The Alaska Board of Fisheries voted 4-3 this week to cut June fishing time in the Area M salmon fishery by roughly a third — a move supporters say will help struggling Western Alaska salmon runs, but critics argue could harm coastal communities without meaningfully conserving chum.
The board wrapped up its weeklong meeting in Anchorage Wednesday, approving new limits for the South Alaska Peninsula salmon fishery. The new restrictions are part of a broader effort to reduce the interception of chum salmon bound for the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, where salmon returns have reached crisis lows.
The region is part of Area M, a commercial fishing district that runs along the Alaska Peninsula and into the eastern Aleutians…