Fishing News
Fish Board Places Limits On Fishing In Kenai River
By Elizabeth Manning, [email protected]
Sport anglers, dipnetters and commercial fishermen were restricted by the Board of Fisheries this week in an effort to prevent in-season closures of sockeye salmon fishing on the Kenai River.
During the past two summers, the Kenai River sockeye run has been so weak and fishing demand so high that state biologists have cut off commercial and sport fishing before the season's end.
According to the new rules passed this week by the board, sportfishermen may now catch three sockeye salmon per day instead of six. The dipnet fishery will run again from July 7 to July 31, but will be closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Commercial fishing will face more closures when runs are poor. When runs are strong, however, those restrictions will be lifted.
"They've tied everything to abundance and tried to slow down the (Kenai River) fishery," said Pat Carter, a Kenai river guide. Carter and other guides applauded the new restrictions in the hopes that they will prevent in-season closures.
Brett Huber, executive director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, said sport anglers and guides lost two weeks of fishing in each of the last two years. "That was a huge loss economically."
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