The count thru Saturday, June 9 for Kenai River early-run king salmon totaled 1,488 large fish (greater than 34 inches). The number is substantially less than would be expected for the preseason forecast run of 5,499. For 2013 – 2017, sonar counts as of June 9 averaged about 45 percent of the total return. At […]

The following editorial appeared in the May 2018 issue of Saltwater Sportsman. Given that we’re living in contentious, partisan times in this country, there’s refreshing news regarding fisheries management. The Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017, known as the Modern Fish Act, which presents amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act that represent anglers’ interests, passed […]

Update from the 2017 Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting for Upper Cook Inlet The consensus of every sportfishing advocate from the Kenai to Anchorage to the Mat-Su is that this is shaping up to be one of the worst Board of Fisheries meeting in 40 years. Gov. Bill Walker has now appointed or reappointed each […]

Cook Inlet salmon fisheries are complex. King, sockeye, and silver salmon all return to multiple watersheds, swimming through gillnets, dipnets and hooks, seeking to return to natal streams to spawn. All that effort yields important economic, social, cultural and recreational gains, and the next generation of returning salmon if all goes according to plan. The […]

A tale of the Haves and Have Nots, when looking at the day and night difference between the facilities for the very popular personal use dip net fisheries at the mouths of the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. On the one hand, the City of Kenai and the State, through user fees and grants, have invested heavily in […]

For the fourth year in a row, the forecast  return of early run Kenai River king salmon is at or below the minimum escapement level of 5,300 fish as defined by the Optimal Escapement Goal (OEG). Based on this forecast, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) has issued a preseason Emergency Order (EO) […]

According to Craig Medred, there is more to the Roland Maw story than just residency fraud. Medred contends the ADN and its management killed the residency issues story when Maw was being considered for the Alaska Board of Fisheries appointment in 2015. An appointment made by Governor Bill Walker, a friend of ADN owner Alice […]

MYTH 1. MAXIMIZING UCI COMMERCIAL HARVEST MAXIMIZES SALMON ECONOMIC VALUE The essential economic question in Cook Inlet is not which fishery is more valuable but rather how to optimize the combined value of commercial, sport, personal use, and subsistence fisheries. Successful sport, personal use, subsistence and commercial fisheries are all vital to the economic and […]

Thursday in response to record low numbers of late-run king salmon entering the Kenai River, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) announced that the sport fishery in the Kenai River would be restricted to catch and release only beginning 12:01am Saturday July 19. Anglers fishing for king salmon are prohibited from using bait […]

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                 March 25, 2014 Contact: Ricky Gease 907- 398-2260 ricky@krsa.com KRSA asks Board of fisheries to keep recently enacted Kenai king salmon conservation measures (ANCHORAGE) Citing a precipitous decline of king salmon in the Kenai River, severe economic impacts to businesses from Kenai to Fairbanks and the negative impact on the state’s visitor industry, […]