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The Salmon State: Chignik’s sockeye struggles
A TALE OF TWO SALMON RUNS
Editor’s note: Bristol Bay’s sockeye run began breaking records in 2018. That same year, Chignik, which is on the other side of the Alaska Peninsula, failed to meet its minimum escapements for the first time in recent memory. Now, Chignik’s residents and fishermen are working to address and bring attention to these unprecedented declines, and to save their way of life.
BY MARY CATHARINE MARTIN
Axel Kopun and George Anderson have fond memories of the Chignik purse seine fishery’s heyday. Once, Kopun was on a boat hauling in a purse seine so full of sockeye salmon that the corks holding the net up started to sink.
Fish were jumping out of it. And one of the crew members jumped right into the net seething with salmon to hold up the corks and keep fish in. In 2018, however, Chignik’s fishermen were left with no salmon in their nets or fish in their smokehouses.
Chignik has two genetically distinct runs of sockeye: one early, one late. That year, for the first time in elders’ memories, both failed to meet their minimum escapement goals. Local salmon fishermen, both commercial and subsistence, were unable to fish. People in the five villages that make up “the Chigniks” scrambled to respond, creating the Chignik Intertribal Coalition.
Chignik resident Axel Kopun and several family members use a gillnet to catch some subsistence fish. The region’s salmon runs are struggling to meet escapement goals. “Salmon puts a roof over our head,” the fisherman said, reflecting on the concerns about the fishing industry in his area. (AXEL KOPUN)
“The formation of the coalition was to make sure people had food in their freezers to feed their family that first year,” said Anderson, who serves as coalition president. “In my lifetime, it was the first time when we did not meet minimum escapement or were able to go subsistence fishing. Everyone was really in shock. We didn’t know where to turn. With our food security destroyed, that gave us a pretty clear direction to stabilize food security for our families. It went beyond economic viability.”
Since 2018, nearly every run has failed, and multiple late runs as well. Commercial fisheries have opened only rarely. There have been federal subsistence closures for both sockeye and Chinook almost every year since 2018. In 2020, instead of harvesting salmon with his granddaughter, Anderson was driving to the airport with her to help pick up Bristol Bay salmon, which was donated by Northline Seafoods through the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust’s Seafood Donation Program.
Though he and everyone else in Chignik was grateful for the donation, “A part of me was sad,” he said. “I thought it was ironic. Here I am, teaching my granddaughter how to pick up fish at the runway donated from another area, instead of how and where to catch salmon in our home area.” JUST AS IN THE Arctic Yukon and Kuskokwim regions, salmon failures impact much more than fishermen’s bottom lines.
“Salmon is pretty much everything,” Kopun said. “We eat it every way possible. My whole family. My friends, their families, my aunts, uncles, cousins – everybody in Chignik. You smoke it, salt it, dry it, freeze it for the winter, can it. Salmon puts food on the table, literally and figuratively. We eat them and we make money to buy all of the other stuff. Salmon puts a roof over our head.”
Studies from the University of Washington’s Alaska Salmon Program, which has been studying salmon in
Chignik Lake is the first of two primary lakes in the Chignik River system; it is longer and deeper than the second, Black Lake, which is wide and shallow. (U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE)
Bristol Bay and Chignik for more than 70 years, show that “Freshwater habitat in the Chignik watershed has become progressively more productive for juvenile sockeye salmon over the last 60 years, and has been consistently above average since 2005,” according to 2019 testimony from Dr. Daniel Schindler, a professor with the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences to the Alaska Board of Fish after the 2018 Chignik fishery disaster.
The testimony continued. “As can be seen for sampling in both Chignik and Black Lakes, juvenile sockeye were substantially larger than average in 2014, demonstrating they had experienced above average growth conditions during their freshwater nursery period. … Overall, our long-term data show that growth conditions during the last 10 years have generally been better than the long-term average observed since 1961.”
IN A MARCH 8 presentation to the Chignik Advisory Council, Alaska Department of Fish and Game scientists presented on studies that show a possible link between colder-than-average waters in Chignik, low zooplankton levels, higher competition for food and less
The Mylia Lynn, Kopun’s boat, sits in the harbor at Chignik. For the first time anyone can remember, both the early and late sockeye runs last season failed to meet their escapement goals. (AXEL KOPUN)
Kopun is among those who have called this area home for generations – that’s his great-great grandfather, John Erickson, with his grandpa’s oldest brother – but the fishing way of life could be in jeopardy for the next generation of family fishermen. “We’ve got a pretty long history – but it might all be history pretty soon the way things are going,” he said. (AXEL KOPUN)
healthy juvenile salmon in the years that corresponded to subsequent poor adult returns. But they also made clear that the reason for Chignik’s salmon decline is complex.
“No one is saying all the problems are in the freshwater environment, or that they are all in the marine environment,” said ADFG fishery biologist Kevin Schaberg.
Chignik residents and fishermen say they have a fair idea of one of the marine causes – as reflected in the Advisory Council unanimously passing a resolution soon to be considered by the Board of Fish, which all five Chignik villages also support.
“Chignik-bound salmon have to pass through other fishing areas before making it back to the Chignik watershed where they spawn. If too many of those salmon are caught before they make it back to Chignik, then the conservation burden falls solely on us,” Kopun said. “We’ve had subsistence closures for both sockeye and Chinook in our watershed and even the upper part of Chignik Lagoon almost every year since 2018. Yet the interception fishery in Area M has continued, basically unchanged, the whole time. That’s unacceptable and that’s why we’re supporting Proposal 282 at the Board of Fish.”
Genetic studies have shown that fish caught by those fisheries can contain high levels of fish bound for Chignik. So the proposal, from Chignik Lagoon resident Don Bumpus, would cut the fishing time in the Shumagin Islands and Dolgoi Islands areas in June and July, until ADFG is sure that 400,000 fish – the midrange of targeted escapement for Chignik’s early run – will make it
up the Chignik River by July 31, or until Chignik opens for commercial fishing. If escapement isn’t met, Chignik fishermen wouldn’t be fishing, either.
Kopun, who started fishing at age four and whose grandfather started fishing in Chignik in 1936, would like to pass on his way of life to his children. But he’s not sure he’ll be able to.
“We’ve got a pretty long history – but it might all be history pretty soon the way things are going,” he said. “All those things come together and it’s been the perfect storm of dismantling our communities and our fishery. All we are asking for is our escapement. All we want is for our local salmon runs to be sustainable. Right now they are not.” ASJ
Editor’s note: Mary Catharine Martin is the communications director of SalmonState, which works to keep Alaska a place wild salmon and the people who depend on them thrive. Go to salmonstate.org for more.
Like Chignik Lake, nearby Black Lake salmon could be intercepted by other fishing boats before they enter freshwater to spawn. “If too many of those salmon are caught before they make it back to Chignik, then the conservation burden falls solely on us,” Kopun said. (U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE)
As with the blessing of the fleet, seen here in summer 2017, it might require a higher power to preserve a way of life in this fishing-centric community that has fallen on hard times. (AXEL KOPUN)
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SALUTE TO BLACKTAILS AREN’T ALASKA’S BIGGEST BIG GAME, BUT DON’T OVERLOOK THEM EITHER SITKAS
BY BRIAN WATKINS
Easily one of the most overlooked big game animals in Alaska is the blacktail deer, a subspecies of mule deer and similar to the more well-known Columbian blacktail.
Sitka blacktails are smaller than other subspecies of mule deer in terms of antler size and body weight. That is the only reason I can come up with for why they aren’t at the top of the list for adventure hunts.
The average October weight of a Sitka buck is 120 pounds, with reports of some over 200 pounds on the hoof. Without the massive rack of its Western open-country cousins, this deer falls behind when it comes to targeted species. But that is only for those who lack experience with Sitkas. Hunting them is fun and diverse.
In a state that boasts caribou, moose and brown bears, author Brian Watkins reminds Alaska big game hunters not to forget about Sitka
SITKAS IN SITKA I shot my first Sitka buck outside the Southeast Alaska town the subspecies is named after. I was brought along on this Sitka-area hunt by a client – now a friend of mine – who resides in Sitka. I had gone there for work and he couldn’t believe I had never hunted for these deer. This was back in 2012, when I was still “fresh” to living in Alaska.
It was early September, so well before the blacktail rut. We hiked right out of town and into the mountains. Before the prerut bucks like to hang out in high elevations. Often found near the top of mountains, these bucks will even inhabit the same country as mountain goats. The best bet to be successful is to get above timber and glass for bucks, and then make your approach.
We had hiked into country that my friend Seth had hunted for many years. He was born and raised in Sitka, so knew
The author glasses for bucks in the high country. Watkins calls Sitka blacktail hunting “a great adven-
ture.” (BRIAN WATKINS)
The early portion of deer season finds the animals in the same habitat as mountain goats, meaning that if you get a tag for a billy, you might double your
rewards. (BRIAN WATKINS)
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is round o ers: A permanent Wound Cavity (PWC) that is 2 times greater than any expanding bullet reduced recoil. CNC machined from solid copper to overcome barriers to penetration Radial utes that force the hydraulic energy inward to build pressure Minimal surface area to increase the force at the point of contact and sharp cutting edges that defeat barriers.
WET DAYS Typical to Southeast Alaska, it rained on us all day. Being a relative novice to Alaska – I was two years in – I had changed into full Helly Hansen rain gear. While great for sitting and glassing, this rain gear is not accommodating to hiking. Furthermore, it is an absolute hazard to high-country hiking.
I slipped and fell, and the gear’s slick outer layer provided the perfect slip
Where hunting Sitkas early in the season takes you into the heights, after heavy snows fall in autumn and winter, you can use a boat to patrol island beaches for shot
opportunities. (BRIAN WATKINS)
and slide, sending me towards the cliffs. Seconds before falling to an imminent death, I dug in my rifle to stop myself. Luckily, that did the trick and I was able to hike out unharmed. But I’ll always remember that slip and lesson.
MY BIGGEST BUCK This past season, I was lucky enough to take the current No. 26 buck in the Pope and Young scoring book. He scored at just over 104 inches and was an absolute giant of a Sitka. I had been hunting this buck in its summer range after we went in early September.
As my buddy Dave and I planned a stalk on a buck below us, I glassed a finger ridge at the same elevation we were. We were in goat country and glassing for bucks or goats at the time. This buck was partly in the shade and his rack glistened in the sun. My jaw nearly hit the ground. “Oh my god,” I whispered to Dave.
The buck was about three-quarters of a mile away but feeding around. We watched him drop into a small upland valley, worked our way over to where we last saw it and dropped in at 52 yards.
We had excellent wind and good rock cover, so we repositioned and were able to cut the distance down to 19 yards. I made a double lung shot and the buck didn’t go more than 40 yards before falling.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ALASKA BUCKS If you’re planning your next big adventure, don’t let the smaller size of Alaska’s blacktails fool you. They’re a great adventure hunt at the fraction of the cost of other hunts. They provide an amazing experience that you won’t regret. ASJ
These bucks don’t match the sheer size of a moose or caribou bull, but for Watkins, a Sitka deer is a trophy in its own right. “If you’re planning your next big adventure, don’t let the smaller size of Alaska’s blacktails fool you,” he writes. (BRIAN WATKINS)
FOUR WAYS TO HUNT TO SITKA BLACKTAILS
In summer, you have to hike high in elevation to be successful on Sitkas. Then, during the prerut, when the bucks are cruising around, you can catch them in their transient areas looking to find does. This is when they’re most active and stalking opportunities are quite abundant.
During the rut, bucks are hot on does’ tails and in their most vulnerable state. You can call them in easily and sneak into range just the same.
And in winter – postrut – bucks are in tougher shape, but I like to hunt them via boat that time of year. The snow pushes them onto the beaches, which is the easiest terrain for nonhiking hunters.
The different ways to pursue these deer provides completely different experiences for hunters. You can be in the paradise of summer atop the mountains. You can be in the thick of their movement in the prerut, getting ample numbers of shot opportunities. You can be in the middle of the rut, which is always riveting to see bucks fight, chase does and be all-around crazy. Or you can hunt them on beaches, where you don’t have to beat brush or get vertical.
My favorite time to hunt them is during that prerut period, when you can see a lot of different bucks. You can be picky about what you want to chase, or just enjoy the atmosphere of the rut. I have had the most success during that time of year. BW
