Karluk and Ayakuli River King Salmon Limits Put In Place

Jay Barrett/KMXT
The bag, possession and annual catch limit of king salmon on two Kodiak Island rivers have been cut by emergency order from the Department of Fish and Game.
On the Karluk River, no king salmon may be possessed or retained and anglers may not use multiple hooks or bait. On the Ayakulik River fishermen have a possession and bag limit of one king salmon 20-inches or greater, though the annual limit is reduced to two fish per year.
The emergency orders have been implemented because of expected low escapement again this year. The biological escapement goal – that is, the number of spawners needed for a sustainable stock – is between 3,000 and 6,000 kings in the Karluk River. It’s a goal that’s only been achieved twice since 2006.
The B-E-G for the Ayakulik is between 4,000 and 7,000, which was not attained between 2006 and 2009, or last year.
In the announcement, Fish and Game said it expects poor runs this year, and have some uncertainly over how quickly the stocks may recover. Increased fishing opportunity may be allowed by subsequent emergency order on both rivers if an in-season assessment shows the runs are stronger than expected or the B-E-Gs will be met.
The king salmon limits go into effect on June 1st and are effective through July 25th.