The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 4, which opens commercial salmon fishing with set gillnets in the Kasilof Section of the Upper Subdistrict from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, 2022. 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. 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.
Drift gillnetting, by state regulation, will be open District Wide in the Central District, except for the Chinitna Bay Subdistrict, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
The cumulative sockeye salmon sonar passage estimate in the Kasilof River exceeded 27,000 fish and the inriver estimate has exceeded 30,000 fish. This fishing period is consistent with opportunity provided in 5 AAC 21.310 Fishing Seasons regulation.
As announced in UCI Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 2, 5 AAC 21.359(e)(3)(C) Kenai River Late-Run King Salmon Management Plan restricts the Upper Subdistrict set gillnet fishery to no more than 24 hours per week by Emergency Order (EO), with a 36-hour continuous closure per week beginning between 7:00 p.m. Thursday and 7:00 a.m. Friday. With regularly scheduled fishing periods on Mondays and Thursdays no longer in effect in the Upper Subdistrict set gillnet fishery, any and all fishing time may occur only via EO beginning June 20, 2022. With this fishing announcement, 12 hours of EO time will have been used for the week of June 19–June 25.
Fishermen and processors are reminded of the legal requirement to report all commercially harvested salmon on a fish ticket, whether sold or kept for personal use, using the correct statistical fishing area or areas (5 AAC 39.130(c)(7)), 3 of which are part of the Kasilof Section.
Fish harvested in the set gillnet fishery during this fishing period should be reported in statistical areas 244-21, 244-22, or 244-31. Fish harvested in the drift gillnet fishery during this fishing period should be reported in statistical areas 244-60.
