The Seward Chamber of Commerce will host its annual fishing tournament, the Seward Silver Salmon Derby, sponsored by Shoreside Petroleum, on August 8th-16th. The Derby was created in the 1950’s and became popular in the years following as a result of the road system connecting Seward to Anchorage. The highway was completed in 1951 and runs through the Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Turnagain Arm, and the Kenai Mountains.
Liz Marsh, Communications Coordinator for the City of Seward, provided the press release for the upcoming derby and shared these comments as well:
This year is the 71st annual Seward Silver Salmon Derby. It initially began by community members of Seward in 1956, basically as a celebration of the abundance of silver salmon swimming in Resurrection Bay, and it's really grown and evolved throughout the years. And now people from all across Alaska and even the Lower 48 come up, and they participate in this nine-day tournament.
Historically, the Chamber has directed proceeds from fish caught and weighed-in during the Derby to their Salmon Restoration Fund and continues to do so. Participants can either buy back their catches for $5 each or donate their fish to the Derby where the salmon are sold to Silver Bay Seafoods. All proceeds go towards salmon enhancement efforts.
New this year, the Seward Chamber has partnered with the Seward Charter Boat Association to create the “Seward Salmon Partnership” which is a community-funded mission to restore the local water with salmon. Fishing has long been an integral part of the Seward community and contributions directly support local anglers, families, and the Seward economy as a whole. It takes $2-$3 to “sponsor” a baby salmon.
There are many ways for people to participate in the Derby. Prizes are awarded to leading anglers each day in men, women, and youth divisions. More ways to win include random daily weight prizes, cumulative weight prizes, and through the shore and kayak divisions. The grand prize for the heaviest silver salmon caught is $10,000 with second and third places winning $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. There are a number of tagged cohos swimming in the water worth up to $20,000. Other prizes include Royal Caribbean cruise tickets for 71st place, Alaska Railroad train tickets, Bass Pro Shop packages, a $10 miniature check for smallest qualifying fish and other daily cash and gear prizes.
Participants can register online ahead of time atSeward.com/salmon-derby for $20 per day or $100 for all nine days. Otherwise, anglers may sign-up on the day they fish prior to 1:00pm at Derby Headquarters located across from B-Dock in the Seward Harbor. The Derby Booth is staffed and operational August 8th-15th from 6:00AM to 8:00PM and August 16th from 6:00AM to 12:00PM.
Individuals interested in joining in are encouraged to review the rules and frequently asked questions pages, full list of prizes, and other pertinent information on the official Salmon Derby websitehttp://seward.com/salmon-derby.Seward.com/salmon-derby.
Marsh concluded with these comments:
“We are so excited for this year's salmon derby, sponsored by our local partner Shoreside Petroleum. Rain or shine, we will be there at the Derby booth in the harbor. So if you're down in Seward, please come say hi, whether you're an angler or not.”
Reporting from Homer, this is Emilie Springer.
