The chamber of commerce would like to put on the community’s 69th king salmon derby this year but hasn’t figured out the details, as it takes into consideration the state’s efforts to limit fishing in the area to help preserve and rebuild returns to the Stikine River system.
“We’d love to have one,” chamber executive director Tommy Wells said of a king derby. The chamber is working on plans and hopes to have details soon, he said.
Catch numbers in the past two king derbies confirm the weak runs and sportfishing restrictions.
District 8 in front of Wrangell and the Stikine River is closed again this year to king salmon sportfishing through July 14, the same as in recent years. District 6, west of Etolin and Zarembo islands, and most of District 7, east and south of Wrangell, are closed to kings until June 14.
Just 15 salmon were caught and entered last year in Wrangell’s 68th King Salmon Derby, which ran over two weekends in late June. The top two entrants weighed 42.5 and 30 pounds.
The 2022 derby was the first since 2017, with four years of cancellations due to low king salmon runs. Just 57 fish were weighed in for the 2022 derby.
Other Southeast communities have canceled or scaled back their salmon derbies in recent years to help in efforts to rebuild stocks by reducing fishing pressure on the salmon.
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