King Salmon Fishing Opening In Several Southeast Alaska Fisheries

The following updates are courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

Sport Fishing For King Salmon Opens In Hatchery Areas Near Petersburg And Wrangell

(Petersburg) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, announced today the sport fishing regulations for Alaska hatchery-produced king salmon in areas near Petersburg and Wrangell.

Wrangell Narrows/Blind Slough Terminal Harvest Area

Described as that portion of Wrangell Narrows south of 56° 46′ N. latitude (Martinsens’s dock) and north and east of the northern tip of Woewodski Island and includes the freshwaters of Blind Slough upstream of a line between Blind Point and Anchor Point (see attached map). The following regulations will be in effect beginning Tuesday, June 1 through Saturday, July 31, 2021:

• Residents: Bag and possession limit of 3 king salmon greater than 28” in length and 2 king salmon less than 28” in length.
• Nonresidents: Bag and possession limit of 2 king salmon greater than 28” in length and 2 king salmon less than 28” in length. King salmon caught in this area do not count toward the nonresident annual limit.

Anita Bay Terminal Harvest Area

Described as the waters of Anita Bay south and west of a line from Anita Point to 56° 14.26′ N. latitude, 132° 23.92′ W. longitude.

• Anita Bay will be open to the sport fishery beginning June 1. The Southeast Alaska regional king salmon bag, possession, and annual limits will apply in Anita Bay.

City Creek Release Site

Described as the marine waters adjacent to City Creek between a marker on the Mitkof Island shore, at 56° 47.83′ N. lat., 132° 51.57′ W. long. to 56° 48.30′ N. lat., 132° 51.50′ W. long. to 56° 49.77′ N. lat., 132° 55.78′ W. long. (navigation buoy) and back to the Mitkof Island shore at Hungry Point (56° 49.36′ N. lat., 132° 56.38′ W. long.) and includes the freshwaters of City Creek (see attached map). The following regulations will be in effect beginning Tuesday, June 15 through Wednesday, July 14, 2021:

• Bag and possession limit (residents and non-residents) of one king salmon any size;
• Nonresident annual limits continue to apply in this area.

Anglers are reminded that when in possession of king salmon less than 28 inches in length they should not then fish in another location where possessing a king salmon under 28 inches is illegal. For further information concerning this announcement please contact Petersburg/Wrangell Area Management Biologist, Patrick Fowler at (907) 772-5231.

Figure 1.- Hatchery areas in the Petersburg/Wrangell management area indicated in black.

Sport Fishing for King Salmon Opens in Hatchery Areas Near Juneau

(Juneau) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish announced today that sport fishing regulations for hatchery-produced king salmon will be liberalized in a designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area near Juneau consisting of the contiguous waters of Stephens Passage, Auke Bay, Fritz Cove and Gastineau Channel, enclosed on the west by a line running from the tip of Point Louisa to the navigational aid at the northern tip of Portland Island (58^o 21.13’N., 134^o 45.52’W) then along the eastern shore of Portland Island to its most southern point and ending on Douglas Island at the northern tip of Outer Point, and enclosed on the east by the Juneau-Douglas Bridge and all salt waters of Lena Cove south of a line from Pt. Lena to a regulatory marker on the mainland shore located at 58^o 24.20’N. lat.,134^o45.64’W. long., (see attached map). These new regulations are intended to provide opportunity to harvest surplus hatchery-produced king salmon returning to the Juneau area.

The hatchery-produced king salmon regulations in the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, June 1 through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, August 31, 2021. These regulations are as follows:

• The daily bag and possession limit is 4 king salmon of any size;
• King salmon harvested by nonresidents in the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area do not count toward their annual limit.

The department is liberalizing sport fishing regulations in the designated hatchery sport harvest area due to the number of returning hatchery-produced king salmon exceeding brood stock needs for the hatchery program.

Anglers should note that the bag, possession, and size limits for king salmon in the salt waters outside of the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area are more restrictive, and that regulations prohibit anglers from possessing fish that exceed the limits for the waters where they are fishing. Therefore, anglers who catch king salmon within the designated saltwater hatchery sport harvest area may not continue to fish outside of that area if they possess king salmon that do not comply with the regional king salmon bag, possession, and size limits.

For additional information contact the Division of Sport Fish Region 1 office in Douglas at (907) 465-4270

Sport Fishing For King Salmon Opens In Ketchikan Hatchery Areas

(Ketchikan) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish announced today that the bag and possession limit for all anglers in three Ketchikan designated hatchery sport harvest areas, is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length. For nonresidents, the annual limit is three king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length. The areas are defined as follows:

Open June 1- June 14, 2021:

• Thomas Basin: seaward of the Stedman Street Bridge to the breakwater.
• Mountain Point Area: the waters of George and Carroll Inlets north of a line from Mountain Point at 55°17.57? N. lat., 131°32.41? W. long, to Cutter Rocks Light at 55°17.34? N. lat., 131°31.47? W. long, to 55°17.57? N. lat., 131°28.18? W. long, and all waters of George Inlet and Carroll Inlet are open. (see attached map).

Open June 15- Aug 14, 2021:

• Neets Bay: the waters east of the longitude of the eastern most tip of Bug Island.

The Alaska Board of Fisheries authorized the department to use its emergency order authority to open terminal harvest areas to target surplus Alaska hatchery king salmon. The areas opened by this emergency order will allow anglers to target Alaska hatchery-produced king salmon originating from the Deer Mountain Hatchery, Whitman Lake Hatchery, Neets Bay Hatchery, and the Carroll Inlet remote release. Projected returns to these facilities will exceed broodstock needs, thus a surplus of hatchery fish are available for harvest by sport anglers.

Anglers are reminded that until June 15 (Thomas Basin and Mountain Point) and August 15 (Neets Bay) the salt waters outside of the designated hatchery sport harvest areas are closed to king salmon retention. Therefore, anglers fishing in multiple areas for other species must be diligent to ensure they do not possess king salmon when fishing in areas that prohibit the retention of king salmon. On June 15, 2021 regionwide regulations will apply in the Mountain Point, Thomas Basin and surrounding areas and on August 15, 2021 regionwide regulations will apply in Neets Bay and the surrounding area.

For further information concerning this announcement please contact Ketchikan Area Management Biologist, Kelly Reppert at (907) 225-2859.