Unalaska, AK – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has predicted low Chinook salmon numbers for the Yukon River this summer.

According to ADFG, the Chinook salmon run will be "below average to poor," with numbers ranging from 130,000 to 178,000.

Low numbers mean that fishing will likely be limited to subsistence users and that commercial fishing could be closed for the third year straight.

Last year, the Chinook salmon run was believed to be 135,000 fish. In previous years, runs have been over 300,000.

Yukon River subsistence harvesters have pointed to Chinook salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery as a reason for a decline in numbers. New regulations were implemented last year to bring numbers down. This A season, only 7,000 Chinook salmon have been caught as bycatch in the pollock fishery.