While fishermen on British Columbia's Fraser River celebrate the largest sockeye salmon run in nearly a century, there is also jubilation along the Yukon's Alsek River where salmon returns are approaching historical records, say fisheries officials.

"It's been a while since we've seen such good numbers there and with the poor numbers on the Yukon River this year, it is definitely cause for celebration," said Steve Smith, a federal fisheries manager for the Yukon region.

As of this week, up to 8,000 salmon were counted in the Alsek River at Klukshu. That's double the 10-year average, and far more than forecast.

Fishery experts said they can't explain the numbers, but before it's over, the Klukshu count could go as high as 24,000 fish, which may in fact be too high, said Smith.

"You can get too many fish on the spawning grounds and they end up competing and end up with lower survival," he said. "So there's definitely fishing opportunity there and hopefully people take advantage of that."

The fishery at Dalton Post is open for First Nations and recreational anglers but there is no word yet on how many have been taken.