Craig, Klawock boat anglers must land kings, coho, lingcod whole

Some Catches Must Stay Whole Until the Dock in Craig and Klawock

Marine boat anglers heading back to Craig or Klawock this summer have to leave the fillet knife in the box. Under the handling restriction in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Prince of Wales Island fishing report for Monday, sport-caught lingcod, nonpelagic rockfish and king or coho salmon may not be filleted, mutilated or de-headed at sea. The fish must stay whole until the vessel is tied up at a docking facility for offloading, unless they were consumed or preserved on board. The restriction applies to those two ports only.

Why the Restriction Exists

The reason is data. "The purpose of this restriction is to maximize the information collected through ADF&G creel sampling and angler interviews," wrote Craig Schwanke, the Prince of Wales area management biologist, in the report, which calls that information critical to managing and sustaining the fisheries. Creel technicians are working the docks, asking about trips and sampling catch.

Schwanke reported that coho and pink salmon have shown up in good numbers around the island, with fishing improving dramatically at the start of August, and that king fishing has picked up on the west side.

Anglers should also note a separate closure. The west side of Prince of Wales south of the 56-degree latitude at Cape Decision is closed to lingcod harvest for nonresidents from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, and it reopens Sept. 1.