The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 12, which opens commercial salmon fishing with set gillnets in the Kasilof Section of the Upper Subdistrict from 5:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Thursday, July 7, 2022. During this fishing period, legal gear in the Kasilof Section 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.
Set gillnets will also be allowed within 600 feet of the mean high tide mark in that portion of the Kenai Section north of the latitude of the Blanchard Line (60° 27.10ʹ N. lat.) and south of the latitude of the ADF&G regulatory marker (60° 30.49ʹ N. lat.) located south of the Kenai River mouth; i.e., the North Kalifornsky Beach statistical area (244-32) from 5:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Thursday, July 7, 2022. Following 5 AAC 21.310 (b)(2)(C)(ii), during the July 7 opening in the North Kalifornsky Beach statistical area, legal gear is restricted to set gillnets that are no greater than 29 meshes in depth and with mesh sizes no greater than four and three quarters inches. Up to 4 set gillnets per permit may be used, each no greater than 35 fathoms in length, and 105 fathoms in aggregate length. No set gillnets greater than 29 meshes in depth may be used in the North Kalifornsky beach statistical area during this opening. All set gillnets must be 600 feet apart (5 AAC 21.335), and they must be within 600 feet of the mean high tide mark as per this announcement.
As of July 5, 2022, the cumulative sockeye salmon escapement estimate for the Kasilof River was 127,831 and average run timing was 28%, and the year-end escapement projection was 451,000 sockeye salmon. Fishing in the aforementioned waters is warranted to harvest sockeye salmon returning to the Kasilof River.
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, 24 hours of EO time will have been used for the week of July 3–July 9.
By regulation, set gillnet fisheries in The Northern District, and the Western, Kustatan, Kalgin Island and Chinitna Bay subdistricts of the Central District, will fish their regularly scheduled period from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, 2022.
Also, by regulation, drift gillnet fishing 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, July 7, 2022. This announcement extends the commercial drift gillnet fishing period from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 7, 2022, in Drift Gillnet Area 1 of the Central District.
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)).
Fish harvested in the Upper Subdistrict 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.
