A weak sockeye return has managers ready to open a Juneau-area fishery on six hours' notice

Drift gillnetters south of Juneau got an extra 24 hours on the water this week, but the more telling number is the one behind the openings: the Speel Lake sockeye run is coming in weak.

Escapement into Speel Lake is at about three-quarters of the bottom of its goal range, short of where the state wants it. Fish and Game says that if the run does not improve, it could open the Speel Arm terminal harvest area on as little as six hours' notice, letting the fleet target the return close to its source if managers decide the fish are there.

For now, the drift fishery south of Circle Point runs an extra day, closing at noon Wednesday instead of Tuesday. The account comes entirely from the department's notices, with no fisherman quoted.