Alaska, Canada finalize salmon treaty addition [Video]

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – Alaskan and Canadian officials inked a couple new pages into the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty on Monday, April 1, 2024, solidifying a seven-year moratorium on Chinook salmon fishing along the mainstem Yukon River.

The final version, signed by Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang and Senior Director at Oceans Canada Steve Gotch, closely resembles the proposed agreement Vincent-Lang presented at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge in March.

The most notable change between the initial and signed documents comes at number eight of the new propositions, regarding who will guide the recovery effort.

The initial version had Alaskan and Canadian government officials formulating the plan; the terms signed Monday instead call on the Yukon Panel, an international group with a membership including many who reside in the affected area, to lead the planning efforts.

“The people living along the Yukon River are best poised to help develop the …