The bag limit for sockeye salmon on the Russian River is doubled to six per day and 12 in possession starting Thursday morning.
An announcement from the State Department of Fish and Game says that the Russian River from its mouth upstream to a regulatory marker near the Russian River Falls and an area of the Upper Kenai River from Skilak Lake upstream to the Sterling Highway Bridge near Kenai Lake will both be affected by the increased fishing limits. The increased limit will be effective through Aug. 20.
The change is motivated by a strong run of sockeye salmon on the Kenai River, which leads the department to estimate that the Russian River’s sockeye count will exceed the river’s escapement goal. Fish counts from the department say that 15,000 sockeye have been counted on the Russian as of Tuesday — already well on the way to an escapement goal of 44,000 to 85,000 sockeye.
On the nearby Kenai River, nearly 2.7 million sockeye have been counted — far beyond an escapement goal of 750,000 to 1.3 million fish.
In the release, the department writes that fishers must remove fish carcasses from the Russian River — fish should be taken to cleaning tables on the mainstream Kenai River.
“Please respect habitat and cultural resource protection sites that are fenced or roped off, stay on the established trails and boardwalks, and use public restroom facilities in the campgrounds and ferry areas,” the release reads.
For more information about fishing regulations and opportunities, visit adfg.alaska.gov.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
