Craig- The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is announcing king salmon sport fishing regulations for the remainder of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 in Southeast Alaska and Yakutat. These regulations will be effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, October 1, 2020 through 11:59 p.m. Friday, December 31, 2021 unless superseded by subsequent emergency orders. The regulations are:

Alaskan Resident

• The resident bag and possession limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• From October 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 a resident sport angler may use two rods when fishing for king salmon, a person using two rods under this paragraph may only retain salmon.

Nonresident

• The resident bag and possession limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• From October 1 through December 31, 2020 the total harvest limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon harvested from January 1 through September 30, 2020 will apply toward the one fish total harvest limit;
• From January 1 through June 30, 2021 the total harvest limit is three king salmon 28 inches or greater in length;
• From July 1 through July 7, 2021 the total harvest limit is two king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon harvested from January 1 through June 30 will apply toward the two fish total harvest limit;
• From July 8 through December 31, 2021 the total harvest limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon harvested from January 1 through July 7 will apply toward the one fish total harvest limit;
• Immediately upon landing and retaining a king salmon a nonresident must enter the species, date, and location, in ink, on the back of their sport fishing license or on a nontransferable harvest record.

King salmon nonretention areas in the Haines and Skagway remain in effect through December 31, 2020.

The Southeast Alaska king salmon sport fishery is managed under the directives of the Southeast Alaska King Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 47.055). This plan prescribes the above management measures based upon the Southeast Alaska Winter Troll CPUE (Catch Per Unit Effort). The 2019/2020 Southeast Alaska Winter Troll CPUE 4.83 which equates to 37,900 king salmon allocated to the sport fishery. Earlier this year, due to significantly reduced sport effort caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, liberalized king salmon bag and possession limits were established outside of the plan. Given the sport fishery king salmon catch per unit effort is significantly lower during the fall and winter season and angler opportunity would be increased by allowing the use of two rods, this action reestablishes Southeast Alaska regional king salmon limits and the use of two rods by resident anglers, under the mandates of the plan. Under these management measures the sport fishery will remain within its allocation during 2020. Regional king salmon sport fish bag and possession limits and other management measures for 2021 will be based on the 2019/2020 Southeast Alaska Winter Troll CPUE until the 2020/2021 Southeast Alaska Winter Troll CPUE is announced. Once the 2020/2021 Southeast Alaska Winter Troll CPUE is available a subsequent announcement will be made outlining the Southeast Alaska regional king salmon regulations for the remainder of 2021.

For further information concerning this announcement please contact the Prince of Wales Island Area Management Biologist, Craig Schwanke at (907) 826-2498 or visit: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.eonr.

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