Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 42 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 Thursday, August 12, 2021. This announcement also extends drift gillnetting from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 12, 2021 in the waters of the Expanded Kenai, Expanded Kasilof, and Anchor Point sections of the Central District.
Chinitna Bay Subdistrict remains closed by regulation unless an emergency order is issued that specifies those waters are open. Chum salmon escapement counts as of August 9, 2021 do not currently support an opening in Chinitna Bay for drift gillnetting.
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 period from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 12, 2021.
The biological escapement goal for Kasilof River sockeye salmon of 140,000 to 320,000 has been exceeded, and the current count projects a final escapement of 520,000 fish. In the Kenai River, average sockeye salmon passage into the Kenai River is 84% complete through August 10, projecting an in river run of 2.2 to 2.3 million sockeye salmon based on average to 3 day late run timings.
