The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries provided an inseason assessment of the Upper Cook Inlet sockeye salmon run through July 24.
Measurements were taken the following day and estimates indicate that the total Upper Cook Inlet sockeye salmon run through July 24 is 3.7 million fish. The department projects the total UCI sockeye salmon run for 2022 to be 6.4 million fish. The estimated Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon stock through July 24 is 1.9 million fish. The department projects the total Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon run to be 3.6 million fish and will likely be on-time to 3 days late in run timing.
The preseason forecast for the Kenai River late run sockeye salmon return was 2.9 million fish. With this inseason assessment, management of the Upper Subdistrict set gillnet and Central District drift gillnet commercial fisheries will not change and will continue to be managed for run sizes between 2.3 to 4.6 million Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon.
Based on this projected run size, the Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon inriver goal range remains between 1.1 to 1.4 million fish, according to Brian Marston, Area Management Biologist for the Division of Commercial Fisheries under ADF&G.
Additionally, don’t forget that UCI Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 26 was announced earlier this week, which opens commercial fishing with drift gillnets in the Expanded Kenai, Expanded Kasilof, and Anchor Point sections of the Central District from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. today (Wednesday, July 27, 2022).
Marston reminds residents that no Upper Subdistrict set gillnet fishing periods will be opened unless the Kenai River late run king salmon abundance improves.
Fish harvested in these drift gillnet fishing periods should be reported in statistical areas 244-57.
Photo credits – courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game website.
