The City of Kenai and The Kenai Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center were joined by local residents and community members to help raise awareness about riverbank protection during September’s Fourth Annual Silver Salmon Derby.
This year’s event awarded the highest prize amounts since its start in 2017. Wrapping up on September 20, six fishermen were awarded an overall amount of $3,600 in prize money. Don Morrison was the overall winner and received $3,000 in prize money– three times the cash awarded in last year’s grand prize.
Winners were determined by whose fish was closest to a randomly generated weight at the end of each derby day, or the Magic Weight. Morrison’s fish weighed 12.61 pounds, which was the closest match to the Overall Magic Weight of 19.07. Since any fish over four pounds was eligible to win, anglers of all skill levels had a chance to earn prizes.
This year’s derby sold 136 tickets with 13 company sponsorships including Three Bears, Phillip Scales, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Grant Aviation, Arby’s Kenai, TOTE Maritime, Fishe, East Rip, First National Bank Alaska, Buckets Sports Grill, and Northrim Bank.
Named “The World’s Most Responsible Fishing Tournament”, the Kenai Silver Salmon Derby reduces selective fishing practices that lead to catch-and-release injuries which compromise the health of the silver salmon population in the Kenai River.
Half the funds raised this year were donated to the non-profit Kenai Community Foundation for management and protection of river banks and other riparian zones in the City of Kenai, while the other half went toward the prize pool.
The City of Kenai and The Kenai Chamber of Commerce look forward to the fifth annual derby in 2021.
To learn more about the Kenai Silver Salmon Derby, visit www.KenaiSilverSalmonDerby.com or visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KenaiSilverSalmonDerby/.