The 8th Annual Kenai Silver Salmon Derby is under way but will not last long. The final day to participate is this Sunday, Sep. 15.
This Derby uses a different method than most others in hopes of reducing catch-and-release injuries that harm the silver salmon population. It utilizes the Magic Weight, where the winner is determined not by how heavy the fish is, but rather who can get the closest to the randomized weight of the day.
“Daily, we have prizes for adults and kids that will be announced the next day,” said Kenai Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Samantha Springer.
“[When] you weigh in, you find out if you won the next day, and then we have grand prizes that will be awarded on Wednesday, September 18, at the Kenai Chamber.”
The grand prize is $5,000 for adults and $1,000 for kids.
This year, there were concerns about whether the Derby would be held at all after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued an emergency order that limited the bag limit for Coho salmon on the Kenai Peninsula and around the state. However, the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, the City of Kenai, and ADF&G all agreed that the river could still be fished responsibly if the Derby were to continue.
Fish and Game Coordinator Matt Miller said that the department has been receiving reports of anglers having success catching Silvers. He said they want people to enjoy the resource, and he believes that the Derby can be executed responsibly. “We don’t really see a need at this point to do further restrictions, and [we] encourage folks to get out there and enjoy the resource.”
“We’ve been trying to find that balance throughout this season of protecting the Coho resource and taking restrictions where we needed,” Miller added, “and if it looked like we still had some opportunity we could provide for folks and anglers, then we were letting them do that, and that’s the case in Kenai and Kasilof.”
Tickets for this year’s Derby are $10 per day and can be purchased at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, Three Bears, or online.
