Thank you very much for inviting me to participate today in the study.
My name is Elizabeth MacDonald. I'm the manager of fisheries at the Council of Yukon First Nations. In this position I support the work of the Yukon First Nation Salmon Stewardship Alliance, which is our local AAROM. I'm also one of the vice-chairs of the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee, which is an advisory body created under the Umbrella Final Agreement. For that role, I was nominated by the Vuntut Gwitchin government as a Porcupine River salmon representative.
I'm going to focus on the Yukon River salmon because Alsek River salmon are doing relatively better. I did provide additional information in a briefing note as well.
Chinook are the most significant salmon in the main stem of the Yukon River as both a food species and a culturally significant salmon. They are highly dispersed, with over 100 documented spawning locations. They are unique since no other salmon migrates as far, with the furthest migration being 3,200 kilometres. This is part of why they are so important, as they provide many people and habitats with food and nutrients.
Unfortunately, the salmon have been experiencing widespread declines and changes for some time. Traditional knowledge-keepers in the communities say this decline started before western science in the 1980s. Chum are also present in higher numbers, but they are not as widespread as chinook. In recent times chum have experienced highs and lows.
Chum are the most important and numerous species on the Porcupine River, a tributary of the Yukon River. Unfortunately, they are experiencing a long-term depressed population. In the last 23 years since the Yukon River Salmon Agreement has been in place, the spawning goal has only been met nine times. Very little information is available on chinook and coho in this river.
Then in 2020, we had a salmon crash. All salmon numbers plummeted. Chinook have been at about 12% of the average at the mouth of the river in the last two years, and up to 40% of them are dying between the mouth of the river and the border. Chum in the main stem have had four out of five of the lowest spawning estimates since 1980 and about 20% of the average spawning escapement estimate.
Estimates for porcupine chum at the Fishing Branch River weir in 2020, 2021 and 2022 were the lowest on record since 1971, at about 5.5% of the average spawning estimate. Last year was slightly better, I think due to better environmental conditions during the migration. Numbers of Porcupine River coho for the last two years have been the lowest on record.
The situation is dire for all the salmon species on the Yukon River. We are legitimately concerned about their extinction. I am sure we have already lost smaller populations of chinook.
Unfortunately, the solution isn't as easy as stopping fishing. Even if there were zero harvesting by humans, salmon numbers would not rebound. Climate change is having a larger impact. Since the crash, our river has been hot enough to kill salmon. We have sustained frequent flooding and we have seen low water, with much more variance than normal, which has affected migrating salmon and rearing juveniles during the freshwater stages.
The Bering Sea is also warmer than ever. This has impacted the food web, and salmon are switching prey. This has decreased the energy available to them and decreased some important nutrients. It has also resulted in a large increase in Ich disease, which is likely responsible for a significant number of the chinook dying during their migration.
We need climate action and we need to support Alaskans with habitat improvement in the Bering Sea. We also need to watch our own habitat and ensure that development and other impacts don't harm salmon. We need to increase our capacity. We have dedicated, passionate and absolutely wonderful individuals working diligently to improve things for salmon and fishers in the ecosystems on both sides of the border. The amount of passion and knowledge that we collectively share is incredible.
We have truly accomplished so much, but there simply aren't enough of us to do all the work. This is particularly true for my first nation colleagues, as most Yukon first nation governments don't even have a dedicated salmon person. Instead, staff cover many species. Each first nation needs its own dedicated salmon staff, so they can focus on restoration work and on keeping salmon culture alive until the salmon recover.
We also need accessible funding so we can do restoration work. Funding needs to be secure and long term, so we can focus on rebuilding salmon populations and not on administrating funding agreements.
If we lose salmon, we will be losing more than just food and culture. We'll be losing a key ecosystem species. Marine-derived nutrients are extremely rare 3,200 kilometres from the ocean. If we lose these, our freshwater terrestrial animals and habitats will also suffer.
Finally, I want to stress how Alaskan communities depend upon salmon for food. While this is also true on our side of the border, it is a larger issue in Alaska. In Alaska some people need to choose whether to fish illegally or to starve. We need to support Alaskans so they have better options and in turn can support salmon recovery.
Thank you.