If you were hoping to fish for king salmon on the Karluk or Ayakulik rivers this year, you will have to wait at least another year.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced on Monday that those rivers will be closed due to continued low numbers of fish, according to Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum. In their meeting in Kodiak last year, the Board of Fisheries identified poor king salmon returns in the Karluk and Ayakulik as a stock of concern.
Until escapement goals are achieved, which they may be during the fishing season, sports fishers will have to look elsewhere. The ban on king salmon fishing includes
catch-and-release fishing.
Rockfish limits are being reduced for nonresidents this year by Fish and Game due to concerns over sustainability and increased harvest rates. Rockfish restrictions are in place for eastern Afognak and Kodiak islands only, as part of the Kodiak Area Rockfish Management Plan adopted by the Board of Fisheries last year.
Fish and Game warns that if the rockfish harvest continues to increase, further restrictions will be needed, including implementing a rockfish season and reducing resident catches.
