Commercial fishing boats sit anchored near the mouth of the Kenai River on Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Commercialset gillnet fishermen and drift gillnet fishermen were able to go out for a fishing period Saturday after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened an additional period from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial fishing boats sit anchored near the mouth of the Kenai River on Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Commercialset gillnet fishermen and drift gillnet fishermen were able to go out for a fishing period Saturday after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened an additional period from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Most commercial fishing ends Monday

Most commercial fishing in Upper Cook Inlet ended Monday, with the set gillnet fishermen in the Kasilof section getting one extra day Tuesday.

The east side set gillnet fishermen and drift gillnet fishermen in the central district were out fishing during their regular 12-hour period Monday. Setnetters in the northern district were restricted to a six-hour period between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday as well.

Kasilof setnetters were extended through 11 p.m. Monday and will get the extra day Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Setnetters can fish within a mile of the mean high tide mark in the Kasilof section of the Upper Subdistrict.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game management biologists predict the sockeye salmon passage will exceed the upper end of the biological escapement goal for the river, which is 160,000–340,000 fish. As of Sunday, the escapement was more than 336,000 fish, according to Pat Shields, the commercial area management biologist.

The Kenai and East Forelands subdistrict fishermen won’t get the extension or additional day because the Kenai River is predicted to stay within its 1 million to 1.3 million sockeye salmon inriver goal. As of Sunday, about 1.05 million sockeye had passed the sonar at river mile 19, according to Fish and Game’s counts.

Fish and Game biologists’ projections show that the sockeye runs to Upper Cook Inlet are about three days late this year, according to an emergency order opening the Kasilof section, issued Monday afternoon. Usually, between Aug. 11 and Aug. 15, setnetters in that area are restricted to the Monday and Thursday regular periods only, but if the department projects that the run will overwhelm the escapement goals, the managers are allowed to authorize extra fishing time, according to the emergency order.

This season, commercial fishermen in Upper Cook Inlet have harvested about 2.4 million salmon total, with about 1.8 million of those being sockeye salmon. About 216,000 of those are silvers and 231,000 are chums, followed about 166,000 pink salmon and about 7,300 king salmon, according to Fish and Game’s harvest data. The northern district setnet fishermen continue fishing into the fall, though it is a much smaller fishery than the drift gillnet fishery and the east side setnet fishery.

Reach Elizabeth Earl at elizabeth.earl@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

A sign welcomes visitors on July 7, 2021, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
‘A thing of the past’

Seward Journal calls it quits after struggle to keep newspaper afloat

Tim Navarre and Dana Cannava discuss a preliminary Soldotna route for the Kahtnu Area Transit with Planner Bryant Wright at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Getting people where they need to go

Plans for Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Kahtnu Area Transit move forward

A state plow truck clears snow from the Kenai Spur Highway on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
DOT identifies roads included in brine reduction plan

The department said its goal is to reduce brine use overall in the region by 40%

Soldotna High School senior Josiah Burton testifies in opposition to the proposed cut of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District theater technicians while audience members look on during a board of education meeting on Monday, March 6, 2023 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finance group reviews expenditures ahead of upcoming budget cycle

As the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District prepares to grapple with another… Continue reading

Members of the Kenai/Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee raise hands to vote in favor of a proposal during a meeting at Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Silver salmon, personal use fishing discussed by advisory committee

The group set their recommendations on a variety of proposals to the State Board of Fisheries

Hoses pump water along Patrick Drive to help mitigate flooding near Kalifornsky Beach Road on Friday, July 21, 2023, near Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough spent almost $78k responding to flood events during disaster declaration

Most of the funds were spend in the northwest area of Kalifornsky Beach Road

The National Weather Service’s map shows a winter weather advisory, in orange, effective for much of the eastern Kenai Peninsula. (Screenshot)
Heavy snow, blowing winds forecast for Turnagain Pass on Wednesday

Snow accumulations of up to 16 inches are expected

The Kenai Courthouse is seen on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Grand jury adds charges in October killing of Homer woman

The indictment was delivered on Nov. 8

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Anchorage resident arrested in Nikiski after troopers investigate reports of stolen vehicle

Troopers responded to a residential address in Nikiski around 11:30 a.m. after being notified by Sirius XM that a stolen vehicle was there

Most Read