King Salmon Sports Fishing Closed in Southeast Inside Waters for the Second Year in a Row

The entire inside passage of SE has been shut down for the second year in a row you may find the specifics for the following regions below. The rules for the outside waters have not been announced yet.

Sport Fishing For King Salmon Restricted In The Ketchikan Area

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today king salmon sport fishing restrictions for the marine waters of the Ketchikan area. They are as follows:

North and Northeast Behm Canal
Salmon fishing is closed year-round in Behm Canal and the contiguous bays enclosed to the north by a line from the western entrance of Bailey Bay to the northern tip of Hassler Island and a line from Fin Point to Dress Point to a line from Cactus Point to Point Eva (see attached map).

West Behm Canal, Southeast Behm Canal and Southern Revillagigedo Channel
April 1 to August 14, king salmon retention is prohibited, king salmon may not be retained or possessed; any king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed:

In West Behm Canal and the contiguous bays enclosed to the north by a line from the western entrance of Bailey Bay to the northern tip of Hassler Island and a line from Fin Point to Dress Point and to the south by a line from Indian Point to Mike Point.

In the waters of southern Revillagigedo Channel enclosed from a line from Lucky Point to Middy Point, continuing to the latitude of Beaver Point and from Point Rosen to Quadra Point and in southeast Behm Canal from Cactus Point to Eva Point (see attached map).

All remaining waters of District 1 and District 2
April 1 to June 14, king salmon retention is prohibited, king salmon may not be retained or possessed; any king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed (see attached map).

Regional king salmon bag, possession, and annual limits are scheduled to be released later this year after the Alaska all gear harvest limit of king salmon is announced in accordance with the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The regional king salmon regulations will not supersede these restrictions.

In January of 2018, the Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted the Unuk River King Salmon Action Plan which specifies how the department will manage fisheries to reduce harvest of the Unuk River king salmon. This plan was adopted after the Unuk River experienced a chronic inability to meet the king salmon escapement goal despite increasingly restrictive management actions. While the Unuk River stock achieved the escapement goal in 2018 and is projected to meet the escapement goal in 2019, restrictions continue to be necessary to ensure this stock will continue to meet escapement goals. Across the region, Southeast Alaska wild king salmon stocks continue to experience poor productivity.

These actions are being taken as part of a regionwide effort to reduce harvest of Southeast Alaska wild king salmon and increase spawning escapement for future production while implementing the conservative management measures called for under the Unuk River King Salmon Action Plan. Management actions are being taken across all Southeast Alaska fisheries, including sport, commercial, personal use, and subsistence, to reduce harvest of wild king salmon. Anglers fishing north of the Ketchikan area should review the news releases announcing sport fishery restrictions for the Petersburg/Wrangell, Juneau, and Haines/Skagway areas.

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

If you have a story or a letter please email powreport@gmail.com
Share, like and subscribe to this site
Make a small donation and support this news en-devour