News

US Senate looks to renew ‘Frankenfish’ import ban

With support from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Congress is preparing to renew a ban on the importation of genetically engineered salmon. On Friday, the U.S. Senate… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, anglers cast their lines into the Kenai River from the bank above the Sterling Highway Bridge in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Sportfishing licenses jump in 2016

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game sold nearly 50,000 more sportfishing licenses and stamps and hunting licenses in 2016 than it did in 2015,… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, anglers cast their lines into the Kenai River from the bank above the Sterling Highway Bridge in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Kenai Fire responds to fewer boat accidents this dipnet season

The Kenai Fire Department hasn’t had to rescue as many swamped boats in the Kenai River personal-use dipnet fishery this year as last year. So… Continue reading

In this photo submitted to Fish for the Future, a young angler holds up the king salmon he caught and released. Fish for the Future, a program begun by two central Kenai Peninsula guides, offers prizes for people who submit photographs of king salmon they caught and released on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in June and July as a way to encourage people to release fish and conserve the fishery over time. (Photo courtesy Fish for the Future)

‘Fish for the Future’ program seeks to encourage catch and release for kings

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Mark Wackler's name. Nearly every day this summer, someone has posted a photo… Continue reading

In this photo submitted to Fish for the Future, a young angler holds up the king salmon he caught and released. Fish for the Future, a program begun by two central Kenai Peninsula guides, offers prizes for people who submit photographs of king salmon they caught and released on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in June and July as a way to encourage people to release fish and conserve the fishery over time. (Photo courtesy Fish for the Future)
Annie Cromwell of Anchorage brings in a sockeye salmon Sunday, June 23, while dipnetting on the north beach in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Word on the beach: Red run is slow but steady

No matter where they travel from, what their technique is or if they have fish in the cooler or not, one thing all the dipnetters… Continue reading

Annie Cromwell of Anchorage brings in a sockeye salmon Sunday, June 23, while dipnetting on the north beach in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial salmon fishery closures for Monday

Commercial salmon fishing will be closed on Monday to set gillnets in the Kenai, Kasilof and East Forelands sections of the Upper Cook Inlet and… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial fishermen to fish Thursday

Commercial fishermen in Upper Cook Inlet will head out as usual Thursday, but with restricted area for the drift fleet and restricted gear in the… Continue reading

Managers reining back Upper Cook Inlet commercial fishing

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to show that 2017's Kenai River inriver goal is 900,000–1.1 million sockeye salmon. Commercial fishing managers in Upper… Continue reading

Karl Danielson (left), a senior at Kenai Central High School and a member of the KCHS Cross Country Ski Team, his mom Teresa Danielson (center) and coach Brad Nyquist (right) empty out their garbage bags into a bin at the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Members of the ski team helped clean up the beach Tuesday as a fundraiser for the team’s activities. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

KCHS ski team cleans up dipnet beach

One of the sorest points for Kenai residents about the personal-use dipnet fishery is the trash left on the beaches — cigarette butts, plastic cups,… Continue reading

Karl Danielson (left), a senior at Kenai Central High School and a member of the KCHS Cross Country Ski Team, his mom Teresa Danielson (center) and coach Brad Nyquist (right) empty out their garbage bags into a bin at the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Members of the ski team helped clean up the beach Tuesday as a fundraiser for the team’s activities. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial fishing season slow so far, big chum harvest for drift fleet

Upper Cook Inlet’s commercial fishing season has been relatively slow so far, but it will likely pick up speed soon. The earliest commercial fishing in… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon’s tail protrudes above the edge of a bin on a setnet site in this July 11, 2016 photo near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Tom Lyman of Michigan holds up a sockeye salmon he caught in the Kenai River on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lyman, who is visiting Alaska with his son, said he hadn’t been casting for long when he hooked into the fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing report: Some sockeye showing on Kenai, big pulse yet to come

Kenai River sockeye salmon are making their way up the river in growing numbers, though it’s still a little slow. Tom Lyman, a Michigan resident… Continue reading

Tom Lyman of Michigan holds up a sockeye salmon he caught in the Kenai River on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lyman, who is visiting Alaska with his son, said he hadn’t been casting for long when he hooked into the fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Clarion reporter Kat Sorensen demonstrates how to tie an angler’s loop knot to create a stringer so sportfishermen can hang onto their catches on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. For a full video demonstration, check out the Peninsula Clarion’s Facebook page. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Learn to tie an angler’s loop knot

By Elizabeth Earl Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

Clarion reporter Kat Sorensen demonstrates how to tie an angler’s loop knot to create a stringer so sportfishermen can hang onto their catches on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. For a full video demonstration, check out the Peninsula Clarion’s Facebook page. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
This section of a property ownership map shows some of Cook Inlet Region Incorporated’s lands along the Kenai River near Soldotna, with surface ownership depicted in dark red. CIRI has erected signs this year letting the public know where its privately owned lands are and asking people not to use them to fish without a permit, which is available for free through the corporation. (Courtesy Cook Inlet Region Incorporated)

CIRI steps up enforcement on Kenai River lands

Kenai River anglers will have to keep an eye out for private property this year as Cook Inlet Region Incorporated steps up its efforts to… Continue reading

This section of a property ownership map shows some of Cook Inlet Region Incorporated’s lands along the Kenai River near Soldotna, with surface ownership depicted in dark red. CIRI has erected signs this year letting the public know where its privately owned lands are and asking people not to use them to fish without a permit, which is available for free through the corporation. (Courtesy Cook Inlet Region Incorporated)

Commercial fishing season kicks off with higher prices, slow runs

Commercial fishermen in Upper Cook Inlet have been out since late June, kicking off what’s predicted to be a fairly slow sockeye salmon season. As… Continue reading

A bald eagle fends off a speculating magpie from his meal of salmon on the Anchor River on Sunday, June 25, 2017 near Anchor Point, Alaska. Though the Anchor River is closed to sportfishing for king salmon now, the salmon are still returning to the river, with about 4,064 kings past the weirs on the north and south forks of the river, within the escapement goal of 3,800&

Dinner on the water

A bald eagle fends off a speculating magpie from his meal of salmon on the Anchor River on Sunday near Anchor Point. Though the Anchor… Continue reading

A bald eagle fends off a speculating magpie from his meal of salmon on the Anchor River on Sunday, June 25, 2017 near Anchor Point, Alaska. Though the Anchor River is closed to sportfishing for king salmon now, the salmon are still returning to the river, with about 4,064 kings past the weirs on the north and south forks of the river, within the escapement goal of 3,800&
Halibut hang from the display rack at North Country Charters on the Homer Spit on Sunday, June 25, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Study shows Homer halibut charters stay closer to town

A pair of University of Alaska researchers want to know more about how halibut charter fishermen in the state carry out their trips. Halibut have… Continue reading

Halibut hang from the display rack at North Country Charters on the Homer Spit on Sunday, June 25, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Bait authorized for lower Kenai kings

Bait is now legal for king salmon on the Kenai River below Slikok Creek. Effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, anglers can use bait to target kings… Continue reading

Commercial fishing buoys float in the Kasilof River near the Kasilof River Lodge and Cabins on Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

State’s delay on Kasilof boat launch causes headaches for guides

At the end of a fishing day on the Kasilof River, the Russell Fishing Company guides often rope their boats together to make getting down… Continue reading

Commercial fishing buoys float in the Kasilof River near the Kasilof River Lodge and Cabins on Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A young cow moose makes her way across the Kasilof River amid a crowd of guided anglers Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Monday can be a busy day on the Kasilof for guides, as the Kenai River is closed to motor boat use and many head to the Kasilof. Though sockeye are starting to enter the river, most of the anglers are still targeting king salmon. Though Kasilof River has king salmon runs of both wild and hatchery king salmon, and anglers can only retain wild king salmon on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Moose crossing

A young cow moose makes her way across the Kasilof River amid a crowd of guided anglers Monday in Kasilof. Monday can be a busy… Continue reading

A young cow moose makes her way across the Kasilof River amid a crowd of guided anglers Monday, June 19, 2017 in Kasilof, Alaska. Monday can be a busy day on the Kasilof for guides, as the Kenai River is closed to motor boat use and many head to the Kasilof. Though sockeye are starting to enter the river, most of the anglers are still targeting king salmon. Though Kasilof River has king salmon runs of both wild and hatchery king salmon, and anglers can only retain wild king salmon on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

On the docks, no sympathy for deadlocked lawmakers

Boats don’t have wheels. This may go without saying, but as Juneau commercial fisherman Brian Delay joked Friday at Don D. Statter Harbor, it’s worth… Continue reading