Contact:
George Pappas
Area Management Biologist
Phone: (907) 262-9368

An Emergency Order has been issued to close the Kenaitze Indian Tribe educational fishery authorized by special Commissioner’s permit for the Kenai River and nearby salt waters. The educational fishery that takes place in the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to a marker ¼-mile upstream of the Warren Ames bridge, and in the salt waters of Cook Inlet near the mouth of the Kenai River, will be closed from 12:01 a.m., Saturday, July 22, through 11:59 p.m., Thursday, August 10, 2006, in order to conserve Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon.

The Kenai River Late Run Sockeye Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 21.360) directs the Department to achieve an in-river sonar estimate of 650,000 to 850,000 sockeye (red) salmon as well as an optimum escapement goal of 500,000 – 1,000,000 spawning sockeye salmon.

Present escapement rates of sockeye salmon into the Kenai River, coupled with the run strength assessment of the return of this stock, indicate that insufficient numbers of sockeye salmon will reach the Kenai River to provide for the optimum spawning escapement without greatly reduced fishery exploitation. The Cook Inlet commercial, sport, and personal use fisheries have all also been restricted to conserve Kenai River bound sockeye salmon.

The Kenaitze educational fisheries authorized by special permit in the Kasilof River and the Swanson River are not affected by this closure.