(Released: June 24, 2019 - Expired: July 25, 2019)

Division of Sport Fish
Dave Rutz, Director
Anchorage Headquarters Office
333 Raspberry Road
Anchorage, AK 99518


Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
www.adfg.alaska.gov


Contact: Tyler Polum, Area Management Biologist
(907) 486-1880

Ayakulik River Drainage Closed to Sport Fishing for King Salmon

(Kodiak) - In an effort to achieve escapement goals, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is closing the Ayakulik River drainage to sport fishing for king salmon effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 26 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, July 25, 2019. Sport fishing for king salmon on the Ayakulik River is closed and any king salmon caught incidentally while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. In addition, the use of bait is prohibited and only one, single hook, artificial lure may be used on the Ayakulik River to reduce incidental hooking mortality.

As of June 23, 2019, only 1,198 king salmon have passed the Ayakulik River weir. The escapement goal for king salmon into the Ayakulik River is 4,800 to 8,400 fish. Based on historical run timing, more than 50% of the run has occurred and ADF&G does not expect the final weir count to meet the escapement goal for this stock. Therefore, it is warranted to close the king salmon sport fishery in an attempt to meet escapement objectives.

“The Ayakulik River king salmon stock has failed to meet the escapement goal for several years now,” stated Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum. “As long as we’re in this period of low productivity, we need to manage conservatively to get king salmon upriver to spawn.”

For additional information, please contact the Division of Sport Fish Kodiak Office at (907) 486-1880.

#19-2769