This Sunday, July 10, dip net fishing begins for Alaska State residents.
It is important to remember the rules and regulations for personal use fishing. Jason Pawluk, Assistant Soldotna Area Manager with the Department of Fish and Game reminds you to…
Pawluk: “To know that they have to mark their fish immediately upon harvesting a salmon. They do that by clipping the upper and lower lobe of the caudal fin or the tail fin. They have to do that before the fish are hidden or put out of view. And the other regulation is to make sure to mark your catch on your household permit prior to leaving the fishing area.”
The sockeye have been running well so far but it’s not yet been as great as it’s been in the past.
Pawluk: “Typically, based on the passage rates of sockeye past the sonar we tend to see higher passage rates around the middle to third week of july. Every year is different, run timing varies annually but typically, that is when we see the highest passage of fish, of sockeye specifically.”
This morning there was roughly 3,000 sockeye that passed the sonar. Previously, there was record of more than 30,000 on July 4.