Contact:
Craig Schwanke
Dillingham Area Office
Phone: (907) 842-2427

Because of a low pre-season forecast, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is reducing the bag limit for red salmon from five fish to two fish per day in all waters of the Kvichak River / Lake Iliamna drainage, in compliance with the “Kvichak River Sockeye Salmon Management Plan.”  The bag limit reduction applies to the waters of the Kvichak, Newhalen, and Tazimina rivers and their tributaries, and lakes Clark, Sixmile, Iliamna, and all other tributaries into these lakes. 

In addition, this emergency order closes sport fishing for red salmon in the following waters to eliminate the potential for conflict between sport and subsistence fisheries:

1. Alexey Creek and all waters within 150 yards of its confluence with the Newhalen River;
2. The waters of Sixmile Lake and one-quarter mile downstream of Sixmile Lake in the Newhalen River and the lower one-quarter mile of the Tazimina River;
3. All waters within one-half-mile of the confluence of the Gibraltar River with Lake Iliamna; and
4. The waters of the Kvichak River adjacent to the community of Igiugig as posted between ADF&G regulatory markers.

 The Alagnak (Branch) River drainage is excluded from these restrictions.

 The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted the “Kvichak River Sockeye Salmon Management Plan” as 5 AAC 67.025 in January 2001.  The Kvichak’s pre-season forecast is 1.9 million red salmon, which is below the minimum 2 million red salmon required to meet the Biological Escapement Goal. This pre-season forecast is the lowest since the 2002 forecast of 1.8 million.

For more information, call the ADF&G Dillingham Area Office at (907) 842-2427, or the Dillingham recorded telephone hotline at (907) 842-REGS (842-7347).