Contact:
Southcentral Region
Southcentral Region
Phone: (907) 267-2218

As previously announced, the Department is concerned about meeting escapement goals for the Kenai River. Accordingly, throughout upper Cook Inlet, the Department has taken efforts to greatly reduce harvest of Kenai River sockeye while allowing minimal exploitation in some fisheries.

Commercial fishermen who directly target Kenai River stocks were not allowed to fish during Thursday’s regularly-scheduled period. Personal use fisheries as well as educational fisheries that harvest Kenai River stocks were also closed. The sport fishing bag limit was reduced to 1 sockeye salmon in the Kenai River, except for the Russian River / Kenai River fly-fishing-only area. The length of the nets in the set-net fisheries south of the Blanchard Line, have been reduced to ½-mile of shore in the Kasilof section and in the Kasilof River terminal harvest area. These fisheries primarily target Kasilof sockeye, but also harvest some Kenai sockeye.

The Kenai River Late Run Sockeye Salmon Management Plan directs the Department to achieve an in-river sonar estimate of 650,000 to 850,000 Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon, as well as an Optimum Escapement Goal of 500,000 – 1,000,000 spawning sockeye salmon. Through Wednesday, July 19, the number of late-run sockeye estimated to have passed the sonar is about 88,400 fish. Without the fishery restrictions the Department has put in place, present escapement rates, coupled with the run strength assessment, indicate we would not have sufficient numbers of sockeye salmon reaching the Kenai River to provide for the spawning escapement.

The Department will continue to monitor the run with all tools available in upper Cook Inlet, including, but not limited to, sonar projects, test fishing, and harvest monitoring. Information from these projects helps guide the Department’s management actions on Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon. In general, sockeye salmon stocks throughout Alaska have been returning later than normal and the Department hopes that the Kenai River sockeye salmon run is also late, rather than as weak as it currently looks. If the run strength unexpectedly and significantly increases, management options may include the lifting of certain restrictions in both commercial and sport fisheries. If not, management actions may include further restrictions to both commercial and sport fisheries.