Canada has released updated figures revealing that ocean fisheries off British Columbia and Alaska caught far more Puget Sound Chinook salmon than previously recorded over the past 20 years. The correction highlights greater pressure on the endangered fish, a primary food source for the Southern Resident killer whales.
Fisheries managers had used the older estimates to set recovery targets and limit catches, including tribal harvests. Revised accounting from the Pacific Salmon Commission shows that distant fleets took more than 60 percent of returning adult Chinook in several Puget Sound rivers before the fish reached local waters.
The Southern Resident orca population, which relies almost exclusively on these salmon, stood at 74 whales in the July 2025 census and around 76 by mid-2026. The group has declined by about one-sixth over two decades, with NOAA scientists citing shortages of large Chinook as the main cause.
The United States and Canada are currently renegotiating the Pacific Salmon Treaty, which sets rules for these ocean fisheries. Dr. Nick Gayeski of the Wild Fish Conservancy said the new numbers show ocean interceptions were substantially higher than understood during a key period for both salmon and whale recovery.
In 2025 the Stillaguamish Tribe recorded a ceremonial harvest of just 26 Chinook. Models indicate that reducing ocean catches could increase Chinook abundance in orca habitat by up to 25 percent.