The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 25 opens commercial fishing with drift gillnets in Drift Gillnet Area 1, the Expanded Kenai, Expanded Kasilof, and Anchor Point sections of the Central District from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022.
As a reminder no Upper Subdistrict set gillnet fishing periods will be opened unless the Kenai River late run king salmon abundance improves.
All other set gillnet fisheries in UCI, outside of the Upper Subdistrict, will fish the regulatory scheduled period from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022, except for set gillnet fishing in the Western Subdistrict of the Central District south of Redoubt Point, which will be open as per Emergency Order 2S-13-22, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
As of July 23, Kasilof River sockeye salmon escapement is approximately 701,010 fish and 68% complete, projecting a final escapement of 1.0 million fish. The biological escapement goal for Kasilof River sockeye salmon of 140,000 to 320,000 has been exceeded. In the Kenai River, sockeye salmon escapement is approximately 854,295 fish and 39% complete, projecting an in river run of 2.2 to 2.9 million sockeye salmon based on average to 3 day late run timings.
Also, as a reminder, UCI Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 23 reduced legal set gillnet gear in the Northern District of Upper Cook Inlet during the regulatory fishing periods from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022, and from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, 2022. In the General Subdistrict, of the Northern District, legal gear during these fishing periods will be reduced to no more than one net per permit, measuring no more than 35 fathoms in length. In the Eastern Subdistrict, of the Northern District, legal gear during these fishing periods will be reduced to no more than two set gillnets per permit, with each set gillnet measuring no more than 35 fathoms in length with the aggregate net length not to exceed 70 fathoms.
Fish harvested in this drift gillnet fishing period should be reported in statistical areas 244-60.
