By emergency order, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will shut down all sport harvest of king salmon in Southeast Alaska at 12:01 AM, Monday, August 26. This closure will last through the end of our season. Alaska manages king salmon in accordance with the Pacific Salmon Treaty and the catch will exceed the quota set at the beginning of the season if we continue to retain kings. Our view is that the pre-season abundance index by which the catch limits were set was lower than the reality we enjoyed on the water. It will take time for the managers to unpack those numbers. In the meantime, kings are closed starting Monday through the end of our season. We understand this will be disappointing to our guests, but we support measures to conserve the resource.
The central focus of late season in Sitka – big, wild, jumping northern hooknose silvers – remains unaffected and provides more than enough excitement to carry the day for salmon. Add halibut, lingcod, and rockfish to the mix. It’s all good.
