{"id":40,"date":"2026-05-14T23:35:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=40"},"modified":"2026-05-14T23:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:35:53","slug":"noaa-rejects-petition-to-list-gulf-of-alaska-king-salmon-under-the-endangered-species-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=40","title":{"rendered":"NOAA rejects petition to list Gulf of Alaska king salmon under the Endangered Species Act"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

State regulators are breathing a sigh of relief after the federal government on Wednesday decided against<\/u> listing Gulf of Alaska king salmon with Endangered Species Act protections.<\/p>\n

Read more Alaska prosecutors accuse two Wasilla residents of more than 400 identity theft-related crimes<\/a><\/p>\n

The move comes more than two-and-a-half years after a Washington state environmental group first called on the agency to list kings under the Endangered Species Act.<\/p>\n

The Wild Fish Conservancy on the grounds that king populations have experienced \u201csignificant declines\u201d over the last two decades and face ongoing threats from factors including climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we really see is a coast-wide crisis that isn\u2019t unique to Alaska, is not unique to any specific region,\u201d said Emma Helverson, the group\u2019s executive director. \u201cThis is something that we need to really seriously think about if we\u2019re going to have chinook salmon anywhere on our coast in 50 or 100 years from now.\u201d<\/p>\n

NOAA in 2024 found that the listing may be necessary. But after additional review<\/u>, the agency said this week<\/u> that listing Gulf of Alaska kings is \u201cunwarranted.\u201d<\/p>\n

While kings across Alaska\u2019s southern coast have seen \u201csome declines in abundance and productivity,\u201d the agency concluded that their populations overall are still large, genetically diverse and well distributed.<\/p>\n

State regulators agree. A number of king stocks have fallen short of escapement goals across the region, with around a dozen listed as \u201cstocks of management concern,\u201d said Dani Evenson, of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. But she emphasized that those stocks are \u201cnot even close to risk of extinction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenson also noted that the agency has seen improvement across a range of stocks recently, including in the in Southeast Alaska.<\/p>\n

Had the listing gone through, it could have impacted fisheries and communities along the state\u2019s sprawling southern coastline. That includes the central Gulf of Alaska, but also all of Southeast and further northwest, including Kodiak and the Aleutians.<\/p>\n

Read more In Anchorage, an \u2018average\u2019 wildfire season still comes with risk<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA ultimately decided not to list any of those areas. But the agency could have listed any \u2013 or all \u2013 of the three regions. That move would have had major statewide implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was the entirety of the Gulf of Alaska, it would have the potential to affect nearly every fishery in the Gulf, not just those targeting chinook,\u201d Evenson said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because take of kings would have become prohibited, except in certain situations. The federal definition of \u201ctake\u201d is much broader than killing an individual fish. It also means to \u201charass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct,\u201d Evenson said.<\/p>\n

In a statement Wednesday morning, Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang acknowledged that king populations have declined across the state since 2007. But he also said the agency has taken the trend \u201cvery seriously\u201d \u2013 including by imposing fishing limitations and boosting research on the issue.<\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski likewise applauded NOAA\u2019s decision. In a statement on Thursday, she said kings in Alaska \u201cdo need help,\u201d but that the Endangered Species Act is \u201cnot the right tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helverson, of the Wild Fish Conservancy, said the group is still processing the decision \u2013 including a 400-page status review released by NOAA.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the coming weeks, we\u2019re going to be reviewing the scientific conclusions and the legal framework, and deciding if there are next steps,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Read more Alaska Legislature rejects Dunleavy AG appointee Stephen Cox<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Had the listing gone through, it could have affected fisheries and communities along the state\u2019s sprawling southern coastline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNOAA rejects petition to list Gulf of Alaska king salmon under the Endangered Species Act - Alaska Moving Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=40\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NOAA rejects petition to list Gulf of Alaska king salmon under the Endangered Species Act - 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