The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is severely restricting, and in some cases closing outright, sport king salmon fishing on the central Kenai Peninsula this year – again. The state’s sportfishing division issued a flurry of emergency orders Monday that target the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.
Jay Baumer says the limits should not come as a surprise for people familiar with the fisheries.
“I hope it's not the new normal, but we are in that period of low productivity, and so we're going to have to take action to make sure to conserve kings,” he said.
On the Kenai River, the king sport fishery is totally closed. The closure applies to the early run, from May 1 to June 19, and to the late run, from June 20 to Aug. 15. During that time, anglers may not fish for king salmon of any size and must immediately release any caught without taking them out of the water.
For both the early and late runs, the department is forecasting escapement of large fish to be less than the minimum required to open the fishery. The Kenai River’s late-run king salmon fishery has a stricter escapement goal than the early run because the state has designated it a stock of management concern due to poor returns.
Baumer says the restrictions are strengthening king returns.
“They are making a difference, and that's why we're encouraging anglers to read them, read over them, pay attention, follow them,” he said.
There’s slightly more leniency on the Kasilof River this summer, where king fishing is sharply restricted instead of fully closed.
Between May 1 and Aug. 15, anglers may only catch one hatchery king salmon per day. The bag and possession limit is one hatchery king 20 inches or longer. Anglers can tell whether a king salmon was hatchery-produced because it will be missing an adipose fin between its dorsal and tail fins.
Any hatchery king salmon caught on the Kasilof River counts toward an angler’s annual five-fish limit for the Cook Inlet region.
Additionally, any angler who catches a hatchery king may not fish for the rest of that day — for any fish species — on the Kasilof River between the Sterling Highway bridge and the river mouth.
Baumer says that’s a new restriction this year. He says it’s being implemented because the area is a popular fishing spot, and that anglers have historically continued catching and releasing kings after already harvesting a hatchery king. That can unintentionally harm wild kings, according to Baumer.
For the duration of the fishing season, anglers may not catch or keep any natural king salmon caught in the Kasilof River. Any caught by accident cannot be taken out of the water and must be released immediately.
Part of the Kasilof River will be closed to fishing for all species. Anglers may not fish in the section of the river between where it merges with Crooked Creek and behind the mid-channel island, near the Crooked Creek State Recreation Site.
Also on the Kasilof River, the department is limiting the number of days the personal-use gillnet fishery can be open. It will be open for five 18-hour fishing days, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 20-24.
Baumer says, anecdotally, businesses who participate in the Kenai and Kasilof king sport fisheries – think fishing guides – seem to be pivoting target species, rather than exiting the fishery altogether. In recent years, both the Kenai and Kasilof rivers have seen record sockeye runs.
But Baumer says it’s not quite the same.
“The allure of the king, the mighty king, the state fish, you know, is always going to be desired and continues to be desired and so anglers want to go after that,” he said. “And then sockeye are more numerous – have been at least the last few years. And so, oftentimes … people still enjoy it, but it doesn't have the same allure as the king.”
Baumer says anyone who plans to sportfish this summer should make sure they’re up to date on the department’s latest announcements and emergency orders. All updates are shared on the department’s website. That’s also the place to find daily fish counts, preseason forecasts and permit applications.
