Northern Transboundary
All species except sockeye are below average but recent improvements are encouraging
Despite moderate increases in abundance in 2025, Chinook, chum salmon, coho, pink salmon and steelhead have also all declined over the past three generations. Northern Transboundary Chinook saw a relatively strong return in 2025, primarily in the Taku River. However, poor ocean survival in recent years has led to a severe reduction in Chinook harvest opportunities†, and total abundance remains well below average and declining.
Although sockeye spawners are currently above the long-term average and have a positive short-term and long-term trends, there are some small lake-type sockeye populations in this region that are struggling†. Total abundance has also moved above average, with Canadian harvest in 2025 the highest it’s been since 2017. With the increase in fisheries comes the risk that less abundant stocks may be overharvested (see Factors: Fisheries).
Data are sparse in the Northern Transboundary region, casting some uncertainty on these outcomes. For example, chum and pink salmon and steelhead assessments for this vast region are based on a single fish wheel in the Taku River and may not be representative of all populations.
State of Salmon - Northern Transboundary
Our Approach
There are different ways to measure the state of salmon, and each approach tells us something unique about how salmon are doing.
CURRENT STATE is the spawner or total abundance over the most recent generation as a per cent anomaly from the long-term average and provides information on how abundant salmon are now relative to past years.
TRENDS measure the direction of change, either over the short-term (most recent three generations) or long-term (all available years). This is complementary information to the current state, and a species that has a declining trend may be a conservation concern even if the current status is above average.
Click on a species for an interpretation of the current state and trends.
Arrows indicate if the trend in abundance is increasing or decreasing.
A horizontal line indicates if the trend in abundance is stable.
A question mark indicates an unknown current state or trend due to a lack of readily accessible data.
An exclamation mark indicates critically low abundance.
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How to Interpret this Graph
Each fish above shows the per cent anomaly of current spawner abundance or total abundance over the most recent generation compared to the long-term average (horizontal line) for each region and species.
Interested in learning more? Check out the Pacific Salmon Explorer for a data-driven look at Pacific salmon Conservation Units and their habitats within each region.
For more details on our assessment approach, view our Methods.
Well above long-term average. No conservation concern.
Above long-term average. Current outlook is good.
At or near long-term average. Precaution is warranted.
Below long-term average. Current outlook is poor.
Well below long-term average. Significant conservation concern.
Critically low. At risk of local extinction.
Unknown state due to a lack of readily accessible data.
REGION PROFILE
Northern Transboundary
Conservation Units are irreplaceable groups of salmon that have unique genetic and life-history traits. Maintaining multiple Conservation Units within a region strengthens the resilience of the species as a whole and helps it withstand and adapt to changing conditions. The number of Conservation Units provides a good indication of the salmon biodiversity in the region.
Notable Salmon-Bearing Rivers
The Northern Transboundary Region comprises six river basins - the Alsek, Chilkat, Taku, Whiting, Stikine, and Unuk - that cover 110,000 square kilometres. These river basins provide a diversity of freshwater spawning and rearing habitats for all six species of salmon.
The rivers of the Northern Transboundary originate in Canada but enter the ocean in southeast Alaska. The transboundary nature of the region introduces several challenges for salmon conservation and requires international cooperation to ensure the sustainable management of salmon populations. Under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, an international agreement and cooperative fishery management process between Canada and the United States, the Transboundary Panel is responsible for the management, monitoring, and enhancement of salmon originating in the Alsek, Taku, and Stikine watersheds. However, the smaller Chilkat, Unuk, and Whiting watersheds are not within the scope of the Treaty, meaning that little salmon monitoring and assessment is carried out for these smaller, but important salmon-bearing watersheds.
