Contact:
Nicky Szarzi
Area Management Biologist
Phone: (907) 235-8191

The Ninilchik River will re-open to fishing for hatchery king salmon beginning Wednesday, June 14, at 12:01 a.m., through 11:59 p.m., Friday, July 14, 2006.  Wild king salmon may not be retained or possessed.  Hatchery fish can be recognized by their missing adipose fin and healed fin clip scar.  King salmon intended for release may not be removed from the water. 

The fishing regulations will be:

·  The Ninilchik is open to fishing for king salmon from its mouth upstream approximately 2 miles to the regulatory marker. 

·  Daily bag and possession limits for hatchery king salmon 20 inches or longer are 2 per day and 2 in possession. 

·  Daily limits for hatchery king salmon under 20 inches are 10 per day and in possession. 

·  Bait is allowed, but only one, single hook may be used while fishing for king salmon.  Double and treble hooks will be illegal to use in the Ninilchik River with this increased harvest opportunity. 

·  Any king salmon 20 inches or longer that is kept counts toward the annual limit of five and must be recorded immediately.

·  Anglers may not fillet, mutilate or otherwise disfigure a Ninilchik River king salmon in such a manner that would prevent determination that a fish is a hatchery king salmon, until the person has stopped fishing in the Ninilchik River drainage for the day and has moved more than 100 yards away from waters open to sport fishing. 

·  Anglers will still be allowed to remove the gills and the guts from their Ninilchik River king salmon before removing the fish from the shoreline fishing site.

Since 1999, a yearly average of 585 hatchery-produced king salmon has escaped past the Ninilchik River sport fishery.  A department survey indicates that a similar number is likely to move past the sport fishery in 2006.  Additional opportunity is therefore available to harvest stocked fish in the Ninilchik River without negatively impacting the wild king salmon run or salmon spawning and rearing habitat.