Cook Inlet Salt Waters Closing To King Salmon Sport Fishing; Bag Limits Reduced In Lower Cook Inlet

The following press releases are courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Sport Fishing for King Salmon Closed in Cook Inlet Salt Waters

(Homer) – In favor of protecting early-run and late-run Cook Inlet king salmon and ensuring sport fishing opportunities in the future, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is closing sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release, in all Cook Inlet salt waters north of the latitude of Bluff Point (59° 40.00′ N. lat.). King salmon incidentally caught while fishing for other fish may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. This regulatory change is effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, May 15 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, July 31, 2023. This change does not affect fishing for other species, including halibut. Other restrictions, including conservation zone closures to all fishing, will remain in effect. Please review pages 73 through 75 of the Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet for those regulations.

Based on the recent early-run and late-run king salmon escapement monitoring in the Kenai, Anchor, and Deshka Rivers, this year’s king salmon runs are forecasted to be below the lower end of their escapement goals, which has triggered inriver sport fishery preseason closures in these streams. Additionally, all of these stocks failed to achieve their escapement goals in 2022. Emergency Order 2-KS-7-14-23 reduces the king salmon bag and possession limit to 1 in salt waters south of Bluff Point. Emergency Order 2-KS-1-10-23 closed the early-run king salmon sport fishery in the Kenai River through June 30. Emergency Order 2-KS-1-11-23 closed the late-run king salmon sport fishery in the Kenai River from July 1 through July 31. Emergency Order 2-KS-7-13-23 closed the Anchor River and Deep Creek to all sport fishing through July 15. Emergency Order 2-KS-2-05-23 closed the Deshka River to king salmon sport fishing. Additional preseason emergency order restrictions also affect the sport fishing in other streams on the Kenai Peninsula, Northern Cook Inlet, and West Cook Inlet areas.

“Based on the preseason king salmon forecasts, it looks like 2023 will be another year in this low productivity period of Cook Inlet king salmon” stated Area Management Biologist Mike Booz. “These progressively restrictive preseason management actions are needed to ensure that we get as many fish as possible into the escapement for these streams.”

In conjunction with these closure emergency orders, additional emergency orders prohibit the retention of wild (naturally-produced) king salmon in the Ninilchik and Kasilof Rivers and restricts other king salmon fisheries in Susitna River, Northern Cook Inlet, and West Cook Inlet areas. Please review these emergency orders and advisory announcements in their entirety for the specific regulatory changes.

For more information, please contact Area Management Biologist Mike Booz or Assistant Area Management Biologist Holly Dickson at 907-235-8191.

West Cook Inlet Fresh Waters Closed to King Salmon Fishing

(Palmer) – In favor of protecting returning king salmon and ensuring sport fishing opportunities in the future, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is closing all drainages in the West Cook Inlet Area to sport fishing for king salmon effective 6:00 a.m. Monday, May 1 through 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 30, 2023. King salmon fishing in West Cook Inlet area streams is closed in regulation from July 1 through the remainder of the year.

“King salmon runs in Cook Inlet are anticipated to be especially poor in 2023,” stated Area Management Biologist Sam Ivey. “Major king salmon fisheries in this area of Cook Inlet have been closed in regulation since 2011. Several small stocks that remain open to king salmon fishing in this area are likely in jeopardy of overexploitation if left open this season.”

In conjunction with this closure, Emergency Order 2-KS-7-15-23 closes Upper Cook Inlet salt waters to king salmon fishing, Emergency Order 2-KS-1-10-23 closes the Kenai River early-run king salmon fishery, Emergency Order 2-KS-7-13-23 closes the Anchor River and Deep Creek to sport fishing, and Emergency Order 2-KS-2-05-23 closes the Deshka River to king salmon fishing. Additionally, emergency orders prohibit the retention of wild (naturally-produced) king salmon in the Ninilchik and Kasilof rivers and restricts other king salmon fisheries in Susitna River, and Northern Cook Inlet. Please review these emergency orders and advisory announcements in their entirety for the specific regulatory changes.

For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologists Sam Ivey in Palmer at (907) 746-6300 and Mike Booz in Homer at (907) 235-8191.

#23-3446

King Salmon Bag Limit Reduced from 2 to 1 in Lower Cook Inlet Salt Waters

(Homer) – In favor of protecting early-run and late-run Cook Inlet king salmon and ensuring sport fishing opportunities in the future, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is reducing the bag and possession limit from two to one king salmon of any size, south of the latitude of Bluff Point (59° 40.00′ N. lat.). The waters of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon and the Seldovia slough and lagoon are excluded from this change. This regulatory change is effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, May 15 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, July 31, 2023. For a description of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon waters, please see page 74 of the Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet. The waters excluded from the Seldovia area include all waters from Seldovia Boat Harbor upstream through the slough to the lagoon.

Based on the recent early-run and late-run king salmon escapement monitoring in the Kenai, Anchor, and Deshka Rivers, this year’s king salmon runs are forecasted to be below the lower end of their escapement goals, which has triggered inriver sport fishery preseason closures in these streams. Additionally, all of these stocks failed to achieve their escapement goals in 2022 despite closures to both fresh and salt water king salmon fisheries. Emergency Order 2-KS-7-15-23 closed the salt waters north of Bluff Point to king salmon fishing May 15 through July 31. Emergency Order 2-KS-1-10-23 closed the early-run king salmon sport fishery in the Kenai River through June 30. Emergency Order 2-KS-1-11-23 closed the late-run king salmon sport fishery in the Kenai River from July 1 through July 31. Emergency Order 2-KS-7-13-23 closed the Anchor River and Deep Creek to all sport fishing through July 15. Emergency Order 2-KS-2-05-23 closed the Deshka River to king salmon sport fishing. Additional preseason emergency order restrictions also affect the sport fishing in other streams on the Kenai Peninsula, Northern Cook Inlet, and West Cook Inlet areas.

“Given the continued period of very poor productivity for Cook Inlet king salmon and the increasing harvest trends in Lower Cook Inlet, reducing the king salmon bag limit is a precautionary approach for the period of time when Cook Inlet stocks are traveling through these salt waters,” stated Area Management Biologist Mike Booz. “These challenging conditions have increased the need for more progressive restrictions to ensure that we get as many king salmon as possible into Cook Inlet escapements.”

In conjunction with these restrictions, additional emergency orders prohibit the retention of wild (naturally-produced) king salmon in the Ninilchik and Kasilof Rivers and restrict other king salmon fisheries in Susitna River, Northern Cook Inlet, and West Cook Inlet areas. Please review these emergency orders and advisory announcements in their entirety for the specific regulatory changes.

For more information, please contact Area Management Biologist Mike Booz or Assistant Area Management Biologist Holly Dickson at 907-235-8191.