in the king salmon stocks in the Kenai and in other Alaskan river systems,” says Shannon Martin, Executive Director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association (KRSA). “We’ve had complete closures to sportfishing for kings on the Kenai and other rivers. On some rivers, only hatchery-raised king salmon may be harvested. These days, I won’t target kings anywhere,” she said.

Chinook (King) Salmon See Major Declines

Called kings around the Kenai, the species is commonly called Chinook across its range in the North Pacific. In many locations in Alaska, Chinook’s decline has been so severe in the last 30 years that the wild fishery is in peril. The stocks are diminished by all measures, including the numbers of fish returning to rivers each year, the size of those individual fish, and the seasons to catch them.

 “I remember the Kenai,” says Peter Westley, an associate professor in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “You could put your head into the mouth of one of those big fish. People are feeling pretty pessimistic, saddened, depressed, longing for the good old days.

“Across the entire North Pacific region, Chinook are not doing well,” he said. “The story is told river by river, but there are big patterns, and Chinook salmon in lots of places are circling the drain.”

Threats to Chinook

The threats to Chinook are multifold, complex, and many decades in the making — commercial trawling, degraded habitat, dams, rising sea temperatures, and increasing predation by protected sea mammals. Add to all that fishing pressure and hatchery-raised salmon that compete with native fish. Westley says, “Unless something fundamentally changes with how we interact with them, the future for Chinook is really grim.

“On some level,” he adds, “there are Chinook, but they’re hatchery fish. The habitat is so messed up that there wouldn’t be Chinook without those hatchery fish. The evidence is saying that the hatchery fish diminish the wild fish though. In places like the Kasilof and Ninilchik, you can fish for hatchery Chinook, but the problem is that no one can distinguish what gets caught.”

Westley presents a comprehensive vision of the threats facing Chinook when he says, “The ocean has always been dangerous and risky, but in recent years, it has become even more dangerous for fish. The Chinook’s life-history strategy of growing slowly and being in the ocean most of its life isn’t benefitting the species lately.”

The Future of Alaska Fishing

Both Westley and Martin suggest that anglers shift their expectations of Alaskan fishing and realize that the kings need help and that there are plenty of other incredible fish to go for across the state and the region.

“We need to do our part to take the pressure off Chinook salmon,” says Westley. “If they want Chinook, people should go to places where the fishing has as little impact as possible on the wild stocks, places like Ship Creek, where it’s all hatchery fish,” he says. “There are also some healthy fisheries for wild sockeye. That’s a different ball game.”

Martin, from KRSA, said she is seeing a change in mentality in many anglers.

“Anglers are looking for other species, trying to protect that run of kings returning from the ocean. At the same time, our organization advocates for fishery managers to implement paired closings with commercial fisheries to include additional restrictions and protections. This would share the burden of conservation amongst all user groups. What matters is to get eggs in the gravel and that’s what we’re looking for.”

An Uncertain Future

The fight will be long and hard to help protect Chinook, one of the Western World’s totemic sport fish, food fish, and a lynchpin of Alaska’s coastal ecosystem. Only recently, in March, the State of Alaska Board of Fisheries voted to lower the spawning escapement goal for the late-run Kenai River king salmon to support additional commercial fishing opportunities for other salmon, a decision that Martin and the KRSA lamented, painfully. Martin called it a “dark day for conservation in Alaska.” She said, “We’re essentially signing off on the managed decline of a species that has defined our region.”

Anyone who’s ever seen the broad, pink-green back of a Chinook salmon rising in a turquoise-colored, glacial river’s flow, while connected to that fish only by a thin line, knows the fear and the heartache that the fish might just break off and be gone, forever.

The post Alaska’s Kings in Peril appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Ireland offers wild opportunities for traveling anglers, from big-city river fishing in Galway to sight fishing in isolated, rural streams to trolling lakes (loughs) for sea-run fish. The country has some of the best Atlantic salmon runs in Western Europe and over 80 rivers open to fishing this year, and most locations can be reached within a few hours’ drive from Dublin or Shannon airport. Two Irish angling pros, Munster Blackwater River guide Conor Arnold and Myles Kelly of Inland Fisheries Ireland, gave their top salmon fishing destinations for visitors to Ireland.

Irish Salmon Pro Picks

Myles Kelly is the Angling Advisor at Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the state agency responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving Ireland’s inland fisheries and sea angling resources. IFI runs a valuable online resource, basically a one-stop shop for Irish angling, including lists of tackle stores, guides, charter boats and more.

River Moy, County Mayo

“The Moy is Ireland’s most productive salmon river,” Myles says. “There are lots of fisheries with plenty of water to suit everything from fly to worm. Best of all there is good availability of permits. You can buy these online (East Mayo Anglers and Ballina Salmon Anglers). The river runs peak when the smaller grilse arrive in June and July. If you book early you can get on the Moy Fishery in Ballina where the pints of Guinness are within casting distance of the salmon pools.”

Munster Blackwater, Counties Waterford and Cork

“There have been years when this mighty river surpassed the Moy in numbers of salmon caught. The majority of the fisheries are between Fermoy and Lismore. Depending on floods, this river can get going earlier in the year and fishes well through to September, as long as there’s rain to get levels up.”

Galway Fishery, Galway

“The Galway Fishery is part of the Corrib system. Lough Corrib is Ireland’s biggest lake and famous for its brown trout, but its productive rivers crank out a lot of salmon smolts. It is in the heart of Galway city and probably the single most productive fishery in the country. Booking early is essential. The evening sessions are often overlooked and can be wonderfully productive.”

River Laune, County Kerry

“This system consistently features in the top five fisheries for salmon angling catch year in, year out. A good number of salmon are taken on the troll in the lake, but there is also plenty of fishing in the Laune (outflowing) and Flesk (inflowing) rivers. Permits are easy to get and there is a good network of guides.”

Smaller Irish Waters

“I get great satisfaction fishing smaller waters in wilder places. Some are parts of Ireland’s angling heritage and can be fancy enough, while others are just plain wild and rugged. My wild card list is as follows – Carrowmore Lake in Mayo, Erriff Fishery and nearby Delphi Fishery in Connemara (or Inagh, Ballinahinch, Screebe, Costello – any fishery in Connemara!), Lough Beagh in Donegal, Caragh system in Kerry (spring salmon), or Dingle’s Owenmore fishery (summer salmon and sea run trout).”

Top Spots for Salmon in Ireland

Conor Arnold has fished for salmon throughout the Western hemisphere. He owns the Arnold Angling Centre on the Blackwater River in southern Ireland where he guides, teaches, and runs his day ticket salmon fishery, along with his work for Loop Tackle, a flyfishing company. For any locations in Ireland, Conor can give detailed fly tackle and fly selection advice.

Delphi Lodge Fishery, Connemara County, Galway 

“The Delphi Lodge fishery, located in the heart of Connemara in the west of Ireland, consists of the Bundorragha River and two lakes, Finn Lough and Doo Lough. The fishing is completely private and nestled in stunning countryside. There is also a hatchery program where 50,000 smolts are released into the river each year. These fish are fin-clipped and may be harvested on being caught. The accommodation, also on the estate, is a beautiful Georgian house.”

Cloghan Lodge in Donegal, Northwest of Ireland

“Cloghan Lodge is located mid-river on the River Finn. It has the spectacular salmon leap falls toward the lower end of the fishery. Just above the falls, the river splits into the Finn and its major tributary, the Realan. Both rivers meander through farmland and open moorland and mountains. Cloghan Lodge has fishing on both rivers. Peak season would be from mid-May until mid-August. The Finn is catch and release so single barbless hooks only are permitted.”

River Owenmore, Bangor Erris, County Mayo

“The River Owenmore is only about 10 miles in length but the angling club in Bangor Erris has approximately four miles and sells day tickets from the pub in the village. The river is catch and release and has some of the nicest fly water an angler could wish to cast a line in. Salmon arrive late March with peak time from May to the end of the season.”

River Owenmore, Castlegregory, County Kerry

“The river is situated in the west of County Kerry, right underneath the Conor Pass with stunning mountain and sea views. Even though the season opens on the first of April, the main runs don’t enter the river until around the end of May. The fishery has two lakes which are both equipped with boats for salmon and sea trout fishing. The whole system is quite intimate and will stay with you long after the trip is over.”

Upper Bridgetown Salmon, River Blackwater, County Cork

“My own fishery, based mid-river on the famous Munster Blackwater, is basically two fisheries managed together. It comprises four beats in total, spread over approximately six miles. One of its most endearing aspects is that it restricts the number of anglers to three rods per beat. This allows the visiting angler to have the freedom to fish at their own pace and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the countryside. The fishery operates on a catch-and-release basis. Some of the largest fish are caught from mid-May until the end of June. July and August see predominantly grilse entering the river. The Blackwater is very user-friendly and has mostly a gravel bed with easy wading. Accommodation is available on site in Ballyhooly Castle or any number of B&Bs or hotels locally.”

Irish Rules and Regulations

“In terms of keeping a salmon,” Myles says, “we advocate 100% catch and release. But our science supports the limited harvest of fish where a surplus allows. This means we can have a sustainable fishery and if an angler wants to keep a fish or two across the season, they can do so knowing that they will not be having a negative impact on stocks.”

On most rivers, the season runs through September. Access to fishing is very open. Anglers do need licenses, and most fisheries are controlled by private owners or clubs but have day tickets available. For licensing details, check out https://permits.fishinginireland.info/.

The post To Ireland for Salmon: An Angler’s Guide appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Although merely 100 miles as the crow flies from Seattle to the sounds of southwestern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, it can take the better part of a day to drive there, including the two-hour ferry crossing. But for fishing enthusiasts, it should prove to be a well-spent day.

Clayoquot and Barkley—the two sprawling sounds to which BC Route 4 extends down the island just over 100 miles from the ferry landing at Nanaimo—are filled with islands and inlets, and reefs and channels. For any experienced fisherman, that description spells fishy habitat.

Whether one drives in for guided fishing or tows a boat, he’ll find mostly the same species here as are caught in Alaskan waters. It could be said that these sounds, just north of the Lower 48, offer a taste of Alaska without the long trip.

For many, salmon are king. Of five species of salmon, chinook are king, also because they’re called king salmon. While the legal minimum size here is about 18 inches (45 centimeters), anglers look for 10- to 30-pound fish and occasionally much larger. The other major salmon target for anglers are coho (aka silvers), a schooling salmon typically weighing 5 to 15 pounds. In August, pinks (3 to 5 pounds) may abound.

Salmon range widely along the coast, but are consistently found nearshore—sometimes right off the kelp. Trolling with downriggers, pulling large flashers ahead of herring, anchovies, plastic squid, spoons or plugs, accounts for the great majority of salmon caught.

In addition to salmon, bottomfish abound. Among those species, halibut is in a class by itself, in part by virtue of its size. Although they can be encountered nearshore, the best chances for success for the great flatfish occur over deeper offshore banks with smooth-bottom areas. Anglers targeting halibut will drop herring or salmon heads with heavy weights or large leadhead jigs with big plastic tails. Halibut also eagerly strike heavy-metal slow-pitch jigs. Braided line of 30-pound-test or heavier is warranted, since the next strike could be a fish well into three digits on the scale.

Perhaps no species can better be counted on to help a slow day than the lingcod. This elongate, toothy predator is unique to the Pacific Coast, from Baja, California, to Alaska. Expect to catch lings of 5 to 20 pounds, but monsters at least twice that lurk around rocky, current-swept reefs. Very commonly, these bottom dwellers will follow up a hooked fish of any type, grabbing it in their jaws and refusing to let go, often until they’re on a gaff or in the net.

The ambush predators will pounce anything that moves in their domain—any sort of metal jig or plastic bait—and they’ll often swim up toward the surface to snatch baits trolled for salmon. Lingcod are superb to eat. Sometimes boating the limit of three (legal size: 25.6 inches) can be easily accomplished. After that, catch-and-release is still an option since lings have no swim bladders and the hardy fish can quickly return to the depths.

Then there are the rockfish. Dozens of species of the genus Sebastes are found in the north Pacific, many in these waters. The aggressive nature and many varieties and colors of rockfish make for a light-tackle angler’s bonanza.

Unfortunately, many visiting anglers don’t come equipped with gear light enough to maximize the sport this action should offer. Twelve-pound braided line is plenty and will allow relatively light jigs (slow-pitch or leadhead with plastics) to sink 50 to 250 feet. And these rockfish are, like most of the fish caught here, delicious.

Planning a Trip

Where To Go and How To Get There: Visitors with large, seaworthy boats can, of course, sail right to ports in either sound. The great majority of visiting anglers arrive by car. Wherever you are driving from, you will need to get to Vancouver Island, which most likely requires a ride on a huge ferry. It’s a considerably longer drive up from Victoria, so your best bet is the ferry that runs from Tsawwasen to Nanaimo. In the summer, reservations are a must: Make them online at bcferries.com.

A bit of searching online will reveal various resorts, many with moorage, as well as a variety of homes available to rent. Rates drop precipitously in late fall through early spring, but so do the odds of good ocean conditions. That said, there are plenty of fish to be caught in colder months, and for those with time to stick around for a while, the chances of some good days are pretty fair.

What To Expect: Ucluelet (“people of the safe harbor” in the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth language) is the main jumping-off point for Barkley Sound waters. Tofino is at the northern end of a peninsula that juts into Clayoquot Sound. It offers a similar infrastructure for visiting anglers as Ucluelet. Find general information at discoverucluelet.com and tourismtofino.com.

Between Tofino and Ucluelet is the Long Beach Unit of the vast Pacific Rim National Park Reserve—10 miles of pristine sandy beaches (longest such stretch on the west coast of Vancouver Island) where cold-water surfers ply their sport.

The post British Columbia: Fishing The Sounds of Southwestern Vancouver Island appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

About 100 miles southwest of Juneau in southeast Alaska (the state’s Panhandle), Sitka sits at the edge of the north Pacific on Baranof Island. To the north and east, the rugged islands and mountains are all Tongass National Forest and Wilderness Area. The island remained part of Russia until 1867. Signs of that are still in evidence, such as St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

A major port for commercial fishing, Sitka is also a center for tourism and, with a considerable fleet of charter operations, sport fishing. Salmon are the main draw; while it’s possible to catch five species of salmon here, Chinook (king) and coho (silver) are the primary targets, along with halibut and other bottom fish.

While there are no roads in or out of Sitka, 14 miles of local roads offer many spots to fish without a boat — lakes and streams for trout and grayling, and coastal areas for salmon (notably pinks) and trout (particularly Dolly Varden), but also with catches of king salmon, sea-run cutthroat and other species.

Along with Sitka’s great fishing, it’s reasonable to expect to observe or encounter a range of marine wildlife, including humpback whales, orcas, eagles, sea lions, bear, sea otters and more.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: With the climate less than appealing for visitors much of the year, mid-May through mid-September is the real tourist season in Sitka, when the population swells and things get quite busy.

For anglers, timing is significant. That is, those looking for trophy king salmon (30 to 40 pounds) will focus on June and July. Anglers hoping to get in on the main run of coho — smaller than kings but more numerous and wild battlers on lighter lines — will book in July, August and September. Mid to late summer also gives enthusiasts shots at sockeye, chum and pink salmon. Halibut can be taken throughout the summer, along with many species of rockfishes. Lingcod may be kept only mid-May through mid-June and again mid-August through November.

Where to Go and How to Get There: Although boating to Sitka is possible, the vast majority of visitors fly in with regular air service from Seattle on Alaska and, seasonally, flights on Delta as well.

You’ll find a number of hotels in Sitka, with an online search, along with some resorts that cater particularly to sport fishermen. But the number is limited and with such a short season, competition for bookings is fierce. If you can commit nine to 12 months ahead on a reservation, the chances of getting your first choice should be pretty fair.

One of the first places you should consider is Kingfisher Charters and Lodge. The lodge provides comfortable accommodations right on Sitka Sound. Their charter fishing specializes in salmon (kings and silvers), halibut, lingcod and rockfish. Windy or not, they have a trip planned and species to target. If you’re looking for a new species to catch, consider the tasty sablefish — Sitka is one of the few places in the U.S. where it’s not too hard to catch one.

What to Expect: Granted, mid-summer days may be sunny and hit 70 degrees, but for the most part, expect cooler and gray days, with rain seldom out of the picture (even May through July, when precipitation is the least). When heading out on the water, two essentials: foul weather gear and, to adjust to ephemeral conditions, layers. And good rubber deck boots will serve you well.

While quite a few charter/guide boats operate in Sitka, once again, advance booking is wise. Most charter boats have dry, heated cabins from which anglers have the option to watch downrigger rods in the cockpit in inclement weather. It’s also possible to rent boats — such as a 21-foot aluminum Hewescraft Pacific Cruiser — for self-guided fishing.

While in states like Florida, anglers are off the hook (so to speak) for licenses if fishing with a licensed skipper, in Alaska any angler over 16 must have a license when fishing. You can buy a license or explore the options.

More adventurous (and financially flush) enthusiasts can book a floatplane to fly to lakes and rivers for char, steelhead and trout. Besides fishing, visitors can hike through forests and to glaciers; many wilderness trailheads are accessible from downtown Sitka. There’s also bicycling, sea kayaking, “flight seeing,” hunting and more. Also consider a taxi (or a tour) to reach the Fortress of the Bear, a unique and fascinating facility, as well as the Alaska Raptor Center.

Helpful Links

• Kingfish Charters and Lodge
• Visit Sitka

The post Alaska’s Frontier Fishing at its Finest appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

“In a state where I can go to jail for not taking enough meat off the ribs of a moose I hunt, or I can receive a ticket for taking a king salmon out of the water if I catch one while trout fishing, Alaska’s ‘Big Trawl’ has been documented chucking dead bycatch over the side of their boats. This action by commercial trawlers is completely legal under current regulations.” — Cody McLaughlin

Alaskan Bycatch By The Numbers

What is bycatch? For the uninitiated, it’s when a fisherman catches a fish species they didn’t intend to or, in the case of factory fishing vessels, can’t sell and have to discard. According to NOAA’s website, “Bycatch is a complex, global issue that threatens the sustainability and resiliency of our fishing communities, economies, and ocean ecosystems.”

The group of commercial trawlers in Alaska, what I call “Big Trawl,” produce millions of pounds of bycatch each season. We’re talking wasted and dead iconic gamefish such as halibut and salmon, species that have enormous economic value to local communities and recreational anglers.

FACT: Since 1991, 1,774,800 king salmon have been documented as trawl bycatch in Alaska. To break it down further, 1,117,800 of those fish came from the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and 657,000 of them came from the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This data was compiled from weekly bycatch reports.

It is important to note that those numbers are just observed bycatch — and only 15 percent of bycatch is observed on these vessels. Estimates of complete trawl bycatch are likely 10 times higher than current documented numbers. That’s because trawl regulators don’t factor in unobserved bycatch — all the fish, crab, plants, coral and marine life mowed down by the net that doesn’t make it to the surface to be tallied. Currently, regulators slot in “0” for unobserved bycatch.

In addition to king salmon’s observed bycatch, Big Trawl in Alaska has reported wasting 141 million pounds of bycatch per year over the last 10 years. The numbers don’t lie — commercial fishing operators throw away millions of pounds of fish every season. And its harmful effects are staggering. On the other hand, recreational anglers continue to see their seasons shortened in efforts to save salmon and halibut populations. The difference in how commercial and recreational sectors are managed is maddening.

A Quick Halibut Fishing Comparison

For context, charter boats in Southcentral Alaska can’t keep halibut on certain Tuesdays or Wednesdays from June to August to help save the resource. And there’s been minimal howling from the small-business sportfishing operators. The entire Southcentral sport charter halibut quota for 2023 is 1.89 million pounds.

Meanwhile, Big Trawl has already dumped 3.14 million pounds of halibut as bycatch year-to-date in 2023. As of late June, they’ve shoveled over the sides of their vessels nearly double the quota for the entire sportfishing fleet. Plus, trawlers are still allowed to fish in designated halibut nursery areas of the Bering Sea, places where everyone else is banned from halibut fishing in order to protect young fish.

A Weak Response By Regulators Angers Fishermen

Salmon numbers are down at an alarming rate. Where do regulators fall on the issue? In a move many see as too little and too late, federal fisheries managers created a Federal Research Task Force to find the cause of the decline.

Sport fishermen have taken it on the chin through all this. We’re entering the second summer with the legendary Kenai River closed to king salmon fishing. This fabled river fishery is synonymous with the king salmon species. The current IGFA all-tackle record chinook is 97 pounds, 4 ounces, caught on this river in May 1985 by angler Les Anderson. In 2009, a potential replacement world record was caught and released on the same river.

Other world-class fisheries in Alaska also saw increased regulations. The Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are both closed to subsistence fishermen who depend on the resource for food security. King salmon retention in lower Cook Inlet was reduced from 2 to 1 on March 2, before the run even started. The fishery was later closed in all Cook Inlet salt waters. On top of all of this, at least one misguided environmental group is asking that chinook salmon receive endangered status over crashing stocks, after succeeding in stopping trolling efforts in Southeast Alaska because endangered orcas. (A U.S. appeals court eventually halted the lower court ruling, allowing the trolling season to start on July 1.) 

Citizen anglers are finally taking a stand. The STOP Alaskan Trawler Bycatch Facebook page just reached the 25,000 member milestone in recent weeks and receives support from conservation groups in the state. You can also directly support organizations such as the Alaska Outdoor Council, fighting these issues on the ground. In addition, Salmon State has started a helpful “stop bycatch” take-action tool for concerned anglers.

Cheap Protein for China at the Expense of Iconic Fish

What’s the driving force behind commercial trawlers? How can cheap pollock take precedence over salmon or halibut? (Salmon costs consumers a whopping $20 to $40 per pound in the grocery store!) In a word? China. The Amendment 80 bottom trawl fleet is the top halibut bycatch offender. All participants in that fleet are registered in Seattle, with more than 80 percent of their catch going directly to China for cheap protein. They also ship $45 per ounce pollock roe caviar over for China’s growing population of billionaires. The rest, essentially, goes to McDonald’s as Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. McDonald’s claims its fish are 99 percent sustainably caught, and the pollock fishery might be doing fine, but the bycatch fisheries are cratering.

So what’s the recourse? In short, anglers and conservationists concerned about this issue need to let policyholders know where they stand. The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC) has the power to stop this. Congress needs to consider acting, and it will take more than just Alaska’s representatives to get this done. That means contacting your state’s federal representatives to let them know the waste and destruction of Alaskan salmon and halibut fisheries is unacceptable.

Lastly, the governors of Alaska and Washington (where the trawl fleets are regulated) have influence here, especially over the makeup of the NPFMC and the future direction of commercial fishing. Both states are sportfishing destinations. The sportfish wasted by commercial trawlers negatively impacts the economies of these states. Visiting anglers will not bring their tourism dollars if there are no salmon.

As I have said on more than one podcast this month, this issue deserves every angler’s attention. Commercial trawlers catch or waste the majority of king salmon while recreational anglers continue to get pushed out of fishing opportunities. If you’re looking to catch a wild king salmon, you should hop on a plane to Alaska in the next five years before these historically mighty runs of fish disappear.

About the Author: Cody McLaughlin is a noted conservationist covering public policy issues related to hunting, fishing and the environment. He currently serves on the board of the Alaska Outdoor Council and is a former board member and lead spokesman of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, representing the state’s 1.2 million sportsmen. McLaughlin recently launched Trout Stream Studios as an executive producer for podcasts and livestreams in the hunting and veterans’ affairs spaces.

The post Bycatch Is Killing Legendary Alaskan Fishing appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Thomas Morrison and his son, of Winterport, Maine, were ice fishing on Jan. 28 at a secret lake in eastern Maine, not far from the coast. Just 20 minutes into their trip, the pair hooked and landed a prized Atlantic salmon, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

The heavily-spotted fish was photographed, then released alive and healthy. That’s a good thing because the 5-pound, 28-inch-long salmon has been listed as an endangered species since 2000. Harvesting sea-run Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is unlawful in Maine, while landlocked salmon in rivers and streams have different regulations.

“It was warm that day, and the fish was released alive and well,” said Morrison.

The Bangor newspaper reported that Morrison was unaware of the significance of his catch until he posted a photo of the fish on a state fishing Facebook page. Someone who saw the fish photo noted the salmon had a piece cut out of the fish’s adipose fin. That’s a fin-clipping practice of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR), used when counting fish in its Atlantic salmon fisheries program. Such “clipped” fish are documented as sea-run mature fish.

Maine’s Atlantic salmon are anadromous fish, spending most of their adult lives at sea, but they must return to fresh waters to spawn. Sea-run salmon experts in Maine say some mature Atlantic salmon survive in the state’s lakes and rivers through the harsh winter months — but it’s rare for anglers to actually catch one there while ice fishing.

Atlantic salmon are among the world’s most esteemed sport fish. Morrison never saw his salmon jump due to the ice covering the lake, but the species is known for its surface fight. In fact, the Romans called the fish “salio” (The Leaper). Morrison’s catch is an important sign that sea-run Atlantic salmon are still hanging strong in Maine, a state with the only native Atlantic salmon population in the U.S. Atlantic salmon have been protected under the federal Endangered Species Act for 23 years. For anyone in Maine to catch an Atlantic salmon is an important event, but one from under the ice makes this catch remarkable. According to MDMR, such a catch “only happens once every couple years.”

The MDMR believes more than 1,300 Atlantic salmon sea run fish passed through Penobscot River dams in 2022. That’s the second-highest return in over a decade in the Penobscot, which was traditionally considered the center of the state’s Atlantic salmon sportfishing (back when they were abundant).

“Based on the photo and the size indicated, it appears to be a sea-run Atlantic salmon that has spent multiple winters at sea versus a grilse, which would have spent only one winter at sea and would be smaller,” a MDMR spokesperson said about Morrison’s fish. “While the body of water is not identified, we do know sea-run Atlantic salmon overwinter in some lakes in Maine.”

The post Endangered Atlantic Salmon Caught and Released While Ice Fishing in Maine appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Jerry Smith of Lewiston, Idaho made history on Nov. 13 when he caught, measured, and released a large coho or silver salmon. He was fishing the North Fork of Idaho’s Clearwater River (in the Clearwater National Forest), according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG).

Smith measured the 30-inch coho and registered it with IDFG. They declared his fish the state’s first record catch-and-release for the ocean-run species, although Idaho’s catch-and-release record program has been in effect for six years.

With Smith setting an Idaho record for coho, the state hopes that will set the stage for future catch-and-release records for cohos and other state fish species.

IDFG fisheries staff reminds anglers that during autumn, the state’s famed Clearwater River calls home several prized ocean-run, migrating gamefish. The species heading back to Idaho include steelhead (ocean-run rainbow trout), fall-run Chinook (king) salmon and coho (silver) salmon.

Anglers are advised by Idaho fisheries managers to carefully examine these state catches to distinguish the three species, as there are separate seasons and bag limits for each. Also, there can be some confusion identifying the different and large salmonid species, as they have similar body shapes, and can have similar colorations according to the time of year caught.

Idaho’s famed Clearwater River has been a storied spot for steelhead and salmon for many decades, since the wilderness area was discovered by Lewis and Clark in 1805.

The anadromous species enter the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean, migrating up through the Snake River and into the Clearwater River drainage for spawning. The fish migrate through several hundred miles of water. maneuvering around dams to reach their spawning areas.

Read Next: How Drones Will Help Salmon Fisheries Survive

Before the building of dams in the Snake River, coho salmon migrating into the drainage for spawning annually numbered in the hundreds of thousands of fish. Coho population dropped to almost zero in the 1980s, but a hatchery program jump-started salmon again in the river system

Idaho anglers and state fisheries folks hope the best is yet to come for cohos and other migrating species to the Clearwater and other Northwest rivers.

The post Record Idaho Sea-Run Coho Salmon appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

A massive natural landside into western Canada’s Ecstall River this year is impacting river flow and perhaps hampering access by countless salmon to run and propagate their species.

The Ecstall River is an important part of the widely heralded by anglers Skeena River drainage system in coastal British Columbia, not far from Ketchikan in extreme southern Alaska.

“Essentially, a whole side of a mountain collapsed into the very upper reaches of the Ecstall River and it caused a massive landslide about halfway down the river valley,” Greg Knox, executive director of the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust told the Prince Rupert Northern View on Sept. 20. “So it’s taken out the whole upper part of the river valley.”

The Ecstall feeds the Skeena River near the Pacific Ocean, about 20 miles southeast of the town of Prince Rupert, B.C.

The landslide occurred in a rugged coastal region where access is difficult, and unpopulated. Drone flights over the area are done to check on the river and salmon spawning. Knox told the Northern View that Stan Walker — with the government’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada – flew a drone over the area to check on its salmon and discovered the landside and videoed its devastation.

Silt, sediment, rocks, timber, and other debris washed into the upper Ecstall River, which could cover salmon, steelhead, trout and char eggs, suffocating them. This could greatly diminish successful spawning of those species and others as well.

Up to 100,000 fish could be affected by the landslide, says Knox, with virtually nothing that can be done to alter the impact of the natural event.

“It’s really just assessing what the likely impacts are, and there needs to be long-term monitoring to see how fish populations adapt over time,” says Knox. “It will likely take several years, potentially decades for the system to re-stabilize. Salmon will adapt, it’s just a matter of how long it will take.

“There are some significant tributaries in the lower Ecstall River that have large salmon populations. So hopefully they’ve been unaffected.”

The post Landslide Impacts Up to 100,000 Spawning Salmon in Coastal British Columbia appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Drone technology has taken over much of the skies in recent years, and it’s making a big move into fish and game conservation work, too. Drones fly fast and cover ground much easier than can humans wanting to sample fish and game habitats. This is especially true in rugged regions where salmon and some other species of fish spawn.

That’s why Washington State University (WSU) is working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to sample Chinook salmon in the state’s Upper Wenatchee River (located east of Seattle) from Sept. 23-26.

According to WDFW, researchers will do physical salmon counts, followed by drone flights to look at variables that influence where salmon spawn, such as gravel size, water temperature, and current flow. Data collected will help predict locations where Chinook salmon will spawn in the future in Tumwater Canyon near the town of Leavenworth, Washington.

Drone photos and videos will help locate salmon spawning sites and preferred fish habitats in the Upper Wenatchee River.

The drone flight research is part of Daniel Auerbach’s PhD dissertation at WSU’s School of Environment. Auerbach will pilot the drone over public lands during the salmon spawning site flights. He is studying the capabilities of drones to learn about subsurface river elements.

“My work with WDFW is to compare current methodologies and assess the feasibility of identifying and enumerating summer Chinook redds in the Wenatchee River,” he says.

He also worked with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to identify spring Chinook and environmental impacts on image quality from drones.

“I am working with Dr. Daniel Schindler from the University of Washington in Alaska,” Auerbach continued. “Our current work is identifying individual sockeye for population estimates.”

The post How Drones Will Help Salmon Fisheries Survive appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.