(Soldotna) - To reduce mortality of Kenai River king salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is closing the personal use set gillnet fishery at the mouth of the Kasilof River from 6:00 a.m. Saturday, June 15 to 11:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

The personal use set gillnet fishery at the mouth of the Kasilof River targets sockeye and king salmon bound for the Kasilof River but also harvests an unknown number of king salmon bound for the Kenai River. As of June 9, only 355 large king salmon have been enumerated past the sonar at river mile 14 resulting in a projection not only below the optimal escapement goal (OEG) for early-run Kenai River king salmon (3,900 – 6,600 large king salmon) but significantly below the forecast of 2,630 large king salmon. To reduce the mortality of Kenai River king salmon in the personal use set gillnet fishery at the mouth of the Kasilof River, the fishery is closed until June 20.

“We understand reducing the number of days will impact Alaskans who utilize this fishery to harvest sockeye salmon,” said Phill Stacey, Sport Fish Area Management Biologist, “but with the low numbers of king salmon we’ve seen so far, the department needed to take further action to reduce mortality of Kenai-bound king salmon. This five-day closure will get us past the historical three-quarter point of the Kenai king salmon early run and reduce the number of Kenai king salmon incidentally caught in this fishery.”

In 2023, the personal use set gillnet fishery was closed entirely but the Alaska Board of Fisheries acted this winter to reduce the legal personal use gillnet gear to a maximum of 10 fathoms (60 ft) in length, 4.75 inches stretched mesh, and 29 meshes deep to minimize king salmon harvest. That reduction in gear is the difference between a total closure and a partial closure this year.

The Kasilof River personal use set gillnet fishery will open 6:00 am, June 20, the Kasilof River personal use dipnet fishery opens June 25 and the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery opens July 10. Please refer to page 81 of the 2024 Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulations summary or the ADF&G website at:
Kasilof River Personal Use Salmon Fishery, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

For additional information, please contact Sport Fish Cook Inlet Coordinator Matt Miller at (907) 267-2415 or Northern Kenai Peninsula Area Management Biologist Phill Stacey at (907) 260-2920.

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