Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 21 opens set gillnet fishing in the Kasilof, Kenai, and East Foreland Sections in the Upper Subdistrict of the Central District within 600 feet of the mean high tide mark on the Kenai Peninsula shoreline, from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
As announced in UCI Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 4, Kenai River Late-Run King Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 21.359(e)(3)(B)), when the Kenai River late run king salmon sport fishery is restricted, gear restrictions are in place for all Upper Subdistrict set gillnet fishermen from the beginning of the season through July 31, 2021. During this fishing period, legal gear is restricted to no more than two set gillnets per permit that are each not more than 35 fathoms in length and 29 meshes in depth or no more than one set gillnet per permit that is not more than 35 fathoms in length and 45 meshes in depth. As a reminder, any set gillnet that is not more than 29 meshes in depth as part of this restrictive provision must be identified at the end of the gillnet with an attached blue buoy that is not less than nine and one-half inches in diameter. All set gillnets must be 600 feet apart (5 AAC 21.335), and they must be within 600 feet of the mean high tide mark as per this announcement.
This announcement also opens drift gillnet fishing to the Expanded Kenai. Expanded Kasilof, and Anchor Point sections of the Central District 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Fishing in the above described waters is warranted in order to harvest sockeye salmon returning to the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.
On of July 19, 2021, ADF&G issued an Emergency Order # 2-KS-1-46-21 that closes the Kenai River king salmon sport fishery effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 21, 2021. As per the Kenai River Late-Run King Salmon Management Plan 5 AAC 21.359, no other commercial set gillnet openings in the Upper Subdistrict of the Central District will occur after Tuesday, July 20 unless the Kenai River late run king salmon Optimal Escapement Goal of 15,000 large fish is achieved. For July 18, 2021, the Kenai River late run large king salmon sonar count was 2,872 large fish, and year end escapement was projected at 10,000 large fish.
As of July 18, Kasilof River sockeye salmon escapement is approximately 250,000 fish and 57% complete based on average run timing. The biological escapement goal for Kasilof River sockeye salmon is 140,000 to 320,000, with projections of final escapement of 476,000 fish. In the Kenai River, average sockeye salmon passage into the Kenai River is 27% complete through July 18, projecting an in river run of 790,000 to 1.4 million sockeye salmon based on average to 3 day late run timings.
