6/7/12

Fish Traps in S.E. Alaska-The Way to Conserve Fish Stocks?

In Alaska history the local Tlingit Indians in effect fish farmed the Alexander Archipelago with a pervasive infrastructure of fish traps into which salmon would swim. It would be possible to eliminate commercial fishing in S.E. Alaska readily with a new infrastructure of fish traps thereby eliminating bi-catch, over-fishing through false counts and so forth. The use of fuel and global warming might also be substantially reduce.

An article in the 'Alaska Journal of Anthropology' Volume 9, Number 1-2011 by Jane L. Smith surveys the history of Tlingit fish traps in S.E. of which 369 have been researched.
Because salmon just swim into fish traps the state might contract out fish traps to bidders on the fish taken with quotas each year determined by state fishery biologists. 
The fisheries in Alaska are in predictable long-term decline with puny king salmon taking salmon derby's a fraction of the size of winners from years of yore. A maximum  sustainable fishing yield requires that 3/4s of fish escape each year with the carcasses allowed to feed bear, eagles, crab and other wildlife in a self-reinforcing ecosystem.; Obviously shoreline waterfront development needs to halt in order to protect the water and shoreline habitat.
Halibut and other deeper water fisheries should also be brought into scientific management with more modern high-tech methods of taking fish at far lower rates. It is important for all species that only sports and subsistence fishing be permitted from boats.

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