Kasilof

Two harbor seal pups who were rescued earlier this summer after being abandoned on a beach in Kasilof were released back into Cook Inlet last week.The seals spent the past two-and-a-half months being rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. After passing their health checks and learning to catch and eat fish, care specialists decided it was finally time for the pair of seals to return to the water.

Admiral and Cobalt, two rescued harbor seal pups, rested on the cement in an enclosure at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward on a recent rainy afternoon. Dead fish floated beside them in the water.SeaLife Center staff call it the “big kid pool,” and it’s the last place the silvery-spotted seal pups will live at the center before heading back to the wild on Wednesday afternoon.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game anticipates sockeye salmon in the Kasilof River will exceed the department’s escapement goals for the run and is increasing how many sockeye anglers can take, effective Thursday.

The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward admitted two abandoned harbor seal pups earlier this month after they were found on a beach in Kasilof.Now, in the center’s care, officials say the pups are growing and eating, and vets hope to release them back to the ocean soon.

King salmon that run through the Kenai and Kasilof rivers continue their trend of expected low returns, so the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has…