The Alaska Board of Fisheries approved 44 of the 236 proposals on the table at its triennial Upper Cook Inlet finfish meeting, Jan. 31 to Feb. 13 in Anchorage.
The changes restrict fishing somewhat with an eye toward conserving fish and getting more salmon into rivers throughout the region. Certain habitat and in-river protections also carried.
■ Proposal 209 — Modified the Kenai River Late-Run King Salmon Management Plan.
■ Proposal 214 — Amend the Kasilof River Salmon Management Plan.
■ Proposal 186 — Reference Kenai River early-run king OEG and provide department with flexibility.
■ Proposal 192 — Change the Kenai River early-run king slot limit size.
■ Proposal 201,202 — Extended the Slikok Creek king salmon sanctuary an additional 200 yards, and made that area the lower boundary for restrictions in July to conserve early-run king, including prohibiting bait there for two weeks in July.
■ Proposal 166 — Allows a 24-hour closure window for the setnet fishery in the Upper District between Monday and Thursday.
■ Proposal 170 — Increased the possession limit for Kenai River sockeyes from three to six fish.
■ Proposal 153 — Changed the Kasilof Sockeye Management Plan to allow setnets to operate within 1,200 feet of the mean high tide mark in the Kasilof River Special Harvest Area, and restrict the drift fleet in that same area.
■ Proposal 135 — Changed the area descriptions and other components of the drift fishery management plan, including the time available for fishing.
■ Proposal 173 — Modified the pink salmon plan to clarify that it referred to the Upper Subdistrict.
■ Proposal 178 — Removed the 600-foot restriction from the pink salmon management plan and allow setnets to be operate from shore in the Upper Subdistrict.
■ Proposal 119 — Changed the one percent rule for sockeye harvests in the Upper Subdistrict so that it applies separately to the Kasilof Section and a combined Kenai and East Forelands section.
■ Proposal 263 — Allow coho fishing from a guided vessel in the Kenai River on labor day.
■ Proposal 319 — Changed the regulations for the Jim Creek drainage to close the area to sportfishing on Mondays and Tuesdays from mid-August through December, and preventing anglers from continuing to fish after reaching a salmon bag limit.
■ Proposals 269, 270 — Updated sockeye salmon numbers in the personal use salmon management plan to align with the Kenai River Late-Run Sockeye Salmon Management Plan, and clarified the harvest recording regulations so that harvest must be recorded before salmon are transported from the area open to fishing.
■ Proposal 291 — Extend the personal-use smelt fishery on the Lower Kenai River from April 1 to June 15.
■ Proposal 318 — Open the Fish Creek personal-use fishery from July 10 to 31 unless the sockeye escapement is projected to be less than 50,000.
■ Proposal 124 — Changed certain regulatory markers for the Northern District.
■ Proposals 128, 129 — Changed registration requirements for set and drift gillnet gear in Upper Cook Inlet to refer to electronic registration capabilities, and removing the registration requirement for joint drift gear.
■ Proposal 252 — Allow rainbow fishing year round on the Kenai River downstream of the Lower Killey River and increase the spawning closure area.
■ Proposals 255, 256, 257, 258 — Change some Kenai River management areas and spawning closures for resident species, and change the pike fishing gear limits ice fishers targeting northern pike at Stormy Lake.
■ Proposals 229, 230, 231, 232 — Limit the area where king fishing is allowed on Moose Creek and change notation and regulatory markers on the Kenai River.
■ Proposal 233 — Prohibit sport fishing at the Soldotna Centennial Campground boat launch lagoon.
■ Proposal 298 — Push the date for allowing bait on the Deshka River from May 15 to June 1.
■ Proposal 305 — Closed the Fish Creek drainage to sportfishing.
■ Proposal 306 — Move several lakes from one unit to another in the Susitna River drainage.
■ Proposal 316 — Require the use of four-stroke or direct injection two-stroke motors on the Little Susitna River.
■ Proposal 322, 324, 325 — Change the Eklutna Tailrace fishing regulations, update the stocked lakes listing for the Knik Arm drainage and reduce the bag limit for Anchorage stocked lakes.
■ Proposal 323, 376 — Create youth-only coho and king fisheries in the Eklutna Tailrace.
■ Proposal 48 — Require barbless hooks when catch and release fishing for salmon.
■ Proposal 244 — Close Hidden Lake Creek and Jean Lake Creek to salmon fishing.
