The king salmon sportfish regulations for District 8 apply to waters adjacent to the Stikine River freshwater boundary. The cutoff follows a line from Indian Point down to Point Rothsay to the east, and from Low Point to Point Alexander in Sumner Straits to the west.
Alaska's Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) announced regulations for the king salmon sport fishing season this summer would be on the conservative side.
Issued Monday, the order applies to marine waters adjacent to the Stikine River in District 8, near Petersburg and Wrangell. Beginning May 1 and lasting until July 15, the king salmon bag and possession limit for all anglers will be set at one fish, 28 inches or greater in length.
Anglers will also have to abide by rod restrictions in place when fishing for king salmon after March 31, 2017, limiting them to one at a time. The Southeast Alaska nonresident annual limit of three king salmon will continue to apply.
Sport fishing for king salmon will remain closed in the Stikine's fresh waters, upstream of a line between Point Rothsay on the Stikine Flats and Indian Point in LeConte Bay. This also applies to the river's various tributaries.
The 2017 preseason forecast for Stikine River king salmon terminal run is 18,300 large fish. This level of abundance puts expectations at the low end of the spawning escapement goal range, set between 14,000 and 28,000 fish. It also falls below the preseason management target of 21,000, or the goal range's midpoint.
"Given the projected low abundance of Stikine River king salmon, this action is being taken to conserve Stikine River king salmon by restricting sport fisheries in the marine waters adjacent to the mouth of the Stikine River," the order reads.
The approach the department is taking will be different from last year's. The 2016 season had opened with more liberalized restrictions, as preseason projections had indicated returns would be well beyond the escapement goal range. Anglers could use up to two rods at a time, with increased possession and bag opportunities.
As the season soon panned out, however, restrictions were tightened back with order modifications.
"It was obvious there weren't as many fish as we'd projected," Petersburg management biologist Patrick Fowler explained. "So this year we're starting in the reverse situation."
The Stikine River King Salmon Management Plan includes provisions allowing additional sport fishing opportunity in years when the projected returns of Stikine River kings are surplus to escapement needs, and where an allowable catch is present under the terms of the Pacific Salmon Treaty signed with Canada. If kings turn out to be more abundant as the returns come in, it is possible the regulations could loosen up as the season progresses.
For further king salmon regulations for District 8, and for those in other districts, look for current news releases posted at local boat harbors and launches or on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.
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