Contact:
Tom Vania
Regional Management Biologist
Phone: (907) 267-2131
June 25, 2012
King salmon may not be retained while sport fishing within one mile of shore in the salt waters of Cook Inlet south of the latitude of the mouth of the Ninilchik River to the latitude of Bluff Point beginning 12:01 a.m., Sunday, July 1, 2012, through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 15, 2012. Catch-and-release fishing for king salmon is allowed, but king salmon may not be retained or possessed. King salmon that are caught may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.
King salmon stocks in Cook Inlet and throughout Alaska are experiencing a period of low productivity and low run strength. All indices of abundance suggest king salmon run strength in the lower Kenai Peninsula is comparable to poor run strength trends experienced by other king salmon stocks in the upper Kenai Peninsula and upper Cook Inlet.
Sport fishing restrictions to inriver fisheries have been enacted on Deep Creek and the Anchor, Ninilchik, Kasilof rivers, and both the early- and late-run king salmon on the Kenai River in an effort to achieve adequate escapement into these streams. King salmon of Cook Inlet origin generally have a higher probability of being harvested near shore than do king salmon from other locations. Mature king salmon (spawners) also tend to be harvested near shore at a greater rate than immature (non-local) king salmon. Therefore, it is justified to prohibit retention of king salmon in salt waters within one mile of shore while these locally spawning king salmon, including Kenai River late-run king salmon and other stocks mentioned above, migrate through the area and into fresh water.
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